If there’s one binding manufacturer that’s been hot on the heels of Burton since it’s conception it’s Union. Now with 5 years under their belts they’re taking binding design to the next level. With Magnesium injected construction and partnerships with some of the most high tech materials manufacturers on the planet like Dupont and Zytel, you know the guys at Union are producing some serious gear. There are tons of standouts in the 09/10 range, like the Force-MC binding with it’s carbon highback, injected Magnesium heelcup and machine cored base plate, we’re talking about an incredibly light binding or the Re-Union binding with it’s recycled off-cut materials. However, in my opinion the most ground breaking binding of the 09/10 season is the Union Contact.

Continue reading Union Build Bonkers Banana Binding.

Organic Snowboards is an exciting snowboard brand coming out of Quebec Canada. At the forefront of the green movement, Organic’s snowboards are using the latest technologies, from non toxic inks to Hemp fibres and Bamboo sidewalls. Organic are leading the way in an eco-concious revolution, with big brands like Burton and K2 hot on their heels, it’s fresh to hear that Organic don’t care that their niche market is being attacked by the big boys, they’re all too happy to be influencing the market and ultimately reducing the impact of snowboarding on the planet. We caught up with Organic’s general manager and Whistler local JP Boulais to find out a bit more about Organic and their dreams of a greener future.

Continue reading Brand Focus - Organic Snowboards.

Burton dominated the binding market for years. The release of the Burton Custom binding with it’s revolutionary ‘Sky-back’ (designed by Terje Haakonsen for riding pipe) in the mid 90s cemented Burton bindings as the go-to equipment for the majority of pros on the planet, even if they were sponsored by another binding manufacturer! Over the last five years other brands have been getting their act together; Union hit the market running with some great products, K2 released the Auto binding a bonkers binding that tightens the toe strap as you crank down the ankle strap saving you valuable milliseconds and Ride dropped the Contraband toe strap system last year. Silently in the background Nitro have been badgering away creating a killer binding range under the Raiden brand. Although we don’t have many details on the range, the pictures speak for themselves!

Continue reading Nitro - 2010 Raiden Binding Preview.

Three weeks have gone by and this is Tom’s first blog post…I think a sacking might be in order! Having landed in Buenos Aires just over three weeks ago, Tom’s had just under a month of discovering a country worlds apart from good ol’ Blighty and making new friends along the way. With tales of meeting local Bariloche rippers, dirt cheap lager and endless freeriding terrain on the Cerro Cathedral, Tom is having a whale of a time. But it’s not all fun and games, Tom’s been hard at work helping to put 60 paying customers through their Ski and Snowboard instructor qualifications (BASI 1 & 2). I think that’s enough of an intro, I’ll leave the rest to Tom.

Continue reading Hola from Argentina.

After weeks of testing and months of loading content to the site, we’ve reached a momentous day on Snowboard Review! We’re 30 boards shy of the 400 mark and we’ve got a fairly large share of Burtons 09/10 range live for you to check out. Tom tested all of the Burton boards so I can’t speak from my personal experiences, but he thinks this years range has some real standout rides, in fact the Easy Livin’ was Tom’s favourite board on the test! Tom wasn’t disappointed with the new Channel binding system either giving it two thumbs up for its infinite stance options and the elimination of longitudinal board flex deadspots under the bindings.

Continue reading Burton 2010 snowboard reviews are alive!.

One of our focuses at Snowboard Review is to bring your attention to the hottest new brands out in the vast ocean that is the snowboard market. Our latest find is Weekend Snowboards, an interesting start-up headed by Dan MacNamara, the brains behind Bond carbon neutral outerwear. Weekend are releasing their first board series this coming winter and with production limited to 450 boards you’ll have to be fast to get your mitts on one…

Continue reading Weekend Snowboards hot off the press.

Part-time Head of Testing at Snowboard Review and full-time lucky bastardo, Tom (I’ve got a garden full of four leaf clovers) Ewbank is off to Bariloche in Argentina. Tom is helping to run a BASI instructor training programme run by Peak Leaders, an independent mountain bike, ski and snowboard instructor training outfit who operate all over the globe.

Continue reading TJ’s off to Argentina.

If you’re not familiar with Prior Snowboards…you should be. Prior are based in Whistler, Canada, and have been creating the finest handmade and custom snowboards for the last 20 years. Renowned for their freeride swallow tails, heavily tapered rides and their split boards, the words ‘freestyle’ and ‘rocker’ are two words you’d never expect to see on a Prior press release. So it was to our great surprise that a press release for Prior’s latest model the AMF arrived in our inbox…

Continue reading Prior break with tradition and release new AMF snowboard.

At Snowboard-Review we’re constantly recieving juicy scoops on new gear. Our latest tasty bite is from the folks at Venture. Appears their lastest split board has won the Backcountry Magazine Editor’s Choice Award… praise indeed! As the premier backcountry skiing and snowboarding publication in North America, Backcountry Magazine doesn’t make endorsements frivolously. This year’s annual product test was held in March at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, where a selection of boards from top manufacturers were put through their paces both on piste and off.  When the powder cloud settled, the Storm - R Splitboard emerged as a top choice. 

Continue reading Venture’s Storm takes Editors’ Choice Award from Backcountry Mag.

Fortunately you won’t need to raid your local convenience store for Wonka Bars to get your hands on a golden ticket for a tour of the Never Summer factory. The guys at Never Summer have posted a tour of their factory, showing all of the processes and craftsmanship that goes into their snowboards.

Continue reading Take the Never Summer factory tour from your armchair.