Monday, November 16, 2009

love me some bbq

Over the last few months, I've done a lot of research on many different types of grills. Many of them are good, lots of them aren't. But what I found is that there is one brand of barbecue grills, both charcoal and gas, that stands far above the rest. Weber, a name that everybody knows and respects. Why? Because their products have stood the test of time, decade after decade.

I can remember as a kid the Fourth of July cookouts at my Grandparents' house with a huge hunk of beef on the Weber grill. The sound of the rotisserie will stay with me always. My Weber Performer is the same basic grill my Grandfather used back then. It just shows you the quality of their grills holds true still today. That is why I highly recommend Weber products.

I've listed five of the top selling Weber Grills that I recommend:

Smokey Joe Grill

The Smokey Joe Grill is a great grill for apartment dwellers who have limited storage space. This table-top model features a 14 inch grate for 147 square inches of cooking capacity. Its great to take on you next picnic too. You can count on the quality and dependability that you've come to expect from Weber products.

The One-Touch Gold Series Grill

The One-Touch Gold Series Grill is a great starter grill that will last you many years. It's the classic Weber Kettle Grill design. The great feature of the Gold Series is the convenient Ash Catcher. It makes it very easy when it comes time to empty the spent ashes. You can choose between the 18.5 inch model for a cooking capacity of 240 square inches, or the 22.5 inch model for a capacity of 363 square inches. Again, the Weber quality is always present. A great grill for the price.

The One-Touch Gold Series 26.75″ Grill

The One-Touch Gold Series 26.75″ Grill is the next step up in charcoal grills. Its massive 26.75 inch grate provides 508 square inches of cooking capacity. Plenty of space for any size brisket you have. This model features a built-in thermometer, as well as the convenient Gold Series Ash Catcher. Many other feature abound. This grill is for the serious barbecuer.

The Weber Performer Charcoal Grill

This is the ultimate in charcoal grilling. The Weber Performer Charcoal Grill features the classic Weber Kettle Grill design built into a cart format. The unique Touch-N-Go gas ignition system lights your charcoal with a small LP gas burner. No more lighter fluid!! It also features the convenient Gold Series Ash Catcher as well as a dual purpose thermometer and weather protected charcoal storage container.

I've personally used the Performer Grill for the last 9 years and I absolutely love it. I wouldn't do without it.

Well, there you have it... I sincerely hope that these recommendations will help you in your grilling quests.

tips for learning

Both skiing and snowboarding are incredibly fun activities and recreational sports. If you have never done skiing or snowboarding before but now you want to try them out, then you must first of all get yourself ready for some initial struggles, even if you are the most gifted athlete. You may fall many times in the beginning of your lessons and may even hurt yourself slightly with some injuries and bruises, but with your mistakes, you need to learn how to fall without getting hurt.

Do not give on the very first day of your learning. Instead of spending your entire vacation in a whirlpool tub, you should give it some more tries and you will surely become comfortable with the ski or snowboard soon.

One of the most important tips is to take lessons from professional instructor right on the mountain. No matter how great your spouse or your friends are, it will be less frustrating for them if you choose to learn the skills from a professional instructor.

Secondly, you will also need the right equipments. Because you are just starting out and you do not know how successful you will be at learning the sports and how often will you ski or snowboard, it is better to rent the gear instead of purchasing one. It would be better to tell the equipments store people that you are a beginner at the sport so that they can give the right kind of equipments to you.

Learn the skills slowly and gradually. You have to build your foundation first, no matter there are too many 8 year olds around you on the slope. Once your foundation has been built, you will be successful at tackling bigger slopes with confidence and ease. First of all, you have to spend some time on your behind and after that, learn to balance your body properly. However you may take some time to become perfect at this, you will be rewarded with delightful experiences once you have learned it.

In the end of the day spent in the chilly snow, nothing will be better than a shower or bath. The frozen fingers of your hands and toes will thaw out and the sore muscles of your body will love to be in the warm water. Even though it will be hard to get yourself motivated to go there again to continue your snowboard lessons, you will definitely be rewarded in the end.

google goggles

Whether you are a skier or a snowboarder, you have to ensure that your eyes are kept well protected for which, you have to buy some good quality goggles. Without goggles, you will be put at risk of several harmful consequences including ice particles, twigs, snow and debris flying towards your face at high speed. You also need to protect your eyes against UV rays that become more powerful when get reflected back from the snow.

Fogging is also a major problem related to snowboarding and skiing goggles, especially if you are a beginner as you breathe heavier and fall more. Goggles with multiple lenses are helpful in avoiding fogging as they allow fresh air to get circulated inside the goggles because of which they remain well-vented. Other options that you can opt for may be chemical treatment done during the manufacturing of the goggles and anti-fogging sprays or wipes that are easily available at the equipment stores.

Most of the branded goggles provide 100% UV protection, but if you are not able to afford these, you should choose the goggles that have at least 95% UV protection.

Other things that you need to keep in mind while purchasing ski or snowboarding goggles are that they should have a fine peripheral vision, they should be comfortable to wear and should snug fit over your facial contours. The straps and inside of your goggles should be padded which will prevent serious injuries in case you land badly. By peripheral vision, we mean that while you are traveling down the slope at high speed, you should be able to recognize the hazards quickly such as rocks, trees, uneven terrain and other people on the snow fields.

If you have to wear prescription glasses, then you can get your customized prescription goggles or purchase a pair that securely fits over your glasses. While deciding about the color of your lenses, you must remember that yellow or clear lenses are suitable for darker skiing or snowboarding conditions; rosy tint is suitable for medium to low light conditions and yellow, amber or gold are suitable for moderate light conditions. Now-a-days, goggles are available that have inter-changeable lenses, allowing you to choose the correct color of your lenses for current skiing or snowboarding conditions.

Although most of the branded ski and snowboarding goggles are fine, they should also work well with the helmet you wear. It is important to choose your goggles wisely so that you can enjoy your sport in a safe manner.

all about bindings

Snowboard binding is the lifeline between you and the snowboard. It is essentially important to ensure that you have the correct specification. You have to be sure of the type of snowboard that fits your needs best and the kind of straps that will match the use that you have for it. If you are a less than frequent user, you may take a weaker material but if you are a pro, then you cannot take such risks.

Traditional snowboard strap bindings come in two shapes, one that holds the ankle and the other that holds the toes. The advantage of this type of traditional two strap binding is that it is common and therefore it is more available. Besides being more available, it also has a variety to choose from. You can also easily locate and repair the bindings when need arises. The challenge in using this two strap method is that it often exerts pressure on points of strapping.

The other type of snowboard binding is the rear-entry type, in which the user's feet is slotted from the rear end and then snaps into place. The advantage of using this type is that getting in and out of the bindings is easy and fast. Pressure is spread across the whole foot and is the best for children. The challenge is that there are few choices to choose from and is more difficult to find replacements.

Whatever type of snowboard binding you choose to go with there are certain consideration that you need to make:

Check your size of foot: The bindings come in small, medium and large. You have to choose the closest in size. This will make sure that the pressure is spread all across the feet and you do not need to deal with the pressure points after having your fun.

Choice of high backs and hard boots: These depend on how seasoned you are. If you need greater controls, then you are advised to take on the high backs and tighten them. This is relevant to aggressive riders. With addition of hard boots, the control is even tighter and allows for rough snowboard skating.

Safety: This is the most important feature of all when making the decision on which snowboard binding to buy. It is often dependent on the grip that you want the snowboard to hold on your. You want to be sure that want to have adequate control so that you are safe. The secret to this is to buy just what is adequate. If it is too tight it can cause pressure points and leave wounds.

Affordability: This is one of the important factors because no matter how much you may like a particular snowboard feature, yet you if cannot afford it, it becomes meaningless to admire it. The choice of an affordable snowboard binding may depend on the material used. The softer materials through cheaper would not be of interest to the professional skater. Choose what can serve you best without having to compromise on quality.

easy snowboard turns

Learning to make snowboard turns is one of the most important things to understand when first starting out in snowboarding. One really simple and effective method is called the Freestyle Triangle and if you can apply this one tip while riding you will fast track your progress. The Freestyle Triangle is formed by pointing your hands out over either tip of your snowboard and trying to keep them there as much as possible. By doing this you are stabilizing your core and you can use your hands to help you turn.

How does the freestyle triangle help you make snowboard turns?

Doing this helps you to make snowboard turns because you use your hands to point in the direction of where you want to turn. If you are riding downhill with your left foot forward, known as regular stance, your left hand is over your front tip. If you want to turn to the right, your simply rotate your torso and point your hand to the right of the tip. Your snowboard will naturally follow where you are pointing.

Make Snowboard Turns easy with Loose Knees.

Bending your knees is another key thing that will help you progress quickly. It is necessary to ensure that your knees are bent enough so that your body is not stiff. There is nothing harder than trying to make snowboard turns when your body is stiff and jerky. You want to be as fluid and loose as possible and keeping your knees bent really helps with this. If you are stiff you are much more prone to injury and falling.

So remember that when trying to make snowboard turns, two key things to remember are the freestyle triangle (your hands over the tips of your board) and loose knees. By applying these two lessons you make it drastically easier on your body to make turns and absorb the little bumps on the hill.

buying womens snowboard boots

Because snowboarding is practice in snow, you can be exposure to freezing temperatures; hence, you must make certain you decide on the correct snowboarding boot. Feeling cold feet may be a bad situation and no one is snug in that situation. You must have warm feet to feel comfortable whereas riding and ensures you keep comfortable. Another major aspect of the boot must be that maintain your feet dry.If your boots get water inside and makes your feet wet there is little doubt you may feel cold once again. Getting the perfect snowboarding boot that will definitely facilitate to keep your feet dry is terribly significant.

Check these important components to think about when shopping for a snowboarding boot. For example What type of boarding can you be doing? Your riding will depend the proper boot. Boots return in soft to hard flex choices and knowing what you wish whereas you are boarding, will facilitate to slim down your options immediately. For instance, if you plan on doing a ton of tricks, stunts, rails and pipes you will need a try of softer boots.

Another facet of board boots that you will want to take into thought is that the type of lacing system that you may want. How do you would like your boots to fasten? Do you want laces? Do you want the BOA system that is currently on the market available? Several firms supply their own variations on the lacing systems, so the choice is completely up to you.

Snowboarding boots can have an effect on your performance. They may not be the correct boot for the board, the bindings or for you. Making certain that each one of these things work along and work along during a approach that will not hinder your performance will be of great importance to you.Make positive that the boots work you properly. You don not wish the boots to be too tight or too loose. If the boots are tight your feet can hurt and will hinder your performance. If your boots are too loose, your feet can slide around and this can also hinder your performance. You will undoubtedly need to attempt the boots on before you get them. Finding the right fit in your board boots will be necessary so that your feet don't suffer right along together with your performance level.

When truly searching for your snowboard boots, first consider your value range. What are you willing to purchase a group of shoes? This can help eliminate many options and cut the sector down to assist you from obtaining distracted.For a high finish snowboard boot, expect to pay a few hundred greenbacks and more. They can contain all of the bells and whistles that you'd want in a very boot. They are higher made; supply a stiffer structure which allows the rider to have better customization in their performance. These boots are just better all the way around, and the simplest possibility for the long term.

Buying a proper combine of snowboard boots doesn't must be an awesome decision. You simply would like to understand what you are wanting for and what your wants are. Once you educate yourself about the various selections, you'll notice that buying a sensible pair of shoes will be straightforward and a ton of fun.