Part of our week long series of Gift Guides, my picks for all the skiers on your shopping list.
You’ve been good this year, right? And I’m sure you need another ________(feel free to insert anything you want). I’m giving you permission to give yourself a Christmas present this year as a reward for all the hard shopping you’ve been doing. Here are three items I’d buy for myself.
Forsake boots
Calf height winter boots haven’t been stylish since third grade, but often function overrules fashion and that’s what you wear. Foresake upends that paradigm with boots that look and wear like sneakers. Available in both men’s and women’s styles they’re insulated, grippy and have a smart casual kind of look to them. They’re as at home in the city as at the ski hill and shovelling the driveway. https://forsake.com
Under Armour ColdGear Reactor
The intelligent puffy jacket, it’s like a thermostat. The synthetic insulation is lined up vertically to both capture heat and let moisture easily move through. The liner wicks to help move moisture, as well, and the face fabric is highly wind resistant but still porous enough to allow the moisture to escape from within. That’s all to say this jacket will be just right in a broader range of temperatures and situations than just about any other puffy. The synthetic insulation is available in a whole range of gear: jackets, tights, sweaters and more. https://www.underarmour.com/en-ca/reactor/g/32z2
Giro VIVID lens
The golden maxim for goggle lenses was to filter blue light to see better. However, Giro’s research shows what we already knew: snow is actually blue, but looks white because of the way light reflects off it. Filtering out blue light meant we were actually filtering out the definition in the snow, as well. The new VIVID lens, available on a few of its goggles, does the opposite, allowing in blue light while blocking UV light. In my few days of use of the VIVID lens on a pair of Axis goggles I’ve noticed a difference, especially in flat light situations. http://www.giro.com/ca_en/VIVID/
RYAN REPORT is a frequent web post by Ski Canada magazine’s technical editor, Ryan Stuart.
