Ski and Snowboard

Fumbling with bindings is nobody's idea of a good time, especially in the cold and the snow. That's why snowboarder Brendan Walker created the Machina MagIC Ride System, which replaces traditional snowboard bindings with magnets.

Wintertime offers plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors: skiing, snowshoeing , or hiking. The only problem is that each of these activities requires its own specialized set of gear. But what if a single piece of equipment could do it all?

An Australian company is preparing to roll out a series of giant, rotating ski barrels designed to make the experience of carving endless fresh snow available to city folk without a long drive. We talk to Snowtunnel co-founder and CEO Scott Kessler.

While it's nice to have a powered means of exploring the wintertime wilderness, a lot of people despise big, noisy snowmobiles. Those folks might prefer a set of electrically-motorized skis, and that's just what the Vipera system consists of.

Downhill skis can certainly be awkward to carry, but you know what? So can their poles! San Francisco startup Yardsale is out to change that, with customizable poles that cling together via integrated magnets.

While downhill skiing may look like a nice, smooth, swoopy experience, anyone who has done so will know that it can actually be quite a boneshaking affair. The ShredShox system is here to help, by adding shock absorbers to existing downhill skis.

Cyrusher has been going bonkers this year, releasing one electric power toy after another. With winter approaching, it's turned attention to what it calls the world's first electric snowboard. The 3,000-W Ripple can tear through snow at over 30 mph.

Over the years, we've heard about several skateboards that were claimed to handle like snowboards made for the street. The Finnish-designed Slede snowskate flips that concept around, by reportedly performing like a skateboard made for the snow.

Rope tows certainly make life easier if you're skiing at a groomed, established hill, but what if you're more into backcountry skiing? Well, that's where the Zoa PL1 comes in, as it's a portable rope tow that you set up yourself.

It was back in 2015 that we first heard about the Sno-Go Bike, a three-skied snow "bike" that let its rider carve into turns. Well, it's now in its fourth incarnation, which is claimed to be much lighter, nimbler and more secure than the original.

While some snowboarders do find traditional boot-binding systems to be overly-fiddly, simple step-in systems have drawbacks of their own. The Quick Step Binding system, however, reportedly combines the best features of both.

As a simplified snowboard that verges on skateboard territory, the Mundo Trailboard is a new kind of ride built to lighten the load when on foot in search of untouched powder, while still offering plenty of carving capability thanks to a heavily contoured shape. ​

Although downhill skiing itself is a lot of fun, trying to walk around in the boots can be … challenging. It was with this limitation in mind that British skier and entrepreneur Rony Shirion designed Zuke, a permanent attachment that brings a curved sole to ski boots.

Remember when you were a kid playing outside and mom called out that it was time for lunch? You leapt up and fired on all cylinders to get home. Pro skier Filip Flisar recently took this concept to the next level, racing over snowy streets propelled by a jetpack.

​If you like listening to music while on the slopes, you can wear earbuds beneath your helmet, or you can get a helmet with built-in speakers. The former can be fiddly, however, while the latter doesn't let you hear your tunes once you take the helmet off. That's why Unit 1 created the Soundshield.