For our latest Product of the Week, feast your eyes on what we made of Forum’s Scallywag – a park-friendly jib stick.

No one’s gonna miss you on this bad boy, that’s for sure. You’ll have fellow pirates calling ‘Aaaarrrgghhh!’ at you as the distinctive base gets flashed when you pull your knuckle stunts. But beyond the look of the topsheet and base, is this the weapon for you and your riding? Read on…

FORUM SNOWBOARDS

Scallywag

Lengths: 151, 155, 158

Tested Length: 158

Forum claim their Scallywag to be “more durable than any other, and will allow your park pillaging to go on all day.” Aimed at park freestyle, the shape is a true twin as you’d expect and now has a ChillyDog with Pop base profile that allows it to be soft enough to butter your muffin with, yet with enough wang on it to deal with the bigger kicker line.

Our English Ed took one for a spin at the end of last season and dropped this review: “Fun. Nuff said… The Scallywag is perfectly suited to jibbers or anyone wanting to mess around on a fun-flexed soft shred stick. Not for aggressive shredders but anyone after a fun-ass freestyler for the park or dome would find this 100% PERFECT. I noticed I wrote the word ‘fun’ in there 3 times which, while being bad writing sums up this board to a tee.”

If this shivered your timbers, you can buy the Forum Scallywag from Blue Tomato or HotZone.TV, or hunt down your nearest Forum dealer to scope it in the flesh.

This week our product spotlight falls on this women’s quick-entry freestyle binding from Ride Snowboards – the Bandita Contraband. Find out what we made of it.

RIDE SNOWBOARDS

Women’s Bandita Contraband Bindings

Intended use: All Mountain Freestyle, Park & Pipe
Colours: Black, Purple
Sizes: S, M

Yes, the spider web where you’d think the toestrap would be looks a little unusual at first, but it’s there to enable these Bandita Contrabands to be entered and exited using just the ankle strap ratchet therefore saving time strapping. Built for freestyle ladies wanting to send it, these features the all new SlingBack highback for premium flex, and the ultra secure V-Grip™ strap system. Also kitted with Wedgie 2.5 footbeds and Urethane Rollbar™ to provide an added dose of comfort and boost of ollie pop.

Here’s what our editorial assistant, Anna, made of them as she tore them through pre-season Saas Fee: “Though the unique strapping system is a little fiddly to adjust to fit your boots the first time (you should definitely take the time to do it properly at home rather than on the mountain), once you’ve adjusted them they’re really great to ride with. As for the rest of the binding, everything is real easy to tweak how you want it. Of course, the Contraband system means they’re super fast and easy to use as you have just the one ratchet to contend with – they might not be faster than a rear entry binding but there’s not a great deal of difference in strapping time. The large mesh toe holder really eliminates any weird pressure points over your foot and with the ankle strap it holds you just as secure as a two-strap. Over all it’s middle-ish on the flex/response-ometer meaning it won’t kick your ass but still gives you power. Overall definitely good for girls who like the park and want to get in as many laps as possible.”

€189.95

Should these women’s bindings sound like your cup o’ tea, you can buy them online from Blue Tomato or pick ‘em up at your local Ride Snowboards dealer.

The planet has turned a further seven times on its axis, allowing us to bring you another Product of the Week. This time round it’s Head Snowboards’ freestyle slayer, the Force i. KERS. Peep the review.

Head have been quietly building impressively technical snowboards for several years now. If you’re looking for quality performance at a decent price point then you should certainly have a gander at their range as in terms of what you get for your greenbacks, they’re hard to beat.  They’ve also recently been growing their team to include some fine shreds on their roster, including Norwegian Fredrik Evensen who you’ll have seen sending it in Isenseven’s movies, Christophe Schmidt (who also is an Isenseven alumni and one of Germany’s finest pipe dudes), and Shayne Pospisil whose riding you’ll have seen in the tasty Smith Prospecting Idaho clip we posted last week. All three of these guys were instrumental in developing the Force i. KERS. Here’s the skinny…

HEAD SNOWBOARDS

Force i. KERS

Lengths: 149, 153, 156, 159, 162

Tested Length: 156

Our Finnish photo ed Sami, a man who’s rather particular about his funsticks and prefers for them to be powerful without being doors, had this to say when he took one for a spin: “A very good all-round freestyle board with great edge control. The Force has traditional camber and provides a smooth and comfortable ride with great pop. Apparently this is a team favourite and it’s easy to see why – if you know what you’re doing you won’t be disappointed.”

€499.95

If after reading this you’re all like, “Right, sold. This is the bad boy for me!” you can buy the Head Force i. KERS from The Snowboard Asylum, or head on down to your nearest Head Snowboards dealer to get your mitts on one.

We introduced our Ed in Chief to the internet this week and he was amazed at all the naked ladies performing there. Finally we managed to get him off redtube and got him to drop his musings on the ThirtyTwo Focus Boa boots that he’s had his wizened little feet in for a while now, and thus – BANG! – we have another Product of the Week for your edification… Peruse.

I am new to this Product of the Week thing but what I am about to tell you is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me god; or whoever else might be feeling charitable.

So what is this great product I am about to describe? Why, it is the ThirtyTwo Focus Boa.

It is always a worrying experience when presented with a new pair of boots that beg, like the sluts that they are, for me to slip by odorous feet into their soft holes and take them on a ride of a lifetime. Will they pinch? Ex-squeeze me across the forefoot? Have my heel flopping about like a kitten in a shopping bag?

Well here’s the truth: The ThirtyTwo Focus Boa does none of the above.

I first slipped into them under my desk to break ‘em in and with both Boas cranked they fitted like tailored gloves – bear in mind I hadn’t heat molded them as yet. There was no pinch; no uncomfortable internal overlapping of seams; and my heel was held firmly but comfortably, like a pair of nads in Speedos.

Now to the mountain and the Focus Boa’s natural habitat. The double Boa’s allowed me to customize the shell’s hold of my foot specifically, while the 3D tongue and supportive spine delivered support and flex in just the right measures. I particularly liked the little Velcro feature on the tongue, which integrates its fit to the upper liner and the ease by which I could get in and out of them and find just the right tension at the spin of the Boa’s wheel. Apparently these boots score and 8 out of 10 on ThirtyTwo’s flex scale but I didn’t find them over-stiff: I hate stiff boots – I rode a pair of Burton Freestyles for four season so that I could tweak like Ingo.

Add to the mix overall comfort, warmth, fit and ingrained responsiveness and my little footsies had found the perfect match.

I am backing the Focus Boa.

€329.95

www.thirtytwo.com

This week’s product focus is trained on Electric Eyewear’s widescreen goggles, the EG2. If you dig vision you’ll dig these bad boys.

The EG2 goggle has been around for a while now and remains essentially unchanged from its first incarnation. Sure, they’ve added some increasingly diverse and attention-grabbing prints and colourways, but they know as well as anyone the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” And the EG2 certainly ain’t broke.

The first thing you’ll notice are these are big goggles. In fact, if you have a small head they may even be too big, such is the size of their expansive frame, but if you have a medium to large face then the goldfish bowl-esque appearance translates into awesome vision and a super comfortable fit. You barely even notice the frame is there so your peripheral vision gets cranked up a notch and the bulbous spherical lens give crystal clear vision – the ‘Widescreen HDTV for your eyes’ line Electric trot out for their PR is, to be fair, pretty on point. Also, maybe it’s just this hack’s features but these also sit perfectly over the nose with zero pinching and the plentiful foam enhances this feeling of comfort.

When it comes to keeping your vision fog-free, these are as good as any we’ve used – sure, when you’re steaming on bad weather day tree runs or hiking the slushy pipe on a warm spring day then they can get misty, but this clears quickly with any movement. As far as sticking to head, these are solid as a rock plus, of course, they block all that UV crap to protect your eyes.

There’s a range of lenses available (you can even get a polarized lens too), plus a host of different colourways to pick from – from the garish to the more muted. This model shown features the art of Lib Tech collaborator Mike Parillo, and is sure to get you noticed.

If you’re after maximum vision and comfort with a bold look, get these bad boys on your melon. You won’t be disappointed.

€121-154
www.electricvisual.com

The latest installment of Product of the Week focuses on these pumped up kicks from Nike Snowboarding – the Zoom Kaiju boots.

We went to the launch of these boots around this time last year and the boot’s designer waxed lyrical on all manner of techness that the Swoosh crammed in to their top end shred sneaker: Insulating material from NASA, a ‘Free’ sole inspired by their running shoes, some stuff from Kobe Bryant’s b-ball kicks, the lacing system from Back To The Future II… Well, ok. Maybe not that. Yet.

This year’s version is essentially similar but with new colourways – the Jordan-inspired white/red being particularly rad. But all the tech chatter and how they look is redundant compared to how they fit and how they ride. Happily we can report that on both counts these cut the mustard.

Top-end boots tend to be the stiffest out there, but this is not the case with the Zoom Kaiju – we found them to be pretty much middle of the road when it came to flex, meaning you have decent support and response but with plenty of scope for tweaking. As a result, though, if you’re after a super stiff model for hard charging then maybe look elsewhere.

What is immediately clear is that these fit great and feel great straight out the box. This hack’s feet are a bitch to please, but these were comfy off the bat and had great heel hold that didn’t diminish over time. Seriously, there wasn’t even that ‘first few runs of the season footcramp hell’ you’d anticipate, and you can also notice that the Free sole really gives you enhanced board feel

The only criticism we could find is that the lacing system, while easy enough for a traditional system, could have been easier to handle if they dropped a speedlace version for our lazy Euro asses.

All in all, though, we have to say that the tech-hype is backed up by great performance – the Zoom Kaiju is an awesome boot.

€380.00

The 153 DC PBJ.

Our Product of the Week focuses this time round on DC Snowboards’ PBJ model. We were lucky enough to try out a few of their board last spring and we must say that after only a few years in the board manufacturing game, their boards are damn fine. Here’s what we made of it.

DC SNOWBOARDS

PJB

Available lengths: 144/149/153/155W/157/159W

Tested length: 153

With a tight range of boards that sprouted from the fertile soil that is DC board designer Mike Fox’s mind, DC offers a mix of efficient all-rounders as well as more terrain-specific boards, and the PJB definitely falls into this second category. On the paper, this jib board (derived from Aaron Biittner’s pro model) has been at the playful end of the line since the beginning, and this year the jib-abilities are even more obvious than before. Thanks to the 6mm reverse camber, the soft yet poppy flex, the Structurn base finish and the short sidecut, the PJB has everything you need to kill rails, boxes, flatland tricks and such.

On snow, all those characteristics focus on one objective  – fun – and blend together to deliver an ultra-manouvrable ride with a lot of control. You’ll surely find yourself trying new tech stuff on the boxes as the versatility of the board seems to give you more time to initiate your tricks. It’s maybe not the easiest board at first try; its tendency to swivel can be a little disturbing at first, especially to get precision from your ollies, but once past this adaptation period… what a park toy! We tested it in slushy spring conditions, where the rocker helped a lot keeping the speed while avoiding edge mistakes. Well, that’s what Lauri Heiskari himself was riding that day, so he can’t be wrong, right?

All in all, the PBJ is one of the best jib toys we’ve ridden so far. And although it takes a few runs to get used to the feel and the to figure how to ollie it best – more skate style we would say – then it’s the perfect board for the jib lover who wants to bonk and tweak everything going his way. Don’t take it too short if you want to use its snappy abilities outside the park.

€299.00

www.snow.dcshoes.com

Our product spotlight hits back this week with this all-terrain Jack of All Trades from the people who brought you the Banana – Mervin Manurfacturing’s Gnu Snowboards and their Carbon Credit Series. Read the lowdown and check the review.

GNU

Carbon Credit Series

Available lengths: 147, 150, 153, 156, 156W, 159, 159W, 162, 162W, 165W

Tested length: 147

Gnu is the sister company of Lib Tech and sits happily under the unconventional Mervin Manufacturing umbrella. We say ‘unconventional’ because they were bold enough to think – “Hey, maybe snowboards could be made more better,” and allowed their mad scientists to develop Magne-Traction, Banana, and, back in the day, metal edges. Yes, Gnu were the first company to put metal edges on their snowboards back in the 80s when your parents were cool.

This board has all of the above – even metal edges. The Carbon Credit Series is Gnu’s ‘do-it-all’ board for pretty much anyone, whatever their ability. It’s easy to ride thanks to the Banana in its pocket, has killer edge grip through Magne-Traction and its twin geometries are designed to give freestyle performance no matter what the terrain. With a flex that’s best described as ‘middle-of-the-road’ it’s also accessible enough for less savvy riders to progress on but has enough in the tank for guys who know what’s up to enjoy, unless you prefer a more beasty ride. Also available in wides.

Here’s what we scribbled down on a chairlift when we took the Carbon Credit Series for a spin…

“A really amazing board that is great for almost anything. Super fun and noodly but still has loads of edge grip. The Carbon Credit is definitely one of the top 3 boards I tested. Maybe not for the full-on chargers but for anyone wanting a fun board, this is it. ”

€N/A – dependent on where you are in the world.

Also available in ninja black and all-white.

For our latest Product of the Week, we’ve stuck close to home and taken a look at the bindings we’ve been riding with all last season – the Union Force. They are awesome.

We were lucky enough for the crew at Union Bindings to let us give their Force bindings a special lick of the Onboard steeze and have as such tested these bad boys as concisely as anything ever. After 100+ days, they’re still ticking and still rad.

UNION

FORCE BINDINGS

If you’re only focussing on producing one type of product you’d better get it right. Union do, and do. The Force comes in around the lower mid-range of their pricing scheme but that should not cause you to turn your nose up as they’re a hell of a lot of binding for your 200 soon-to-be-worthless eurodoller. It’s no coincidence they’re Union’s best-selling model.

As ever, they’ve upgraded components this year to give you more bang for your buck. The cushioning and dampening are both spot on thanks to the injected EVA bushings and disc-covering/gas pedal. The baseplate is glass-infused Zytel for strength and responsiveness (they’re so confident in the base that it has a lifetime warranty on it) and an anodised Aluminium heelcups to keep ‘em bombproof. They have a flex erring on the side of stiff, yet the highback manages to be bendable enough to allow all the poke you need and still be comfortable.

The straps are new too, with improved pressure distribution and autofit EVA on the ankle to up your comfort and a new toe strap that can be rocked traditional or capped. The ratchets work how they should too – you don’t notice ‘em. Summed up in a sentence, the Force is super comfortable, super adjustable yet super responsive at the same time. The only criticism we could find was the screws holding the straps in loosen off after a while, so make sure you give ‘em a tighten every couple of days. But all in all these are a stonking set of binders.

€199.00

www.unionbindingcompany.com

And here’s more from the horse’s mouth.

In-your-face jazzy colours or classy white, Volcom's Ayers Insulated's got your back.

The blinding glare of this week’s product spotlight falls on Volcom’s women’s Ayers Insulated jacket, a slick bit o’ outerwear that you’ll have seen Cheryl Maas getting it done in in the first episode of her web series, Open Air. Read on for the lowdown…

VOLCOM

WOMEN’S AYERS INSULATED JACKET

The Women’s Ayers Insulated comes straight outta Volcom’s Thermonite series, which trains its eye on rippers who still want to get their stomp on when the mercury heads way south, but whatever Mamma Nature throws your way, you can rest assured you’ll be sweet in this banger. With a classic regular fit you know you’ll be getting enough freedom of movement to wind up them spins without looking like a rider from the early 90s and there’s heaps of kick-ass features to guarantee you’ll be all awesome all day long.

As well as ensuring a girl stays comfortable on the shred thanks to a 15/10k fabric, critically taped seams, 80g of lightweight insulation, mesh-lined pit vents and an adjustable hood, you get some proper exclusive Volcom innovations thrown into the package – the Zip-Tech jacket-to-pant interface on the pow skirt seals you in like no other and the pull out Face-Tech facemask keeps your pearlys warm when you’re beaming powder grins. There are also heaps of pockets to store your gear (including goggles, hands, iThing, and a stash one for your pass), a whistle on your zipper pull, a suede chin guard, and more stuff to get girls who send it hyped.

That’s the nuts and bolts but we wanted a more personal touch and, seeing as our manly forms would not fit into the damn thing, we asked Cheryl what made her reach for this when she had the entire Volcom line in the warehouse to choose from. “The Ayers jacket was one of my favourite to wear this past winter. It was loose to wear which is what I like when I’m in the backcountry: hiking, building stuff and trying new tricks. All the cool little Volcom features are appreciated but the main thing is that it kept me warm and dry” And if it’s good enough for one of the best female riders on spaceship Earth… Check her out getting it done in the Ayers Insulated at the end of the first episode of Open Air.

SRP: €179-199

Check out more on the brand new Volcom snow website for 2011/12.