Living in Santa Cruz, I have always viewed Jack O’Neill as a legend. The entire city seems to be built around him. Walking past his home on East Cliff Avenue, … Read more

Sweetgrass Productions are making a habit of pushing the envelope with their winter film releases. Two years ago, they explored the soul of skiing with Valhalla, followed-up by last year’s … Read more

Val Thorens, France: the pinnacle of Alpine ski resorts, sitting at a healthy 2300m as the highest in Europe. VT is part of the Les Trois Vallées and as le plus grande domain skiable du monde (the largest linked ski area in the world), the resort accompanies Courcheval and Meribel as one of the mighty titans of Europe.

With a name that translates to “snow” and a lineup of stylish garments that refuse to compromise on utility, technicality, and durability, Eira Outerwear is poised to swiftly take hold … Read more

The small French ski resort of Sainte Foy in the Savoie department of the Rhône-Alpes is known by a select few for the quality and quantity of its off-piste areas, … Read more

The efforts of the initial USA Colab include promoting U.S.-made products and announcing the USA Colab group through a targeted ad campaign, which can be seen in SKIING, Powder, Freeskier, Snowboard, and Backcountry magazines. Additionally, the project has retained Terra PR and Terra Spectrum Social to help expand visibility through earned and social media channels to help spread the gospel of buying American made.

Being based in Vancouver for the season has forced me to spend copious days on the mountain, usually up at Whistler which serves as the local playground for this adventure … Read more

In the eyes of a number of adventure’s premium goggle brands, bigger is always better. To them, wider lenses, fatter frames and substantial straps are more than just effective branding. This season, Dragon Alliance have reassessed this paradigm, releasing in their APX goggle and a new perspective that has reigned supreme across the northern hemisphere since December.

After reviewing Smith’s I/O Goggle, I searched out another product from the brand’s environmentally friendly Evolve line of helmets. During my testings in Colorado at the beginning of the season, I had the unfortunate luck of being able put the Tranport in an extreme situation that helped prove the helmet’s sturdy design.

Every season a series of ‘must get’ products emerge from the looms of the top adventure brands around the world. This winter, Patagonia has placed a major focus on its new line of breathable and waterproof shells, teaming up Gore-Tex to ensure that the quality of their garments stay at the top-end of adventure apparel and manufacturing ethics.

When it comes to eyewear, maximizing performance and style is essential. Based out of California, Electric Visual are a team of innovators, investing in the production of sunglasses and snow goggles. As one of the brands at the forefront of optics design, Electric bring together the latest and greatest high performance technology with unique designs that reflect the youthful and fun spirit of today’s adventurers.

After making the transition from wearing gloves to mittens four years ago I haven’t once looked back. During this season in the US I got hold of a pair of Swany America’s environmentally friendly Eco-Mitt, a mitt that incorporates their Eco-Circle shell and insulation technology. At an affordable $60, the Eco-Mitt to the test to see whether Swany could match the performance credentials of my other mitts with their eco offering.

History and guide to Steamboat, Colorado in the Rockies of the USA. Skiing in Steamboat offers some of the best snow conditions in North America.

If you’re one of those video addicts who spends hours wandering through YouTube and Vimeo looking for adventure films, momentous soundtracks, the 2012 Sheffield Adventure Film Festival is your fix.

Smith Optics has become well established as one of the market leaders in mountain accessories. As a number of brands jostle for the leading stake in optic design, Smith have done well not only to develop the features of it’s signature goggles, but also to innovate on the environmental side of manufacturing. Being part of the Evolve range, the I/O is composed of some bio-based Pearlthane and recycled urethane materials including on the environmental side of manufacturing. Beyond these ecological credentials, the Smith I/O makes for a high performance product, so combining the potentials of responsible retail and design.

This season Verbier, Switzerland has increased the speed of access to the main part of the mountain, Ruinettes. The previous slower 4-seater chairlift at Mayentzet and the following (even slower) 2-seater chairlift at La Combe has now been replaced with a single, high-speed 6-seater chairlift.

Püf is the sevem year old creation of Arieh Visocekas, a keen mountaineer who is aspiring to bring a new dimension of avalanche safety to skiing and snowboarding. Originally from Paris, Arieh settled in Chamonix to continue his father’s passion for extreme mountaineering. Unsatisfied with the equipment that was used to protect a rider in the event of an avalanche, Arieh sought the help of the local Piste Control, Mountain Guides, rescue teams, medical staff and the Gendarme to clarify a detailed list of requirements for survival in the event of an avalanche: Flotation; Air Supply; Head, neck and side impact protection; Quick extraction from the avalanche.

Perhaps my second testing of Orage’s products was more conventional. After a handful of nights in my comfy cacoon, I took the baselayers to Whistler, B.C. to take them through a more rigorous testing over glaciers, through trees and comfy pillows of more powdered constitution. The conditions in Whistler during my visit were mixed. While rain fell hard on the lower slopes, howling winds on the Blackcomb Glacier dragged the wind chill well down below -5° Celsius.

Since 1947, Obermeyer has endeavored to create the finest gear for the inexhaustible snow adventurer. For women looking to invest in an outer layer that will not only keep up in the harshest of conditions, but function as a lightweight wind barrier on warmer days, the Coco Jacket’s array of versatile features make it a necessary addition to your snow get-up.

This season the Alps have been hit with a late, but obscene amount of fresh snow. I arrived in December to be told by a friend that he had not even seen the sun for weeks. In preparation I got hold of a pair of the new Salomon XTEND XPLORE6 S goggles with the idea of getting maximum enjoyment from these conditions. Part of Salomon’s first line of goggles, the XTEND XPLORE 6 promised to offer me a new, wider perspective on life in powder fields of the world.