A love for the mountains, passion for the sport, and a need for technical, yet stylish outerwear set three guys on a mission to create the ultimate outerwear collection for the true rider. The true rider being the person who loves first tracks, knows the meaning of earning their turns, and has fun “gettin’ ‘er done” on and off the mountain. Tripp Frey, John and Chris Pew are proud to announce the creation of TREW and its inaugural TREW Tour.

TREW Technical Outerwear to Launch

TREW’s premier men’s collection consists of three jackets and two pants, each available in three colorways. The collection re-invents classic pieces with updated colors, technologies and fits. TREW will also be offering hoodies, tees and beanies in addition to its core outerwear. The price points will range from $30.00 to $479.00 and will be available at independent retail shops throughout the country.

Tripp, John and Chris are Hood River transplants by way of Michigan and North Carolina and will be touring the U.S. and Canada to formally launch TREW, share the brand’s philosophy and have some fun. A customized TREW RV, complete with solar panels, will be traveling throughout the U.S. starting in December and ending whenever the snow melts. The three of them intend to visit snow destinations in British Columbia, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Each stop will be unique to its own; however, each stop will include product previews, giveaways, barbeques, beverages, visits to the local pubs, and of course riding.  TREW will also be meeting with local retailers to present the collection throughout their journey.  Information and updates about the TREW Tour will be posted continuously on TREW’s website www.TrewGear.com.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the TREW RV in your town; if you see it, stop by and say hi.  To learn more about TREW or the TREW Tour please check out: www.TREWGear.com.

About TREW

The TREW customer is first on the tram and knows what it means to earn their turns in the backcountry.  He is friends with the locals wherever he goes and knows that being TREW means being who you are and doing what you love; and above all having fun.  Trends come and go, but the fun of being on the mountain with friends remains a TREW constant.  TREW provides men’s outerwear that combines the technicality and comfort needed to stay on the mountain from sun-up to sun-down while adding style to take you into the night.  Founded in 2008 by Tripp Frey and Chris and John Pew, TREW price points range from $30.00 to $479.00 and will be sold though a network of independent
retail shops through out the country.

More Info: Visit TREWgear.com

It seems that I’ve come full circle on the concept of a functional shell for backcountry skiing and similar outdoor pursuits. Years ago it was a lightweight single layer shell with plenty of layers. Then it was the heavy duty 3 layer Gore Tex with or without fleece lining that either way was overkill for 99% of all situations. Now I’m back to a lightweight shell that employs better technology and features that minimize the need for the many layers.

For backcountry skiing this past season I picked up the Westcomb Mirage Jacket and have been more than stoked on it’s performance. I think I’ve found the jacket built for me.

The specific jacket that I picked up was the Westcomb Mirage Special Edition Jacket that Westcomb and Backcountry.com teamed up on this past winter. It varies slightly from the standard Mirage Jacket which has a few more bells and whistles but either way you go the functionality and dependability of this jacket is tops! (more…)

When you live in the Rocky Mountains, you don’t really need waterproof-breathable material for the ski jacket you use at the resort. That’s my opinion, anyway. The snow is so light and dry that you don’t have to worry about getting all water-logged…you just want to STAY WARM! Hence, my love of puffy jackets and my purchase of yet another puffy in my collection — the Obermeyer Straight Down Jacket.

Now, I grew up in Seattle skiing Mt. Baker and Alpental and Crystal Mountain. That’s a whole different story — I used to wonder why companies even made puffy jackets, because I thought everyone dealt with the same wetness at some point during the season. But after years in Utah, I’ve realized that’s not the case. For dawn patrols on skins, sure — you’ll want a shell with eVent fabric or Gore-Tex XCR. But when you have trams whisking you to the top of Snowbird with a foot of 4% water-content pow covering everything, you just want to stay warm.

Even among puffy jackets there are different tiers of technical materials — the Obermeyer Straight Down Jacket is way over on the “street” side of the spectrum. It is not compressible like many Mountain Hardwear and North Face puffies are, and it is certainly not lightweight. It doesn’t just have a sleeping-bag-style material on the outside — it’s a heavy canvas-like feel. I love that feel for resort-skiing, but it gets real overheated real fast once you start bootpacking or skating through a flat runout. It is purely a lift-serviced skiing jacket — not even a wise choice for side-country expeditions. Though there are full pit-zips, so that’s how I survive and don’t overheat when I head out to Catherine’s at Alta.

By the way, if you’re considering purchasing an Obermeyer jacket you should check out this biography feature on the man..the legend…Klaus Obermeyer. Yeah, Aspen and Deer Valley might not be your style but we owe so much to these impressive heroes for bringing skiing into the mainstream of the US during the last century…and we owe a lot to Klaus himself for the invention of the short down ski parka:

Back to the Obermeyer Straight Down jacket… The style is similar to some Canada Goose jackets, and I love it. Now, some may criticize the fur on the collar (it’s faux and removeable, of course) because it looks like you have a fox riding on your shoulders. But I love it — just keep the little fox fed well, and he won’t bite you (but he does a great job fending off tail-gaters riding on your back on busy traverses). The hood is also big enough that if I unzip the collar it will fit over my helmet. And that’s awesome on windy days because the fur really breaks the wind from biting your face and neck. That’s also an extremely welcome feature when wearing the jacket in town (and you look so good in it, you’ll be wearing it all the time). One downfall — I have gorilla arms, and the sleeves are just a quarter-inch shorter than I would like. But for most upright primates, the sleeves are just fine.

Search for the Obermeyer Straight Down Jacket, or check out several other sweet jackets and clothes for cheap at Overstock.com.

Also, some other ski jacket reviews from our sister site FeedTheHabit.com:
Moonstone Nordwand Ski Jacket
Ground Radius eVent Ski Jacket

Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite jacket, or if you have more questions that I haven’t addressed here about the Obermeyer Straight Down Jacket.

Cheers,
Brig

So I was in need of some new goggles this year, because my old, faithful Smith Cascade goggles (circa ’00 — really!) had finally gone to that capilene-smelling locker in the sky. I was particularly sad about their demise because I just really have not been a fan of any recent goggles. Almost no brands of goggles have clips in the back anymore, which means they just don’t fit around helmets very well. The strap is always too short and end up squishing the goggles into my face or not making it around the helmet at all. With a clip in the back, you can add an extender and have it fit comfortably around a helmet. Without a clip, you just don’t even have that option. So do Oakley and Scott and Von Zipper and everyone else making goggles just think that fitting with a helmet isn’t a requirement? Am I missing the “how-to” of using a non-clip goggle with a helmet? Please comment below, because I’d love to know. I know a lot of guys who wear Oakleys will buy the Giro Bad Lieutenant helmet and wear the strap UNDER the helmet….but that just doesn’t work for me. Does it work for you? If so, let me know but I just cant stand having that plastic loop bump on the goggle strap pressing against my head.

But Smith is always there for you with the clip, and good goggle extenders for helmets. The only problem was the frame size of all their recent models just didn’t work for me. Smith’s Prodigy goggles have a killer spherical lens, but it’s huge, which means my entire nose was always covered by the goggles whenever I put them on. The Smith Alias goggle fit my face better, but it was a little small and didn’t fit into a helmet well — meaning you had gaper-gap between the top of the goggles and the helmet’s forehead rim. Annoying on any day, but especially enfuriating on a dump day. With all of this, you can tell why Smith’s Cascade goggle was an old favorite — it had a medium-sized frame that was kind of square-ish and fit perfectly into the face of almost any brand of helmet.

But the Smith Phenom goggle has turned out to be a killer replacement goggle for anyone like me who was hooked on the Cascade. The frame size is about the same size & shape, but the extra sweetness comes from the spherical lens and the more form-fitting face foam (say that 10 times fast). It is even more comfortable than the Cascade, fits a similar-sized face, and works perfectly with helmets. On top of that, it has great peripheral vision and a close-able set of front vents along the top of the lens. This means that on particularly wet days you can close the vents to prevent moisture from getting between the double lenses. Also, on really cold days you can close it so that your eyeballs don’t freeze solid from the icy draft blowing in.

One last thing about the Smith Phenom — it just looks cool & understated. Black, with a gold lens & accents, and the cool family crest that makes you look like you belong to the ancient MacKay Clan from northern Scotland. Works well with a puffy with fur-lined hood, or look especially natty by pairing it with a pin-striped jacket & pants setup. The only downfall to the Phenom is that it doesn’t have really great side ventilation, which means for snowboarding it might not be as good as some other goggs out there that are built for a sideways stance on a snowboard. But since I mostly do resort skiing & backcountry dawn patrols on two planks, they are perfect for me. If you own the Phenom, let me know your thoughts in the comments below (good & bad). And if you have questions about the goggles that I haven’t covered here then ask them & I’ll try to answer. Also, here are some other good goggles you can pick up on the cheap at Overstock.com:

Overstock Smith Goggles
More Ski Goggles

Also, here’s another goggle review on our sister site FeedTheHabit.com:
Zeal Optics Ski Goggles

-Brig