* Ubiquitous glove creator Swany has yet another head-turning offering hanging in the shop window. The RC-25 i-Finger ($45) is a nifty, lightweight softshell glove that allows you to use your smartphone or iPod touchscreen in order to ignore your chairlift seatmates better. www.swanyamerica.com
* Winter temperatures vary as much as your activity
level and Columbia is clearly a bootmaker that recognizes
this. The waterproof Bugathermo Techlite (shown here)
and Snowfall Thermo ($379) offer warmth only when
you need it – and with the push of a button. Columbia’s
Omni-Heat Thermal Electric Technology uses Lithium
polymer batteries and carbon heating elements to
provide hours of continuous heat if needed. Several
recharging choices are available at the end of the
day, including a USB cable to your computer.
That’s cool, er, warm! www.columbia.com
* Heading to the Alps? No need to have a lift pass dangling on your jacket or flapping around your neck when you have a Swatch with Snowpass technology. Just load onto your wrist the number of days you’re planning on skiing and wave at the automatic reader as you pass through the turnstile each run. It’s a free souvenir if you come skiing with Ski Canada in Switzerland this winter, (This model: Mister Twin, $130.) www.swatch.com
* They’re back and Helly’s leading the pack: from the Oslo Fjord Collection, the Norse Chunky Knit jacket ($200) of lamb’s wool and nylon is a welcome return of the big bulky sweater. www.hellyhansen.com
* Giro makes a lot of goggles (and helmets), but this pair caught our eye. The Manifest is more of a system with 13
possible lenses that are easily changed and let in 23 to 92 per cent of ambient light, depending on the day’s weather. And nothing’s worse than squinting through a bright lens on a sunny day or skiing blind when the mountain’s socked in. ($200- $250, depending on your combo of two lenses.) www.giro.com
