According to the report, women are responsible for more than 80% of snowsports spending, helping to make purchasing decisions for the men in their lives and spending a record $941 million on female-specific gear.

For more info from the report, check the full press release below.

On a different note, over the past several months SBG has been in transition. We have exciting news just around the corner about the future of the site. In the meantime, don’t forget that we want your reviews. Please let your fellow shredders know what you think about your equipment. After all, it is just snowboarding, and we all want the most out of it, so if you have an opinion on something, please share!

I love these snowpants! Subtle animal print, cute buttons and trim all say "I know I am cute; don't underestimate me!" By their looks, you wouldn’t believe how technical and heavy duty they are. They serve as much more than a shell and are insulated to keep winter cold out. For someone who is always cold, one pair of long underwear suffices on the colder days, and when it is warm, a shant or lighter weight pair of long underwear.  They don't look bulky.

They are super long and steeze through in through, which means of course that I have been walking over the pant legs for days.  They are holding up fairly well. The two-toned matte/ shiny black soft outer material makes it so that scuffs really do not show.

The pockets are large, easy to access and unobtrusive; there is even a small pocket on the inside. The only oddity is that the cargo pockets wrap around the back of the knee slightly and are harder to get into on lifts, but otherwise they are well planned out. They have loopholes to hang a pass on or to hang them on a door; they have Velcro inside the waist for size adjustment; and they have rockin suspenders that easily attach and detach. 

When it comes to safety I will do most anything to protect myself and these pants are a start. The thick padding won't boost self esteem, but is worth it when you find yourself in the snow instead of upright. Most effective are the knee and butt pads.  A few changes would make them much more functional on days when they are needed, not to mention more realistic to have on for everyday riding.

The most necessary design change needed is to have the padding sewn to the outside instead of the inside of the thermal long underwear.  If you were to stand in a dressing room and look in the mirror you would see a finished-looking product. But, since I am always going to wear snowpants over them I would rather have the comfort of the stitching being on the outside than a cleaner looking pant. As they are, the stitching digs into the skin and is irritating. It is possible to wear additional long underwear as a first layer, but then even I become way too warm.  

Also, for as padded as they are, they could be slightly lower profile. I took several crashes onto my knees and did not feel a thing, which I will not complain about, but still the amount of padding is a bit excessive. Thankfully all my snowpants are several sizes too large otherwise I probably wouldn’t fit into them.

I would prefer a lower-profile pant that I could wear comfortably all the time over something that I only can stand to put on when I need to surround myself with pillows.

All of this said, I wouldn’t completely disregard the pants (especially if you are learning to snowboard or in the park). If you are interested in what they have to offer,  my advice is to be sure that they fit properly (so the pads will cover the areas they are intended to protect), and to try them on to see if the inside stitching is bearable without long underwear on.

Or will we? I expect the entire crowd will blend into life in the Rockies quite easily. From Denver you can actually see snowy peaks and it will be a challenge to keep people contained indoors when they are that close to temptation. There isn’t too much to be concerned about, however, with all the SIA activity and then two days of on-snow to follow. (It would be nice to have snow, that’s another story.)

We are excited and hope to see you there. And if for some reason you haven’t gotten the memos, or paid attention to anything or anyone around you, and you end up in Vegas… put some quarters in the slots in our honor!

At first glance, the Burgers hat makes me think of Fargo or Grumpy Old Men or a lumberjack. From a distance it is a solid colored brimmed hat with earflaps. But up close, and paired with sweet outerwear, it really stands out on a male or female. It is the little things that make Nobis hats stand out. The chunky knit pattern is angled in an upward curve, it has the expected Nobis bling in the form of a plaid square of material and a Nobis medallion, and the inside is lined with extremely soft velvet. At first, I wondered why it didn't have ties from the ear flaps like most hats of its kind have. It would be nice when it is colder to be able to secure it to the ears. However, the lack of strings hanging off it causes the earflaps to slightly flip out from the ears for a pleasantly whimsical look.

This Merino is warm, even though it is very thin material, dries quickly, but is a bit scratchy. The neckie is a long tube that goes over the head and around the neck and it doesn't have much weight or bulk. It washes well and is useful on cold mornings when you need a layer for your face that you know you are going to want to shove in a pocket later (it folds up a lot smaller than a fleece neckie). The only drawback is the itchiness because of the wool; it becomes rougher as it is dampened by snow, breath or sweat. It is tolerable and doesn't prevent me from wearing it (as it is such an easy, warm layer to keep in a pocket), but definitely a downside in its functionality.

The BFF2 is a fun ride for all mountain and works well in a range of conditions. I like a reliable ride that isn't going to buck me around because it is too soft all over but also doesn't feel like a dead fish or a gangplank. Sometimes getting on a new board makes you have to think about what you are doing for the first few runs, but I felt at home straight away on this one. The BFF2 eases smoothly into turns while holding a solid edge. It is great in powder and rides well through choppy snow. It has spring for jumping off things and enough support in the tail that I was super comfortable landing.

It rides true to size and as a firm believer in shorter boards, I wouldn't go over a 148 if you are between 5'5" and 5'9 because it is plenty of board. It has cute graphics on it that look like a bunch of bubbles and remind me of a colorful aquarium. All it needs is fish stickers.

The Lotus boot is stiffer at first but has a really soft, comfortable liner and breaks in easily. The cushion under the heel sort of squishes when you walk, which is great because it absorbs impact. Looks-wise, they are gorgeous. The royal purple with a near-electric turquoise color, combined with a very subtle outside pattern (looks like flower petals) is all very attractive and I got several comments about them.

The boot is not heavy and tightens with a Boa system instead of laces. A single Boa is responsible for tightening the entire boot from a wheel at the calf, rather than a double Boa that allows for tightening the general boot/ upper level and the heel/ lower half.  The challenge with these boots is that with only one Boa I am limited in how precise I can be in pressure management, espcecially around my ankles. Though the boot is very well crafted, provides support through ample cushion in the heels/ liner, and has inner laces, it is hard to get a specific fit around the heels. What this means is that I am fine walking around, but riding hard all day long every day without the heel restraint sometimes makes my toes shove up into the front of the boot more than is normal. However, my suggestion would be to not discredit this boot and to actually try them on and see how they fit to your specific foot. At the expense of not getting a more tailored fit, you do get a really quick on and off boot and in the interest of convenience, I really like how easy it is! It is great to not deal with laces, and it is such a quick tightening process while on the hill.