E-Mail This Article to a Friend Snow stylin’ The latest gear and apparel for your favorite winter sports BY NINA MACLAUGHLIN

Soon we’ll be soaring down the mountain — soon because it’s December now, and snow is falling on the peaks. And soon because, the way snow-sport technology is going, skis and snowboards will eventually let us fly. Basic design elements remain: two long planks for skis, a single, wider plank for snowboards. But considering the amount of engineering that goes into it, you’d think you were buying a helicopter. And it’s not just the skis and boards; the related equipment — jackets, goggles, gloves, boots, and bindings — is getting similarly updated and improved, all in an effort to make your trip down the mountain go as smoothly and swiftly as possible. The design and technology that have gone into the season’s newest gear let you, above all else, focus not on tweaking and readjusting, but on the snow, the air, the speed, the control, the comfort, and the overall experience of defying gravity.

Skis

Atomic Metron ($1199 with bindings)

Over the past few years, skis have gotten shorter. People who come into Bob Smith’s Wilderness House with three- or four-year-old equipment marvel that all the skis for sale look as though they’re for kids, says Wilderness House’s Jay Toutant. But for kids, they’re not. Take the Atomic Metron, for example. It’s made with magnesium power channels that stiffen to hold the edge. Magnesium is stronger than titanium and fiberglass (also materials you can get in Atomic skis). "This is the burly one," says Toutant. "This is the bomber." A super-dramatic side cut makes for an extremely versatile turning radius, from tight and sharp to giant-slalom style. And the Metron’s width is good for all conditions. "It’s an all-mountain ski," Toutant says. "You’re not restricted to groomed trails."

Völkl Supersport Superspeed ($949 with bindings)

Sporting a less dramatic side cut than the Metron, the Völkl Supersport Superspeed allows for longer, faster, giant-slalom-style turns, so speed demons can go as fast as they like with absolute grace, explains Adam Kendall of Wilderness House. The ski is married with a Marker Piston Binding system. "Marker moved the piston forward, out from underneath the foot," which helps the ski flex naturally, says Kendall, and it reduces chatter (the vibrations on the snow that reduce edge pressure). It’s got a full-metal top sheet that helps stiffens up the ski. "These ones are sick," says Toutant.

Boots

Lange Comp 120 Freeride ($599)

The biggest advance in boots is the thermo-moldable insert, says Morgan Perlson, a Wilderness House sales manager — and the Lange Comp 120 Freeride was one of the first boots to have it. You heat up the liner for a few minutes, and when you stick your foot in, the liner molds to it by filling in some areas and compressing others. Furthermore, the liner has a memory: it knows the way your ankle swells or where you’ve got a bunion. In keeping with this spirit of customization, Wilderness House sells boots separately from skis and bindings. "Everyone’s foot is different," Perlson says. The ideal boot depends on the individual skier’s foot structure, experience, and flexibility.

Salomon Space Frame ($619)

The sleek, industrial-looking Salomon Space Frame boot features cut-outs in the outer plastic that allow you to assert equal force on the edges, keeping skis evenly pressured and letting you move through the turns with both skis. "It’s a super-high-end boot," says Perlson. The Salomon Space Frame fosters heightened precision and control — and speed. "These’ll shave tenths of seconds off your GS time," says Toutant.

Poles

K2 Public Enemy ($75; $69 at Wilderness House)

Even in poles, there’s bling to be found. K2 Public Enemy freestyle-ride poles boast the same high-strength shaft as other K2 poles do, but add an ultra-thin, dual-density overmold grip. The special grip means you can hold on to your pole while grabbing your ski during daredevil tricks, Perlson says. A removable top finger nub makes for easier grip release, and the thinness lets you bring the pole close to the ski without the interference of a large grip top.

Eyewear

Smith Knowledge Over the Glasses ($130)

These goggles may have an unruly name, but wisdom surely went into designing them. Not only can they fit over a pair of glasses, but they’ve got a built-in fan to de-fog the lens. The Turbo Fan series brings what Smith calls "constant air management." A silent micro-electronic fan runs constantly, drawing air through strategically placed vents to do away with condensation. And the Carbonic-X lens makes for top-notch clarity and scratch resistance.

Miscellaneous

Indigo G-String ($19.95)

The provocatively named G-String is a tiny pack for toting your skis or board. And indeed, it resembles a backpack in the same way a thong resembles long johns. The lariat strap vertically secures your board or skis, and nothing more. On the way down, you can slip it into your pocket, or wear it — you won’t even know you have it on. Hmm ...

Snowboards

Ride Business ($650)

Technology aside for a moment, the Ride Business snowboard is aesthetically cool — a deep-black board with a patchwork square of retro-style photographs and images. As for engineering, Ride stitched carbon into the fiberglass (don’t ask us how), and called it REAL Glass, REAL standing for Return Energy Aramid Laminate. The first board to feature this material, it delivers a heightened pop level — plus, it’s a full pound lighter than last season’s Prophet. Livelier and lighter, it’s a park-specific board, says Seth Ustaitis of Ski Market. And Ride put the graphics right on the fiberglass, eliminating the need for a top sheet, thereby shearing off even more weight in pursuit of ultimate ollie power.

Palmer Crown ($849)

In the Palmer Crown board, newly engineered titanium inlays ensure high power, extraordinary stability, and excellent dampening. Palmer’s 3D Circle wood core, with Nomex honeycomb in the tip and tail, provides a low swing weight. Titanium wings run out to the contact points to give better torsional stiffness, says Ski Market’s Ustaitis. And the riser plates offer increased leverage on the edges.

Burton T6 ($649)

The Burton T6 is a lightweight, stiff, and snappy board for the advanced rider. It features an aluminum honeycomb core; its aerospace technology is also used in airplanes. On the bottom of this agile, all-terrain board, there’s a faint infinity symbol to signal "infinite ride." "It’ll never lose it’s camber," says Kristy McNiff of Ski Market. "It’ll never lose its pop. No matter how many times you ride it, it feels the same as the first day you took it out."