In the current issue of Cooler, we bring you the sickest boards, boots and bindings around this winter. To make sure you know what you’re tooling up with, here are some detailed product reviews.

(from left to right)

Nitro ‘Carrara’
nitrosnbrds.com
This stick was developed with loads of feedback from the team riders, so as you can imagine you will need a bit of experience to handle it. Thanks to the powerlite core it’s very light and responsive and the progressive sidecut gives you a lot of power for your turns. And to add even more extra speed, Nitro furnished the Carrara with a Sintered Speed Formula II base that, in their own words, will “keep you hauling ass in all conditions.”
RIDER LEVEL: intermediate/advanced
TERRAIN: all mountain
STIFFNESS (0=super soft, 10=super stiff): 6
SHAPE: directional
BASE PROFILE: regular camber

549.90 euros / £456

Bataleon ‘Distortia’
bataleon.com
If you have never ridden a Bataleon board before, the Triple Base Technology will take some getting used to. But once you’ve got around this, you can fire it through the park like a machine gun. The special TBT shape gives the board great pop, without letting you catch an edge. It won’t let you down in powder either and especially loves hitting natural features.
RIDER LEVEL: intermediate/advanced
TERRAIN: freestyle/jib
STIFFNESS: 3
SHAPE: true twin
BASE PROFILE: triple base technology

439.99 euros / £340

DC ‘Biddy’
dcshoes.com
If you’re looking for a stable, comfy ride that won’t forsake you no matter the terrain or riding style, you will find a good friend in the Biddy. It’s easy to ride, responsive and really stable at speed but still poppy. The radius to flat through the nose and tail is especially great for slushy conditions.
RIDER LEVEL: beginner/intermediate
TERRAIN: freestyle
SHAPE: true twin
STIFFNESS: 5
BASE PROFILE: reverse camber

299 euros / £229

Burton ‘Blender’
burton.com
The Blender combines the Burton Mid Spoon shape with the buttery and forgiving feel of the V-Rocker. This lifts the edges so you can slide rails and spin in every way you wish to without (hopefully) catching an edge. It’s also super soft and poppy, which makes it fun to just play around with in the park or on the slopes, even if you haven’t been riding for ages and don’t feel like a super pro.
RIDER LEVEL: all
TERRAIN: park/pipe
SHAPE: true twin
STIFFNESS: 3
BASE PROFILE: reverse camber

420 euros / £360

Santa Cruz ‘Powerlyte’
santacruzsnowboards.com
With a Powerlyte bamboo core, this baby isn’t only eco-friendly but also super light! So while it lifts up your conscience and spirits it’s also way easier for you to lift the board itself, which makes it super fun to play around with on the mountain. The Snap Rocker technology adds some extra pop that you’ll love in powder as well.
RIDER LEVEL: intermediate/advanced
TERRAIN: freestyle
SHAPE: true twin
STIFFNESS: 6
BASE PROFILE: reverse camber

566 euros / £469

Forum The Sauce Chilly Dog
forumsnowboards.com
This is a shred stick truly tailored to what women need. The rocker height is slightly lower to accommodate our size and shape and the waist is narrow so you don’t need Bigfoot feet to get an easy hold on the edge. One of the few true jib weapons out there, or as Forum puts it “designed for women who know there is no such thing as a rail with too many kinks.”
RIDER LEVEL: intermediate
TERRAIN: jib
SHAPE: directional twin
STIFFNESS: 3
BASE PROFILE: reverse camber

359 euros / £310

Ride ‘Compact’
ridesnowboards.com
The combination of the special female LowRize rocker and slimewalls makes the ‘Compact’ a true all rounder for all levels. It’s stable in slush as well as on ice and cruises around the hill comfortably, but it also has enough pop to take it to the park or natural hits.
RIDER LEVEL: intermediate
TERRAIN: freestlye
SHAPE: true twin
STIFFNESS: 4
BASE PROFILE: zero with reverse camber

329.95 euros / £280

K2 ‘Eco Pop’
k2snowboarding.com
If a board really deserves it’s name, it’s this one. It was the first ever eco friendly board for women and is so super poppy that you can basically jump anything with it. It also turns super fast, has great edge hold and thanks to the all terrain rocker basically works in every terrain you take it to. An extra plus is the unique cotton feel topsheet that prevents you from slipping when you accidentally step on it in the lift or queues.
RIDER LEVEL: intermediate/advanced
TERRAIN: all mountain
SHAPE: directional twin
STIFFNESS: 7
BASE PROFILE: reverse camber

499.95 euros / £370

Gnu B-Nice Series BTX
gnu.com
The typicall Gnu banana shape makes this board an excellent partner for powder as it floats effortlessly and lets you charge like a true ripper no matter your experience. At the same time the magne-traction gives it great edge hold too, which means that you can carve hardpack snow and ice just as well. And to add that little extra touch, all Gnu boards are still handcrafted.
RIDER LEVEL: intermediate/advanced
TERRAIN: all mountain
SHAPE: true twin
STIFFNESS: 4
BASE PROFILE: reverse camber

425.50 euros / £349.99

Head ‘Fountain’
ridehead.com
The Fountain is a very comfortable all-round board that is not very aggressive, and turning from edge-to-edge is as smooth as it gets. The rather hard flex of the carbon stringers gives it a lot of control while remaining forgiving enough to cater for even the less experienced rider. And it comes with a matching binding too.
RIDER LEVEL: intermediate/advanced
TERRAIN: all mountain
SHAPE: true twin
STIFFNESS: 7
BASE PROFILE: regular camber

379.95 euros / £300

Roxy ‘Sugar’
roxy.com
With it’s anti edge-catching banana shape and a narrow waist that makes linking turns super easy, this board is a dream to handle and especially suitable for beginners. Nice flex and pop also mean that you are very welcome to take it for a little trial run through the park.
RIDER LEVEL: beginner/intermediate
TERRAIN: all mountain
SHAPE: true twin
STIFFNESS: 2
BASE PROFILE: combined cambers, reverse between feet

329 euros / £289

Salomon ‘Lark’
salomonsnowboard.com
The Lark is the choice of beginners who have already got the basics and have now set their minds on progressing as quickly as possible. The tapered directional shape and softer flex make turning easy to control while the Royal Rubber Pads increase the durability and dampening to reduce chatter.
RIDER LEVEL: intermediate
TERRAIN: all mountain
SHAPE: directional twin
STIFFNESS: 6
BASE PROFILE: regular camber

369.95 euros / £260

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Forum ‘Mist’
forumsnowboards.com
The Mist is the perfect example of a proper lightweight boot. With serious cushioning, padded liners and speedlaces, it still doesn’t cost a fortune. Plus the outsole is extra grippy to keep you from sliding through the parking lot. Although this actually counts for all boots it’s especially true for these: break them in before you ride them!
LACES: speed
LINER: heat mouldable
STIFFNESS (0=super soft, 10=super stiff): 3

159 euros / £140

DC ‘Misty’
dcshoes.com
DC are known for their excellence with shoes, and snowboard boots are no exception. The Misty has the perfect mixture of being super flexible for all the tweaking you wanna do, but still giving great support to keep your heels locked where they are supposed to be.
LACING: regular
STIFFNESS: 6

179 euros / £160

Thirty two ‘Lashed FT’
thirtytwo.com
They remind you a bit of wellington boots when you first step into them, but this deceptive imagery won’t last once you’ve had your first run in them. The FastTrack Lacing System is, as the name suggests, not only super fast but also designed to conform the outer shell to the liner and the unique contour of your feet.
LACES: speed
LINER: heat mouldable
STIFFNESS: 6

250 euros / £180

Vans ‘Cheryl Maas Hi Standard’
vanssnow.com
If you’re one of those people who hate to take their sneakers off even for sleeping, the Hi Standard is your boot. As you would expect from one of the best sneaker brands out there, Vans boots are nothing like the typical ball and chain many other boots feel like, but are so super soft and flexy you can tweak and butter as much as you like. We especially love this colour way, it’s inspired by the one and only queen of jibs, Cheryl Maas.
LACES: regular
LINER: heat mouldable
STIFFNESS: 3

189 euros / £140

Burton ‘Axel’
burton.com
Some people claim that with big corporate companies you mainly pay for the name, not the product. But this is certainly not true for Burton boots. Made out of super lightweight Dynolite and with the new Sweet Spot Speed Zone lacing, which breaks the shell’s quick-lace system into three areas so you can dial in the fit and lock your heel in place, your footsies will love these babies.
LACES: speed
LINER: heat mouldable
STIFFNESS: 4

260 euros / £220

K2 ‘Affair Boa Conda’
k2snowboarding.com
By combining regular laces and a boa, K2 have found their own unique lacing system that offers perfect foothold and super easy readjusting at the same time. Equipped with Harshmellow shock absorbing outsoles and soft and comfy liners you can basically ride for days without stopping.
LACES: regular and boa
LINER: heat mouldable
STIFFNESS: 6

259.95 euros / £185

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Forum ‘Keeper’
forumsnowboards.com
Combining nylon and aluminium, this binding isn’t only super responsive, light and durable, but also saves you from the long old question between plasitic and metal. No matter what you like to ride or where, the Keeper won’t let you down.
STIFFNESS: 4

179 euros / £155

K2/Nikita ‘Cassette’
k2snowboarding.com
We already love this binding just for the fact that Nikita has finally approached the hardware sector and given us great bindings with their typical uber stylish design. But we also love the tweak back highback as it’s asymmetrical shape gives you great support when you’re charging, while letting you loose if you want to get your tweak on.
STIFFNESS: 6

169.95 euros / £130

Roxy ‘Team’
roxy.com
Knowing that it’s no less than Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright who is riding these bindings says quite a lot. The asymmetrical highback, super light weight cored out freestyle straps and shock absorbing footpads do the rest.
STIFFNESS: 5

159 euros / £134

Burton ‘Stiletto’
burton.com
While regular stilettos are far from being comfortable in any way, you can’t say that about these bindings. The only thing they have in common is that they are made for women only, which means that they are made to perfectly fit girls’ riding.
STIFFNESS: 4

160 euros / £130

Salomon ‘Absolute’
salomonsnowboard.com
If you’re as confused as we are sometimes about all those new technologies, materials and other nicknacks, you might enjoy something simple once in a while. Like the Absolute, that is easy to handle but with totally up to date EVA dampening as well as light and comfy straps.
STIFFNESS: 6

199.95 euros / £150

Head ‘NX FAY III’
ridehead.com
With the Auto Open system, these binders are the perfect choice if you’re often in a hurry. But they also sport a women specific highback, freestyle flex and new precision straps that give you even better support and comfort.
STIFFNESS: 6

143 euros / £120

Thanks very much to the UK Snowboardtest and the Kaunertal Spring Classics