Christmas is closing in fast and it's giving us hot flashes. Stores are swarming with crazed and desperate customers, the shops look like someone threw up product all over the place, the lines are curving around the corner, and there are way too many toddlers screaming their faces off. To avoid serious trauma from these types of situations, we've attempted to provide a cheat sheet for gifts in regards to snowboarding. The featured item this week is somewhat of a necessity when it comes to going riding - a snowboard.

There are countless brands with their own collection of snow sticks ranging from expensive to affordable, powder boards to jib boards, rocker to camber, hideous graphics to sweet graphics...it goes on and on. We've snagged a few of our favorites to help you narrow down your search. So, take a deep breath, peruse what we've picked for this week's gift guide, and become everyone's favorite gift giver.

More options over at Snowboarder Mag's Buyer's Guide...

Arbor Blacklist $419.95

Arbor Del Rey $299.95


Restricted Burton Nug $399.95

Burton Custom X $649.95

Burton Lipstick Women's $479.95

Burton Flying-V Deja Vu Women's $399.95

Forum Destroyer Double Dog $439.95

Forum Youngblood ChillyDog $399.95

Forum Spinster Women's $399.95

Forum Sauce Women's $319.95

Flow Shifty $379.99

Flow Jewel Women's $369.99

Rome Mod Rocker $550.00

Rome Artifact Rocker $370.00

Rome Detail Rocker Women's $360.00

Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro $539.95

Ride Berzerker $489.95

Ride DH2 $499.95

Ride OMG Women's $439.95


Gnu B-Street Women's $449.95

K2 Fastplant $499.95

K2 WWW $379.95

K2 Va Va Voom Women's $379.95

CAPiTA Totally F*kn Awesome $449

CAPiTA Indoor Survival FK $399

CAPiTA Saturnia Women's $339

Ready to reminisce? Good. K2 Fossil Fridays digs up a blast from the past with Travis Parker's part in 2002's "Afterbang" blowing up the 02/03 K2 Parka board. This web series is all about bringing about the reason we all keep snowboarding - cause it's fun and puts a smile on our face. Travis Parker was nothing but the epitome of that and here he is in all his glory from back in the day. You might need some prescription glasses to get it in focus. Happy Friday kids.

K2 and Travis' words and video below:

"Snowboarding shouldn't be stresful..., it's fun! Among snowboarding's elite "athletes," or artists as I like to call them, Travis Parker exemplifies the epitome of fun. When the concept came up of highlighting old board graphics and revolutionary board design I knew immediately I had to call on Parker. Always stoked to share his thoughts, Travis let it rip. Here he is, uncensored giving the inspiration behind the 02/03 K2 Parka. FYI, if you haven't heard, Travis is back on the K2 Pro team and has been riding the new K2 Raygun.

'I meant no disrespect to Chad Muska, only respect for his ability on a skateboard and as a musician too. The silhouette of me on the toilet with large headphones on and rolling toilet paper was meant to show that sometimes I felt down in the dumps but I tried to make light of the situation, through design and flipping on my board. Snowboarding was good and fun and the stuff I heard on the radio (large headphones) about war was not so fun. In a lot of ways I suppose I didn't feel worthy of my position in life when others around the world were suffering so much. I snowboard for a living, or, I used to. It was my lively hood and I felt dumpy about it at that time with what was on the news. Life isn't fair. Hell, it seemed really good to me, but I didn't feel I deserved such a posh lifestyle. It's a humbling graphic. Everybody poops. I hope folks didn't take the design expression the wrong way. In hindsight, what I / the world needed was a metaphorical, spiritual, and healing "Parka", to be draped over me / us to keep me / us warm and protected from the bitter, cold, and war torn world. We have a big Parka on here in America. Folks were fighting and dying while I was snowboarding and getting paid for it. Crazy world. I like it, but it's crazy. The graphic can be looked at in a lot of ways. Shit happens. I think the following year we (K2, Travis Kennerly Parker, and Nemo Designs) designed the "Wild Style" graphic. I'm not extremely formally educated. I'm a snowboarder, cross country skier, and an artist, among other things. I like to have fun and be creative and I'm very fortunate and thankful for this every day.'

Thank you for keeping snowboarding fun, Travis!" -K2

Mr. Mason Aquirre has added a new sponsor to his list and is now on the K2 International Pro Team. Aguirre made the announcement just before the Winter X Games and said he couldn't be happier about the move.

Aguirre rose through the ranks as a Burton team rider, but this summer his contract with them was surprisingly not renewed, so he has looked elsewhere for sponsorship opportunities. This fall, Aguirre announced his partnership with Nike 6.0 and currently rides for them head to toe. Along with these two new sponsor deals, Mason also represents the Frends Crew, Amp Energy, Smith Optics, and Nixon.

Congrats Mason on the new deal!

GrindTV Newswire, Via Nikita Clothing: (August 6, 2010) When NIKITA collaborates it's a big deal and for the FW1011 season, not only will the latest NIKITA Outerwear be hitting the stores, but also a special partnership with K2 Snowboarding. NIKITA have teamed up with the progressive and innovative crew at K2 to produce a distinctive set up on the new Casette binding and award-winning VaVaVoom snowboard.

Built for ladies who love the park, the VaVaVoom is now the ultimate choice for girls who ride, especially with a blend of NIKITA design splashed all over it. Team this with the new Cassette binding and you have all-terrain performance, comfort and style from head to snow.

About K2 Snowboarding:

Born in the U.S. Pacific Northwest in the shadows of the Cascade Mountains, K2 Snowboarding was raised in the backcountry of Baker. From the beginning, the goal has been to create original concepts and technology that drives snowboarding forward. Today K2 continue to innovate and progress the sport from the backcountry to the parks...and everything in between.

Featuring: Brandon Cocard, Temple Cummins, Ben Lynch, Travis Parker, Mikey Basich, Skylar Thorton, Aaron Robinson, Eric Messier, and more.

Respect Your Elders is a new movie from a new production company. Resourceful Gnome is the name of that production company, which was invented by Travis Parker and friends. The Respect Your Elders project pairs some of the most skilled / up-and-coming young professionals in the world with some of the most loved, respected, mysterious, and talented snowboard legends of all time. They go snowboarding together.


Methods and backflips, guns, powder, major biffs, cliffs, river boarding, and air time. Somebody tell me this doesn't look like a good time. Shot on location in Valdez, Baker, Tahoe, Silverton, and everywhere in between.

Words from:

Snowboarder Mag

Resourceful Gnome