The North Face Men’s Varius Guide Jacket is the perfect coat for the upcoming ski season. After researching and trying on and testing several jackets and options, this is the coat that I have purchased for the 2008-2009 ski season. The jacket is a perfect shell with light insulation. I was tempted to get the 3-in-one North Face or even the more insulated Varius guide, but found that this jacket is perfect. True to size fit and not a ton of bulk. It features the North Face HyVent Technology offering wind resistance, breathable and is waterproof.

The North Face Men’s Varius Guide Jacket The Varius Guide Jacket is a classic all-weather jacket with a fortified shell. Jacket has plenty of pockets and one is specifically designed for a MP3 player. The hood works well over a helmet or can be removed if you do not want to use it. A versatile ski jacket for any condition.

This Green, BlueHouse Ski Company launched one year ago this month. Congrats and happy birthday – I am calling the Bear to celebrate! The word spread fast, as they reached their 2007 sales goals with-in 2 weeks of launching their first product! Go green, go big or go house….BlueHouse.

Lets start from the top, of your body that is.

Keeping your head warm: Bula, Chaos and Uvex. (Two soft and one hard shell – sounds like an order at Taco Amigo.)

Bula’s “stereohead” line of ski and snowboard head gear have built-in earphones to keep you rocking in style. With the Bula Graham Earphone Bomber you can expose the sheepskin on your forhead with a simple flip of the bill and keep ‘er buttoned down with the trusty chin-strap. If your not into the bomber don’t worry, they have tons more cool hats from Bula.

Chaos‘s “world beat” peruvian style hat will keep your ears warm inside and out. Out with the cold, in with the tunes! Man, that’s good – remember you heard that first at GearReviewer.com

Image courtesy of UVEX.com Uvex’s ( I was tempted to write “Uvi” because of their plural assortment of head gear) So, your not interested in a soft top, you prefer hard-tops, then you will love Uvex’s X-Ride Motion. We’re not talking the kind of motion that you will have after an overdose on the pepto, we’re talking removable earpads, which can be easily switched out for the X-Factor bluetooth-enabled wireless system that will connect you to your phone and your tunes without looking like “that guy” with the freaking Bluetooth appendage. Hands free, really come on guy, one hand stabilizing the earpiece and your other hand is holding the phone? This helmet is for you.

What about my eyes?

No more dropping calls or your phone from the chair lift with the hot new Zeal Optics Confidant. Bluetooth never made your eyes look so good. Answer your calls with a press of a button, or keep your hand on your ear and start talking in numbers — numbers like the url in your shopping cart (let me recommend some SEO help.)

Moving down to the torso. I couldnt find find any – no shoulder pads aren’t cool, but if they had wires they probably would be. Let’s talk about coats.

We really like Patagonia gear and Patagonia coats, in fact we rate them the highest. However, if you really want to see that your ipod is still in its place, and you want buttons that you can actually push on your coat, then the Westcomb iMirage jacket is made especially for you. It seems everyone is adding “i” at the beginning of everything and I guess that makes it new-er and great-er. So if you are looking for a “-er” ski coat to stay connected – this is it.

“Get off my back” is what you won’t be saying with the Spyder Groove backpack. Lets face it, skiers and boarders who have backpacks on look powerful. This backpack is more powerful than your old “boombox” that you used to carry on your shoulder (pads).

Finishing with your hands.

Oh boy, here comes the “i” again, but these are “-er” gloves for shizzle. Kombi’s new iRip not only gives you self-affirmation while keeps your fingers toasty, it wirelessly connects to a receiver module you can attach to your iPod. You are in total controll with the mini joystick that lets you toggle between tunes – Frank Sinatra for the ride up and heat up with the Chili Peppers on the way down.

If there is something we can review (or do for that matter) let us know.

Enjoy.