How to Get Snowboarding Gear for Less!

Snowboarding is an awesome sport to get into, but it’s pretty easy to rack up a hefty bill when everything’s said and done. But not to worry, there are a ton of great sites out there that offer great brands for way less. Here are my tips for shredding on a budget:

1. Buy your gear at the right time:

The best times to buy equipment and apparel are before the winter season begins and when the season is coming to a close. Retailers have lots of sales throughout the year but the biggest sales are around cyber monday/pre holiday and end of season sales.The first time I purchased equipment I purchased it at the end of the season and scored some seriously amazing deals. I ride a 2010 149 Nitro Haze, originally this board costs $350 but I purchased it for $95, which is basically dirt cheap. This season I bought all of my new gear on cyber monday. I was able to purchase a new jacket, snowpants and goggles all for under $180!

2. Check out flash sale and discount sites:

There are tons of these sites out there. Flash sale sites are web stores that offer items at a significant discount for short periods of time (some as short as 15 minutes). Discount sites are web stores that offer items at a percent discount, normally overstock items or last season items. Here are some of my favorite sites:

• http://www.whiskeymilitia.com/ (where I purchsed my board)
• http://www.dogfunk.com/
• http://www.the-house.com/  (where I purchased my jacket and snowpants)
• https://www.theclymb.com/
• http://www.backcountry.com/

There are tons more, but those are a few of my favorites!

3. Be knowledgeable about brands and equipment.

While Burton is a great brand and perhaps the most well known, it doesn’t mean that it’s your only option. Brand name boards can cost more than private/independant label boards, but that doesn’t mean brand name boards are better quality. There are tons of brands out there and the industry is growing so you have butt loads of options, nearly endless! It’s important to do as much research as you can on what board/equipment is the best fit for you. We’re talking opportunity cost here, you want to get the best value. This means you’ll need to find the best equipment for you, at the best price possible. Having as many options as you can will increase your chances of making the right choice. QUICK TIP: the “Good Wood” award is a good and easy way to determine what boards were the best of the year. You can also check forums and reviews to determine the quality of brands, certain boards and certain equipment.

4. Be Patient!

Making a hasty decision on what equipment to purchase can really cost you (pun intended there ;) ). Especially when flash sites like Whiskey Militia swap out items every 15 minutes. I’m not saying; spend all day on their site refreshing the page every 15 minutes, but do check a few times a day when you’re looking for something specific. You might get lucky!

5. Do your research!

It’s extremely important that you understand the equipment you’ll be buying. For instance, are you going to be using your board for park riding or all mountain riding? Here is a good guide to decide what what type of board to get: http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/snowboard.html .

Also, note that there is a difference between men’s and women’s boards. Basically men’s boards typically have wider stances, are wider in general and are stiffer, so if you’re a beginner and a female it might be harder to learn. However, women can ride men’s boards, most men’s boards are actually unisex. So if you find the deal of the century but it’s a men’s board you can still consider it. Just make sure the sizing is right. For instance, my board is a men’s board but I was able to get away with it because it was the smallest size and a park board, meaning it was extra flexible and slimmer than an average men’s board. In terms of bindings and boots there are also men’s and women’s categories. However I would advise that if you’re a female you buy female bindings. Men’s bindings have much more calf support and come farther up the leg than womens’, which can be uncomfortable if you have a smaller stature. Doing your research will prevent you from purchasing the wrong equipment and spending more money and time than you need to.

Welp, those are my top tips for getting gear cheap! I hope this helped you, I know I was completely lost when first purchasing my gear! Thanks for reading!

Laters,

xxgk

Nitro Haze 2010:

Latest Nitro Haze:

Blogging is Hard!

Alright, on the whole posting 500 words every day thing...turns out that's incredibly difficult when I've got a billion hours of homework/studying to do. So what I plan to do from now on is post every day, but not necessarily 500 words a day. I’m still incredibly excited about this blog and so far I’m really enjoying it! Somehow it’s really satisfying to put my thoughts on the Internet! It’s kind of like they’re more permanent there then if I had them in a dairy shoved under my pillow. But anyways, I hope my babblings have been interesting so far and I’m really looking forward to making more content!

What’s coming up on this blog?

• February Favorites
• Favorite skin care products
• My snowboarding gear/tips for getting gear cheap
• Healthy french fry recipe

Laters,

xxgk

Smoothies In a Winter Wonderland?

I know for some of us it's still in the dead of winter and the thought of consuming a frozen drink is beyond ridiculous, but I have to admit I crave those damn things all year round! I freaking love them and here’s why:

• They’re a great way to up your intake of fruit (and veggies) .
• They’re generally low in fat and provide your body with tons of nutrients!
• They can substitute for a quick and easy meal/snack.
• There are so many different combinations of ingredients, you’ll never run out of new smoothie ideas.
• They’re a great way to cool down after a workout (or perhaps an intense Netflix marathon).
• They taste AMAZING!
• You look pretty cool whilst sipping your delicious concoction.

There’s a zillion other reasons why I think smoothies are great, but I’ve got homework to do so I can’t list them all!

Just for reference, my diet is primarily raw vegan/vegetarian so all of my recipes are vegan. However you can certainly substitute, for example, almond milk with dairy milk or add in greek yogurt/peanut butter.

But without further ramblings, here are the recipes!

Chocolate Banana Dream:

• 1 cup of original/vanilla/chocolate almond milk
• 2 ripe/overripe bananas (the riper the bananas the sweeter your smoothie will be)
• 1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1 cup of ice cubes

*Perfect if you’ve got a sweet tooth!

*you can add peanut butter, greek yogurt or even oats for extra protein

All of these recipes are tried and true and I just can’t get enough! Stick to the recipes or mix and match ‘em for a (hopefully) delicious surprise! Also let me know, in the comments below, if you try any of these or if you have smoothie recipes of your own to share!
Laters!
xxgk

Peachy Keen:

• 1 cup of 100% cranberry juice
• 1 cup of frozen peaches
• ½ cup of frozen pineapple
• 1 ripe/overripe banana

*deliciously tart!

Twenty Four Karat Liquid Gold  :

• 1 cup of carrot/lemon juice blend
• 1 cup of frozen pineapple
• ½ cup frozen peaches
• 1 ripe/overripe banana

Go Green!:

• 1 cup of pineapple juice
• 1 kiwi
• ½ cup-1 cup of kale
• 1 cup frozen mangos
• ½ cup of frozen peaches

*It looks odd, but it’s super refreshing!

Berry Beaut:

• 1 cup of vanilla almond milk OR 1 cup of cranberry juice blend
• ½ cup of frozen strawberries
• ½ cup of frozen blueberries
• ½ cup of frozen raspberries
• 1 ripe/overripe banana

Day 1

To jump right in, this will be the first post of many because I've challenged myself to post to this blog everyday (a post of at least 500 words). To start out I think I'll do a little introduction; a look at who's behind this piece of poo! My name is Grace, or Gracie Kay as this is titled, and I'm a 21 year old university student. I live in the part of America where 25 degrees is warm, and good lord I hope it's that warm this week. My interests are pretty much everything, but mostly; give me some makeup, some skin care products, a cuddly critter and a nature documentary and I'll pee out of excitement.

Now that I’ve successfully used the words pee and poo and I’m only about 150 words into this, I’ll begin to tell you just what, exactly, this is all about...with Larry. (If you got that reference gimme a high five, if you didn’t check this link circa 2009  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imBjNnkVusQ )

I just want to do something I’ll be proud of and I’ll have fun doing. I’m hoping to blog about my general thoughts, daily life, beauty, cosmetics, fitness and whatever else comes to mind. I hope you’ll stick around and take a peek into my life!