Gearing Up

Lois Friedland

Ski season is nearly upon us, and from double blacks in the morning to double bourbons when the lifts close, you have to look good.

Roger That

The specialty glacier hybrid glass in Optic Nerve's new Roger That sunglasses performs equally well on the slopes, while climbing or on the city streets, but we don't want to see you sporting the TPX rubber snap-on side shields in Larimer Square. The emphasis here is on function over style, and everything has its place. $59

nerveusa.com

Giro Omen

No more awkward lift-long conversations with talkative tourists about where Rocky Mountain oysters come from. Giro has teamed with Motorola to create the TuneUp wireless system in the Omen helmet. A pair of speaker pods clip into the helmet's ear pads or the included DJ headset. Even with gloves on, you can reach and use the controls, and the helmet has a form-fit system that lets you tighten the inner cradle to better protect your head. $370

giro.com

Bonfire Answer and SickStick

We're all for going green even amid a winter-white wonderland. Bonfire's eco-sensitive G.I.F.T. Project (Green Initiative for Tomorrow) offers the Answer and SickStick snowboards. The groundbreaking construction process replaces layers of the fiberglass and resin involved in traditional board production with structural bamboo veneers. The SickStick won the Volvo SportsDesign Award for eco-design in the boardsports category. SickStick: $599; Answer: $499

salomonsnowboard.com

Swany G-Cell

Made for people who can't survive without their cell phones (are there other people?), the Swany G-Cell hands-free cell phone ski and snowboard glove is a fully integrated Bluetooth system, meaning you never have to take off your glove or helmet. Finally, Get Smart shoe-phone technology has reached the 21st century. When your cell phone rings, your glove vibrates. Push on the back of the glove to receive your call, and talk using the speaker and listening device that are built into the palm and thumb. Use the voice-command dialing system to call out. The technology comes from Europe, and there will be a limited quantity of men's gloves available in the United States this winter. $495

swanyamerica.com

Bogner's Leana

Someone once said, "It's better to look good than to feel good." Consider it a joke at your peril. Luxury and warmth merge in Bogner's sophisticated Leana jacket, which also combines the over-the-top trends of animal prints and metallics. One hundred-percent goose down nestles behind a zebra-patterned lining and a matte bronze hood. Extra warmth comes from a Danish mink insert "” it's removable, but why? $3,699

bogner.com

Seven Artistic Sins

Those seven sins may be famous, but deadly? Hardly. We regularly commit three or four of them before breakfast. That's probably why we love Rossignol's new Seven Artistic Sins line of twin-tip skis designed by seven prominent board-culture artists, including skateboard legends Steve Caballero and Andy Howell. Whether you choose the Caballero powder twin-tips for the backcountry, the S2 Jago all-terrain skis or one of the other five models of rideable art, prepare for performance that's sinfully sweet. $475 "“ $1,100

sevenartisticsins.com

Spyder GID

You can track your kids

on those full-moon

hikes up the ski hill by dressing them in Spyder's new glow-in-the-dark boys' Regime jacket and girls' Impulse jacket. After as little as 10 minutes in the sun or artificial light, the EnerGloÂ® luminescent fabrics should glow for more than three hours. Regime: $275; Impulse: $278

spyder.com

BitchBoards

Finally redefining girly with attitude "” and without the cute "” BitchBoards are designed by women for women (unfortunately a rarity in the ski and ride industry). The 10 designs come in five sizes, all weighing less than six pounds, and the stunning graphics are high-resolution photographic close-ups of everyday objects, from wet leaves on a street to smeared paint on a palette. $650

bitchboards.com

Uvision Magic

When the light goes flat, just push the button on your Magic goggles, and the LCD lens changes color from light to dark instantly. These sleek goggles come in black with a "psycho" purple lens for terrain park props or shiny metallic with a gold lens for carving graceful arcs through the powder. $250

uvexsports.com

Marmot

Eco-sensitive winter sports fans should check

out Marmot's lightweight and midweight baselayers that use PolartecÂ® and CoconaÂ®, made from dried coconut husks. The company claims these garments dry faster, won't hold odors and are way more comfortable than they sound like they would be. $35 "“ $50

marmot.com

Point6

Medical science has determined a human's optimum body temperature to be 98.6, and just because we tend to run a little hot, we love these merino-wool socks. Peter Duke and his wife, Patty, founders of SmartWool, have now opened Point6, claiming these socks, with a tighter weave and a finer grade of wool, act like a thermostat to keep your tootsies comfy and cool. Website sales are keeping costs down, but two of our favorite words are "free samples;" look for Point6 vans at resorts this winter. $11 "“ $14

point6.com