Jameskillinit

These things are super slick. With the lack of snow this season I've only really used these bad boys on the hard stuff, a couple small pow days, and the groomskis. These skis are sick because they do it all. I was amazed at how hard i could carve these things on groomers (which I typically stay away from.)

In the pow. I had these in about 10 inches and spent my time mostly in the trees. The tips of the skis WANT to stay on top of the snow... its actually kind of difficult to drive them below the pow. Remember that the front of this ski is basically the front of the JJ... at times, I found myself wishing I had the rockered/ shovelled tail but then I remembered that if that were the case I would not be as happy as I was when on hard pack or other non powder conditions.

All in All - these skis are sick - certainly a quiver of one. IF you only plan on rocking the deep stuff you might want a ski that is wider under foot and some tail (or full) rocker.

These gloves are savage. These keep my hands super warm, on the coldest days, and dry when its wet out. Treat them with some wax based leather treatment and you will be a happy camper.

Oh yeah, this is the best bargain you will find... order these gloves!

Note: This is my second review of these goggles. I was trying to be optimistic about the I/O's early season but after having a couple powder days (nearly) ruined by fogging issues I have formed my final opinion: These goggles suck.

Fogging is a huge issue with these POS's. I can't say why but these are the most fog prone goggles I have ever worn. Today I wore the I/O's and in a couple of runs they were completely fogged and, in no time, moisture froze inside of the lenses.

I finished the day with my old pair of goggles - no issues.

To repeat: these goggles suck... stay away.

I'm a big dude - 6'3 240 lbs big in the shoulders. I picked up a XXL in green and the thing fits like a GLOVE. I use this jacket for skiing - mind your layers and you will love life.

This jacket is Goretex Pro - enough said. The wind gets stopped and I stay dry. Norrona is a company of epic proportions - if your considering Arc'teryx or other companies that have outsourced to China... don't do it, go with some Scandinavian goodness.

This jacket is too legit.

First the Pros: There's no doubt that these goggles look legit, give a great field of vision, and are decent deal given that they come with two quality lenses. The goggles are comfortable and the clip on the back of the strap is kind of a cool system.

Cons: I brought the I/O's out on a New England powder day a.k.a. a day where snow guns are blasting full force. The skiing was relatively easy - there were limited trails open so I spent my time on the hard bumps... I worked up a small sweat, nothing major. To my dismay - I had to combat the top half portion of the lens from fogging. I was pretty pissed about this provided that all the reviews below say the goggle doesn't fog... yeah right, the thing fogs like mad.

I broke my pair of Oakley Splice last year and needed a new set; if I could do it over, I would get the Splice over the I/O anyday... the Splice never fogged on me... even during the hardest working, wettest days. (I have NO affiliation with Oakley)

Boot is awesome - the ideal stiffness. I use these boots with the rotty NTN binding and blue springs (second strongest) My size 14 ft fit into the 30.5 nicely - though I did have to remove the foot beds. The flex is perfect, the NTN setup is just too cool, and the boot looks awesome.

The bellow is the perfect stiffness - not too stiff but, by no means, a stick of butter.

Get this boot!!!

This is the perfect base layer for me. I'm 6'3 240 and the XL fit nicely. They are roomy, but not baggy. These things DO NOT stink - I can't smell a trace of gnarlyness after many (10+) days on the hill and no wash.

Comfortable, warm, moisture wicking, smell resistant - well worth the price.

Here's the deal: The poles are good - light weight and the strength of them has been tested and proven by my large existence.

What I'm far-from-thrilled about it the locking mechanism - it sucks, to be frank. To lock these poles I need to completely separate both sides of the pole and, through trial and error, adjust the piece that locks the pole, guessing as to where it will grip and lock. This piece is too small for the opposite side of the pole and, when engaged, doesn't sufficiently spin to lock the pole.

If the poles locked, as they should - then this would be a great product; unfortunately, they don't. I should mention that I'm on my third pair of this pole. #1 I ordered the regular Salamon Element because the Backcountry desc. said it was adjustable pole - it wasn't (12/28/10 Desc still says the non adjustable pole is adjustable:http://www.backcountry.com/salomon-element-ski-pole) The second order was the correct pole - but did not get shipped with the baskets or pole end caps. #3 The poles don't lock... ughhh.

This is, by far, the best base layer I've ever owned. This shirt has covered my stinky existence for three years of hard riding and skiing. I'm 6'3 245 and run extremely hot... god knows how many liters of sweat have passed through this shirt, yet I can still wear it 5 days in a row without a wash and it does not smell a bit. Warm: Check. Comfortable: Check. Stink Proof: Check.

The only downside is the price. Get over it because this thing will last you long enough to make up for the three other base layers you would have bought and torn through otherwise.

Icebreaker vs. the Arc base layer - being as large as I am my vote goes to Arc's products; they are a little more generous.

I'm giving these pants a 1 star rating based on the fact that I managed to get a tear in the two pants I wore. The first pair got a relatively large rip in it within the first couple of days I wore them- the only cause of which could have been some brushing up against twigs. When I say brushing, I mean, lightly rubbing against. Of course, Backcountry was great and accepted an exchange but (once again) after several days of riding there was another rip.

A snowpant as expensive as this should not be ripping with little cause. They have kept me dry and warm, but the durability of the pants is terrible... Would not recommend.