Contents
Base Layers
Thermals
Staying comfortable in the snow means staying dry. Your pants and jacket will keep you dry from the outside (snow), and your base layers need to keep you dry from the inside (sweat), so you want something absorbent and quick-drying, i.e. not cotton. Merino wool is often recommended because it’s warm and antimicrobial, but it’s also expensive and can’t be made to be as functional or featured as a lot of synthetic fabrics.
I primarily do day trips and wash my clothes regularly anyway, so I get a lot more utility out of the Under Armour ColdGear Long-Sleeve Mock-Neck Compression Shirt and ColdGear Pro Compression Leggings. I wear compression to the gym and figured it’d be comfortable for snowboarding too. It’s also got mesh in the right places to avoid sweat build up—both features you can’t get from merino. I have the regular ColdGear top but the warmest ColdGear bottom because my feet tend to get pretty cold by the end of the day (probably undiagnosed Raynaud’s) and if your feet are cold then it’s usually because your legs are cold, even if you don’t really feel it. I find the combination of the warmth and compression on the tights tends to help.
Socks & Gloves
I’ve heard that lighter socks actually keep your feet warmer than thicker ones because they make you sweat less. Anecdotally I find this to be true so despite the cold feet comment, I use the Stance Ultra Light Cushion Merino (Jimmy Choo) socks. No matter what you do your feet will sweat, and keeping them warm is pretty important, so going merino here is the only play as far as I’m concerned. They’re also just very comfortable and I kinda just like the brand; I wear other Stance socks casually too.
I also use the Descente Active Field Glove as an inner glove. I’m not convinced that they meaningfully contribute to keeping my hands warm under normal conditions, but it’s nice to not have my hands directly exposed when I want to pull out my phone or adjust my gear. The touch-compatible fingertips help with this too. Something people often forget is that your mitts will stink if you sweat into them directly, so wearing an inner glove you can easily wash is pretty nice even if just for hygiene purposes.
Mid Layers
Tech Sweaters
Over my base layer (or a T-shirt if it’s warm) I’ll usually wear my Marqleen ULTM Parker 23-24. It’s got a huge vented hood, thumb loops, zipper pockets, and a somewhat excessively-low cut so it works well (and looks sick) both under a jacket or on its own. Supposedly it’s treated to be somewhat water-repellent, but in my experience it tends to get pretty damp especially around the ribbing. Because the hood and collar are so big, it’s also a little bulky so it’s unfortunately not all-encompassing.
To cover the rest of my bases, I also have a 686 Bonded Fleece Crew 24-25. I mostly wear this on the commute to the resort because the hoodie is pretty cumbersome and a bit impractical for the train. I’ll also wear it on really cold days when I want to zip my jacket up the whole way, since it doesn’t have a hood in the way. It’s also made of bonded fleece so it’s a bit more water-resistant than the hoodie and better for the really sloshy spring days.
Outerwear
Jacket
My jacket for the past couple of seasons has been the Marqleen COACH+ Jacket II 23-24. It’s got a bunch of neat features that makes it pretty much the perfect jacket as far as I’m concerned, but my favourite part is probably the detachable hood. I never wear a hood when snowboarding or on the lift, so being able to pull it off so I can layer my inner hood over the jacket is peak effay.
Otherwise the wrist gaiters, goggle pocket, pass pocket, and generous vents are also very welcome. It’s also rated 30k waterproofing which is higher than GORE-TEX’s 28k and pretty overkill. The breathability is only 8k but I haven’t found this to be an issue at all since it’s kept me nice and warm under the conditions I wear it.
Pants
My Volcom Recoil Insulated Pant 14-15 is probably the oldest piece of gear on this list. It’s only 10k waterproofing and under ideal circumstances I might want a bit more, but I haven’t actually run into any issues with this and it’s holding up surprisingly well despite being a decade old. I also think it’s a women’s model but >just don’t be fat.
I won’t lie, I mainly chose this for the design. You’ll see why later, but it’s also very functional so I haven’t had any complaints. Warm and comfortable, plenty of pockets and vents so it’s fine even in spring, and the snow skirt still fits over my big manly boots. If I had to nitpick something then I’d rather it didn’t have a lace hook, but almost every snowboard pant has this so you’re really limiting your options if you want to avoid it.
Accessories
Goggles & Mitts
I always wear my Smith I/O Mag 18-19 goggles even when (especially when) it’s sunny because snow blindness is no joke. The high-contrast Chromapop Everyday Red Mirror lens works great even in low-light conditions so I haven’t really felt the need to get an extra lens, but it being removable makes it easy to dry and treat. The latch on the strap is also pretty handy since I don’t need to worry about my beanie shifting around when taking it on and off.
For mitts I recently swapped from a Crab Grab Snuggler Mitt to the Volcom Stay Dry GORE-TEX Mitt 24-25. The Crab Grabs are supposedly their warmest model, but the outer getting wet so easily didn’t really help its cause. It never got wet inside but the water definitely contributed to the coldness, so I ended up just going for GORE-TEX and haven’t looked back. The Volcoms still have the goggle-wipe thumb and the leash is nicer too so I think I’ll be keeping them for a while yet.
Headwear
A beanie is mandatory even in spring because wearing goggles directly over your ears is super uncomfortable, so you’ll always find me on the slopes with my Dakine Hayden Beanie 23-24. It’s nothing special but I get a lot of use out of it just around town as well. Notably a helmet is missing from the lineup, and I’d probably have one if I was more sensible or took hard park features more seriously, but groomers are so soft here I’ve yet to eat shit for not having one.
I also always wear some kind of face covering because cold wind and sunburn kind of suck. Usually it’ll be the Buff Merino Lightweight which is very breathable and comfortable even when it’s warm. The wind still comes through but it’s noticeably less harsh. You’ll be effectively breathing through a wet rag by the end of one run if it’s snowing though so for more adverse conditions I also have an Oyuki Proclava 22-23, which is warmer and more weather-resistant.
Hard Goods
Board
Now we get to the fun part. My current board is a 150cm FNTC SoT 22-23, which is a Japanese brand that specializes in ground trick (butter) boards. The SoT in particular is a lightweight, mid-flex, true-twin with a camber profile. It’s advertised as an all-mountain freestyle board and I find this to be mostly true in practice.
The carving and park performance is satisfactory unlike their more niche boards, but butters in particular have been pretty fun. The edges catch a lot less than other boards I’ve used and the carbon and honeycomb features make it nice and light too. I’m not that married to it though so once I’ve had my fun I might sell it or pass it on and pick up a Mercury / DoA or Warpig if Capita or Ride finally put out a graphic that tickles my fancy one of these seasons.
Bindings
The Union Force 16-17 is what I was matching my pants to. All the recent models have been boring solid colours so I had to hunt far and wide to find this one. Newer models have injection-moulded ankle straps which I’d probably prefer, but surprisingly the cushioned straps haven’t really packed out or started peeling or anything so they probably still have some life left in them.
Performance-wise I have no complaints, as you’d expect from Union’s standard all-rounder model. The hold and support is solid, and you have a bunch of nice little adjustment options with the strap positions, angles, and forward lean. As someone who likes groomers, park, and pow, and often rides with people of varying skill levels that I try to match pace with or look after, these don’t leave much to be desired.
Boots
The Nitro Team Pro MK TLS 24-25 is the newest addition to my loadout. My old boots (K2 Maysis) were on their way out and I was hoping I’d be able to wrap up the season with them and buy something next year, but they didn’t quite hold up. I wanted to be rid of boas this time because they just get loose throughout the day and make putting your pants on a pain, so I settled on Nitro’s TLS system (the Marcus Kleveland branding may have helped its case).
I’m pretty pleased with this decision because the laces hold up great, and the power strap resolves one of the biggest inconveniences I’ve had getting the shin boas tight enough on my old boots. The liner is warm and comfy, the insole and midsole have great shock absorption, and I can’t ask for more grip from the Vibram outsole. They’re changing up the design of this boot quite a lot next season so I’m glad I got in just in time, because they’re sold out everywhere.