We started out touring the front offices. When we walked in the front door it was easy to see that we were surrounded by people that loved to ski and snowboard. There were skis and boards hanging on the wall that showed the progression of design that’s happened, there were old advertisements and posters everywhere. One wall had snowshoes. Here, Molly was checking out the bike pictures.

Molly getting the perfect shot.

Cubes were lined with boots and bindings.

Ride snowboard boots.

Then we checked out the marketing and development offices for K2 and Ride. The K2 office was definitely going for the old west vibe.

K2 marketing and development office.

One thing that was really cool to see was all of the design comps hanging for board graphics. Here you can see the light box and a rack of designs. There were two racks like this.

Snowboard design comps for the top sheet and base graphics.

Once we were done in the front offices, we headed down to the production area. Ride is set-up so they can design and create prototype boards in house. Once the boards are ready for blind testing, they head out to the Summit for some riding.

Rolls of different types of fiberglass.

The best part of the whole tour was seeing how snowboards are made. Paul made a complete, ride-able board while we watched. In one board there are 20-30 different layers all held together with epoxy. Each layer is different and certain combinations of wood and carbon make boards that have varying degrees of snap or stiffness. The board we saw being made had three different types of wood. Certain wood was chosen for its lightweight quality and others were used for their durability. Each layer was so thin. Watching a board in production it was easier to see how a poor coating of epoxy can make a board delaminate.

Paul showing us how a snowboard is made.

Once all of the layers were added to the board, it was sandwiched in between fitted metal plates. The plates hold the layers in place as it is heated and pressed together by the machine below. You can see the curve of the press where the tip and the tail of a snowboard are. They use air pockets to make sure the board stays smooth throughout the entire pressing process.

Doug, our tour guide, explaining how the press works.

Once the board was done, we headed over to the printing room where we got to see how graphics were made. Ride has both a screening processes as well as a digital printer.

Sample of a board graphic.

Ride also tests durability in house. One of the ways they test their boards is to see if they can hold up to -4 degrees F. The freezer reminded me of restaurant freezers but it was about the size of a trailer. It was, obviously, cold.

Testing boards for cold durability.

After seeing the manufacturing section of Ride we walked through the cavernous warehouse they use for storage. All of K2′s US products are stored here. The picture below is about 1/4 of the space. Despite the amount of room needed for storage, they were still able to squeeze in a bowl and a basketball hoop.

Ride's warehouse

Thanks to everyone at Ride for inviting us out, especially Doug , Paul, Casey, Angie, and the rest of the design and development crew.

]]> http://www.girlgetsboard.com/2010/04/02/touring-ride-snowboards/feed/ 0 http://www.girlgetsboard.com/2009/12/15/gift-ideas-shred-girls/ http://www.girlgetsboard.com/2009/12/15/gift-ideas-shred-girls/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:00:50 +0000 Bekah http://girlgetsboard.com/?p=526

1. Seven Ply

How awesome are earings made out of old skate decks? So awesome. They don’t look like it, but they are really lightweight. Lynn of Seven Ply makes every single piece different in color and style and also makes different sizes (down to studs) if you don’t like rocking the hoops. (She also makes belt buckles, bangles, necklaces and lots of other cool things out of old decks.)

2. Burt’s Bees Sun Protecting Lip Balm

I’m a recent Burt’s Bees convert, even though its a little expensive ($4 for a tube of chapstick!!), I think its worth it. This lip balm is SPF 8 for bluebird days and keeps my lips from getting chapped out on the mountain. The only thing I need to remember is to keep the lip balm inside my jacket so it doesn’t turn into an icicle stick when I’m out on the snow.

3. Cilla Nikki

Its a classy tall tee. The top is made out of super comfy fabric and the light blue band is water repellent so you can wear it while snowboarding. But I think its prime material for hanging out after snowboarding. Its pricey, but I can’t resist the cuteness. Cilla isn’t in a bunch of shops yet, but you can find it online at Shredding Betty. For local Seattle gals, Evo will probably be carrying it soon.

4. Smartwool Snowboard Socks

I’m pretty sure everyone knows riding with regular wool socks equals no fun. Snowboarding socks are the way to go. I love Smartwool because they are thin and really warm. I’m always, always cold, but for some reason the blend that Smartwool uses keeps my feet warm.

5. Pom Pom Sonic Boom Board Bom

Its all temperature wax and you can use it hot with an iron or just rub it on. Sweet! I keep mine in my pack and then I have it whenever I need a quick wax job on the hill. You can pick it up online at Shredding Betty and at dogfunk.com.

6. Frequency

Pick up a copy of Frequency magazine for stocking stuffer. Good writing and amazing photography. I know its what I want curl up with after too much Christmas cheer.

7. Casual Industrees – Chairlift Hoodie

Casual is a Northwest brand that makes some pretty sweet hoodies, tees, beanies, and beer cozies. I heart hoodies, especially this one with the chairlift. But they do such a good job with graphics its hard to decide which one is best. You can order from their shop online or if you live out in the PNW, check out your local board shop.

8. Dakine Torque Tool

The tool that I have isn’t Dakine, but its the same idea. Keep your bits magnetically attached to a wrench that fits in the handle. If your bindings are coming loose and you need to fix them at the top of a run this is the best little thing to have in your pocket.

9. Camp!

If you want to go all out, camp would be the way to do it. (I’ve always wanted to go–I’ve also always wanted a pony–but so far neither have happened….) There are some pretty well-known camps that I can’t personally attest to, but come pretty well recommended. Check out MGT, Windells, or High Cascade.

What’s on your wish list this season?

*Thanks to Seven Ply, Cilla, Pom Pom, and Casual Industrees for letting me use their images for this post!

**And, I was in no way coerced or bribed into posting these items…I really do think each one would make a pretty sweet gift.

The Blender has the party rocker and a scooped nose and tail.When I grabbed the board, the first thing I noticed was the weight. It seemed a lot heavier than my current set-up. Sadly I don’t hit rails or boxes yet, which is what this board is built for. I took it out on the corduroy and it did a good job, but I really didn’t notice a difference in turning with the p-rocker. Doing some flatland ollies it was nice and poppy. A few times when I was turning the stars would align, the tail would really connect with the snow, and the board would pop forward. It was fun, but I’m not sure if the speed was from the rocker or not.

For some reason I was expecting more from the Blender and rocker. But again, I didn’t take it into the park.

I <3 the Feelgood V- Rocker. Is this because it was a bigger board? Maybe. Is it just that good? Perhaps. Do I have expensive taste? I guess. It is one of Burton’s priciest women’s decks.

It charged. I felt like a speed ninja. I could pop and flex the board easily. I loved it. It felt substantial, like I had something solid under me that could handle speed without freaking out. The ice wasn’t so noticeable with the Feelgood and I didn’t want to give it back at the end of the day.

What have you demoed this year that you liked?

If you do wear a helmet, I’m guessing you aren’t going to get made fun of like you would have ten years ago. Last year, 48% of people wore a helmet. In 2002, only 18% of people wore a helmet. Some resorts are even making it mandatory for kids, this season Intrawest is implementing a helmet policy for kids at its resorts (Whistler, Steamboat, Winter Park, etc.).

Image: 416Style

So, what’s the point?

Well, a helmet might reduce the severity of a head injury if you hit a tree or slam your head on ice or rocks. But if you’re an average snowboarder (speeding along at 24.1 mph), you should know that NSAA says that a helmet provides the best protection at 12 mph or slower. Wait, what?

Fortunately (I guess), bike and motorcycle helmets have the same slow speed rating (14 and 17 mph). But, bikers (pedal and motor) go much faster than the rating. Despite the speed difference, motorcycle helmets and bike helmets are still considered very safe…even at the high speeds.

Helmets reduce minor head injuries like mild concussions, cuts, and bruises by 30-50%. But, in general, they don’t reduced more serious concussions, internal injury, and fatalities. (Warning, shocker ahead) So a helmet will probably help if you bail, but its not going to keep you from getting hurt if you’re going super fast or have a huge fall.

Helmet Safety Certs

With a certification, you can know if the helmet will actually do what you want it to do:

• keep your head in one piece if you hit something hard
• make sure your helmet will be on your head in the right place when you need it to be
• the chin strap wont break
• the part of your head that needs to be protected, is

Three approved certifications for helmets:

• Snell RS-98 – Considered the most stringent.
• ASTM F-2040 – American standard, considered almost as good as the Snell cert.
• CEN 1077 – European standard, considered the easiest certification to get.

A helmet can have just one or all three. To become certified, the helmet manufacturer has to meet certain design requirements for the way it sits on your head, where the chin strap is, if it allows for enough peripheral vision, and weather conditions, as well as a bunch of other design details. To test the helmet’s strength they require anvil testing. Awesome.

Helmet Brands and Certifications

Right now, there aren’t any snowboard or ski helmet makers that have the Snell cert. Most have the ASTM and CEN.

A few companies that make ASTM and CEN certified helmets:

• Bern
• Boeri
• Burton RED
• Pro-Tec

More Info

Helmet fit tips
More helmet details

What do you think? Is it worth it to ride with a helmet? Are you rocking one?

At the ripe old age of twelve, my boots have pretty much had it. The toes are trashed from the sharp edge of my board banging against them on the lift, and the sides are all ripped up from too much binding love. But the death knell came last season, when, I realized that I was getting the dread heel lift. Damn. We had become good friends, my boots and I. They had been my first step up from, please don’t laugh, my Sorrels. Yes. You read correctly. Don’t judge.

Back to boots. I needed new ones. So I headed out to my local shop check out what they had in stock. They had a pretty decent selection of boots for women, nearly ten pairs, and I think it was about an equal selection to what they had for guys boots. Score for the local shop.

First things first, the guy helping me at the shop and I talked about what kind of riding I did, mainly freestyle. I just wanted an all-around board that I would be happy with in deep pow, in the park learning my new tricks, and cruising around the groomers. Based on my riding style, he picked out a couple different types of boots for me to try, but not before measuring my feet–who knew my left foot was slightly bigger than my right? I tried on 32′s Lock Boa, Salomon’s Kiana, Burton’s Axel, and another Burton, the Emerald.

First off, I had to get a lesson on how to use the new lace systems…not too hard. One thing I was worried about though was the laces coming loose. My friends were always, uh, complaining about their boots. They were always too loose or coming undone. My old school beaters on the other hand were dialed. I asked about it. No way was I going to be the one on the hill stopping all the time.

The shop guy said that a lot of people had problems with the lace systems because they didn’t engage the lock system. Fair enough. I’m game.

I stepped into the 32s with my right foot and the Burton Emerald with my left–with my board socks on of course. I was prepared. The 32s were pretty uncomfortable. They weren’t very cushy and felt tight in all of the wrong places. As much as I wanted to love them, they didn’t love me. The Emerald however, felt great. But, I had two more types of boots to try on. Next, I tried on the Salomon and the Axel. Both were pretty nice and felt good. The guys told me that the Salomon linings didn’t change much after wear, so what I was feeling now, was pretty much how they were going to be. It wasn’t too big of a deal since they were pretty comfortable. I also liked the large straps on the back and on the tongue of the boot to help get the boot on.

The Axels felt nice, but, not $60 more than the Emerald nice. I could get a new pair of nice waterproof mittens (yeah, those need an update too) for that price. So, it was down to the Emerald and the Salomon Kiana. The shop guy suggested that I try them both on again. One on each foot. So I re-laced up the boots, practicing my new ninja-like lacing skills with the locking systems. Standing up, I took my snowboarding stance to get the feel for how my feet would feel in the boots with my knees bent. The shop guy pointed out that when you bend your knees and get into a riding stance, your heels go back slightly and pull the pressure in your toes away from the front of the boot. It was true, it did. They didn’t feel as tight as when I was standing straight up.

After pretending I was in some sick pow with my new boots, I realized the winner. The Emeralds. The cushion was softer and snugger all around my foot. There didn’t seem to be any part of my foot that wasn’t totally cushioned, which felt amazing. The Kianas definitely felt nice, but the cushion wasn’t there, they felt a lot harder and less forgiving. I walked out of the store with the Burton Emeralds and am looking forward to testing them out on the slopes.

I always like to buy women specific gear when I can, it just fits better (makes sense). A few things I learned while shopping:

• Women have a lower calf muscle than men do. Women’s boots (and bindings) are cut lower to make room for the calf. This makes the boot snugger, making it easier to initiate turns. No one wants to be moving their feet or legs and not getting a response from the board.
• Women generally have a higher arch than men. Having a better arch support in your boots will keep your feet from getting tired or achy.
• Boots are made narrower for women to fit their smaller foot. Like I said, the boots with the full cushion and no gaping air pockets made them feel dreamy.
• Women’s boots are made lighter than men’s boots. Generally we weigh less than guys. Why should we have to carry around the same gear weight that they do?

Check out the Angry Snowboarder for more boot fitting tips.

Do you have boots you love? Hate? Want to get new ones? Tell me about it!