CARVING MASTER
The Deacon was already a fully loaded, frontside punisher before Völkl ordained it to the next level, the Deacon 76 Master. Upgrades are the same as the M6 Mantra: an ash wood core and tailored carbon tip, which should add energy to the turn exit, smoothness in all conditions, and light but stable turn initiation and exit. $1,350; voelkl.com
ALL ABOUT THE GUTS
In cold weather, warm hands are won or lost on the inside. To tilt the battle in your digits’ favour, Swany is adding Aerogel to the Triplex insulation in its X-Change Glove and Mitt 2.1. Originally developed to keep astronauts warm on space walks, Aerogel is one of the least conductive materials. Mixing it into the synthetic Primaloft Gold insulation increases warmth retention by up to 50 per cent, Swany says, which means warmer fingers. $115; swanyamerica.com
ARTIFICIALLY ENHANCED LENS
From sorting through résumés to ordering Alexa to play Billy Eilish, artificial intelligence is helping with all kinds of mundane tasks. Finally engineers at Bollé used it for something useful—designing a better goggle lens. AI helped the company evaluate 20-million different lens pigment options to find the ideal compromise between white balance and depth perception, high contrast and accurate colours. The result is the VOLT+ lens found on its new Torus goggle. It’s a super-wide field-of-vision goggle, with a spherical and cylindrical hybrid lens shape to minimize distortion and glare. $220; bolle.com
SKIING’S B-CORPS
Since 1938, the influential family-owned mountaineering and ski boot manufacturer Scarpa has made life in the mountains more comfortable, precise and safer. By the end of the winter, the Dolomites-based Scarpa will join a select but growing list of ski-related Certified B-Corporations. The lengthy process verifies that Scarpa meets high standards for social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability. There are 4,000 B-Corps worldwide but only a handful in skiing, including Taos Ski Valley, Patagonia, Mountainflow Ecowax and WNDR Alpine. scarpa.com
