The 2010 Eco Pop took home all sorts of awards for being one of the best all-mountain womens boards.  Those are tough tracks to follow, but after tons of feedback from the K2 Womens Alliance Team, the 2011 EcoPop snowboard actually has some serious upgrades.

This new EcoPop features K2’s notorious all-terrain rocker (similar to top men’s board – the K2 Turbo Dream) to give it catch-free edges and added float in the snow.  Carried over from last year, the 2011 Eco Pop still has Eco-Conscious construction and Harshmellow dampening.

Wend Woodard – Alliance Team Member says:

“The Eco Pop last season was by far the best all-around board I have ever ridden… and I’m a shop owner, so I get access to sooo many different boards.  But this year, testing it with the All-Terrain Rocker complettely blew my mind.  Just the perfect amount of extra float and playfulness you want in an all-mountain board.”

Here’s what Ride has to say about the event:

What makes the RIDE Shakedown such a hit and a cut above the rest is its unparalleled competition format. The concept: a laidback, live-it-up event with minimal restrictions on the riders. Spectators are taken to the very heart of the action and treated to a thrill-a-minute show that’s eminently accessible. At the RIDE Shakedown, riders, both male and female, are required to master two different disciplines: the Big Air and the rail jam featuring a rail with various surface textures to be revealed only on the first day of competition. Competitors and fans alike look forward to the moment. While pros are the main attraction, amateurs are also in the game, as they valiantly battle it out in an attempt to make a name for themselves. Every winter, new talent is discovered!

2010 is a stellar year for the RIDE Shakedown, with not one, but two competitions being held: one in the United States (Seattle) and one in Canada (Saint-Sauveur). And in 2011, the event will already be celebrating its 10th anniversary!

For information:
www.rideshakedown.com
info@shakedown.ca

Admission to the event site is free.

Parking / Transportation:
The Summit at Snoqualmie has multiple parking lots available at each base area and can park up to 5,500 cars.

West: The large lot behind Ski Patrol and the Learning Center WILL BE OPEN during the RIDE Shakedown event through Sunday. The Summit at Snoqualmie provides complimentary intra-resort shuttles. The Summit runs anywhere from 2-5 shuttles on a continuous loop between base areas depending upon business levels. Shuttles should be arriving at each base area roughly every 20 minutes (weather and traffic dependent).

RIDE Shakedown After Parties:

• Friday, March 12th , 2010
  Performance by Million $ Mano & DJ Sean Cee

  Hard Rock Cafe Seattle
  116 Pike Street Seattle, WA
  Doors: 9pm – 2am
  Cover: 10$ pre-sale / 15$ at the door
  Doors open at 9 p.m. (must be 21 years and older)

• Saturday, March 13th, 2010
  Performance by Four Color Zack & DJ Sean Cee

  Hard Rock Cafe Seattle
  116 Pike Street Seattle, WA
  Doors: 9pm – 2am
  Cover: 10$ pre-sale / 15$ at the door
  Doors open at 9 p.m. (must be 21 years and older)

I’d like to say thanks to my ex-co-workers (Spencer and Brad) who were the only ones reading this blog at the beginning.  Being a skier and a skateboarder, I’m sure they were always riveted by my content.  I’d also like to show appreciation to my fellow bloggers, the random people who are out there doing the same thing as me and putting it in their own words.  Thanks to Angry Snowboarder, Shayboarder, and the rest of my Bro Down blog roll for all the referrals.  Big ups to all my lady friends who serve as my inspiration and always give great ideas for posts and keep snowboarding fun.  But most importantly… thanks to all my readers! Year One for Lady In Shred could never have been successful without you guys!

I want to keep making this as enjoyable for you as it is for me.  What do you guys want to see for the next year from Lady In Shred?

Look closely and you might recognize the smooth arc of a McDonalds Golden Arch or the swooping curve of the Coca-Cola signature.  Electric’s Corpo Camo colorway in the 2011 EG2 Goggle features a collaged mash-up of the biggest corporate logos.

The Electric EG2 Goggles come stock with an oversized dual spherical lens, ergonomic, triple-layer face foam, and adjustable,  helmet-compatible strap.

As one of Electric’s most popular goggles, the EG2 is available in 16 different colors and is also offered in a limited edition Neff collaboration.

This weekend marks the 3rd Annual Pillow Fight for Burton Snowboards and Steven’s Pass.  This is one of my favorite snowboard events for ladies in the Northwest, so if you are in the area don’t miss out!

Details:

Burton Snowboards and Stevens Pass are teaming up to bring you the 3rd annual Women’s Only Snowboard Retreat! Don’t miss this chance to take your snowboarding to the next level and share a weekend with a great mix of women from across the Northwest (and beyond!)

Join us on the hill Saturday and Sunday Feb 27th & 28th for 2 great days of riding & camaraderie – there will be Burton Team riders as well as professional instructors from Stevens Pass & Burton’s Learn-to-Ride training staff on hand to share the fun with.

Whether you’re a “never been before” first timer, terrain park connoisseur or a certified powder fiend we’ll have professional instructors on hand to help progress your skills.

All ages & ability levels are welcome and everyone will receive instruction appropriate to their skill level.  Regardless of whether this is your first day on the hill or your five-hundredth it is going to be a great time!

We will have plenty of Burton boards, boots and bindings available for you to demo (for free) & we encourage everyone to try out some new gear – especially if you are new to snowboarding. If you already have your own boots please bring them!

There are 3 different packages including and excluding lodging. See below for the details.  All packages include two days of instruction, gear rentals/demo’s, lift tickets, lunchs and of course lot’s of great give-ways from Burton and Stevens Pass!

Click here for more information and registration details.

The GB Pop LTD is a responsive, twin-tip board, beefed up with a stiff triax fiberglass topsheet and carbon torsion forks.  It is seriously poppy and seriously aggressive, built for half-pipe domination.  The GB Pop is also one of the only women’s snowboards for 2010 that has traditional camber.

Here’s  what Gretchen has to say about it:

“My snowboarding is divided into two passions, the love of competition with the drive to push myself further, and my love for free riding with friends on whatever terrain the mountain conditions present.  The GB Pop is designed to handle the rigors competition and progressing my riding – a responsive, traditional camber board that is rock solid during takeoff and landings.  For the days when I want to play out of bounds, or just cruise around with friends, I want something with a playful and forgiving design like the Eco Pop.”

This board is for winners.  So if you are ready to step-up your already aggressive riding, let the K2 GB Pop take you there.

Photo: Damien Meyer/Getty Images

I love my mom and my mom LOVES Oprah.  Which is why I now have  a monthly subscription to O magazine.   For the most part, reading up on what’s hip in the lives of 35-55 year old women is a guilty pleasure of mine.  But this month I was in for a real treat.

With the Olympics just around the corner, O magazine contributor, Kate Meyers , puts that special Oprah touch on her article showcasing the US Women’s Snowboard team.  To sum it up:

“There are three of them, and only one Olympic gold.  What happens when your fiercest competitors are also among your best friends?  Kate Meyers reports on the special kinship that bonds the top female snowboarding team on the planet.”

Oh yeah.  Reading about snowboarding from non-snowboard related media is like listening to pop music.  You know it’s bad but you sing along anyways.  Here are my favorite quotes from the article:

• …snowboarders “Gretchen Bleiler and Hannah Teter decided to head up the mountain and bust some powder…”
• These three women fly through the air as a career choice.  Their vehicle: a five-foot board.  Their trajectory: After ascending on side of a U-shaped structure with gravity-defying curved walls at 30 mph, they zoom up and off its lip, ten feet into the wild blue yonder…
• …the freewheeling spirit of boarding…
• Most boarders got into the sport not because they were pushed by parents or thought it would someday make them rich, but because it was fun.
• The riders are judged on… “big air” (the amount of hang time off the pipe)…

This article made me feel warm and fuzzy because it combined lay men’s descriptive terms of snowboarding with a female bonding twist.  Thank-you O Magazine for bringing me what Transworld Snowboarding never could….

Welcome to 2010!  You may have spent the last month of 2009 bringing good cheer to you and yours.  Now it’s time to do a little something for yourself.  Why not treat yourself to a women’s specific snowboard camp? Make good on your New Year’s resolution to improve your snowboarding.  Women’s camps are my favorite way to get some great instruction on how to improve your skills and to meet other girls who want to snowboard. 

Here is a list of Women’s Only Snowboard Camps I want to go to.  But there are tons of camps located all through the country.  Check with your local snowboard shop to see what’s available in your area.

All-Mountain/Freeride Women’s Snowboard Camp:

• Pillow Fight 2010 – Stevens Pass Burton Snowboards and Stevens Pass are teaming up to bring you the 3rd annual Women’s Only Snowboard Retreat! Don’t miss this chance to take your snowboarding to the next level and share a weekend with a great mix of women from across the Northwest (and beyond!)

  
  DATES: February 27-28, 2010
  COST: from $165 – $450
  INCLUDES: Two days of instruction provided by Stevens Pass Snowboard Instructors and Burton Team riders, 2 days of lift tickets, Exclusive 09/10 Burton gear demo/rental, Lunch both days, Burton goodie bag & swag

• Women’s Snowboard Camp – Jackson Hole For intermediate to advanced riders, this women’s camp will challenge your abilities with Jackson’s epic freeride terrain while giving you the chance to improve your technique with coaching from World Extreme Snowboard Champion, Julie Zell.“We’ve put together a fantastic learning environment, where the focus is not ‘how fast’ or ‘how high.’ We’re unconcerned with competition and the camp runs at an individual, non-pressured pace. The camaraderie between active women is really what drives the learning,” says Zell.

  DATES: January 20-23, 2010
  COST: $1100 including lift tickets; $900 without lift tickets
  INCLUDES: Coaching, lift tickets, video analysis, lunch, apres-ski activities, dinner parties, and more!

• Backcountry Women’s Snowboard Camp – Babes in the Backcountry Whether you want to combine a little wine tasting or yoga with your shredding, learn the best practices for Avalanche Safety, or join a women’s only backcountry hut trip, Babes in the Backcountry has you covered. This Colorado-based group of ladies offers women specific backcountry education to help you build the skills and confidence to safely snowboard in the backcountry.

  
  DATES: January – March 2010
  COST: $125 (for an Intro to Backcountry Skills Day) – $385 (for a weekend Yoga/Snowboard Backcountry Hut trip)
  Skills Day Includes:

  • Morning Yoga and full day clinic of basic backcountry travel skills
  • proper avalanche transceiver use/rescue protocol
  • avalanche avoidance/decision making techniques
  • basic route finding and uphill skinning/hiking techniques

  Hut Trip Includes:

  • “What you need to know before you go” Pre Hut Trip Class
  • Babe’s Night Out- Wine Tasting
  • 2 days of guided skiing and backcountry Instruction
  • 2 yoga classes
  • 1 nights lodging at Francie’s Cabin
  • 1 Breakfast/1 Dinner/1 Lunch/Snacks during the hut trip
  • Babes Gift Bag

FREESTYLE WOMEN’S SNOWBOARD CAMP:

• MGT Snowboard Camp 8 years is how long MGT has been at it. Since 2002 legions of our campers have gone from ollies to big lofty spins, land industry jobs or grow into full pros defining the progression of female snowboarding.  The MGT (More Good Times) Snowboard Camp is intended for female snowboarders who want to have fun and progress their snowboarding skills, especially in the park and pipe.

  DATES: 2 – 8 Day camps throughout the year
  COST: from $399 and up
  INCLUDES: Intense coaching from some of the top female professional snowboarders, lodging, and lift tickets.

BEGINNER WOMEN’S SNOWBOARD CAMP:

• International Ladies Shred Day Riders uniting around the world to share the love and get girls on shred!  “We want to see more women get into this sport because we believe that snowboarding is the most empowering, natural, adrenalin-driven thing a girl can do… and we’re tired of boys leading the way!”

  
  DATE: January 23, 2010
  COST: Depends on location
  INCLUDES:

  • FREE lessons for all girls (beginner to jumping)
  • Discount lift tickets and rentals
  • Close to home

• Roxy Women’s Learn to Ride Camps Meet in the morning and start the day with coffee and muffins. Great coaches and beginner terrain make learning easy and the après is a blast, complete with a few prizes from Roxy and lots of the day’s triumphs to share.

  DATES: January 16 – 17, 2010. March 6 – 7, 2010. March 27 – 28, 2010. April 10 – 11, 2010
  COST: $185-$223
  INCLUDES: Breakfast, 2-days of Coaching, 2-days of Lift Tickets (upgraded price), free Roxy prizes.

Pros:
The K2 Boa Conda is a new BOA system found in the liner of the Affair.  It allows you to customize where you want the Boa equipped harness to tighten around your foot.  I’ve never ridden a boot before that offered such secure heel hold in such a comfortable manner.  Usually a boot that is this supportive and performance fitting creates some foot pain.  But the K2 Affair feels cushy like an entry level boot with the performance of an aggressive boot.

Cons:
These boots feel a little stiff around my calves, but I think they will break in after a week of riding in them.

Buy these boots…
…if you want a high performance womens boot.  Or if you have narrow heels and have struggled to find a boot that has enough heel hold.