AG will be closed this Sunday Jan 29th for inventory, this means there will be some very confused snowboarders, surfers and skaters pretending they can count past 10 with their shoes and socks on…. We are sorry we have to do this once a year but if you need rentals for Monday come and see us on Saturday and we will make something happen for you. Otherwise stock up on all your needs between now and then and then go make the most of the new fresh snow, the winter swell and any dry concrete you can find without us!!!…. (crying)…

Bindings are the link between you and your board. With this in mind the best guide to choosing the right binding is matching it to 3 things.

Riding style – The more aggressive the rider the stiffer the binding. The more rails and butters a rider wants to do, the softer the binding to do it with.

Size – A big guy will need a stiffer binding if he wants quick response and lots of support from them because he will bend them more easily. For the smaller riders amongst us, the opposite is true as a light rider can ride much softer bindings and find them responsive and supportive in relation to their weight.

The rest of the set up – A stiff pair of bindings in between soft board and boots will effect the balance of a set up. When everything matches you get the optimum ‘feel’ from your set up. Think of your set up as moving like a chain reaction, taking your actions and releasing their effects onto the snow. You can certainly ride with stiff boots and bindings and a soft board or vice versa as long as the odd one out of the three is at the end. Put this in the middle and it serves as a blocking point. Finding the optimum balance for your set up allows you to make the most of your investment and have the most possible fun on the snow.

Features to focus on.
Highbacks and forward lean. This enables a rider to bend their knees without trying, therefore helping them put the board on edge more easily. Great for beginners and aggressive riders in backcountry or pipe, not so good for jibbers.

Toe caps. This pulls the foot into the highback. If the heel of a boot is snug in the heel cup the binding and boot will be able to do their job. It also spreads out the pressure on the foot by pulling against the solid part of the boot rather than on top. The foot has a major artery running along the top of it so putting excess pressure on the top of the foot reduces blood flow to the toes. With greater blood flow the foot stays warmer for longer which feels good!!!

Straps and baseplates – Soft and supportive is good. Memory foam, leather and gel inserts all offer greater comfort for the rider. Burton offers a lifetime warranty on their base plate again this season for the ultimate piece of mind and Rome, Flow and Forum are using metal in their designs to give you the ultimate in strength.

Bindings work or fail ultimately by their fit with your boots. Too big and your boot moves around in the binding so if you are adding new bindings to your set up this winter there is a lot to be said for bringing your boots down to the shop with you when you come. When you get here you will see all your old favourites with Burton, Forum and Rome and the new addition to our range for the ultimate in convenience Flow.

Are you ready?

Winter is coming. Looking out of the window and seeing a bright sunny day it is hard to believe that we are in the middle of October. Step out into that sunshine though and you will feel the harsh bite of winter building up and if reports are to be believed, and this does turn out to be the coldest winter in 20 years we are in for a treat. Ullr has spoken and has decreed upon us a second La Nina winter in a row, what does this mean? Well put simply lower than average temperatures, and at this point they are saying at least 5 degrees celcius lower than normal, and above average precipitation. Think last year on steroids and you are beginning to get the idea of what Mother Nature has in store for us.

With this in mind and with the amount of fist pumping excitement this is generating, we at AG are going to help you decipher the world of snow technology to help you make the most of what could turn out to be the best winter Vancouver Island has ever seen. First up is the industries biggest talking point right now, camber.

Camber can be broken down into three main categories with then slight variations on these themes.

Positive Camber – The original. This shape allows the rider to bend the board to create pop and rebound and to allow the board to be deformed. When a rider stands on a positive camber board they will feel it flatten onto the snow putting 90% of the board in contact with the ground. With positive camber when we bend the board to a certain point the board will push back to regain its original shape. This push back can either be the effect produced when bending it along its length in an ollie i.e. pop or when twisting it torsionally when turning i.e. rebound. When riding a board in powder because we are not on edge we need to bend the board torsionally again, this time without the pressure of pushing against the hill on an edge the board is deforming and therefore banking against snow to create the turn and float.
Best uses for this shape are: Pipe, groomers, freeriding, park riding.
Key features for this shape are: Stable at speed and on landings for jumps, tons of pop, lots of rider feedback.
AG top picks – Bataleon Evil Twin and Goliath

Reverse Camber – The New Kid. This shape takes everything surfing has been preaching and brings it to the snow. Reverse Camber or Rocker has been a game changer in the sport. With Reverse Camber a rider’s balance point transfers from outside of the feet to between the feet. The ends of the board both angle up and the contact points (where the board comes into contact with the snow) are determined by the rider’s stance. With this shape the board will turn and respond very quickly. With less board touching the snow and the feet determining where the contacts points are any movement of the body will transfer directly to the board. For a rider this means the board will be easier to rider on steeps, in trees and in icy conditions where riders want the quickest response possible. It will also be easy to butter and press on both the snow and park features and be easy to spin. Possibly the best use of reverse camber is float in powder. With the nose of the board pointing up and the curvature of the rocker the board allows the rider to stay afloat with less effort and a more centred stance.
Best uses for this shape: Powder, rails and boxes, learning to ride, butters, moguls and chop.
Key features for this shape are: Easy to turn, lots of float, effortless feel to ride and super playful
AG top picks – Lib Tech Skate Banana, Forum Manual and Aura, Rome Artifact

Hybrid Camber – Mustache, Mountain Pop, Flying V, Easy V, C2…. This shape is the possible best of both worlds. It is a combination of cambers. Positive camber under the feet to retain all the advantages positive camber brings and reverse camber between the feet to utilize the positive effects this brings to a board.
Best uses for this shape are: Anything!!!
Key features for this shape are: Everything good!!!
AG top picks – Burton Custom, Rome Agent, Lib Tech Travis Rice, Gnu Riders Choice, Forum Destroyer

We have a great selection of all these styles in the shop right now and will be able to work out with you which one best suits your needs. Check back next week to see how height and weight affect your board choice and to find out more about what bindings there are on offer, and how they will help you have more fun, shred harder and make the most of your time on the mountain… AG

The calendar may claim it is the end of Summer but with the swell hitting the beaches and the sun on the lakes why wouldn’t you get down here and save some cash on new shorts and bikinis?!?!?!?! Just asking… AG

Tanner Champion wakeskate from Tanner Champion on Vimeo.

It is always a good day when Tanner sends over an edit, so sit back, relax and enjoy watching Canada’s best, courtesy of your good friends here at AG…

Trick Of The Day from Daniel Gardiner on Vimeo.

Well hot dog wasn’t that an extremely poppin’ hardflip over the hip compliments of shop homie, Enve rider, and stylin’ guy Graham Roff. Want to know how to look as handsome and well dressed as Graham? Just come into Alternative Groove and check out the heaps of new Hoodies, Jeans, Hats, T-Shirts, and more! You’ll be rolling in more babes than Slappy Frank after we’re done helping you out, so come by today.

Video Compliments of Daniel Gardiner and www.bigdirties.blogspot.com

Trick Of The Day from Daniel Gardiner on Vimeo.

FLOCKA!

1st – Jordan Van Gyzen
2nd – Matt MacCauley
3rd – Jasmine Wilkinson
4th – Adam Lewis
5th – Justin Healey

13 to 18

1st – Lucas Meggitt
2nd – Kyle Berry
3rd – Kai Van Der Veen
4th – Jarred Mihalj
5th – Luke Postey

Open
0th – Slappy Frank – Pack of cigs
1st – Shay Sandiford —> $1000
2nd – Brandon Soros —> $500
3rd – Jarred Horne —–> $250
4th – Jordan “Chippy” Pletz