Once spring sets in, snowboarding becomes a whole different ball game. The rising temperatures, texture of the snow, and necessities to have with you completely change from what you're used to during peak winter conditions. Here's a list of the must-haves for snowboarding during the spring season:

1. Darker lenses. Those rose-colored lenses aren't going to get the job done in the glaring spring sun. They're designed for dark and snowy conditions where flat light and low-visibility are the enemies. Swap them out for dark or mirrored lenses to shield your pupils from the strong rays of the mountain sun. It depends on what brand of goggles you own when switching lenses. However, if you're looking to invest, Oakley has some of the best options for interchangeable lenses. They offer goggles with large lens sizes and colors that will reduce the glare reflected by the snow. Try out the Airbrakes or the Crowbars with the Fire Iridium or Black Iridium lenses for sunny conditions.

2. Proper layering items. To enjoy your last days of the season to fullest, you'll need flexibility to adjust to the ever-fluctuating temperatures. Light hoodies, breathable first layers, and thin shred-socks will help you enjoy the warmth rather than feeling like you might pass out. For the guys, try the Burton Midweight Shant for the bottom or the Wind Shirt. For the ladies, try the Burton 2.5L Hendrix jacket, the Burton Henley tank, or the Midweight Shant.

3. Park/pipe gloves or liners. You don't want to be rocking your mittens on slushy late-season days. That will just add more sweat and a funky smells to your look. Get your hands on some lighter gloves. The Dakine Impreza Glove has everything you'd want in a spring glove. It offers the highest waterproofing with Gore-Tex technology, synthenic suede and silicone for good grip, and a low profile look. These will get the job done while not overheating your hands.

4.. Off-Slope Shades. When you're taking your lunch break on the sun-deck, you will be sweating your balls off if you keep those goggles on your face. Bust out the party shades while still protecting the money-maker. Some popular high-quality styles these days are the SABRE Heartbreakers, the Smith Terrace, or the Ashbury Cosa Nostras. Each model provides a comfortable fit, styles that won't embarrass you in public, and solid protection from the sun.

5. Accessible swimsuit. Now, I'm not saying you rock this get up while you're strapped in because you unquestionably will be judged if you do. It's just a smart thing to have access to for laying out, swimming, or heading to some hot springs after a few hours on the hill. Keep your options open because during springtime there is a ton to do once you're done riding. Just don't bring this one.

6. Personal beer garden. What's better than enjoying a sunny day on the mountain with a few cold ones? Nothing, in our book. Instead of dropping a bunch of cash at the resort bar, stock up at the grocery store and stash a few on the side of the hill to enjoy while shredding.

Photos courtesy of Snowboarder Mag: Top photo by Laura Austin, Bottom photo by Huggy

If a female snowboarder can throw down on the hill, you'll know about it. More often than not, terrain parks are overrun by crews of dudes hot-lapping all day long. So when a chick drops in fearlessly and starts sending it on features, it's difficult not to acknowledge what's going down. They stick out like a roller blader...well, anywhere.

That's not the case this week at Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe, California. The best female snowboarders showed up at the Northern California resort for Snowboarder Magazine's annual Ms. Superpark presented by Gatorade. Squaw and Snow Park Technologies joined forces to create big-booters and creative jib-lines so the girls could show off what they had stocked in their bag of tricks.

When you get a group of girls together on the hill who all love to ride, you're going to see some impressive things, especially at an event set up like this one. It's a laid-back environment with a private park that enables the athletes to hang out all day and night -- getting shots, lapping, and trying new tricks.

Over the course of four days, Snowboarder's online editor, Laura Austin, has been providing daily recaps so that we know what goes down and who is bringing their A-game. Apparently they've seen some hairy weather and even more hairy riding. Check out Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 and stay tuned for more coverage.

Photo: T-Bird, Rider: Sina Candrian

Recap: Laura Austin
Captions: Pat Bridges & T. Bird

When it rains it pours. Well it wasn't really pouring, but it definitely was raining on and off at Day 3 of Ms. Superpark presented by Gatorade at Squaw Valley and the girls were still poring over the rail section, getting shots despite the less than optimal weather conditions. Ok, maybe that was a bad attempt at being clever but it was cool to see the ladies sticking it out in the flat light and variable conditions, hungry to get more shots under their belt.

Because of the wind and the poor visibility, the focus was on the rail/wallride section of the park created by SPT. Besides the lovely artwork in the snow created by some of the riders, Gatorade was poured in lines through transitions so that they could make out the terrain a little easier. Leanne Pelosi pulled off some good looking handplants on the quarterpipe, Ms. Superpark 1st timer Kelly Underwood was still putting down solid lines in the wallride section, and Erin Comstock was getting some good looking stalls and rock-to-fakies on one of the wallrides.

For full recap and entire photo gallery head to SNOWBOARDER...

Rider: Erin Comstock
Photo: Huggy

Hammers went down on Day 2 of Ms Superpark presented by Gatorade at Squaw Valley, CA. This video is proof.

The boy, the myth, the legend. Forest Bailey will now be representing an official goggle company. Dragon just announced that Bailey has joined their snow team, adding a top-notch jibber to their already stacked team of riders including Danny Davis, Gigi Ruf, Markus Keller, and more. Keep your eyes on this one. Forest doesn't look like he's slowing down any time soon. Full press release below:

Carlsbad CA (April 23, 2012) - Dragon is pleased to announce Forest Bailey has joined the family as a member of their pro team of eclectic snowboarders. Currently living in Boulder, Colorado, by way of Vermont, Forest brings an innovative bag of tricks wherever he travels, resulting in a slew of accomplishments in his 20 short years. His biggest result yet was clinching the Gold Medal in Snowboard Street at Winter X Games 2012. Forest continues to showcase his original, free flowing style in contests and video clips across the globe so look for much more from him in the future.
"I'm very excited to be joining the Dragon Alliance," said Bailey on joining the team. "With the most proper goggles and a team stacked full of homies, it was pretty much a no brainer."

"We could not be happier to announce the addition of Forest to the team," says Dragon's Snow Marketing Manager, Alex Pashley. "I really feel that he compliments the rest of the crew nicely and can't wait to see what he will bring in the future."

Look for Forest to bring diversity and skate influenced style to Dragon's already notable urban team including Zak Hale and Frankie April, along with the rest of the global snow team with backcountry legends Gigi Ruf and Jamie Lynn plus pipe phenoms Danny Davis and Luke Mitrani.