Jayfro

Good, simple heart rate monitor. The strap needs to be more wet than I remember, but maybe that's because it's new. I seem to remember my old Polar having difficulty finding my heartrate when new, but after a few months it was great. It's a little difficult to take off and put on, but I imagine it'll loosen up a bit as it gets older.

I've worn these bad boys for like, three weeks straight since getting them. The slight bag and stretch make 'em super comfy. They're not all destructed artificially torn up like so many skate jeans, so you can wear 'em to work or out on the town and not look like a vagrant. If you're looking for an alternative to your mom's tight jeans, but don't want to go super-bag hip-hop, the Sioux Falls may work out for ya.

I've gotten a ton of compliments on this shirt, all from the ladies.* And why else do you rock the clothes you wear? You know it's not for your "personal style, maaaaaaan," even though that's what you tell your mom when you're all Emo'ed out. "I'm an individual, mom!" What the heck is it with Emo anyway? I'll take the 80's revival, at least the paisley part of it, any day. The 80s were all about me me me and that's what this shirt is about, me looking good. *[Editor note: This guy is a total dork.]

I can't give this thing a good review. While it's warm and features the usual dope Volcom styling, it started pilling after the first wash. Three washes down and the thing looks like a poodle.

Sturdy shoe, fly style. A bit more low-profile than the Manteca I. Sizing is a bit weird, though, but seems to be the case for all DCs. I usually wear a 10.5 in all other skate shoes. 10.5 in these are a bit snug, and the 11 is too big. I went with the 10.5, and while they're a bit tight for kicking it, I really like the snugness for skateboarding; makes the shoe feel less sloppy. And we all buy skate shoes to skate in, right, so yeah.

I heart my Gore Mitts. You get a good mitt and a usable thin underglove with grippy plastic stuff on the palm and fingers, all for a good price. My only gripe is that they put finger separaters into the mitt. They were warmer and more comfortable with a traditional mitt pocket.

Absinthe does a really great job showing the creativity of snowboarding in every facet of riding: Big Alaskan lines, backcountry booters, and deeeeeep Japan tree lines, all with a super jibby feel. It's like you and your bros riding the local park, except they're hitting 100-foot gaps. Maybe not as groundbreaking as Pop and Saturation, but a solid flick for sure.

These Kr3w Recons are thick and hearty, like my Lithuanian grandmother. If you like 'em loose and long, buy a size down. I normally wear a 34 and the 32s fit pretty well, with enough room to move. The label on the zipper flap is a little weird, kinda draws attention to your nether regions. But the shorts themselves have held up well. I wanted a dark pair of shorts I could wear to the skatepark and dirt jumps and these things have taken a beating and come out fine.

I picked up the white Courts as bright summertime kicks to compliment my head-turning pins :). Anyhow, they're comfortable, maybe a tiny bit small (10.5 -- what I wear nearly everything in), and have a wide enough platform that I'm thinking about picking up a black pair to actually skate in.

I rode the Suprateam Huffman all last season in the Wasatch, mainly at The Canyons and Snowbird. Basically, I love it. I'm a bigger dude (180lb) and rode the 159cm. For me it was way more stable at speed than my park board (a Rome Agent 157) so I ended up riding it in the park, too. What I liked about it most was that even though it's not terrifically stiff (softer than the Rome) it has tons of camber so it carves really well, and is soft enough to butter and monkey around on. Plus it's got a fist on it.

I was looking for a goggle lens to wear in the spring, when things are super bright in Utah. My eyes are pretty wrecked and I have a lot of problems with glare, and the Gold Lite lenses weren't cutting it. So I picked up the Blue Mirror. All in all I'm pretty stoked on them. My eyes can relax on south-facing slopes in bright sun and I can now see a lot of the small details I was losing before. They even worked pretty well in the shade and when the sun was obscured by partly cloudy skies. Stoked!

I'm stoked on the Knowledge OTG. Fits over my glasses very well, hasn't fogged on storm days or hikes, and the Gold Lite lens works well in sunny to mildly flat conditions. I bought the yellow replacement lens for flat light days.

Bought the Concealers as some baggy pants to wear over pads for jib days. They fit great. And the basketball-shorts make them super comfortable if I'm rocking it pads-free. I've had 'em out on storm days and they get a little wet, but mainly from crashing or sitting down. I think Gore-Tex or similar fabric would be the only thing drier.

I am very pleased with my Black Diamond climbing skins. The tail clip system is easy to use and is a nice help. It takes a tiny bit of work to adjust the tip loop to the right length so that the tail clip has tension.

Bought the Manual as a do-anything watch for the office, mountains, and water. So far it's held up really well to office use and snowboarding. Has gone through a few spring-like days in park gloves and storm days with a full gauntlet, and is running strong and blemish-free even after a couple gnarly crashes. The silver face, though super stylish, was kind of hard to read so I traded it for the white face.

The strap broke on me. You've got to stretch it over the helmet, which can be kind of awkward, and the strap pulled out of the plastic fastner that attaches it to the helmet. So, when putting the goggles on, be sure to hold it by the plastic faster where it attaches to the strap and not the goggles.

I really dug the High Intensity Blue lens on these goggles, but the fit didn't work out for me. By far the best lens I've ever used in flat light, and I've used Smith Gold Lite, RC36, Clear, and Scott Yellow from a few years ago. Only thing I didn't like about them was the fit. Never really closed around my nose. But I've got kind of a flat face, so they may work for you. Goggles don't fit a helmet -- you'll need to spring for the helmet strap, which I don't think works that well.

I'm really happy with the Giro.9 MX. It's lighter than my old lid, so in comparison feels like I'm wearing nothing at all (cue Ned Flanders vision). It's also warm. Only drawback is the shim thing on the back of the helmet snaps loose sometimes, but it's only one snap and is a minor issue.

Belt is made of high-quality leather, and buckle is blinging brushed steel. Plus, you can remove the buckle and put onto a different belt once you wear this one out. My pants haven't fallen down ONCE since I started wearing it.