686

About 686 Independently owned and operated by riders with a powerful passion for snowboarding, 686 is obsessed with producing progressive products that dominate the mountain. Their technical apparel is inspired by a combination of the gritty street culture of LA and the boardsports lifestyle that 686 was founded on.

Michael Akira West ripped through the '80s on his skateboard and big ideas. It was later in the decade that his buddy introduced him to the concept of riding a board on snow, and Mike was forever sold on snowboarding. By 1992, the company 686 was officially taking off in Southern California. The numbers 6, 8, and 6 derive from a monumental date in his grandmother's life and also, if added together, give you Mike's age when he started 686. From the beginning, and ever since, 686 has thrived on originality and dedication to fashionable yet high performance outerwear.

Obviously coats play a vital role in how your day on the slopes turns out. No one understands this more than 686, and it is their use of the best materials and upper echelon technology that ensures you will never have to cut a day short due to a jacket failure. Removable Smarty fleece liners are part of what makes 686 jackets so unstoppable. An INFIDRY outershell, tri-pull hood, and Storm Guard brim give guys the advantage over the elements with jackets like the Smarty Shift Jacket and the Smarty Counter Jacket. Ladies leave nothing to be desired when they slip into the Smarty Cherish Jacket or the Smarty Mode Jacket that pack critically taped seams, a hide-away powder skirt, and stormflap closure.

It's tough to get much riding done without your legs, so do them a favor and treat them to the luxury provided by 686 pants. Guys get 20k waterproofing and 15k breathability with the Plexus Plasma Snow Pant and women can enjoy the prime mixture of style and functionality while wearing the Smarty Fave Dobby Pant. Both genders get the hook up with the Smarty Original Cargo Pant. The 3-in-1 system that includes shell, insulated, and après pants give you all the customizable warmth you can imagine while allowing perspiration to escape via microporous INFIDRY material.

Get the kids hooked on quality from the first time they strap in by suiting them up in gear like the Mannual Bricks Insulated Jacket for boys or the Smarty Lily Insulated Pant for girls. That's right, 686 has packed all the same fierce protection and excellence into mini-sized apparel for the shorter shredders. Maintaining their status as truly rider owned and operated enables 686 to deliver gear that is the most in tune with what powder hounds, park junkies, and all-mountain animals actually need. You will be hard pressed to find another in the industry this dedicated to serving their own. Call it obsession. Call it passion. Call it whatever you want, as long as it says 686.