When out hiking or snowshoeing, or for that matter just shoveling the driveway, there are times when you just can’t get your hands warm. But perhaps Columbia Sportwear is on to some with its Omni-Heat technology, which is essentially little silver dots inside of the glove that reflect the body heat, thus transforming gloves such as the Gathering Storm into ones that gather some heat.
And because these reflect heat, the amount of insulating material can be reduced, making for a less bulky glove. In other words, it is a small glove that feels warmer! Sounds like it might be time to gather a pair.
Columbia Sportswear Official Website
[Via Snowshoemag: Columbia’s Gathering Storm Glove Meets the Queen of Cold Hands]
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is tough country. The winters are long, cold and over 200-inches of snow can fall in a year. Not only are the winters long, but the days are short at a mere eight hours. The area was heavily settled by immigrants from Nordic countries so it is no surprise that residents of the Upper Peninsula (Yoopers) have a great affection for winter sports. The website 
Looking to get a grip? The ChukGrips might just be the answer. These are multi-positional, ergonomically correct pole handles that can be used for hiking, walking, cross-country skiing and even mountain climbing. These provide a good position of the hand and wrist in relation to the poling stroke, and is ideal as well for those with large or otherwise bulky gloves, making these good for use in snow sports and for trekking through deep snow.
The chances of you ever having to face an avalanche are slim, but when you hit the slopes you should keep in mind that the risk of being buried by one is real. Survival times are also very limited, which makes rescue efforts even more critical especially when you are with few people. Experienced skiers and board riders who venture into avalanche backcountry are usually prepped in case they have to deal with an avalanche, such as a tracking beacon and shovel, and now they can add another safety tool: the Rotauf MRK5 Avalanche Marking Device. The module is small and can be integrated into your jacket or pants, unlike avalanche airbag systems that require a dedicated bag. 
Setting sail on December 15th, the maiden voyage of the new British Iglucruise ship was promising to bring skiing to the Caribbean while sailing the open seas. Not water skiing, but a snow-like downhill skiing experience on a slope “situated on the top deck and…made with the innovative Perma-Snow all weather ski carpet and serviced by a button lift.” According to the itinerary, the cruise should now almost be complete. As many websites and blogs, including Yahoo, wrote of this new vacationing option for those wanting to cruise and ski , my curiosity was peaked and I too wanted to see photos and video of this new ship. 
Winter is coming, and for bicycle commuters that means either having cold ears or trying to fit a cap under a typical cycling helmet. But Bern has another solution, as noted by our friends at BikeRadar. At Interbike, while it was still warm and mostly sunny, the helmet maker showed off its line of winter-friendly brain buckets, which are now available.
Earlier this week we noted that there was the new 
Sometimes the simple things are what make the holidays so special. And while there have been plenty in the way of innovative with carbon fiber sleds, and high tech options for snowboarding, how about going low tech this year.
There are things that are done simply because someone can do it. That is sort of what resulted in the iShred, a snowboard that has an iPad embedded in it. Created by the crew at Signal during one of their Every Third Thursday events, this is the latest of some wacky combinations – previously they put a boom box in a board, as well as an electric guitar.
Airbags save lives. This is generally true in automobiles, but airbags could be making the way from the car to the slopes. Last winter we noted that 
The SIA Snow Show is still more than two months away, and winter is still a month off itself, but already the annual industry trade event is poised to sell out. Predictions of a bad winter is good news for the snow sports industry, which expects to draw more than 19,000 attendees including snow sport suppliers, retailers, reps, athletes and professionals from around the world to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver for the January 26-29 event.