10 Big Trends for 2010 Snowboard Gear

In a room packed with the latest and greatest gear, it's pretty easy to spot some trends. We've picked out our predictions for the big trends of 2010.

1. Reverse Camber

   It seems like everyone is making at least one reverse camber board next season. This doesn't mean they are all the same though. There's boards with a little rocker, a lot of rocker, rocker on the tail and tip, rocker between the bindings...the list goes on.

2. Freestyle Bindings for Women

   Usually women's bindings are lumped into two categories - beginner or advanced. Next season several brands, including Burton and Ride, will be introducing women's freestyle specific bindings. The Molotov binding by Burton gives new meaning to "now with wings".

3. Longer Jackets

   This season a few brands started making longer, baggier jackets for women but next year everyone will have one (or a bunch) in their lines. Oakley's MFR signature jacket is almost ridiculously long.

4. Hot colors

   The big outerwear colors for next season will include seafoam green, electric blue and purple. We'll still see some mustardy yellow but it's on its way out.  We especially liked the color palettes from Holden and Bonfire.

5. Plaids

   Prints seem to be dying down but plaids will be hot.  One person told us that people tend to stick with solid colors when times are lean but that plaids are classic and recession proof.  The best plaids come in unusual palettes.

6. Full Binding Footbeds

   Most bindings have some padding but it stops for the mounting plate. We spotted several companies, including Ride and Burton, doing full foam footbeds that cover the mounting plate. This makes for a more comfortable ride.

7. Zippers

   Zippers are functional and fashionable in 2010. Lots of companies are using RiRi waterproof zippers including Burton, Holden and The North Face. Cappel is using multicolored zippers on all their pieces. Many companies are also using exposed metal zippers for a more punk rock/biker look.

8. Eco

   One of the biggest stories of 2010 will be the environmentally friendly products. Pretty much everyone has at least one.  There are outerwear, boots, bindings, boards and more being made from recycled materials.

9. B4BC

   Boarding for Breast Cancer collaborations are nothing new, but there are a lot of new companies signing up and releasing some great products.

10. Collaborations

    Collaborations have become popular recently and this season it seems like everyone is doing one. Some of the collabs we really liked are Vans x Seven Jeans, Ride x Matix Girls, and Forum x Bob Ross.