Reviews by User: SilverK20A3 (6)

Got this as a precaution for next season due to my recent season ending back injury. This is a perplexing product, and one must ask, who exactly did RED (Burton) design this for? This is overkill for people who cruise groomers, yet it is too cumbersome for freestylers and hard chargers who will actually appreciate the extra protection. This thing is a cross between being a Ninja Turtle and wearing a medical back brace. It doesn't RESTRICT movement by any means, but it definitely inhibits movement and overall mobility. The problem lies in the fundamental characteristic of this thing: it's a VEST. In other words, any motion that the back plate makes, it gets transmitted through the entire apparel, pulling on your torso every which way. A couple more drawbacks include the fact that it is bulky, and it is heavier than it looks. On the plus side, this vest is well constructed and most likely provides decent back protection. Furthermore, the spine are elements are modular, meaning you can remove any piece you don't feel necessary. In a nutshell, if you're in any way shape or form a freestyler who relies on torso mobility for your tricks, stick with the strappy-style spine armor.

I'm on my second pair of Smith Cascades. They're dirt cheap, don't fog up very often, and are flexible to easily conform to my face. They're even adequate for riding at night if the conditions warrant goggles. I wear these over my glasses and are deep and wide enough to accomodate them. My glasses are thin with a small profile, however. Unless there's a compelling reason to buy goggles that cost 4x more than these, these do the job well. PS-The pictured white goggle with white frame is incorrect. The goggle that came was more of a silvery frame with a red and white checkered band.

I was able to get a pair of these for dirt cheap back when WhiskeyMilita offered snowboarding gear. These are fantastic pants for the price. The 10k waterproofing, while not excellent, is more than adequate. The zippers are smooth and pockets are well placed. I especially found the season pass window to be helpful. It isn't overly baggy, which was good for me. The only complaint I have about this pant is the shell material, is stiff and noisy. There are other pants out there made from a quieter, softer material. For the price I got it for, I have no complaints.

This is one fantastic boot. It is ROCK stiff. If you require any kind of tweakability from your boot, look elsewhere. This boot required a couple days of riding to break in but after that, they fit like a charm. The materials and construction are first rate. This boot lasted me through a ~50+ day season and will most likely last several more. Only gripe is the fact that the speed lace system isn't very durable. My board edge has never come near the laces and it seems the friction from the boot stripped the sleave. I think it can last a several more days before the kevlar core starts to fray. Overall, excellent boot for speed freaks.

This jacket is a fantastic value. It has features up the wazzoo, including pockets everywhere, velcro, great zippers, and the inner layer fleece jacket is great too if extra layering is necessary. The styling kinda reminds me of a World War II paratrooper's jacket. Fits kinda baggy but what contemporary snowboard jacket isn't? The waterproofing is more than sufficient for Southern California conditions. The material isn't terribley noisy and crinkly, which is a plus. My favorite feature: There is a season pass window you can yank out of the left wrist which retracts on an elastic strap. I put 40+ days on this jacket and it came in handy. Excellent jacket, especially at $75 bucks. Great for anyone who is a little more conservative in their snowboarding attire.

These bindings are extremely responsive edge to edge for those who are only concerned with high speed bombing down the steep stuff. Since they offer almost no flex, I would stay away if you're a park rat who wants tweakability and honest feedback from underfoot. The the fully padded carbon footbed is surprisingly comfortable for absorbing hard landings and they soak up a lot of the imperfections on the snow surface. Being my first aluminum binding, I can honestly say I will never go back to a composite binding system every again. A couple gripes I have about this binding is the fact that compared to Burton's bindings, it is aesthetically and functionally less refined. The ratchets are clunky compared to Burton's smooth glides. Setup and adjustment is a tedious and difficult process because this binding is very mechanical, with many hardware parts and screws that are difficult to reassemble. Despite some of the less refined creature comforts, the performance of this binding is amazing.