STOP PRESS: SNOWBOARDING IS HIP FOR HIPSTERS AGAIN. Now before you all rant that snowboarding’s enough fun on it’s own and we don’t need any more gadgets on the mountain, and anyway you’re already busy instaboasting how nice a time you’re having… We know. But, on the off chance that one day your instabattery lasts all the way to the top of the park, it’s worth remembering that Switchback made us a dice app a while back to make sure we’re still down with the instakids. Just give it a little shake and let it decide what you’re going to do on the next rail. Then get your mates to do the same. Simples. Waitaminute, didn’t Horgmo already play this game once or twice without taking his phone out of his pocket? Where’s the ifun in that? But does the app tell you what the loser’s punishment should be? Watch these lads from Mountain High demo it for you, then download, shake, and slap a hashtag on it before your chums do.

Have yourselves a sneak peek at all the brand new 2014 snowboards, boots, bindings, outerwear and accessories on show last week at ISPO that will be tempting you to splash the cash come autumn. 

The annual snowboard industry trade show, ISPO, went down in Munich last week with all the brands showcasing their finest new products for the 2013 to 2014 winter season. We trawled the halls to give you a sneak peek at what you can expect in terms of snowboards, boots, bindings, outerwear and accessories come autumn when the gear hits stores. If you like product porno, click full screen and dive in to our monster gallery above, or click the brand links below for a sniff of what they had to offer.

What’s floating your boat of all that shred gear? And is there anything that you’re feeling the hate for? Let us know beneath the line…

686 outerwear, Adidas outerwear, boots & goggles, Airblaster, Airhole facemasks, Amplifi, Ashbury eyewear, Anon goggles & helmets, Arbor Snowboards, Bataleon Snowboards & outerwear, Bern helmets, Billabong outerwear, Body Glove protection, Bonfire outerwear, Burton Snowboards, boots, bindings & outerwear, Capita Snowboards, Colour Wear, Dakine backpacks, gloves & outerwear, DC Snowboards, boots & outerwear, Deeluxe boots, Dragon goggles, Dye goggles, Electric eyewear, Endeavor Snowboards, Flow Snowboards & bindings, Flux bindings, Giro helmets & goggles, Gnu Snowboards, Head Snowboards & boots, Holden outerwear, Home watches, Jones Snowboards, K2 Snowboards & bindings, L1 Outerwear, Level Gloves, Lib Tech Snowboards Lobster Snowboards, Neff hats, gloves & outerwear, Nike Snowboarding boots & outerwear, Nikita outerwear, snowboards & bindings, Nidecker Snowboards, Nitro Snowboards, boots, bindings & outerwear, Nixon watches, Oakley goggles & outerwear, O’Neill outerwear, Patagonia outerwear, Picture Organic Clothing, Pro-Tec helmets, Quiksilver outerwear & goggles, Ride Snowboards, boots & bindings, Rip Curl outerwear, Rhythm outerwear & snowboards, Rome Snowboards, boots & bindings, Roxy snowboards & outerwear, Salomon snowboards, boots & bindings, Slash Snowboards, Smith goggles & helmets, Slytech protection, Spy goggles, Switchback bindings, Technine boards & bindings, ThirtyTwo boots & outerwear, Union bindings, Vans boots & outerwear, Volcom outerwear, Völkl Snowboards & bindings, Von Zipper goggles, Westbeach outerwear, Whitegold Snowboards, YES Snowboards, Zeal goggles

Anyone who associates girls’ rail riding with harsh zeaches at low speed NEEDS to check out this “Welcome to Switchback” edit from Dutch ripper Rachida Aoulad El Haj Amar because she is one talented lady. Tech moves at high speed is the name of the game for Rachida and it’s a game she makes look ridiculously easy!

She took her second consecutive victory at Rock A Rail in The Hague last month and the Dutch scene is already totally familiar with her sick riding and style. We are stoked to welcome her as the first lady of the Switchback team and you should all look out for her this winter!

If you were dropped on your head as a child and struggled to comprehend the ins and outs of the new binding brand, Switchback, fear not. They’ve just unleashed their new website and enlisted the help of their riders to break down the badness…

That being said, we’re worried having Ethan Morgan try to explain them might do more harm than good. That being that being said, though, we saw him at Freestyle.CH and he looks like he’s been working out – the kid’s neck was like a frickin’ tree trunk – so we might have to reel in the mocking as he might decide to Chuck Norris our asses… Anyway, here’s the lowdown on the Switchback Bindings website:

THE WAIT IS OVER!!!

We are very pleased to announce that the Switchback Bindings website is online now! Customers can go to the site and experiment with color combinations using the “Create Your Own” tool. They can browse our team and check out the pro models and pro colorways, watch videos on how to put the bindings together, find a local dealer and much else besides… 

And, to reiterate, if the whole Switchback hype passed you by, here’s what this innovative binding system is all about…

We had watched the trend for snowboarding with no high backs develop over a couple of years spearheaded by sick riders on both the street and in powder. Street riders took off their high backs to make their riding more like skateboarding, whereas powder hounds were going for the surf feel.

We noticed that removing your highbacks takes time and requires tools and that was enough to put many people off trying it out. There was no need for this, so we set out to develop a binding where the high backs would pop out. Of course removing the high back means that the riders feet sit slightly further back in the binding so we developed a no back insert to keep the boot centered in the binding. The no back inserts are included for free with every baseplate.

Once we had started down this road, we thought; “why should you need tools to adjust the fit?” We then developed a system for the straps, footpads and high back forward lean, where everything can be adjusted on the spot without needing any tools. In fact, the only time you need a screwdriver is to attach them to the board!

www.switchbackbindings.com

We hooked up with Bataleon and Switchback slasher Ben Rice, filmed him getting his stunt on and had him walk us through his kit. Check it out!

And just as we were about to press the magic ‘Publish’ button, we had word from our man Thrashmore at Bataleon informing us that the all-singing, all-dancing new Bataleon website is now up and running. So if Ben’s done his job right you’ll no doubt want to click over to sink your teeth in further to check out – amongst other slick kit – Thrashmore’s tips: the Global Warmer, the Camel Toe and Gulli Gudmundson’s Disaster, plus all their brand new outerwear range they’ve just dropped.

As for Ben, well, he’s certainly got the vampire jib steeze on lock, likes blood, and can operate a snowboard rather well indeed.

Filming/Edit: Lukas Lerperger

SWITCHBACK BINDINGS are here! Switchback bindings bring a modular approach to the game where you decide on your binding components. Choose your parts, choose your colors, then put them together in just a few minutes without the need for tools. That’s right, no tools! The only time you’ll need a screwdriver is when you screw them to your board.

One of the best things about Switchback Bindings is that it’s now possible for everyone to experience the fun of no-back snowboarding. You can switch out your highbacks for our no-back insert in just a few seconds and switch back again just as fast. Ride some speed laps on the groomers with a highback in the morning, then switch to no-back for some surf pow lines in the afternoon. Hit the big kicker line with highbacks or cruise the jib line without to add some skate flavor to your riding. Or don’t even buy a highback and do it all without. Switch it up, switch it back – its all good!

Instead of having to buy a complete setup in a certain colorway. You can now customize your own. Don’t want forward lean? Don’t pay for it! All of our components fit our baseplate – and this is just the beginning.

Don’t let the simple clean looks decieve you, Switchback bindings are packed with smart features like:

- Tool-less foodpad adjustment – get to your disc fast!
- Smart basepad that gives you cushioning where you want it but precision where you need it and reduces the amount of hard plastic in direct contact with your board.
- Tool-less strap position adjustment.
- Tool-less natural pivot forward lean adjustment on the FL Highback.
- 2 way strap adjustment on both straps – get centered with any boot in seconds.

Next season Switchback launches in four components and several options.

1. The base, which comes with the mounting hardware, basepadding, two sets of disks (1 set with offset holes for smaller or bigger feet), extra ankle strap pins and no-back insert.
2. Toe and Ankle straps including ladders and ankle strap pins.
3. Footbed padding/disc cover in 2 different styles. (ST Pad and a Jib Pad with extra cushioning)
4. Highback in 2 styles – the ST Highback and the FL Highback which is pre-rotated and has tool-less natural pivot forward lean adjustment.

All of these components will launch in 5 color-ways for the first season. Matte Black, White, Red Dawn, Agent Orange and Blue Algae.

Switchback Bindings will be dropping in stores at the start of next season. Meanwhile make sure you are facebook friends to catch all the upocoming updates such as the Helgasons Pro Model releases, the online binding builder and Switch Dice app updates (www.facebook.com/switchbackbindings).

Switchback bindings are strapped into by our international team of shreds:

Eiki Helgason
Halldor Helgason
Ethan Morgan
Ryan Paul
Gulli Gudmundsson
Kevin Sansalone

SWITCHBACK! You might like it…

www.switchbackbindings.com

This is frickin’ awesome. Not the first one of its kind for the iPhone, and of course the whole shebang was jacked off the Berrics, but this bit o’ jazz from Switchback Bindings is FREE to the first 5,000 peeps to download it. Get involved.

We’ve been playing with this for the last few minutes and have to say it’s pretty sick. We’re fully backing the ‘Old Bastard’ mode where no rotation is higher than 180 and the grabs are like cross rockets and crails, but younger riders will be pleased to know there’s 1080s and that, too. Nab it from the iTunes store now.

Here’s the chatter:

A dice iPhone app that sets a random snowboard trick for you or your friends to try in the terrain park! Simply choose ‘jumps’ or ‘rails’, set a difficulty that suits your riding and shake your phone to roll the dice!

FIRST 5000 DOWNLOADS FREE. Search the Itunes Store for Switch Dice or find the link to the FREE download on our facebook:

www.facebook.com/switchbackbindings
www.switchbackbindings.com

Sure, you won’t be able to get your hands on this binding project from the dudes at Bataleon Snowboards until next season (12/13), but what the hell… the concept is interesting. Plus the Helgasons are already onboard and as sure as 1 + 1 = 2, the internet demands anything related to these two must be posted with immediate effect or the whole thing will come crashing down.

We  received word from our contact at Bataleon HQ that they would be dropping bindings that would “forever change the way we look at snowboard bindings.” It was pretty cryptic to be honest, with stuff like “We aim to create a more flexible buying and riding experience for the consumers instead having to deal with a set of specs/features that a Brand decides,” and “allows them to purchase and ride a binding that is 100% customized for them,” so we reached out to find more. We pulled no punches with our CONFIRM or DENY email:

CONFIRM OR DENY

- From the blurb and the brand name, it sounds like you can select the type/stiffness of highback you get when you buy, and even easily swap between for different styles of riding.

- Halldor and Eiki will ride them

- they will be engineered to work perfectly with TBT

- The baseplates will be made from the distilled blood of a thousand young virgins

Though we received no direct reply, we did receive this PR that shows our assumptions were (mostly) right. Though they missed a trick with the virgin blood baseplates if you ask us… Here’s their chat:

The crew at Switchback Bindings today announced the first riders on their PRO TEAM to be Iceland’s finest Eiki and Halldor Helgason.

“Stoked on the flexibility it offers. It allows me to ride exactly the way I wanna ride. Highback or No back…depending on the terrain, location or feature. Hell Yeah!” – Eiki Helgason

“I can set it up in just the craziest combo’s…. shiiiiiiiiiet” – Halldor Helgason

Following the successful Triple Base Technology license partnership with Eiki and Halldor Helgason’s Lobster Snowboards we are pleased to welcome both brothers onto our latest project Switchback Bindings” says Switchback Bindings founder Dennis Dusseldorp. “Switchback Bindings is just all about the riders and both Eiki and Halldor have designed their own PRO-MODELS which will be shown during SIA and ISPO for the first time. Expect personalized parts, prints and color-ways in true Helgasons style

Danny Kiebert (Co-Founder Switchback Bindings) adds: “The Helgasons are amongst the most creative and passionate riders out there and their input on products like this is awesome and key to the future of snowboarding. The way they approach snowboarding is unique and we are pleased to be able to tap into their creative minds and translate that into our products.”

(nothing) More (yet, but keep your eyes) on www.switchbackbindings.com or Like their asses on Facebook.