A most welcome downhill winter.

• Position: What's New? - Brief Article

This is the time of year when the winter whiners are in full voice, anticipating what they hope will be a nice, warm, early-arriving spring. "It's too cold out today," they'll say. "I hope it doesn't snow again. Is this ice ever going to melt?"

We winter warriors, however, will not be deterred. Time is precious-those of us who hit the slopes regularly are ready to kick it into overdrive, not wanting to waste even a single day in which there's still white powder on the mountain. To get the most out of our runs, we turned to the experts who hail from the heart of snow country, Burlington, Vt., where the Burton Snowboard Company has been thriving for more than 25 years. For those who eschew skis, snowboards are a terrific option. However, being the skateboarding daredevils that we are, we prefer another Burton favorite: snowdecks. (Besides, they're much easier to bail from.) The Junkyard ($149.95) features a wide, seven-ply hardrock maple upperdeck (8.75" x 33") for...