The 2014 Bataleon line has debuted! It may just be us but something about the "Whatever" reminds us of a small town in Colorado with some obscene cartoon children... Either way, it's a sick looking line. The "Omni" is the board to the left of Kenn... I mean the orange brown and white "Whatever" and the Goliath is the one next to Sta... well you get the picture. If you don't get the reference don't worry, the boards look great regardless of what you make of the graphics, and you're sure to get a high-five or two on the chairlift.

From left to right these are the Goliath, Omni and Camel Toe. And for those who feel pictures simply won't suffice, we included a video for your viewing pleasure. Needless to say, we're pretty excited for this line.

By now many of those engrained in the snowboard culture have come across the newest form of the sport: splitboarding. Designed for those hiking for their turns and constantly searching for fresh lines, splitboarding has been taking the industry by storm. The concept is fairly simple. Take a snowboard, cut it down the middle, add a metal edge, install clips to hold the board together, and suddenly you have both a set of skis and a snowboard. Putting the board to use is a little more interesting. When you un-clip the board you are left with essentially two skis. A skin is then placed on each "ski" allowing the ski to grip to the snow rather than slide. You can now use your grippy skis to start hiking to whatever terrain your heart desires, no snow shoes needed. When you reach your desired drop in point take the skins off the skis, clip them back together to make your snowboard and you're almost set. All you have to do now is set the bindings up. Splitboards use a special binding that allows it to swivel and work as a ski binding when hiking and then pivot so they can be used as snowboard bindings when you're ready to take off down the mountain. This allows you to bring less gear, more quickly switch from hiking mode to riding mode and even makes for easier hiking.

If you're constantly finding yourself in the backcountry and looking for a new way to go about it, you may just want to look into the sport. Many companies have begun producing splitboard versions of some of their bigger mountain boards. We strive to always carry a few here at Wiredsport and you can find our current selection here.

The most environmentally friendly boards have arrived at Wiredsport thanks to ISPO Award winning Niche Snowboards. In an industry that so heavily depends on mother nature and cold snowy winters Niche decided to carve out a role in the snowboard world. They build boards in a way that protect and preserve the snow capped mountains we shred all winter. Oh and did we mention that the products and methods they use to do so actually make many of their boards more durable and responsive than traditional boards? They also just so happen to have the license to Mervin Manufacturing's gift to the snowboard world: Magnetraction! So just what is it that makes Niche one of the most interesting and environmentally conscious snowboard companies on the market? Here's a breakdown of some of the tech they use.

Digi Print Top Sheets: Most snowboard makers cover their topsheets in a thick, toxic lacquer to add shine. This is not only toxic to the environment; it’s unhealthy for people working in the factory. Digi-Print uses a lacquer-free topsheet material that’s also thinner than most snowboard topsheets. This cuts down on excess material and makes your board lighter. Niche digitally prints directly onto the topsheet, cutting up to 60% of the material and 75% of the energy wasted during alternate printing processes.

Snappy Sap Bio Resin: Traditional resins can be extremely toxic to people and the environment. Niche snowboards partnered with Entropy Resins to create a one-of-a-kind, Snappy Sap™ Bio-Resin. As opposed to traditional epoxies made primarily of petroleum-based materials, Snappy Sap™ Bio-Resin is composed of bio-renewable materials from the industrial waste streams of the paper pulp and bio-fuels industry.This adds more pop and spring to the board, and provides super high adhesion properties to help keep your board from delaminating!

Magma Fiber: The majority of the snowboard industry uses fiberglass in board construction. Niche has eliminated fiberglass, replacing it with Magma Fiber™ crafted from basalt. Basalt is the product of volcanic activity. The fiberization process is more environmentally safe than that of glass fiber; the greenhouse gases that might otherwise be released during fiber processing were released eons ago during the magma eruption. Basalt is also 100% inert, which means it has no toxic reaction with air or water, and is noncombustible. Plus it is far lighter weight, provides increased tensile strength and doesn't absorb water. This leaves the board lighter, stronger and longer lasting.

Hemphop Stringers: Most boards use carbon stringer to add extra pop to a board. Carbon uses lots of energy to process and releases half of its weight in CO2 and other pollutants when manufactured. Hemp is an awesome eco-substitute, as it is one of the most versatile, fastest growing crops in existence, requiring very little pesticides and no herbicides! It is so similar in characteristics, durability, and strength to carbon that companies including BMW and Mercedes are using it to replace carbon in their cars! It also provides extra dampening to reduce board chatter while you ride.

Niche also uses recycled materials in almost every other part of the snowboard construction. The results are some of the strongest, longest lasting, and highest performing boards on the market. And all while winning a prestigious ISPO award in Eco Responsibility. So if you are looking to ride one of the best boards on the market, and help protect the winters we all love, then Niche may just be the next snowboard for you.

The days are getting longer, weather sunnier and the water’s warming up. That means it’s wakeboard season. And to celebrate the final summer according to the Myans, we used our strategic partnership with Hyperlite to create some boards specifically for Wiredsport. We worked with Hyperlite day and night for months and poured all we had into these boards. Finally, after some final touches and inspired by the pro line from Shaun Murray and Rusty Malinoski’s “Marek” pro line, the Hyperlite Machete, Agent and Destroyer were born.

These boards carry a plethora of features one can only dream of. From the four removable fins for ultimate carving and customization, to step down edges for speed while turning into the wake, these boards can rip. And for those wondering about pop there’s not much to wonder. The boards are built with a subtle 3 stage rocker to allow for explosions off the wake. In fact, the boards have so much pop they had to put in a v-shaped bottom to make the landings soft and smooth.

The best part about all these features, aside from making it a pro level board, is that they make them some of the easiest boards to ride. No matter what level you're trying to progress to, these boards will take you there. And because they are a Wiredsport exclusive they’re only $199 each! For a bit more on the features check out the video from Scott Sims describing the Machete.

It's getting into summer which means boating season. We are debuting our new lines of Connely and HO tubes for your summer sun enjoyment to celebrate. Tubing is the perfect all family water activity, enjoyable by people of all ages. Want a casual float tube or are you looking for an addrenalin pumping ride bieng towed behind a boat? Either way our line of tubes has you covered. Try being out on the water, in the sun, being pulled around by a boat and not having a smile on your face. Whether you're 6 or 60, it's impossible.

Wakeboard Bindings, a product that has been the subject of an explosion in technological advancements in recent years. One of these is the rise of the closed toed boot. But what's the advantage of these, or is there even an advantage to them? Just like with most alternate designs there are indeed positives to the closed toed boots, but there are also positives to the traditional opened toed boots as well. This will quickly break down a couple of the main advantages and disadvantages of each.

Open Toed Boots: These are the traditional and most common type of wakeboard Binding. That leads us to their first advantage; because of their popularity they often tend to be the most affordable bindings. These bindings secure your foot to the wakeboard by pinning your foot down by a tongue often made of a stretchy neoprene material or a foam pad which is often held secure further by an outer lacing system.

Because of the fact that the toe is left open there is a much larger "end area" of the boot meaning they often fit a wider range of foot sizes. This can be crucial for people looking to buy one set up that multiple riders will be able to use. It is important to note that because of this the comfort may vary for riders with different sized feet. A large foot may feel more squeeze and pressure from the tongue of the binding while a smaller foot may find they slip out of the binding more often when falling.

Closed Toed Boots: Think of these bindings more like a shoe rather than a binding. These work essentially the same as a normal boot or shoe, you slip your foot in, and then lace, velcro, or ratchet the binding closed depending on which mechanism your binding features. Because of the way these hold your feet in it can be a more secure fit. However that means their size range of the boot is much smaller. Since these fit like shoes they are sized like shoes. Thus, unless you have very similar sized feet to your friends you ride with, you will have to have multiple boards to fit everybody.

These also tend to be made on the more performance style bindings. This means they often are a tad more expensive. But with the extra expense you do get positives. With the more exact fit these bindings often to be more secure, comfortable and keep you locked in all day. Another bonus feature is that because of the design they work similar to a wetsuit, meaning once your feet get wet they warm the water in the boot up making for a warmer ride in colder water or early and late season riding.

Conclusion:

Pros: Open toed boots often fit a wider range of riders and can be found at lower cost making them a very efficient and affordable product. Closed toed boots offer a more exact fit, often providing better comfort and locking the rider into place while also working as a wetsuit keeping the rider's feet and toes warmer in cold conditions

Cons: Opened toed boots provide little protection from the elements and tend to be a less exact fit. Closed toed boots tends to be more expensive and have a smaller range of sizes each boot fits meaning they may not be ideal for the budget conscious or those looking to buy a setup for a family or group of riders.

You can check out Wiredsport's selection of wakeboard bindings here and if you need a wakeboard to go with them we offer a great selection at the lowest prices guaranteed.

Arbor longboards, what better way to spend a sunny summer day than cruising down hills and sidewalks on one of these? A guaranteed way to enjoy the sun and wind in your hair. Whether trying to commute or just kicking back with friends, longboards and cruisers are the ultimate summer toy. And this year Arbor's line of longboards and cruisers is out of this world. With everything from competition downhill boards to pocket size cruisers, Arbor has proven once again that they are one of the names to beat in the longboard world. We just got our shipment in and here's a little view of what you can expect.

Landyachtz has been defining longboarding since their inception in the fall of 1997. Sparing no expense in design and development throughout the past 14 and a half years, it comes as no surprise that they now produce the most competitive longboards on the market. Lanyachtz boards have won more races in the past five years than any other company, and three of those were World Cup Championships! To put it simply Landyachtz longboards and cruisers are the proverbial "bees knees" and we at Wiredsport.com are proud to announce that their 2012 line is now available at both our retail location and at wiredsport.com.

Whether you're looking to simply get around town or power sliding your way down mountain roads, you will not find a better longboard than those put out by Landyachtz. We carry a full line from their cruisers to their minis to the most decorated and accomplished competition longboard in history, the Evo. And the best part of all is, like always, we guarantee the lowest price anywhere. Check these guys out, you won't regret it!

Gnu Street Series

As part of the Wiredsport team I was lucky enough to be able to attend the 2013 SIA Show in Denver, CO and Winter Park, CO at the end of January. This is where companies debut all of their new products for next season and allow retailers to demo the gear and decide what they would like to carry for next year. As a huge supporter of Mervin Manufacturing I dedicated a fair amount of my time to their tent. Let me just say this was time well spent.

At 8:50 am, ten minutes before the lifts started turning, I found myself standing in front of the Gnu tent looking for a softer flex board in about a 153 cm. Tim, our friendly northwest rep, quickly grabbed the 2013 Gnu Street Series in a 152, slapped on their new model of the Gnu Mutants and told me to go enjoy. Enjoy did I ever.

The Gnu Street Series is a fully reverse cambered board, perfect for those looking for that loose skatey feel. I personally prefer standard camber some place in my board but I may be changing my mind after this ride. The Street Series killed it in the park. The soft flex allowed for easy presses and ollied spectacularly. Jumps, rails, bonks, all were done with ease. Then, in hopes of finding some fresh snow, it was off to trees where powder abounded. The reverse camber made for spectacular float and I found myself ripping through trees at speeds far less safe than I should have been.

After I felt I had spent enough time enjoying the board I decided it was time to go off and grab something new. This meant traversing all the way back to the other side of the mountain on some steep hard pack groomers. Steep hard pack on a reverse camber park board sounded like a daunting task but I decided what better way to truly test the rage that is Magne-Traction these days. I found the board a little squirrel when I first took off, it is a reverse camber after all, but then I refocused and started to try some carves on what we won't quite call ice. Suddenly I found my board edge grabbing and holding beyond belief. On a reverse camber board (which by default means a very shortened effective edge) I was getting better edge hold than I can on fresh corduroy and a traditional camber board. I decided to let it rip and bomb some of the black diamond runs to see how far I could push the edge hold. What seemed like only seconds later I found myself at the bottom of Winter Park back by the Gnu tent and a huge smile on my face.

I ran this board through the gauntlet (something I didn't initially intend to do to a park board but it just kept begging to be pushed harder) and it outperformed me every time. I gave the board all I could in almost every part of the mountain and I still feel like it had so much more to give. I can't wait to get my hands on one of these again, and for those that feel the same way there's some good news. They are lowering retail on the Street Series model this year to well under $450!