We asked a bunch of brands to show us the bindings from their 2014 range that they were most hyped on, and gave them an open mic to say what’s so awesome about them. Check out what they picked.

Check the lowdown from brands like Rome, K2, Ride, Burton, Union and Salomon.

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

Union make some of the finest binders in the business. Have a look at some of the highlights they have in store for the 2012-13 season.

Let the legend that is Joni Mäkinen walk you through the finer points of Union Binding Company’s two-strappers that should be in stores imminently.

Damn, the Union bosses look younger than we'd imagined. Photo: Sami Tuoriniemi.

Travis Rice is now keeping himself attached with some of the best bindings in the game. Rice is stoked, Union are stoked. Here’s the chat…

Union Binding Company is proud to announce the addition of The Art Of Flight mastermind and 2012 Snowboarder Magazine Rider of the Year Travis Rice to the Union Binding team.

One of the most pivotal riders in existence, T.Rice is known for executing impossible tricks in impossible situations and generally just thinking big—both on and off the board. In the past decade, he has diligently brought real freestyle to serious backcountry lines. Rice has driven large-scale concept films like That’s It, That’s All, The Art Of Flight and Supernatural—exposing his own talent and snowboarding as a whole on a bigger stage than ever before. Travis brings envelope-pushing talent and career-defining ingenuity to the Union Binding Family.

Says Rice about the deal, “It’s amazing what Union has been able to achieve in the past eight years. More than just making the best bindings on the market, they have created a successful business with family values. I’m very proud and honored to join the incredible Union team.”

Mmm, beeeer.

As they say, “DRINK PABST”. Sadly we’re not from Portland and our pants are not spray-on, but nevertheless these are one kick-ass pair of binders with a design lifted from the iconic American beer brand. And we’re not going to lie: we do love beer. Based on the Contact chassis, the PBR binding features the all-new Team highback, 3D Multi-Layer Tapered straps, and a Lifetime Baseplate warranty. These gubbins, combined with the fact that we’ve yet to ride in a better pair of bindings than Unions, should make you want to get in the mix to win these bad boys. Correctly answer the question below, have a bit with our RNG, and they could be yours.

If you’re struggling, the correct answer can be found on the Union Bindings Facebook page. Just saying…

[competition_44]

1. Lib Tech

TRS C2BTX

148N/ 151N/ 154/ 157/ 159/ 162/ 167

Designed by the likes of Eric Jackson and Sammy Leubke, you know this will be primed to sink its Magne-Tractioned fangs into pow and park with equal bloodlust. With Lib’s ‘C2 Power Banana’ combined base profi le you can expect the funtimes of banana with the pop of camber with a twin shape meaning you can attack all terrain regular or switch with no worries. Fast, stable, poppy, stompy? If this is what you’re after have a gander at the TRS.

€N/A

www.lib-tech.com

2. Nitro

Team

152/155/157/159/162

When you see many Nitro team dudes killing it, chances are they’ll be on this. Built to be lightweight, highperformance and able to take freestyle to any terrain, but affordable at the same time, it’s the perfect choice for shreds wanting to rip it without maxing out the Visa. Directional twin shape means it’ll work stepping up switch in the park or stomping in to pow, the Powercore will launch you easily onto rails and the sidecut’s tuned perfectly to help spin off kickers and prevent hooked landings. There’s also a version using Nitro’s blended Gullwing camber, and a wide version too for 10 bob more.

€399.90

www.nitrosnbrds.com

3. Billabong

Wolle

Wolle Nyvelt is a guy who knows a thing or two about shredding. Countless killer parts with Absinthe, mag interviews and a TWS Rider of the Year award mean it’s unsurprising that he’s a dab hand at helping Billabong to create a kick ass pro model jacket. With Wolle’s fully taped 10k waterproof/breathable fabric you’ll be protected from the elements and he’s opted to add in 60/80g of poly insulation for those bitter days sat on the chair. With vents to cool you down, a bunch of pockets, a pow skirt and an eye-popping design all at a solid price, this is one dope package.

€279.00

www.billabong.com

4. Head

Fountain i. Wmns

138/144/147/150/153

With ‘intellifi bres’ that alter their stiffness according to how hard you ride, you’ll benefi t from an easy time when cruising but you know that when you push it the Fountain will cope with your more full-on attacks. The true twin shape means it’s perfect for girls looking to up their freestyle game, along with the poppy carbon stringers that not only mean you’ll launch off kickers and onto rails with ease, the board will feel super lively too. Finished off with an easy to maintain, speedy base, this is a killer option for progressive female freestylers.

€379.95

www.ridehead.com

5. DC

Hestra

If you’ve not seen Torstein’s sterling contender for movie part of the year, put the mag down and get yourself a copy of Standard’s The Storming. When you’ve seen it you’ll know the Hestra is what Torstein takes to the BC for his switch back 10s and double cork insanity. You wanna be like him, we get it, so just buy it. Ok, bit more guff… 15/15k keeps the crap out so you can concentrate on your style, 30g insulation keeps you toasty when you’re chillin’, and the jacket has a long waist to help you bag that Horgmo hang-dog steeze.

€279.00

www.snow.dcshoes.com

6. vans

Aura Wmns

The Aura made waves when it dropped last season and now it’s built on that solid foundation to make itself even more awesome for year 2. With its forgiving fl ex, lightweight construction and sneaker-like sole, it’s a good choice for women wanting that skate shoe look and feel when they take on the mountain. New for this year is the Double Boa lacing, allowing you to fi ne-tune your dialled in fi t, a new ankle harness to lock you in tight, and an articulating cuff for more flexible freedom than ever.

€259.00

www.vanssnow.com

7. völkl

Squad Prime

152/155/158/159W

A firm favourite of the Völkl crew, the Squad Prime comes packed with Triple Premium Carbon to have you sending it and the Horror Shock Absorber is Chuck Norris tough while adding stability. It’s all about high-end freestyle, this shred sword, so its twin tip shape and stiffer flex will have savvy riders owning the park and pipe, and it’ll also perform awesomely when taking it for a spin across the whole mountain. As if this wasn’t enough, you can choose between regular and reverse cambers depending on your taste.

€529.00

www.voelkl-snowboards.com

8. Nike 6.0

Proost Down

No matter what language you say ‘cheers’ in, the Proost jacket will keep you warm before the booze takes hold. It’s not just good for afterski sessions either, the fully taped 10/10 fabric covering the 75% down fi lling keeps the snow where it should be and there’s a bunch of other features
that make it perfect for frigid days on the hill. From the lined scuba hood, to the cuffs with Lycra gaiters, to the vents, pockets and snowskirt, everything’s designed for ease of use with gloves on – or when drunk – and being from Nike’s Considered line means you get all this highperformance with low environmental impact.

€250.00

www.nike6.com

9. Adidas

ID2

We showed you the new, slimmed down ‘Pure’ version of this bad boy a few months back, but for those who like it more fl arey here’s the regular ID2 gog. It features all the same revolutionary anti-fogging, über-comfy face fi tting of the ID2 Pure, but with a larger external frame so you can be frontin’ more steeze. These shown are inspired by the artwork of team rider Lukas Goller so get these looking after your face marbles ASAP.

€ from 169.00

www.adidas.com/eyewear

10. Artec

Figment

151/155/158/161

This blunted twin is all about merging art, technology and design to create the perfect technical freestyle package. Delivering a loose yet responsive ride thanks to the asymmetrical Omega sidecut (deeper on the heelside), mellow fl ex and lively regular camber you can be sure that tackling minishred jibs or pro line wedges will be equally awesome. Under the hood there’s Artec’s top-end UltraTec wood core with CarboTech Lite contruction to keep your ride light and poppy, and with the TriTec sidewalls and a hyper fast AlphaTec base if you’re after a top-end freestyler you should check out the Figment.

€499.95

www.artecsnowboards.com

11. Nikita

Bodysnatcher

Is it called so because you’ll look so smoking that randoms will want to have away with you? Could be, as it’s certainly eye-catching and you know the Nikita style will have you looking like a robofox, but forget hookups: you want to be getting ill on the hill. And the Bodysnatcher is sure keep you shred happy thanks to its 10/10k critically taped fabric with all the goodness you need to have a good day on the mountain – wicking liner, pit vents, removable pow skirt with zip-to-pant interface, Lycra gaiters and all the pockets you could want.

€269.00

www.nikitaclothing.com

12. Forum

Destroyer

148/152/154/154W/156/156W/158/158W

Skulls, they’re just rad ain’t they. And these ones on this here Destroyer even have holes in ‘em where some mental’s cracked them open with a hammer. But the gnarl goes deeper than the topsheet – heavy hitting park rats will be amped on the carbon-powered Booter Boosters which crank up the board’s pop, while the core’s tip and tail have been shaved down to save weight and improve spinability without sacrificing strength and durability. The Destroyer’s mid-flex is tuned to give you a forgiving ride but with enough power to step it up when you wanna send it, and the sintered base will have you hitting the sweet spots with no problems.

€449.00

www.forumsnowboards.com

13. Union

Force

After a binder that will take a licking, keep on ticking, and deliver the kind of performance the 100-day-a year-plus rider demands? Check out the Force. Coming with a lifetime warranty on the baseplate it’ll stand up to whatever abuse you throw its way, and speaking from experience we can tell you the straps are super comfy and lock you down like a limpet. There’s also enough response for hanging onto icy pipe walls, yet enough flex to get your Ingemar on. Check em.

€199.00

www.unionbindingcompany.com

14. Prior

Khyber

150/156/160/165/170

An ‘all-mountain freestyle board’ is all well and good, but if you’re solely setting your sights on chucking house-sized roosters, slashing through secret tree runs and riding lines, a pow-specifi c shred stick should be on your list. They don’t come much fi ner than Prior’s Khyber, with its reverse camber, tapered tail, generous sidecut and wide nose providing awesome fl oat and manoeuvrability on dump days. It’ll get the job done on harpack too so if you steer clear of the park check this surfy mother out. Also available in regular camber.

€475.00

www.priorsnowboards.com

15. Oxbow

Rene Wmns

We’ve heard that the ‘little black number’ is something all girls want to whip out every once in a while, and Oxbow’s Rene taps into this sweeping man-mind generalisation of ours but adds some bang in the process. Look closer and there’s a fi ne embroidery designs all over it to give it some pop, but it’s not all about subtle styling: it’s designed with a shred-friendly cut, there’s a removable hood and powder skirt, vents, Lycra cuffs and three inner pockets, plus the 10K fabric, taped seams and waterproof zips will keep you sealed in from the elements like a parrot with clipped wings.

€255.00

www.oxboworld.com

Welcome to another credit card-quivvering installment of brand spanking, our section where you can feast your eyes on a selection of the finest shred gear for making your time on the hill mo’ betta.

1. K2

Fastplant

151, 154, 157, 160 WIDES 156, 159, 162

This skate-inspired, eco-friendly shred sled boasts K2’s all new Bambooyah core to give it unrivalled pop, response and toughness. In fact, they’re so confi dent in the board’s indestructibility they’ve given it a 5-year warranty against all core breaks. Being jacked up on Jib Rocker – a versatile twin rocker engineered to dominate park riding – means it’s loose enough, yet still has epic pop, and the Carbon Matrix II torsion forks add even more with stellar response to boot. It’s got killer graphics and also comes in wide. Welcome to the future.

€549.95

www.k2snowboarding.com

2. Volcom

Crack gore-Tex

The eye-popping Crack jacket uses the renowned Gore-Tex fabric to guarantee you’ll stay dry, and the renowned Volcom design slickness to guarantee you’ll look the bomb. You get the neat-o stowaway Face Tech facemask, Lycra wristgaiters and Ziptech jacket-to-pant interface for keeping you comfortable on pow days, while pit vents can be used to dump heat when it’s toasty. Recco’s built in, there’s all the pockets you need and everything’s designed for ease of use with gloves on. A banger.

€399.00

www.volcom.com

3. Thirtytwo

Ultralight

The favoured boot of our photo ed, the Ultralight has to be worn to believed – it really is just unbelievably ultrafrickin’- light. This is all great and that but it means bugger all if the boot feels like a medieval torture device to ride with. Happily this isn’t the case with the Ultralight – the fit is spot on, comfy as hell and there’s heaps of cushioning to take the sting out of stomps. Mid flex, grippy and durable sole and standard laces round out the package perfectly.

€300.00

www.thirtytwo.com

4. Pull-In

Snow sock

In the quest for the perfect kit for getting on the gnar, it’s often that the humble sock is overlooked. Sure, you can slip on any old one from C&A but chances are you’ll sweat like MJ at a kindergarden and they’ll bunch up and cause your feet to beg for mercy. These shred specific socks from Pull-In, however, are not only designed to wick sweat away as best as possible, they have padding in all the right places and an articulated snowboard specific fi t to cling to your plates as you wang out the Ingemar nosebone.

€22.00

www.pull-in.com

5. Lib tech

Travis rice C2 BTX horsepower

153, 157, 161.5, 164.5

“The beauty of C2 is that is combines the best of both worlds,” Travis says, before tearing snowboarding a new exit hole. C2 combines reverse camber ‘Banana’ between the feet with regular camber under the bindings to the nose and tail to give you the float and fun of Banana with the pop and power of camber. The Horsepower bit? It’s all eco-tech to give sustainable performance. This all-mountain true twin is Trice’s baby for hairball AK, mega Jackson booters, powder days and X-Games assaults.

€N/A

www.lib-tech.com

6. Ride

Highlife

155, 158, 159W, 161, 163W, 164, 167, 168W, 172W

When Jake Blauvelt jumped aboard the good ship Ride, this was the board he immediately took a shine to – that should tell you all you need to know about the Highlife. But if you’ve spanked your head and forgot that Blauvelt’s one of the best natural terrain freestylers in the game, it’s an all-mountain directional twin built for fun cruising or warp speed macking. With the all-new LowPro rocker shape (LowRize in the tip and tail for fun versatility and ProRize in the tail for grip) you can chill or charge depending on your mood. As they say, “You’re destined to cover more mountain on the HighLife. Enjoy!” We’d say, “The mountain is your funpark with this bad boy.”

€499.95

www.ridesnowboards.com

7. Spy

Zed

Favoured by the team for its knack of holding it down whatever’s thrown at it, the Zed is also the model DCP chose for the DCP/YES colab goggle. The tough unibody construction takes durability to the max while the patanted Scoop ventilation system ensures moisture doesn’t hang about bringing the chances of fogging up way down. Dual density face foam makes them comfy to wear, and of course the cylindrical lens keeps the death rays at bay. Comes with a free bonus lens too.

€110.00

www.spy-optic.com

8. Vans

Etienne lF

Vans’ outerwear range not only looks banging, it’s bombproof and teched out too, and the Etienne’s a good example of what they do best. With a design targeting the axe-wielding lumberjack it’s got the classic padded shirt vibe about it, but the 10K waterproof/breathable yarn dye fabric will perform in crappy mountain weather to keep you shred happy. With critically taped seams, a fi xed hood, pit vents and a removable powder skirt, it’s ready to keep you rocking both on and off the hill.

€210.00

www.vans.eu

9. Stepchild

Salaryman aka Powder sucks

149, 152, 152 MW, 155, 155 MW, 158

This true twin is built to dominate the park and pipe, but it’ll handle a couple of powder stompers too. A medium fl ex tipto-tail wood core wrapped in biax glass means the Salaryman is easy to handle, and that it’s available in both regular and reverse camber incarnations (152, 152MW, 155, 155MW) means whichever side of that fence you fall you’ll be happy. It’s one of Stepchild’s most popular boards, and for good reason. Get the
Salaryman out the offi ce and on the hill!

€N/A

www.stepchildsnowboards.com

10. Roxy

Kjersti Buaas

Just like our gal Kjersti’s riding, her jacket’s got mad steeze. Zips and studs allow you to unleash your inner S&M fantasies, but gags aside this is one slick looking shred cloak for discerning radicalistas. It’ll do the business, too – 10/10k waterproof protection takes care of the elements and keeps you comfortable, while Lycra hand gaiters, pant-to-jacket connecting system, removeable hood, powder skirt and vents are just some of the features. It looks good, fi ts good, rides good, is good.

€289.00

www.roxy.com

11. Union

Flite

Park varmints looking for a super light binder that’s Chuck Norris tough better check out the FLITE. “F***ing Light!” is how Union describe ‘em, and they achieve it with the hollowed out freestyle-focussed highback sat on the new FLITE base with EVA dampening for impact absorption. These are all about tricked out freestyle performance and even boast a lifetime warranty on the baseplates so you know these’ll take your stomps.

€149.00

www.unionbindingcompany.com

12. Protest

Helmington Wmns

Being made of softshell fabric means the Helmington is super comfy and easy to move around in, yet it still gives you all the waterproof protection and breathability (8K) that you need to shred happy for the whole season. There are pit vents for regulating your temperature, a powder skirt, zip-off hood and an array of pockets too, but we’re also digging the long cut – not only good for a bit of extra coverage on pow days, we’re reckoning chicks will look smokin’ in it to boot.

€159.95

www.protest.eu

13. Santa Cruz

Hand

This steezy number from the Brand of the Screaming Hand, though dubbed the ‘Hand’, steers clear of the inyour-face-ness the name might suggest for an altogether more subtle look. It’s a fully insulated, fully taped 5/5K beastie too, so unless you’re wanting camp in the BC this’ll look after you on park sessions and bluebird pow days. Things like a microfl eece chin liner, handwarmer pockets, brushed tricot lining and a shred-specific cut look after your comfort, while removable snow skirt, Lycra wrist gaiters and a one-cinch hood seal you in. Vents and a heap of pockets for all your clobber wrap up this neat-o jacket.

€230.00

www.santacruzeurope.com

14. Rossignol

Decoy AmpTek

152/156/157W/160

This true twin-shaped stick is aimed at freestylers who have dominating the park and pipe in their sights. Laced with Rossi’s Freestyle AmpTek, shredding is made more easy thanks to AmpTek’s combined cambers that give a stable, yet poppy, ride with awesome edge grip too. The core’s light and bolstered by carbon and Kevlar, and comes in on the stiffer end of the spectrum, plus there’s a highdensity sintered base to get you hauling ass.

€419.95

www.rossignol.com

15. Oakley

Entire jkt

This is what our man Eero Ettala was rocking when he pulled out that insane run to win last season’s X-Games slopestyle gold. While it ain’t gonna help you with your double cork 9s or switch double backies, Eero’s designed the Entire to perform whether you’re jibbing downtown, lapping the park or getting heli drops in the BC. 15/20K waterproof/breathable fabric, welded seams, wrist gaiters, powder skirt and a fi xed hood takes care of the elements, while 80g of Thinsulate will keep you nicely toasted.

€225.00

www.oakley.com

Union are pretty much our favourite binding company – they make our bindings for chrissake, of course we love em.

So when we got mailed by our buddy Joni Mäkinen saying, “I would appreciate it if you could spread the word that the Union website for 2010/2011 has now been launched!” well, we did just that. If you wanna find out anything about their killer line of binders, check out their team’s haps or try to date one of the guys and gals, then click over and get involved.

www.unionbindingcompany.com

Win your share before everything is gone! Photo: Sami Tuoriniemi

Box Fresh! Kit yourself for the new season with us!

We have teamed up with Union Bindings, Level Gloves, Dragon Goggles, Neff Headwear and 686 Outerwear to bring you some of the best gear ever in an hyper-limited Onboard edition!

Sounds like something you’d wanna rock next winter?

Then simply answer this easy-peasy question and pray to god, Mother Theresa or whomever you may worship to hold their lucky hands over you for this comp.

[competition_26]

Here’s what you can win:

686 – Technical shell designed exclusively for Onboard
Dragon – Limited Onboard Rogue goggles
Union – Limited Onboard Force bindings
Level – Limited Onboard Sniper gloves
Neff – Reversible Onboard beanie
Eesa – Onboard socks
Onboard – Branded Onboard Tee

Normal competition rules apply. Please see mpora.com/about/competition/ for full details. No purchases necessary, competition limited to one entry per household.