Backcountry Magazine

Like many snowboarders over the history of our sport, my first board was a Burton. More specifically, it was a hand-me-down ’98 122 Chopper that I got from my older brother in fifth grade. It was deep orange, banged up and beautiful. A graphic of a half-eaten carrot graced the base, which I remember I found amusing and a little bit creepy. We lived hours from the snow, and trips to Tahoe were fewer than I’d like. Sometimes, I’d pull out the board from its home underneath my bunk bed, set it in the middle of my bedroom floor, and just stare at it—that was enough to get me dreaming about the unparalleled euphoria that came when the Chopper and I made the trek to the mountains. Sadly, Jake Burton Carpenter, the man responsible for the love of snowboarding that so many of us share, passed away on Wednesday night.

Popular Mechanics

Earlier this week, Jake Burton Carpenter passed away at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer. He was the man behind the eponymous brand, snowboarding’s biggest company. But before snowboarding was even much of a sport at all, Carpenter was building prototypes by hand out of a barn in Londonderry, Vermont.

Outside Magazine

Pro snowboarders are often specialists—they find their niche and stick to it—but not Jess Kimura. A British Columbia legend who began shredding the backcountry after building her cred as an urban rider, her transcendent skill set inspired Capita’s new women-specific all-mountain crusher the Equalizer. This do-it-all stick has a poppy, confidence-inspiring ash core that led one smitten big-mountain rider to offer up her highest compliments: “I hucked farther than I’ve ever hucked before.”

Huckberry

Ski towns might be built around winter sports, but they can be a blast come summer, too. Chairlifts shuttle mountain bikers and hikers to swooping trails and breathtaking vistas. Snow melts, coaxing wildflowers to bloom. Rivers swell, beckoning anglers, kayakers, and rafters. The days are long and warm, the nights welcomingly cool (and the beers even more so). Bars and restaurants that are stuffy with sweaty skiers in winter open their doors and revelers spill out into the sun. There’s a reason why so many ski town transplants say, “I came for the winters and stayed for the summers.” The following Colorado ski towns—Telluride, Crested Butte, Aspen, and Steamboat Springs—are four of our favorites. 

Gear Patrol

A trout darts to the surface of the cerulean creek — a tiny brown torpedo materializing from nowhere. The fish wallops my dad’s dry fly, and upon discerning duplicity, instantly spits it out and disappears. I let out an inarticulate, garbled groan, equal parts excitement and despair. Thinking my constipated caveman yodel a signal to strike, my dad yanks the rod a second too late, slingshotting a fishless fly into the air.

Gear Junkie

A wetsuit can be either a surfer’s best friend or their worst enemy. Select your wetsuit carefully, care for it meticulously, and it will perform as intended. You’ll be able to hunt waves with abandon and surf until exhaustion — rather than a brush with hypothermia — sends you packing.

On the other hand, a poorly maintained or oversized wetsuit will leave you shivering and cursing in the lineup. Read on for tips on how to pick a wetsuit, a few of our favorite wetsuits and cold-water accessories, and advice for proper wetsuit maintenance.

Roots Rated

It’s no secret that Tofino, British Columbia, is a popular terminus for outdoor-minded tourists. The tiny surf town sits at the end of the road—literally, the end of the road; drive any farther and you’ll drop straight into the Pacific—on the rugged western coast of Vancouver Island. This is First Nations territory, and the indigenous population’s influence remains strong: downtown art shops peddle exquisitely carved masks, paintings, and smoked fish; interpretive hiking trails are lined with signs explaining the significance of certain trees, animals, and islands; and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve offers guided tours and guest speakers to help impart the importance of this stunning landscape to visitors.