16 — Sunday, February 23, 1997 —- Nortn Shore News ar Ue BO shop the sales: skier Steven Man, 30, got his shell jacket and baggy pants by Phenix at a bargain price. # Goretex ' gloves by Fives have a pull-out fleece liner. Goggles are DO have fun: jackie Harris borrowed this 3 Bollé. EDO choose functional clothin 7 colorful jester’s hat from her daughter. Cecil Lau’s red and black ski jacket 4 from Boulder Gear has a mesh lining for added dryness. DON T sacrifice func- tion for fashion like this unidentified tourist. The buzz in beard wear is that fashion is cool but function is key. Seasoned snowboarders and skiers suit up in clothing engineered to perform. What’ stylish on the slopes? The NEWS headed to Cypress to find out. USED to be, skiers and snowboard- ers were divided into two camps. _ gn Each wore a sort of uniform that distin- ished one ‘om the other. Their clothing reflected their culture. rr Boarders took their fashion cues from the street — baggy gangsta pants, retro-styled jackets, grunge-y plaids. Skiers opted for a flashier, sleeker look that said “interna- tional jet set.” Bur change is in the air. “Snowboard wear used to be fat, now it’s less so,” says Gary McBryde, manager of The Boardroom, a Kitsilano retailer of board wear. At the same time, skiwear is adopting the looser fit of board wear. It all comes down to function, says Steve Hoiles owner of Second Wave on Lonsdaie Avenue and a dedicated snowboarder. “Vancouver is the mecca of snow- boarding,” says Hoiles. That explains why much of the best board wear is made right here in town Internationally recognized fines like NFA, United, Arson, Concept and West Beach are developed with teedback from local boarders. NFA’s sales manager for Western (Canada, Lynne Fugard, says the buzz word in the industry is “technical.” Standard features include armpit zips, powder cuffs, removable hoods, velcro closures, cordura anti-scuff cuffs, fabrics that are both waterproof and breathable, linings of mesh for dryness and fleece for warmth. Going and almost gone are the co dura knee and seat patches en baggy boarder pants. “They were popular for first-time rid- ers,” savs Fugard, but newer, cougher fabrics like Delf 20006 — a three ply coated nylon with waterproof inner membrane — render them unnecessary. Also gone is the “baby blue skin- tight ski bunny look.” Bright yellow, sage and red are joining standard board colors blue and black. As boarders pants siim up, they adopt the look of jeans and cargo pants. Three-color and four-color jackets in i subdued cones y reinain popular. “People think with boarding wear it’s all fashion,” savs w Hoiles, *but the bottom line is functionality. The fashion is there but it’s gotta work.” NEWS photos Cindy Goodman DO mix it up: Cy; liftee Neil Dolmage, wears baggy boarding pants by United when he skis. His black fleece jacket is O’Neili. In his Mountain + Equipment Co-Op back- pack: North Face shell, Powerbar and fruit. High style: Oakley eye jackets. DO iook the part ... even if you‘re a first- time boarder like Julian Wang from Chile. He j picked up his ultra-trendy Stone Island jacket and Gerald plaid shirt in Italy. Khaki baggies from Arson; khaki toque, Adidas. DONT hit the siopes without waterproof garb, especially if it’s your first time. “We're not up on the etiquette yet,” jokes rookie rider Neal Delany (far left), with friends Camille Parent, Craig Thomas, and Lance Stonebreaker. DO naunt your logos: Steve Mackenzie, 29, and Nick Boychuk, 18, work for Sled Dogs skate-skis. Jacket, fleece and bibbed pant bear the Sled Dogs fogo. Gloves with built- in wrist guards are specially made for this new sport. Goggles 2re Adidas.