Shred, white and blue: Patriotic pride hits slopes

Red, white and blue … when combined, it has been said that “these colors don’t run,” and I have to agree. But boy, oh, boy, can they zoom, carve, fly and turn and burn — especially when being worn by our 2018 Winter Olympic team.

While the XXIII Winter Games are going on, the wearing of our country’s colors and anything “Go USA” feels even more special to wear out on your favorite mountain. Burton has designed uniforms for our snowboarders that are out of this world, and Spyder’s uniforms for the ski team embodies classic American sportswear.

Stars and stripes always look good against the snow, and red, white and blue always work when mixed together as long as the reds and blues are the same hues. Two of New England’s sports teams share American’s colors, so you can never go wrong by adding something from the Patriots or Red Sox.

Made in the USA, Astis mittens and gloves are like an Ugg boot for your hand. It’s all about the knees for Powder Point Sports and its line of mogul pants. U.S. flag flag pants feature stars on the right knee and stripes on the left for the perfect snow dance down a mogul run. For those who really want to go for it and don’t mind high-fiving admirers all day, the one-piece suits from Tipsy Elves perform on mountain as much as they will turn heads at the party afterward.

No matter how you decide to wear our country’s colors, remember that each of our flag’s colors have meaning. White signifies purity and innocence, much like the snow we play on and the way being on top of a mountain can make you feel. Red represents hardiness and valor, while blue signifies vigilance and perseverance. All of these are attributes our Olympians share with other American heroes.

Showing off your American pride through what you wear can be subtle or flashy fun, but we all have the freedom to decide what to wear and how to wear it because we live in the United States of America. Celebrate that by finding your own patriotic style, gear up right, and get out on that vertical runway.

Classic heritage: Spyder’s 2018 U.S. Ski Team uniforms ▪ Since 1989, Spyder has been outfitting the U.S. Ski Team. Spyder’s 2018 uniforms symbolize “the drive for greatness, the ambition to achieve gold and the generations before us” and heralds “the USA and Spyder’s alpine history in the Winter Olympics.” While the uniforms are packed with Spyder’s latest performance technologies, they have an overall traditional aesthetic and pay homage to Olympian Tommy Moe, Spyder’s longest-standing ambassador from which the “Moe” apparel collection is inspired. Cohesive and smartly designed, our male athletes will wear mostly blue with accents of white and red, while our ladies will rock white uniforms with pops of blue and red. The overall look is sharp with traditional lines working well with the crisp placement of color, and the golden Spyder logo and zipper pulls hinting at the Olympic medal ceremonies sure to come for the best skiers in the world. Didn’t make the team but want to dress like you did? Visit www.spyder.com.

The Byrd is the word ▪ Handmade in the USA, Astis mittens are a fabulous mashup of leathers, fur, fringe and Native American-inspired beading with ultra-warm Polartec Thermal Pro High Loft insulation on the inside to keep hands warm even on the coldest, snowiest days. These Byrd mittens feature the American flag contained within the shape of a bald eagle and are named for Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr., the pioneering naval officer who was first to reach the North Pole and the South Pole by air. For both men and women, Astis offers an incredible range of styles. Check out the full line at www.astis.com.

Mash moguls like Murphy ▪ Maine’s Troy Murphy grew up hitting the bumps at Sunday River and is a strong contender for the gold medal in South Korea. If crushing moguls in style is your obsession as well, then Powder Point Sports needs to be on your radar. Family owned and proudly made in the USA from a soft shell, waterproof, breathable fabric called Dintex, Powder Point pants are lined for warmth. The bottom pant leg trim is comprised of durable Cordura, guaranteed to stand up to years of wear both on and off the slopes. The gaiter is made from a nylon, Rip-Stop fabric to ensure you stay dry in those deep powder stashes. All those technical features are important, and when you add a unique placement of patterns and customizable options, Powder Point Sports is worth a look for both sexes. www.powderpointsports.com

Ready for blastoff: Burton’s 2018 Olympic Snowboard Team uniforms ▪ Snowboarders and astronauts defy gravity, so it makes sense that Burton would look to the race for space America won when designing the 2018 Olympic uniforms. Inspired by the rich history of the American space program, the 2018 U.S. Snowboard Team uniform is innovative in function and retro-futuristic in design. On the futuristic side, both the competition jacket and pant have a liquid metal look, thanks to an exclusive iridescent silver fabric coated in very fine, real aluminum. Burton custom developed the fabric solely for the 2018 uniform by infusing an extremely lightweight aluminum-coated fabric typically used for audio equipment with highly technical properties ideal for snowboarding in any weather condition. The result is a super technical, lightweight and waterproof fabric that reflects and deflects light as well as sound. Next, to pay homage to the spirit of the American space program, the competition jacket also features hand-drawn patches depicting the American flag and USA in space-age font. The unisex one-piece suit looks ready to take our athletes back to the moon and to the top of the medal podium. These uniforms are only available to our Olympic team, but mere mortals can scoop up pieces of Burton’s Gold Elite line, which also takes inspiration from the USA’s space program, or check out the Regional Beanie with American Flag patch. www.burton.com

Yankee doodle dandies ▪ These red-hot Tipsy Elves suits are endorsed by Olympian Jonny Moseley and feature adaptive, performance-focused features, including zippered ventilation, double-breasted snap pockets, retractable waterproof storm hood, elastic tab cuffs and adjustable elastic waist. Suits by Tipsy Elves are breathable with insulated linings that will keep a patriot warm down to 20 degrees, while 100 percent waterproof shells ensure that Americans will stay dry for every run. The Americana suit is the perfect mix of stars and stripes with a bit of “Top Gun Maverick” confidence thrown in. If you laugh in the face of danger like a modern day Evel Knievel, the Old Glory Suit with hidden cape is for you. Add a hat for the head-to-toe, full-on flag swagger that will make Uncle Sam proud. Declare your freedom from the boring and expected by visiting www.tipsyelves.com and discover even more ways to wear our country’s colors