I received my copy of the Snowboard Mag 2011 Gear Guide in the mail last week, and was stoked to see it sitting in the little gray postal box. This is that transitional phase where the weather is starting to move towards fall, and we all known soon enough in CO, snow will start. The Gear Guide is kind of like a fix, something to ease over the time between now and when the snow hits. I spend a good amount of time riding, and reviewing various gear, albeit it in a wide format, or for bigger guys etc, and was disappointed with some aspects of the Gear Guide.

Upon first impression, the Snowboard Mag Gear Guide, is a beautiful piece of work. Very high gloss, lot’s of colors through-out, and of course advertising (it is a magazine, so I expect that.) They did cover some brands, I didn’t expect to see (Bluebird) but that doesn’t make up for the lack of information on products, and the lack of product selection, and  finally companies included. I feel like both Transworld and Snowboard Mag left out quite a few brands. I was however happy to see the Never Summer Heritage made it into the Platinum picks (that board is insanely great) but was bummed to see I couldn’t get any information, other than name, and perhaps MSRP on helmets, bindings, and more. I did find some of the sensational writing included with the Platinum picks, almost funny at times. While I do love to use the term “destroy the mountain” it’s used lightly and not with another slew of adjectives tacked on to it to provide an onslaught of what can only amount to something GI Joe would say if he were reviewing a snowboard. So is the point of the Gear Guide just to show me pictures of the gear, or to perhaps explain a bit more about why it’s included in the gear guide, what makes it good, and perhaps some specs? Helmets especially. I’m a big fan of head protection, and people generally ask about the specs on helmets, sizing, colors etc, which would be nice to include. I looked through the front of the guide hoping to find a nice write-up, perhaps, discussing the layout, and reasoning behind this years Gear Guide, but didn’t really find anything that provided me relief.

Does this mean, I absolutely hate the Snowboard Mag Gear Guide? No, not at all. There were some positives including, the various company write-ups, and seeing boards from Yes, and Smokin included within the mix. I liked the overall look of the gear guide, it’s very polished, and the included “action” shots were great. Some of the advertising was well placed, although in some places I was trying to figure out if the picture was an advertisement, or part of the actual Gear Guide (Nike.) I think my biggest complaint was really the lack of selection (companies included) and of course the lack of information on products, especially bindings, boots, helmets and the like. I’d expect the Gear Guide to provide information that helps me figure out what I may or may not like, not necessarily just show me pictures of what the editors and staff believe are cool.

But alas, these are just my thoughts, check it out for yourselves, as I’d love to hear your feedback on it as well. Snow’s on it’s way and I can’t wait!