Although the weather is warm make no mistake, snowboarding season is just around the corner and there is no better way to kick the season off than emptying your wallet on the best gear possible.
There are plenty of questions regarding COVID-19 and how it may affect resorts this winter, at this point it’s looking good for snowboarders as the majority of resorts in Ontario will be open.
Contracting COVID-19 when out snowboarding would be a difficult feat, as social distancing is already a maintained practice on the hill, it’s difficult to be within six feet of anyone when you’re out there unless the hills are packed. Chairlifts will most likely be reduced to one person, and even before it was a necessary thing to do riders wore face coverings, and gloves.
In the world of snowboarding, there are three main styles; All mountain, Freeride, and Freestyle.
All-mountain snowboards are designed to do what the name entails – ride all parts of a mountain. While these snowboards may not handle steep, untouched snow as well as freeride boards or stand out in the terrain park as much as freestyle boards, they still compete. These snowboards are meant for a rider who needs one board to get through all terrain, from grinding rails to riding through deep powder, all-mountain boards can handle anything you throw at them. For that reason, a lot of beginners choose all-mountain snowboards to get a feel for their preferred style before moving into freeride or freestyle boards.
Freeride snowboards are designed for the rider looking to carve through untouched, deep snow terrain, capable of smoothly and steadily riding at high speeds, these boards typically have a firmer flex than all-mountain which allows for less vibration and improved edge hold during high speed turns on steep terrain. Freeride boards are favoured by riders who seek out untouched routes due to their design, but, that should not discourage anyone from looking into them, they are usable in all terrains.
Freestyle snowboards are designed for grinding rails, riding halfpipes, and landing tricks, as seen in popular snowboarding events such as half-pipe, quarter-pipe, slopestyle, and big air. These boards typically have a softer flex than freeride boards which allow for tricks such as nose (front of the board) grinds and tail (back of the board) grinds.
Now into the top picks of snowboard gear for the 2020-2021 season.
These picks were made by reviewing the technical parts of the gear and reviews given on them.
Best Snowboard of 2020-2021 – K2 Alchemist
The best snowboard of the 2020-2021 season is the K2 Alchemist Snowboard. This board comes from the well-known brand K2 and is the peak of snowboarding technology, it is a freeride board which means it’s more tailored to big mountain pursuits. This board comes with an array of technology that requires strong technical terms to explain, so instead, to break it down, this board was crafted with pure dedication, made with a crisscross of high-grade carbon fiber and fiberglass still remaining incredibly light, this board is capable of bombing down steep terrain and making hard turns on a dime.
Best Bindings of 2020-2021 – Union Atlas Snowboard Bindings
The best snowboard bindings of 2020-2021 are the Union Atlas snowboard bindings. These bindings are capable of handling mainly all-mountain and freeride styles, they are a little stiffer than the average bindings, which makes them more suitable for intermediate to advanced riders. The responsiveness on them allows for deeper harder turns at fast speeds than your average binding and still maintains steady maneuverability at slow speeds.
Best Goggles of 2020-2021 – Smith 4D Mags
The best goggles of the 2020-2021 season are the Smith 4D Mags. These goggles are top of the line, they have an abundance of features such as ChromaPop lenses which “enhance contrast and natural colour to make details pop” and “Birdeye Vision which clarifies not just your line, but also the riders in your periphery,” as said on Smiths website. These goggles also feature “the largest field of view and sharpest optics to give you the best possible read on the terrain. Add our quick and easy lens-change tech, and you’ve got the only goggle you need for all-conditions riding.”
Best Boots of 2020-2021 – RIDE Insano
The best snowboard boots of the 2020-2021 season are the Ride Insano. These boots are more tailored to freeride riders as they are very stiff but still have a slight flex to them, they were made for those looking to charge down fresh snow and still get an impressive response to turns.
The snowboard season is finally here which means there is no better time to take out a mortgage on your home, so you can have the setup of your dreams and charge down any line with ease.
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