If you are looking for some killer boots or some new shoes, check out what Spark R&D has been working on. Spark and Deeluxe have worked together and come up with a boot for the splitboard market. The Spark boot comes with a Vibram sole which is great for kicking in steps in hard pack. This boot comes with Deeluxe’s Section Control Lacing system, which is a two pull lacing system with lace locks. The lacing system is solid but will work its self loose on a good hike but is a minor inconvenience that takes only a few seconds to readjust at the top before dropping in. The fit is plush that starts off really stiff and breaks into an all-around comfy medium stiffness.

I lived in these boots for two solid weeks last spring in Alaska and definitely put them through a solid test and was not disappointed with them at all. Another collaboration that Spark R&D has come up with is selling the Verts snowshoes with pre-mounted pucks on them, saving money, time and hassle of getting the two items separate and Frankensteining your own. The beauty of these little guys is they don’t weigh much or take up hardly any space and when you need them to go straight up the weight of your bindings is no longer on your back. The combination of the simple plastic footprint and the comfort and stiffness of your own split bindings makes this the best snowshoe for climbing that I have used. So when the tax refund shows up, check out sparkrandd.com for ways to spend government bonus check.  

The Sierra at Tahoe stop of the Superpass contest was short and sweet. With right around twenty-five riders fighting for a golden ticket to Superpark, it only took three rounds for the judges to pick their favorite. Nick Geisen took home third and an armload of swag, Scotty Hoffman claimed second and received a pile of fine gear and Jordan Nield walked away with the golden ticket and his first invite to Superpark. Everyone killed it but Jordan’s heart won over the judges. His always-clean style was accompanied with straight sending it; Jordan finished his last run one footed after breaking his binding on a double backy attempt on the hip. Now, I cant wait to see what the minds over at Snowboarder mag decide to create for the next Superpark.

All photos by Kyle McCoy

Check out the video our friend Ryland Sweigard threw together for us!