Featured Picture – Gabe Rovick
Some days snowboarding are simply higher than others. February 28, 2024, was a kind of days. After a heavy storm descended onto Vail Valley and the encompassing peaks, we awoke to search out heaps of recent snow loaded in varied features across the mountain. Midway by way of week two of the FREESKIER Gear Lab, and we’ve acquired ourselves a powder day; scorching rattling! We gathered our crew and climbed aboard Vail’s historic Gondola One for early ups. Blue skies and an empty mountain greeted us as the thrill grew.
Taking full benefit of the circumstances, we determined to check skis round 110mm underfoot and above, in addition to just a few of subsequent 12 months’s outerwear kits. We grabbed just a few jackets and bibs from Image Natural, Rab, Armada, Salomon and Rossignol. Every outfit carried out exceptionally properly within the variable temps, as we had single-digit temps within the morning adopted by a temperature rise within the afternoon. Our testers discovered these kits to be breathable, with loads of room to maneuver on the bottom and within the air. Make sure to maintain an eye fixed out for our FREESKIER outerwear Deep Dives for extra specifics on every model.
As for what planks we had on the bottom, it was an eclectic arsenal with some acquainted faces in addition to just a few brand-new, never-before-seen fashions for twenty-four/25. Our lineup of skis included:
Armada ARW 106
Volkl Revolt 114
Dynastar M Free 108
Rossignol Sender Free 110
Salomon QST X
Elan Playmaker 111
Blizzard Rustler 11
Nordica Unleashed 114
When you might simply take our phrase relating to how good the day was, we fortunately had photographer Gabe Rovick alongside to doc the enjoyable. Huge air and deep snow, it’s all right here. Take a look at our favourite photographs beneath.
Photographer: Gabe Rovick
Location: Vail, Colorado
Keep tuned for updates from the 2024 FREESKIER Gear Lab. We’ll be persevering with to check one of the best of subsequent 12 months’s boots, outerwear and skis within the coronary heart of the Rocky Mountains right here at Vail, Colorado.
