Newport to Tahoe to Mammoth to Newport

A couple of weekends ago I got to take an awesome trip to Tahoe and Mammoth with a couple girlfriends of mine. And here's a little recap/a good guide to some of my favorite places in Tahoe and Mammoth...

We left at about 5:00am on Thursday to make sure we had enough time to hang in Tahoe City that afternoon. Along the 5, we stopped in good old Sac town to pic up some new Rome Madison's for me (thanks Paul!) and at one of my favorite fruit and pistachio stands, so we could stock up on goodies. We took a brief stop in Truckee for bloody mary's at Bar of America and finally arrived on the West Shore around 4:00pm.

Annie, me, Ola at Bar of America

There's a feeling of overwhelming love and excitement that only ex ski bums can truly understand. Some frat kids probably feel it when they go back to college, some people feel it when they go home, but as I pass Squaw on the 89 towards Tahoe City, as cheesy as it sounds, there is an undeniable magic in the air.

Fannies at Fanny Bridge

We pulled up at Kerry and Joey Dubbs' house (greeted by Bear dog) and got ready for some serious grilling. Within 5 mins of one friend showing up, almost every person I had been dying to see had showed up. And in true Tahoe style, drinks were flowing and handles were polished off in moments. After a few hours of rough housing, drinking, music, and food (always the best from Kerry), we headed to into town to continue our party at Fat Cat. It magically happened to be karaoke night!!! We partied, we belted out the usual classics, "Come to My Window" and "Love is a Battlefield," ran into some more friends and did God only knows what else.

Kerry-o-kee

New friends are made-Anni and Patty

We woke up early the next day because when you are excited enough and running solely on Kahlua and coffee and you have a day of heavy Squaw shredding ahead of you, who has time for a hangover? The Funitel, Gold Coast, hot laps on Shirley, Emigrant, and Mountain Run, intermingled with stops at the bar to see Tahoe's favorite bartender, Mona Bona (who made the best drinks we had all weekend), made for one hell of a day. We topped it off by dinner at Bridgetender and called it a night.

Anni overlooking her kingdom

Shred sticks-Ola on Bataleon, Me on GNU, Anni on Arbor, Kerry on Lib

Girls and boys-Anni, Ola, Me, JR, Joey, Kerry

Ladies on top! Anni, Ola, Me, Kerry

Big Blue is cool, but it's no High Camp

5:00am Saturday morning we began our venture to Mammoth via the 395. I could have stayed in Tahoe forever, but the sunrise over the East shore and the hills of Carson City made the drive a bit less painful. We arrived in Mammoth, changed our clothes in a bathroom and met up with the girls from Boarding for Breast Cancer for a day of awareness and fun. They held a yoga session, a lap a thon, a tribute ride, and had a band and party at Underground in the evening. We just cruised all over the mountain for most of the day and met up with B4BC periodically and had a blast.

Good Morning Ola!

B4BC!!!

We were burnt out by Sunday and decided to just cruise/eat our way around town and check out Tamarack Lodge. We had lunch at Campo, which I have heard mixed reviews of, but I absolutely loved it. Refreshing beers, nice outdoor patio, and killer food. We went back to the hotel for a bit to relax before we headed to dinner. One of my friends had a hankering for fish, so we decided to find the best place for it in town and we were not at all let down. I had been to Jimmy's Tavern, a Greek restaurant, before and enjoyed it and after meeting the wine connoisseur earlier in the day, we decided that would be our final mountain meal. Although it is probably the least "mountainy" place in Mammoth, the food and service were phenomenal!!!

Cheers from the Campo deck!

5:00am Monday morning, we grudgingly stumbled out of bed and hit the road. I almost passed out driving on the way to Bishop, so we stopped at Schat's Bakery and, thankfully,  Anni drove for a few hours. Once we saw that thick, black air, we knew we were home. An epic weekend to keep the three of us surviving through the daily grind had come to an end and I went straight back to work at 3:00pm. The end.

End of Season Sales and What to Wait it Out For

If you are in California, it has been a brutal winter. Spring is always the best time to buy new gear and stores seemed to drop prices far earlier this year than usual. After viewing the products coming up for next year, I'd love to give a little insight on what sale stuff to buy now and what might actually be worth waiting until next season (or maybe next spring).

Outerwear: Buy now or wait until October. The only better time to buy "last season's gear" is when shops put it back on the floor pre-winter. The only problem with waiting it out for a better discount is that a lot of outerwear either gets sent back to the companies or the sizes get picked over. When it comes to next year's outerwear, the prints and colorways are looking pretty awesome, but tech wise, nothing has really changed, with maybe the exception of better looking Gortex and high performance gears for ladies.

Burton Aurora Jacket 2014

Boards: My take on boards is about the same as it is on outerwear right now. Not much difference in the tech aspect of things, but if you are going for graphics, there's some awesome stuff coming up. Tech wise, over the last few years it seems to be going a bit full circle back to camber, but in the ladies boards, the only camber dominant ones you will really find are the Burton Feelgood camber, the GNU B-Pro C-3, probably a few from Jones, and Bataleons are always in a league of their own. My biggest recommendation is if you see a good price on a Never Summer, just go for it. All of these women's boards are amazing and Never Summer's were one of the first companies shops were sending back to this year. (Generally sending back from shops is just based on deals with the manufacturers and because Never Summer is small and high end, they were probably able to ship them to other dealers in places like Colorado or Utah that had better seasons then California.) The only catch is as usual, Never Summer has been stepping up their game in ladies graphics and this year was solid, but next year's are looking even better.

Next year's Never Summer Womens Line Up

pic from white lines

Bindings: It's a toss up. If you're happy with what you've got then skip them, but if you are on the market for some new Burton's, you might want to wait it out. The only one changing is the Escapade and I mentioned it in my previous blog on bindings, but they changed the ankle strap to have a hinge it in that just stays open. It sounds simple, but I swear, it's one of the best ideas I have seen in bindings in ages. It is definitely one of those things you will see and just go, "How the hell has no one thought of this until now?!" In the world of wonderful Rome bindings, next year's colorways are epic and might be worth waiting for as well.

This seasons's Madison (until I upload a pic of my new ones)

Boots: Coming from a DC girl, I hate to say it, but Burton is changing the game next year. Nothing innovative or new for most, but they are finally putting Boa's on their boots. For the mainstream weekend warrior audience or actual Burton boot users, this is kind of a big deal. I still believe people who already wear Burton might stick to the speed lace system, but life just got a bit easier for the people less familiar with boots or who are fitting their kids for them. I have always been a Boa (preferably a double Boa) fan. And now with the most popular boot company utilizing them, we might see a big shift in boot sales. My recommendation- if  Burton boots are the fit for you, hold out until next year and get your hands on some double Boa's. (and for the record, I don't think anything bad of Burton boots, I just prefer DC. Everybody's feet are different.)

Burton Speedzone Lacing

DC Mora with Double Boa

Goggles Goggles Goggles

The one thing I tell snow customers at Surfside is that if your feet hurt or you can't see, your day is over. Drop cash on boots and drop cash on goggles. But you walk into a store or look online and there are soooo many goggles. Where do you even start? Everyone's faces are different, but here is a little guide of my favorites and what I consider to be the best per company...

Smith:
Personal fave: I/O

The I/O is the original "easy change" goggle, making it quick and simple to change lenses due to varying weather conditions. Each model runs around $175, but comes with a high light and low light lens (which makes the price much more reasonable). My favorite lens is the red sensor mirror. It is dark enough for sunny days and bright enough for tree runs, clouds, or end of the day shade. The vaporator feature in the lens helps with fogging by increasing air flow. The size of the I/O is the perfect fit for my face, but they make the I/Os for smaller faces and the I/Ox for the fan of oversized goggles. Next year they are releasing the I/O7 which I was lucky enough to demo in Mammoth and I loved it as well. It seems to be somewhere between the I/O and I/Ox.


Oakley:
Personal fave: Airbrake

I got hooked up when I worked at Oakley and it is the only reason I was ever able to afford these goggles. For a whopping $220-240 price range, the Airbrake is one of the most expensive goggles on the shelf. It is their take on the easy change lens and has every bell and whistle Oakley offers. I definitely would say that their eay change tech is by far the easiest and most secure. All you do is pull a little lever on the side to unpop the lens and then snap it closed when you have the other lens in. It has the skeletal nose bridge, which I find to be the most comfortable on the market. This nose bridge works like a breath right strip where it opens up your nose to allow for easier breathing in the altitude. My favorite Oakley lens is hands down the black iridium. They also make the best storm lens, high intensity yellow.


Von Zipper:
Personal fave: Feenom

Although each company has an easy change goggle options, the El Kabong from Von Zipper seems to be the least easy. I prefer the Feenom and just sticking to one lens from these guys. The Feenom offers an array of lenses and colors and has a good overall fit for most people. Von Zipper offers great goggles for a pretty good price compared to a lot of other companies. I have been a life long fan of their sunglasses and I have worn a few of their goggles as well. All of their lenses and tech features are high quality, but I think if you are going for a pair of Von Zippers you should be going for the flair factor. They definitely have the most fun color ways and prints. They even have a colab with Stance socks!


Electric:
Personal fave: EG2.5

Oversized goggles were and are quite a popular trend, but there is good reason behind it; comfort, protection, and ultimate peripheral vision. The EG2's are for sure the most popular of all oversized goggles, but I lean a bit towards the EG2.5's these days. They are still big, but a bit more practical and fit most girls' faces better then the EG2's. This past season Electric massively stepped up their game in the color ways department with all sorts of toned down colors and matte finishes. And even though they look and feel large, the EG2's and EG2.5's are compatible with almost all helmets.



Zeal:
Personal fave: The Level

Zeal is a smaller company based in Boulder, definitely starting to gain some momentum over the last few years. They are known more for their technical goggles that feature cameras and GPS, but after getting to demo the Level model in Mammoth, I realized what nice quality they have in their more basic models as well. The lens quality was great and the prints for next year are awesome! And they are based in Boulder, so how can you not love them?


I know I have left out some of the other goggles companies. Anon, Spy, Sabre, and all the others are great as well, these are just the best of the best in my eyes and I hope you get to try some of them out!

Lesser Known Board Technologies

In a world of a million camber profiles, what else has been happening in the last few years to set certain boards apart from the norm? Here are some interesting technologies in boards that you might not have heard of or maybe just haven't had a chance to try yet.

Asymmetric: Known as "Asymm" by GNU or "Off Axis" by Burton, the idea behind asymmetric boards is that while you are standing with you toes angled out on your board, your feet and body are not symmetric, so why should your edges be? In GNU boards, there is a visual difference in the side cut with an elongated toe side edge. They are true twins, but there is a notation on the board of what side your heels and toes should be on. When Burton does off axis, it is not quite as noticeable to the eye, but they lay the wood to a different angle in the core of the board. The cut or wood lay in these boards should allow for easier turning and transitions. Asymmetric boards are best for people who stand pretty duck footed (like myself) and have equal or close to equal angles on each foot. If your front foot drastically angles out further than your back, you should probably avoid these boards.

Girls Asymm Boards:
GNU Ladies Choice (my personal fave and you saw Jamie Anderson killing it on this in the Olympics)
GNU Pickle
GNU Smart Pickle
GNU Pickle Stallion
(Burton only puts it in a couple guys boards, but who knows, maybe one day in the girls stuff)

GNU Ladies Choice

Nug Reduction: Burton released Nug Reduction tech a season or two ago. The idea behind it is elongating your effective edges and shortening the actual board. Your effective edges are from about where your boots are to the end of the sidewalls, before they angle to the tip and tail. Real Nug Reduction allows you to down size your board 8-10cm. There are also some boards with nug reduction where you would only downsize around 4-6cm. Although, I find these boards a little more beneficial for big guys, they still allow for some aggressive and playfulness in the ladies boards as well. You will see a lot of these in the park and they ride like big boards, but I see the biggest advantage for most people riding them in trees or tight terrain.

Full Nug Reduction: Burton Nugget
Semi Reduction: Burton Sweet Tooth

Magne-traction: Most of us know what this is already, but I am surprised how many people come into the shop I work at and are not familiar with it. To make a long story short, if you look at the edges of Mervin boards (Lib Tech, Roxy, Gnu), the edges look wavy. What this is is extra contact points (7 extra on most boards) to add extra grip in crappy conditions like ice. It sounds like a bit of a gimmick to some, and doesn't look extremely crazy, but I swear by it. You can find magnetraction on all GNU boards and every Roxy board except the Sugar.

Kerry Banana!

Filthy Animals first. And rounding out the four of us is Kerry Bannon! Kerry moved up to Tahoe with me my second season and hasn't looked back. She's got a man with a good mustache, one of the most epic dogs in history, and a sweet pad on the West Shore. Why leave? Kerry works for Squaw in the winter and life guards at the lake in the summer. Truly living the dream!

Ps. Kerry is also an excellent cook! Check out her recipe blog! http://inthepinescrafts.blogspot.com/

Board: Nitro Fate

Bindings: Union Flite

Boots: 32

Jacket: Oakley

Pants: Burton Shawn White Collection (good for you tall ladies!)

Goggles: Oakley Splice

Gloves: Celtek Neptune

Beanie: Analog

Signature Scarf: Zumiez

Home Mountain: Squaw/Alpine

Years Riding: 5

Favorite Girl Rider: Jenna Dramise

Hottest Dude Rider: Joey Dubbs!

Current Jams: Working on it

Off Season Activities: Life guarding, floating the river with Bear Dog

A little taste of what's happening in Tahoe

Home made hoodies

Summer lovin' with Joey Dubbs and the most famous dog on the Truckee River

Featured Brand: NIKITA!

We all know about Burton, Volcom, and Roxy (not that they don't totally rule and can't be considered for "Featured Brand" as well), but what about some of the smaller guys? Depending on where you are regionally located, you may or may not be exposed to certain smaller brands. Hopefully, the "Featured Brands" will expose girls to small, new, or upcoming companies that you won't find in every Sports Chalet across the country. So here it goes...obviously Nikita starting it off.

Nikita "for girls who ride" is an all girls snowboard company under the ownership of Amer Sports (along with Salomon, Bonfire, Atomic). They are based out of Iceland and offer something fun and different then a lot of the run of the mill outerwear.

Anyone who knows me from Tahoe has probably seen me rocking my favorite pink Nikita hoodie. It's old, stained, and beat to death, but it is quite possibly one of my favorite articles of clothing of all time. I ordered it from Dogfunk.com in 2009 and it is still a staple in my winter (and year round) wardrobe. Although, I am not a pink person, I love this thing. The fabric is top notch and my favorite thing about all Nikita products is the neckline.

I might wear that pink hoodie the most, but I am also lucky enough to have an array of jackets from them as well.

The classic color blocked puffy has been another staple in my coat collection. I believe it is now called the Meron jacket and has a waterproofing breathability rating of 10k/8k. The light layer of Thinsulate keeps me warm when I need to be warm, but doesn't drench me in sweat when it heats up. With tech pocket, goggle pocket, arm sleeve pass pocket, regular pockets, removable powder skirt, pit zips, micro fleece lined collar, and a super soft inner liner, this jacket has about all the bells and whistles you could ask for! And now that Nikita is owned by Amer Sports, it is a bit more affordable then it used to be!

Ricole and I on one of the coldest days I've ever experienced in Mammoth

One of my other Nikita faves is the shell I have. I scored this at the Porter's outlet for a good price many years ago and it kills it in the spring and pretty much any time at Big Bear. It's got all the sweet pockets and features of the Meron jacket, but no insulation. A lot of light weight shells have a tendency to lose some of the tech features for cost, but I've still got the bases covered every time I wear this and I love it!

Nikita shell on the left at the B4BC lap a thon with Team Squaw

And luckily for me, I've known the Nikita rep since my old school days at the bathing suit store when she used to work for Volcom. This season she hooked me up with the top of the line jacket! Due to this warm season, I haven't gotten to wear it quite yet, but I guess that's just more incentive to hit a storm in Mammoth or Tahoe. With all the bells and whistles of my other Nikita jackets, the Katla jacket has a 20k/15k rating (hot damn!). It also looks like denim, has fake leather hits on it, studs on the pocket, and a funky graphic on the back just calling my name!! 

Pic from nikitaclothing.com

Moral of the story, if you see Nikita in your local shop or online, give it a try!!! Style and quality for days!! They also make awesome street wear, and boards, boots and bindings!! 

Ps. As we inch our way towards spring, now is the time to shop! Check your local stores or online for some sweet discounts!

Karen!!!!

Karen Derman. My soul mate, my same guy, roller derby queen, Phillie native, Queen of Squaw Valley Uniforms Department, lover of the Potato. One of the most bad ass chicks you will ever have the pleasure to meet on the hill. She can beat any dude in a race, drink them under the table after, karaoke their faces off, wake up, and do it all again!

Goggles: Electric EG2

Jacket: Airblaster

Board: Flow Jewel (also rides a GNU B Nice)

Bindings: Flow

Gloves: Burton Women's Pipe Glove

Home Mountain: Squaw, Stowe, or Blue Mountain. I can have more than one right? They were all my homes at different points of my life.

Years Riding: 15 years

Favorite Girl Rider: Jamie Anderson. Girl can tear it up on the hill and at the bar. Kind of like the Ke$ha of snowboarding.

Hottest Dude Rider: This is hard. I've gotta go with my old staple of Aaron Bittner as a classic.

Current Jams: Ke$ha. Did you need to ask? Always Ke$ha.

Off Season Activities: Roller derby, running, drinking ("hydrating")

Bear suit by Carhartt

When there used to be snow

Rain bibs by Helly Hansen. 

Oh the Potato Man.