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BOARDZ.COM 99 Snow Products Review

The Boardz test team was fortunate enough to test and review various products from the makes of WaveRave, K2, Shimano, Santa Cruz, Salomom Swag, and Prom. I must say, all products reviewed have upped the ante for quality and style. Most importantly, the soft goods perform the function of keeping us warm without causing to much sweat and the hard goods give us enhanced performance when we ride. The soft goods were tested in sun, rain, snow, what ever El Nino in the Sierra Nevada 1998 could dish out. The hard goods were tested in pretty much ideal snow conditions of the spring of 98 and fresh early season snow at the fall 98 demo days at Alpine Meadows.

Outerwear items were tested in the area of:
1) water-resistance / breathability
2) fit and comfort
3) durability
4) style

Products are marked on a scale of 1-10. 1 being lowest 10 being highest.

Swag
Megaton bib Atomic jacket Prom
Jewel pant Royale jacket

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Steve Price Testing the Swag swag Bibs, jackets, and pants are all made from Eco Temp11 6000 dobby/ristop outer fabric.
Jewel pant, insulated MSRP $140.00 non ins. $120.00
Royal jacket, ins. MSRP $170.00 non ins. $150.00
Megaton bib, ins. MSRP $180.00 non ins. $160.00
Atom jacket, ins. MSRP $170.00 non ins. $150.00

1) Water-resistance / breathability
All items tested are satisfactorily waterproof. Score 8.0 Breathability score 7
2) Fit and comfort
All garments fit quit well on our testers. Bibs were not to baggy,the cargo pocket functions great with plenty of room for snax or what not. Jackets fit very well with plenty of pockets and an outer pocket with easy accesses, even with gloves on! Nice work.
3) Comfort
All garments tested are very comfortable. They will keep you dry and warm in most conditions, over all a great product. Score 8.5
4) Style
What do we know about style; but our girlfriends thought the stuff looked "Pimp".

Santa Cruz Outerwear

Bibs and jacket combine their exclusive XT-Weave and DLX fabrications with venting, comfort, and protection features built in to every garment.
Signature bib, MSRP $200.00
Mens signature parka, MSRP $230.00
1) Water-resistance / breathability
Both are nicely water-repellent under most conditions. Score 8.5 Breathability, both scored well in this department 9.0
3) Comfort
Both bibs and jacket are made for the extremes. The jacket is designed for the foulest of weather with a great hood and a long tail to keep your bottom dry on the chair.
4) Style
What do we know about style; but our girlfriends thought the stuff looked "Pimp".
Mittens
Signature mittens, MSRP $70.00
What can I say about these? There GREAT! They have the most comfortable liner I have ever slipped my hands into. They keep your paws warm and dry, even on the coldest of days. On warm days just pull out those plush liners and you're good to go. Score 9.0
Polarized goggle
EXT goggle, MSRP $75.00
The polarized goggle is great! With the mirrored lens as well as being polarized really cuts down on glare. The goggle has a great fit, as well as plenty of venting to help prevent fog-ups.
Score 9.0

Steve Price Testing the Santa Cruz Outerwear; Bibs, Jacket, Mittens , and Goggles
Snowbording Image

Steve Busy Testing at Alpine Meadows

Snowboarding Image
Will Church Putting WaveRave Bibs Through Workout WaveRave
2 Tracks Parka MSRP $290
Mountain View Bib Pant MSRP $325
1) Water-resistance / breathability
Both are made of Gore-Tex and are very water-repellent. Score 9.5 Breathability, of course these scored well in this department 10
3) Comfort
The jacket and bib were designed for the wettest conditions with a great hood. Gore-Tex is very breathable so your sweat can escape, keeping you dry and warm. This breathability means that strong winds can blow some air in and so I usually needed another layer under my outer wear on extra windy days than I did with other outer wear materials. Score 8 (10 on wet days)
4) Style
What do we know about style; but our girlfriends thought the stuff looked "Pimp".

Snowboards were tested for the following:
1) turning and edge hold
2) stability
3) style

Snowboard Turning Stability Style

Sims Project Hex 9.5 10 Basic

Salomom 500 Pro 9.5 9.5 Simple and Clean

Salomom Unibody 400 9 9 Simple and Clean

Elan Sidewinder 9 8.5 Electric Blue with Liberal Logo Size

K2 AStar 8 9 Nice Logo and Dark Motif

Santa Cruz C-Type 7.5 9 Small Cool Branding and Simple

Rossignol Levitation 8 8.5 Most Improved; If you like the Roster

MLY Ultimate 8 8 Simple with Lite Branding

Our testers were riding on fresh to wind-buffed tracked powder for our tests at the Alpine Meadows demo days. All the Salomoms, Sims Project Hex, Elan Sidewinder and the K2 AStar performed well in the test conditions and scored the highest in our somewhat limited tests; as you would expect for top of the line products. The Santa Cruz C-Type is remarkable for its top of the line smooth performance but at budget price.

Step-In Bindings
We have only tested the latest step-in bindings and boots from K2/Shimano. The Clicker is a good design that performs even better now with the HB (high back) models. The binding is a little more difficult to step in and get out of than the traditional Clicker, but the added function is well worth it and our testers got used to it after a few runs. The Shimano Prodigy boot is light and comfortable and will be a favorite of the most tweak worthy crowd. The Shimano Cornice is stiffer and provides more support for big mountain riders.
We should be able to get more step-in binding reviews up here soon.

Thanks to all the local reps and the businesses that managed to get us samples for our tests. To get your products reviewed here in the future contact Steve Price 530-550-0859.
That's all for the Boardz.com product review 99. We will keep you updated with more reviews as quick as we get to try the latest stuff!
Product Testers: Janina Evaro, Megan August, Steve Price, and Will Church
BOARDZ.COM 99 Snow Products Review by Steve Price and Will Church

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