We also have you covered for the various inflation systems that brands use, so you know the pump or adaptors you need.
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Airush bars have loops on the steering lines, and knots on the centre lines.
Cabrinha bars have loops on the steering lines, and knots on the centre lines.
Core bars have loops on the steering lines, and knots on the centre lines.
Duotone bars have loops & knots on the steering lines, and loops on the centre lines.
North bars have loops on the steering lines, and knots on the centre lines.
Ocean Rodeo bars have loops on the steering lines, and knots on the centre lines.
Almost all pumps come with a boston valve hose adaptor.
The Core hose is compatible with any direct connect inflation, or attachment. Core kites need the core hose, as it is slightly narrower to fit into the Core inflation valve.
Duotone kites and wings use a proprietary inflation system, and you need their nozzle in inflate their kites and wings. The Duotone pump hose comes stock with this nozzle, or you can buy the Duotone adaptor separately is you already have a different brand pump.
All twist lock pump hoses will connect directly to any of the brands that offer a direct connect system. No need to use any hose adaptors.
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The best place to start in narrowing down the wetsuit search is deciding what thickness is best for you. While factors like intended activity, susceptibility to the cold and range of motion required are all important considerations, water temperature is often the biggest deciding factor. To make it easy O’Neill breaks down suggested wetsuit thickness for different water temperature with the chart below.
The millimeter numbers in the chart refer to the thickness of the neoprene, with most wetsuits made up of two different zones of neoprene thickness. When you see two numbers, for example 3/2mm, the thicker neoprene will be around your core, helping both warmth and buoyancy, and the thinner neoprene often covering arms and shoulders for increased range of motion.
Where the zip is located on your wetsuit can also affect how warm it is, with a lot of brands offering the same suit in a back zip or chest zip option.
Chest Zip suits are generally considered to be warmer as they are less prone to water flushing through the zip line. Avoiding a zip across the back also gives you a greater range of motion, however a potential drawback of a chest zip over a back zip is the ease of getting the wetsuit on and off.
Back Zip suits are the most common and the easiest to get in to and out of, with a long strap attached to the zipper. Having a zip the length of your spine can slightly restrict range of motion and increase likelihood of water flushing through the seams on the zip. That being said, many brands have come up with their own technologies aimed at flush guarding, which you will find on nearly all of the back zip wetsuits that we stock here at North Shore Ski and Board.
Different lengths and cuts of wetsuits are available, with Full suits covering the length of your arms and legs, Shorty or Spring suits cutting above the knee with either full or partial arm coverage and Long Jane suits with a full leg and sleeveless arm cut.
Full suits are typically preferred for cold water use, covering up to your wrists and ankles, and make up the largest portion of our wetsuit inventory. You can shop our range of Full suits here.
Shorty, or Spring suits are a great option when it’s just a bit too cold for swimwear. These will be cut either right above the knee or in a bikini cut and are available in short or long sleeve options. Take a look at our full range of Spring suits here.
The Long Jane (or Long John for men) covers the full leg down to the ankle, with a sleeveless cut on the arms. These tend to be made with thinner neoprene as they are intended for warmer environments. Shop our Long Janes here.
Particularly in colder temperatures, neoprene accessories to go with your wetsuit can make a big difference in combatting the cold.
Wetsuit Booties come in different thicknesses, just like wetsuits, with different options for the boot cut and toe fit. Lower cut booties tend to be thinner neoprene intended for warmer climates, and choosing between round toe or split toe fit is entirely down to preference. Take a look at our Wetsuit Booties here.
Wetsuit Gloves are also available in different thickness neoprene, with the option of an open palm mitt from Ion. Shop our full range of Wetsuit Gloves here.
The final accessory to consider for cold water use is a neoprene hood or cap. These are also available in various thickness neoprene, with features such as a cap or a pull cord available on some models. Shop Neoprene Headware here.
The best way to ensure you get the right size wetsuit is to come by the store and try it on. You want your wetsuit to be a tight fit to avoid sagging or bunching material, which will not only be uncomfortable, but also reduce the suits efficiency at keeping you warm. When on, the wetsuit should have no extra room around any of your joints, however you should be able to stretch your arms above your head without too much restriction or pressure.
Here are Men’s and Women’s size charts from O’Neill as a useful starting point.
North Shore Girl is not just another local women's clothing store, it’s our lifestyle; we are inspired by having the mountains at our back and the Pacific Ocean at our feet.
We dedicate ourselves to listening to our customers’ needs. Our fun, friendly, honest and knowledgeable staff will help outfit you for every occasion and activity. Our goal is to provide the ultimate place to shop, with the best products from the hottest brands in the industry. You’ll find everything you need, from a day on the hill to a day at the beach. Shop women's clothing, outerwear, footwear, accessories, shirts, t-shirts, shorts, loungewear and the BEST selection of swimwear the North Shore has to offer.
Shop in store or visit us online at https://www.northshoregirl.ca/
]]>PHANTOM is a permanent, one-time application base treatment that provides increased glide across all conditions. A disruptive, truly innovative solution that ushers in a new era in snowsports.
PHANTOM’s patent-pending polymer technology offers ultimate convenience combined with great glide performance. Cured PHANTOM is an inert substance, meaning your skis or snowboard can continue to glide while not contaminating the watershed.
One-Time Permanent Application
PHANTOM only needs to be applied once...ever. It penetrates deep into the base material and is permanently bonded, regardless of the number of days ridden. Unlike wax, PHANTOM isn’t a topical layer that wears off immediately and requires continual application to achieve performance.
Faster Than Universal Wax
Consistent glide and speed. PHANTOM is fast across a broad range of conditions and temperatures. PHANTOM mirrors the glide of all-temperature wax in most mid-winter snow conditions, and exceeds it in warmer snow temperatures.
Environmentally Friendly
Traditional fluoro waxes are comprised of unstable toxic chemicals that breach into the watershed, causing widespread damage to the ecosystem and health of all living organisms. PHANTOM is engineered to feature the fastest components of traditional fluoro waxes but in functional groups that are fully inert to the environment once cured.
PHANTOM penetrates deep into the base of your ski or snowboard and is permanently bonded. It only needs to be applied once...ever.
Traditional Wax is a topical layer that begins to wear off immediately,
and requires continual application to realize performance.
Permanence breeds ultimate convenience. With PHANTOM, you apply the formula once at any point in your ski or snowboard’s life cycle, whether new or used.
It’s that simple. PHANTOM’s sophisticated, timed polymerization process permanently penetrates deep into the base material with powerful go-fast fluoro compositions designed to operate across all snow temperatures. Even when the ski or snowboard goes into a shop for stone grinding, the next fresh layer of PHANTOM is exposed – ready to glide.
Unless you are constantly waxing with correct temperature specific waxes, PHANTOM is faster across all conditions over time because its performance is consistent, whereas conventional wax quickly wears away, causing glide to deteriorate.
Periodic base maintenance is essential to optimize the performance of your PHANTOMed skis/snowboard. With occasional base polishing to remove the natural abrasive effects of harsh snow, PHANTOM keeps running surfaces gliding
like new. In the case of severe abrasion, a fresh stone grind is recommended; this will eliminate micro-hairs and yield a fresh PHANTOM surface.
Today’s snow is tomorrow’s water.
Cured PHANTOM is an inert substance, meaning your skis or snowboard can continue to glide without contaminating the watershed. The innovation centres around the inclusion of short-chain, glide-friendly fluorocarbon functional groups, but in a superior, new delivery method that renders them inert and harmless to humans, plants and animals, once cured into a ski or snowboard base. Cured PHANTOM doesn’t cause biological damage, and doesn’t present any long-term environmental risks.
Because wax is inherently softer than base material, friction from snow causes it to shed into the ecosystem during the use and degradation process (the reason you have to constantly reapply wax). You can see this effect on a warm day when the snow beneath your boards turns the colour of your wax. When the snow melts, wax flows into streams, rivers, and soil. Toxic chemicals then react with organic systems: fish, land animals, plants, and human drinking water are all subject to reactions that create permanent free radical damage. Worse yet, PFCs are indestructible and proliferate indefinitely throughout the ecosystem, causing ongoing damage to life.
PHANTOM upends this whole narrative, and presents a clean future for snowsports while delivering both performance and convenience.
Home Application.
PHANTOM can be applied by an individual with access to direct and consistent UV sunlight to activate and cure the formula. Ideally, this should be done during the Spring, Summer, and Autumn seasons when the sun is high and temperatures are above freezing. For proper PHANTOM application, it’s critical for there to be strong, direct sunlight and temperatures over 32oF / 0oC.
• PHANTOM 1-part cure time under direct outdoor sun is roughly 1 hour. It takes approximately 20 minutes of additional prep work and brushing to complete an application.
• Not-provided items/services needed for proper DIY PHANTOM application include a ski or snowboard base cleaner, or alternatively, employing a ski/snowboard shop to clean bases via stone grinding prior to application.
Cure Station.
PHANTOM can be applied professionally by an authorized PHANTOM installer using a PHANTOM Cure Station.
The curing process takes approximately 20 minutes, with some additional preparation and soak time. Cure Station application, available at select PHANTOM dealers, is the most precise and fastest method to apply PHANTOM to skis or snowboards, and is a reliable all-season solution during the low light winter months, especially in more extreme latitudes, and in wetter climates where sunshine isn’t consistent.
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Choosing a goggle lens can get confusing, with top brands favouring different trademarked technologies.
Here is what Smith have to say about their ChromaPop Lens.
WHEN YOU SEE MORE, YOU CAN DO MORE.
NORMALLY
The eye’s retina has trouble perceiving the difference
Suited for a range of conditions, enhances every undulation of snow so you get more out of every moment.
VLT - VISUAL LIGHT TRANSMISSION
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Mondo |
US |
US Women's |
UK |
Euro |
15 | 8K | 7K | 24 | |
15.5 | 8.5K | 8K | 25 | |
16 |
9K | 8.5K | 25.5 | |
16.5 | 9.5K | 9K | 26 | |
17 | 10K | 9.5K | 27 | |
17.5 | 10.5K | 10K | 28 | |
18 | 11K | 10.5K | 28.5 | |
18.5 | 11.5K | 11K | 29 | |
19 | 12K | 11.5K | 30 | |
19.5 | 12.5K | 12K | 31 | |
20 | 13K | 12.5K | 31.5 | |
20.5 | 1 | 13K | 32 | |
21 | 2 | 1 | 33 | |
21.5 | 3 | 2 | 34 | |
22 | 3.5 | 5 | 2.5 | 34.5 |
22.5 | 4 | 5.5 | 3 | 35 |
23 | 4.5 | 6 | 3.5 | 36 |
23.5 | 5 | 6.5 | 4 | 37 |
24 | 6 | 7.5 | 5 | 37.5 |
24.5 | 6.5 | 8 | 5.5 | 38 |
25 | 7 | 8.5 | 6 | 39 |
25.5 | 7.5 | 9 | 6.5 | 40 |
26 | 8 | 9.5 | 7 | 40.5 |
26.5 | 8.5 | 10 | 7.5 | 41 |
27 | 9 | 10.5 | 8 | 42 |
27.5 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 43 |
28 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 43.5 | |
28.5 | 11 | 10 | 44 | |
29 | 11.5 | 10.5 | 45 | |
29.5 | 12 | 11 | 46 | |
30 | 13 | 12 | 46.5 | |
30.5 | 13.5 | 12.5 | 47 | |
31 | 14 | 13 | 48 | |
31.5 | 14.5 | 13.5 | 49 | |
32 | 15 | 14 | 49.5 | |
32.5 | 16 | 15 | 50 | |
33 | 16.5 | 15.5 | 51 | |
33.5 | 17 | 16 | 52 |
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True Camber
A traditional full camber profile that offers the insane edge response of camber without the usual hang-ups. The camber radius tapers into the beveled 3D Contour Base at the tips which releases the edges where they like to hook and balances the pop and directional stability of camber with a looser, less-catchy feel.
Directional Rocker
A hybrid rocker/camber flex pattern defined by more tip rocker than tail
rocker and camber between the bindings. The rockered tips floats the
board’s nose and improves maneuverability while camber underfoot provides edge hold and response. A slightly rockered tail maintains the power and stability of a traditional board but helps keep the tail catch-free initiating turns and landing switch.
CamRock
Christenson Surf Profiles
Custom tip/tail rocker profile designed by surf shaper Chris Christenson for the Mountain Surfer and Storm Chaser. The Nose rocker starts just inside the front inserts and the tail rocker starts just at the back inserts. When you weight the tail of the board the nose ramps up out of the snow for insane float on the deepest days. These subtle rocker contours match a Christenson surfboard rocker profile.
]]>All Atomic liners feature an anatomic construction that supports your feet while skiing. Their liner range consists of Standard liner constructions (good), 3D liner constructions (better), and Mimic liner constructions (best).
The Atomic Redster boots feature a special shell made from thicker, but softer material. This provides a more progressive flex and better damping, plus a more supple feel – making it easier to ski aggressively in all conditions and on all courses.
Hawx Ultra, Hawx Prime, Hawx Magna, Hawx Ultra XTD and Hawx Prime XTD feature the Prolite Construction, a revolutionary construction with optimized wall thicknesses. The shell walls are thicker in key zones where they need to be strong, then slim everywhere else. This makes the boot 25% lighter, and yet more stable, than other constructions. The best combination of snow-feel and power ever felt in an all-mountain boot.
It’s common to hear that boots stiffen up when it gets cold, or become softer in warm conditions. True Flex is an exclusive Atomic shell material that means your flex and feel remains constant in a variety of temperatures. So the boot you buy in store feels the same on the mountain, you don’t lose horsepower in the spring and you don’t have a boot you can’t flex mid- winter. True Flex is found in the Hawx Ultra, Hawx Ultra XTD and Backland boots, which use True Flex PU and Grilamid plastics.
The Energy Backbone is a reinforced, asymmetric backbone in the Hawx Prime, Hawx Prime XTD, Hawx Ultra, Hawx Ultra XTD and Hawx Magna, providing extra strength for powerful skiing plus enhanced lateral energy transmission for better edge grip.
Power Shift independently adjusts forward lean to 13° or 15° or 17° and changes the feel of the initial portion of the boot’s flex. Using two screws yields a stiffer initiation for a more responsive feel, using one screw yields a softer initiation for a more forgiving feel.
Prolite is a way of building boots that turned traditional thinking on its head. Instead of starting with a standard construction and cutting material away to save weight, Pro- lite does the opposite - It starts with the slimmest possible profile and then builds up reinforcements in key areas where strength and stability are needed. Prolite construction delivers powerful performance while keeping the boot light and agile.
These advanced Free/Lock mechanisms feature on all Atomic touring boots. The magic is you can flick from ski to walk mode with one simple switch. In walk mode they offer an epic cuff movement. In ski setting you can choose 13°/15°/17° adjustable forward lean.
Featured on Backland, Backland Ultimate and Hawx Ultra XTD, this is a pivot with Igus polymer bushings that makes forward and backward movement of the cuff natural and friction free – making climbing and walking smoother and less clunky.
Dial up or down to create your perfect fit – with a smooth, uniform closure, so you can put less energy into keeping your foot secure and more into keeping control. Push in to engage, turn to tighten or loosen and pull up the dial for a quick release.
On Backland Carbon, carbon- reinforced areas of the cuff and shell provide increased responsiveness and power transmission while maintaining feel and sensitivity at the front of the boot.
The best place to start is differentiating between the two main Splitboard binding systems currently on the market: the slide-on, and the drop-on. Below we go through both options, considering benefits and limitations on each, as well as which brands favour which system.
Brands using this system include Spark R&D, Voile, Burton, K2, Nitro.
Transitioning in and out of ride mode using this style of binding involves sliding the base plate over two pucks mounted on your Splitboard, with either a locking mechanism or pin to hold it in place.
Pucks come with a template for mounting and both Spark and Voile pucks are compatible with all the slide on bindings we sell. Spark Arc, Spark Surge, Spark Arc Pro, Burton Hitchhiker and Nitro Vertical have the locking mechanism at the toe, whereas Voile Light Speed, Voile Light Rail and K2 Farout have the locking mechanism under the heel. The Spark Blaze is the only Splitboard binding we sell with a pin as opposed to a locking mechanism.
Securing the binding in walk mode is done at the toe in all cases, through either a locking mechanism attached to the board, or utilizing the toe locking mechanism or pin used to secure the binding in ride mode.
Price difference between models in this category is often down to stiffness of the high back and baseplate, quality of the toe and ankle straps, and optional extras such as whether the binding has a heel lock in walk mode (which is something that can be purchased and retrofitted as an add-on).
Something which could be considered a drawback with this style of binding is the potential for wear, both on the pucks and the baseplate of the binding from sliding back and forth for transitions. Some people also argue that the slide-on method is less effective at pulling the two halves of the Splitboard together in ride mode. Therefore, price point for this style of bindings is reflective of these two factors.
Brands using this system include Karakoram, Plum.
Drop on bindings share the same basic idea in using hardware fixed to the board and a locking mechanism on the binding to attach the two together. The key difference here is that the binding is placed on top of the hardware and then fastened into place, rather than sliding parts together to achieve the same goal.
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Both Karakoram and Plum bindings come with everything in the box, so no need to purchase anything additional to get started (like pucks). Karakoram bindings have the locking mechanism at the heel of the binding, where Plum have this adjacent to the base plate.
Securing this type of binding in walk mode is also done at the toe, with the same locking mechanism used in ride mode for the Plum bindings, and a locking mechanism on the mounted hardware for the Karakoram bindings.
This style of Splitboard binding is believed to hold the two sections of board together across the split more effectively, hence the higher price point overall. Other elements effecting the price are similar to those mentioned above, including the quality of the ankle and toe straps, materials used in the construction of the binding, and the stiffness of the high back. Most models in this category will come with a heel lock, but this is again something that can be retro fitted.
All in all, every model we sell is a high quality Splitboard binding, capable of safely getting you out on your next adventure. The main points of differentiation in choosing which one is right for you are personal riding preference (a stiffer or more forgiving binding), importance of the ‘extras’ (like built in heel-locks and cushy ankle straps) and budget.
]]>As I got older, it was snowboarding and waterskiing, and now kiteboarding. These sports have become a way of life that I think many of us can relate to. It’s not so much about physicality so much as the autonomy, aliveness and community that these sports bring.
Since its inception, North Shore Ski and Board, with its beyond friendly staff and cutting-edge gear, has become North Shore’s favourite shop.
Carrying everything from kiteboarding gear to backcountry skis, slalom waterkis and SUP’s; as well as an extensive beach apparel and women’s clothing selection makes the shop very unique. The real x-factor that has carried them through the years isn’t their products though, it’s that they embody the importance of community and they have a heartfelt desire to guide customers to the right adventure gear.
“Making it to 40 is a big success in this type of business.” say’s shop owner, Vince Allen. “After four decades, we’re excited to not only be alive, but thriving. Times have changed, products have changed, but the essence of what we’re trying to do has always endured.”
“I remember when I took ownership of the shop, we would drive down to the Oregon Gorge on Friday night, windsurf all weekend, and drive home seven hours late Sunday, and back to work Monday. Nowadays, I work 4 months straight through the summer, so I can spend the spring in LaVentana kitefoiling and testing new kites and gear. In the winter it used to be endless Blackcomb days skiing and Merlin’s apres with my brother and friends. These days I wait, watch the weather, and pick the perfect mid-week day of groomers or fresh pow. I take it a little easier on the old body, with my heated socks and gloves.”
After 40 years, it’s really about living and breathing the products and the lifestyle. North Shore Ski & Board has ridden the wave of time because they can relate; to your enthusiastic ski weekend adventure, 12 year old wakeboard phenom, or that perplexed look on your face when you don’t even know where to begin shopping for ski touring gear. They’ve been there.
North Shore Ski & Board would like to invite you to celebrate 40 years at the shop sale March 20–30th. 20% off most items and up to 40% off clearance items.
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