goods on the goods

Contributed by Bryce Phillips, K2 Team Rider, EVO Owner

Don’t hesitate on this one. I’m very serious about this. If you want a ski to truly change your life and the sport as you curently know it, you have to ride the Pontoon this coming year. Don’t let the shape and size scare you. Think about it. In hindsight, would you have skiied on a wider model earlier? Would you go back 10 years and not use a fat ski? Of course not. The Pontoon is the future. Shape as we know it isn’t changing, it has changed and for all mountain skis, things will never be the same. I received my Pontoons middle of last year. I skiied it every day in almost every condition. This ski allows you to carve with a bit of sidecut under the foot (not reverse like the Spatula) but it floats and is the smoothest turning ski that I’ve ever been on. You can smeer and butter a turn or carve one. You can ski it straight, sideways or switch. You don’t have to be a big mountain legend like McConkey to handle it either. When I first saw the 189, at only 150lbs I was leery and thought I’d wait until the 179’s landed. The first run on the skis I couldn’t believe how user friendly they were. McConkey took a revolutionary concept with the Spatula and worked out the kinks. This thing is incredible and we all owe it to him and the crew at K2 for changing the sport…again. If I could say there was one tough thing about the ski, it would be that it’s hard to completely stomp airs above 40 feet. The platform is pretty big and you don’t get the give that you’d get with a 100-110mm waisted ski like the AK Maiden or Chief. If you want a ski to make you better and the sport a lot more fun, get these, now. Don’t wait for your buddy to blow you away when he/she gets a pair first. […]

See All of K2’s 07 Lineup

There is nothing grave about the decision to wear
or not to wear skulls this season. They are a
definite must-have. No matter what garment
they are on, or what gender you are,
don’t be caught dead without em’!
 

Vans Slip on, Vans.com,            Billabong Checkmate Tee, evogear.com

Tiffany Alana Scarf, testimoboutique.com,
Billabong de la rosa Tee, buckle.com or evogear.com (late fall),
Thomas Wylde Purse, brownsfashion.com
 

Paul Frank Bikini, paulfrank.com or Nordstrom stores

Citizens of Humanity Skull and Bunny Jeans, revolveclothing.com

shop for Billabong Men’s Clothing

shop for Billabong Women’s Clothing

This is by far the most innovative powder ski of the season, if not the decade. K2, with the help of Shane McConkey, has redefined the entire category with this ski. Traditional powder skis have differed from all mountain skis only in width. Aside from this, they have been constructed basically the same. The K2 Pontoon is much bigger than any of its predecessors, plus it has a tapered tail and a powder rocker design. This is a totally new ski…

Tapered Tail – the Pontoon’s dimensions are 160/130/120. Powder skis have become wider every season, but with a tip width of 160 the pontoon is the biggest. The Pontoon also has a narrower tail than waist. This allows the tail to sink in deep snow enabling the rider to maintain better body position and stay balanced regardless.

Powder Rocker Design – Deep snow is completely different than hardpack. Why should your powder ski have the same flex pattern, camber and construction as carving ski? With a rocker design the Pontoon has much more in common with surf boards and wakeboards than skis and snowboards. In order for a ski to work in powder it has to be bent into reverse camber (the tip and the tail are both bent up). The Pontoon is already in reverse camber, making it amazingly easy to ski despite its overwhelming size.

K2 is setting all the trends in freeride skiing. It is likely we’ll see similar constructions from two or three other manufactures in the coming seasons.

Bern was new to the snow helmet scene last winter. Despite not being widely available I saw the Bern signature model “The Baker” almost every time I went to the mountain. The Baker is especially unique among other snow helmets because of its integrated visor. I’m not sure how functional the visor is, but it looks pretty dam cool.

The key differentiator between Bern and the other major helmet brands, this being Red and Giro, is that Bern helmets are built to be four season. This means the skate version of the Baker is identical to the snow version, just minus a beanie or optional liner. The one exception to this is there water series. Bern water series helmets come with a different water liner.

This coming winter Bern helmets will be widely available both in retail store and online. Check out http://www.bernunlimited.com/ for more specifics on models, online dealer locator and updates on there team.
Shop for Bern Products

I had the distinct pleasure of riding the 2006 CWB Zeus Hinge-Tech bindings this past weekend. They were paired with the 140 cm Hyperlite Parks wakeboard and a Malibu Wakesetter, and while we didn’t get the greatest water, the weekend as a whole was a definite success.

Both the Parks board and the Wakesetter I am very familiar with and knew the high level of performance they provide. However, I didn’t know what to expect from these new “Hinge-Tech” boots from CWB. While I knew CWB’s reputation for quality was very high, and I had faith that they wouldn’t put out a product until it was ready to go, I also had the struggles of the snowboard binding company Flow during their first few seasons with similar technology in the back of my mind. With the weekend behind me I would say it definitely appears that CWB has side-stepped all of the problems that affected those early Flow bindings and the end result is a solid, high-end binding.

There are the obvious advantages that come along with this new technology: the ease of use, no more need for binding slime or soap (though you’re never sorry if you have some handy). Also, the Zeus can accommodate a wider range of foot shapes and sizes while still maintaining enough support to remain in the high performance category.

The best parts of the boots are the intangibles that you can’t rate until you have used the boot yourself. The biggest one for me is heel hold down. My feet measure in the middle of the sizing range for the large Zeus and my heel was completely locked down while riding. I didn’t have a single instance of slippage during three days of hard riding. Another area that the Zeus excels in is the surprising comfort. In the past I’ve forced myself to ride with some really uncomfortable boots to get the performance I’ve wanted. It was a great bonus to find that these boots on the front line of the cushy new footbeds now found in the competition level bindings from the major manufacturers. Cutting down on “waffle foot” and heel bruises from hard landings is a great perk.

While maybe not quite as stiff as the 3DS from Hyperlite the Zeus definitely belongs with the big dogs in wakeboarding. With its ease of use, and versatility in the range of foot sizes it can accommodate, the Zeus is one of the top choices on the market for a high end boot this year. This boot comes highly recommended by the Evo Staff.

Ryan Madison
Evo Grunt