Going Snowboarding This Winter? Here's What You Should Wear....

BURTON PROWESS JACKET

Price: £205

Burton make some of the raddest women's outerwear on the market. Forget tight short jackets, these guys are known for making good-looking baggy long-length snowboarding jackets for women. We are fans of this year's Prowess jacket with its premium waterproof/breathable Durashell fabric and sherpa-fleece lined collar. It's also made with 40 per cent recycled insulation. Nice one, Burton. 

DC VENEER RIDING SWEATSHIRT

Price: £65

DC make some awesome mid-layers for women who spend a lot of their year in the mountains. With a super soft fleecy lining, the Veneer riding sweatshirt is perfect for layering under your jacket. I love the roll neck which acts as an extra neck warmer on those cold windy days. Come spring, you can wear it on its own, thanks to the durable water repellent finish. I've had so many comments from friends saying how much they love the colour of this sweatshirt.

Dakine Mackenzie Bib Trousers

Price: £203

Bib snowboarding pants are all the rage right now. Dakine have made an awesome pair of women's bib pants that are miles away from those nerdy ones you used to wear as a kid. These Mackenzie Bib trousers are sleek and black with a close-fitted cut, so you won't look like Will Smith circa 1992. They have a two-way access chest pocket plus zips in the legs which double up as vents. Major bib bonus: you won't end up with snow down your pants on a powder day, plus they act as an extra layer to keep you warm. 

Mons Royale Rocker Raglan Thermal Top

Price: £74.99

Mons Royale make top quality base layers from merino wool, which will not only keep you warm on cold days but also have natural anti-bacterial properties eliminating any odours. The Raglan Rocker top comes in this nice striped design with an extra long fit, so it will cover your bum.

Stance Socks Kora La V2

Price: £18

Stance are top of their game when it comes to snowboarding socks. The Kongsberg socks were designed by Norwegian pro snowboarder Silje Norendal inspired by the country's traditional dress. They are also made from merino wool, plus each pair has breathable mesh panels built in to improve ventilation.

Salomon Ivy Boots

Price: £180

When it comes to snowboarding boots, I'm a Salomon girl through and through. Different boots suit different feet. The Ivy boots are comfortable with soft flex which makes them great for beginners and intermediates. They have a dual zone lacing system allowing you to change the tightness of your laces around the foot and ankle separately.

DC Seger Gloves

Price: £42

Looking for a pair of good quality gloves that will keep your hands toasty warm? With a rad tribal pattern, warm fleecy lining and sleek faux suede palms, DC's  Seger gloves are fast becoming my new favourite pair. I wore them up to Saas Fee in Switzerland on a freezing -15°C day and my hands were in the warmest in our group. Plus I could check my phone without taking them off, thanks to the touchscreen pad on the index finger. Cool, huh? Make sure you take a look at the matching DC Cruiser snow jacket.

Melon Jackson Goggles

Price: £75

Everyone is wearing Melon goggles nowadays. They have an amazing feature when you can design your own customised pair of goggles. Just choose the lens, frame and strap in any colour you want. We're a big fan of the tie-dye strap with these yellow low-light Zeiss lens for overcast snowy days.

Picture Organic Tempo Helmet

Price: £60

Picture are quickly becoming one of my favourite ski/snowboarding brands. Why? Because they are one of the most eco-friendly snowsports companies out there. The Tempo helmet is made with 100 per cent bio-sourced and recycled materials. The shell is made from a polymer derived from corn, the liner is created from recycled polystyrene from the Japanese car industry and the ear pads are created from recycled PET plastic bottles. How cool is that?

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7 Best Eco-Friendly Surf Accessories You Can Buy In The UK

7 Best Eco-Friendly Surf Accessories You Can Buy In The UK

PATAGONIA YULEX WETSUIT

Price: £280 - £425 (depending on thickness)

Patagonia have made the first neoprene-free wetsuit. The Yulex wetsuits, released this month, are made from natural rubber, replacing neoprene which is a petroleum-based material for a plant one.

Patagonia are great at sticking to their eco morals - the water they use to make the wetsuits is recycled and the rubber comes from Forest Stewardship Council sources.

ODINA BIKINI

Price: £102

Odina make eco-friendly swimwear, made from recycled plastic and materials. They are designed and tested by surfers not models, so you can trust them in the water. I love their designs, especially the back straps. They aren't cheap, but nothing environmentally friendly ever is, eh? You can buy Odina bikinis in the UK from Seafoam. 

BUTTA SURF WAX

Price: £2.20

Butta make eco-friendly surf wax right here in the UK. Most surf wax is made from petroleum and doesn't biodegrade, which is why Butta make their wax from 100 per cent eco-friendly ingredients. Each bar is housed in a biodegradable cup and a percentage of their profits are donated to charity Surfers Against Sewage. You can buy it from TVSC.

AUBREY ORGANICS NATURAL SUNSCREEN

Price: £12.98

It's actually amazingly tricky to find a reef-safe sunscreen in the UK. Just have a read of Girl Independent's blog post on this matter. It's important to wear reef-safe sunscreen because it washes off your body into the ocean. These chemicals are contributing to the bleaching of coral reefs. 

SurfYogis have a great natural reef-safe sunscreen, but it's not readily available to buy in the UK. Aubrey Organics is the one we found that can be bought online in the UK. Just make sure you keep reapplying.

WaveTribe Recycled Surfboard Leash

Price: £23.99

Californian company Wavetribe make their leashes out of recycled material with the main cord created from recycled plastic bottles. They claim to be the strongest leashes out there, which is always a bonus when you are surfing heavy waves. You can buy them from our new favourite online surf shop, The Green Wave.

WATER-to-GO BOTTLE

Price: £12.99 (comes with one filter)

Have you stopped buying plastic water bottles but still struggle when you go to a country where the drinking water isn't safe?

Water-To-Go have found a solution to this problem. Their refillable water bottles contain a filter which removes 99.9 per cent of water-born contaminants that could make you sick. Each filter cleans 130L of water, which will last you approximately two months.

I spent ages reading up their credentials before I purchased my Water-To-Go bottle. There are dozens of good reviews from people who've filled up their bottles in Africa, India and beyond. They were also tested by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine with stellar results.

We're off to Bali in a few months and we are planning on using these bottles. I'll let you know how we get on. 

Wavetribe Hemp Surfboard Bag

Price: £69.95 to £139.95 depending on size

Wavetribe make the most eco-friendly surfboard bag we could find in UK, using the least amount of harmful materials possible. Their bags are mostly made from hemp which is super sustainable and grows without the use of pesticides. It's also UV resistant and mould resistant, so it will last you a long time. Buy one from The Green Wave.

#PlasticFreeJuly: 5 Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Everyday Items

More than 5 trillion pieces of plastic are now floating in our oceans. Plastic doesn't biodegrade. Fish eat it, thinking it's food and it is now causing problems for our wildlife. 

For decades, using single-use plastic items like straws, bags and coffee cups haven't really bothered us - but now people are starting to sit up and take notice, since the affect it is having on our planet and wildlife becomes increasingly obvious. You just need to watch this video of a turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose to put you off using straws forever.

It's so simple to change your habits. Stop buying plastic water bottles and buy a refillable bottle instead. Say no to plastic bags. Soon, you won't remember why you used those items in the first place.

Here are a few of my favourite reusable alternatives:

MIZU WATER BOTTLE

Price: £32

Mizu make really good-looking stainless steel water bottles. Buying water from a shop is a total waste of money. Save those pennies for more important things (like adventures) and refill this water bottle before you head out.

BEE ECO WRAPS

Price: £20 ($35 AUD) for a set of three

Say goodbye to cling film. Bee Eco Wraps make reusable food wraps in great designs to cover food and leftovers. They are made from organic cotton covered in beeswax and jojoba oil. Just use the warmth of your hands to mould the sheets to your bowl. You can wash and reuse them as many times as you like. Bee Eco Wraps are handmade in Australia but they do ship to the UK for just £5 P&P.

ENVIRONMENTAL BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH

Price: £2.86 each from Greenshop

Plastic toothbrushes won't degrade in our lifetime - and we go through one every couple of months. I love these bamboo toothbrushes - they are 100 per cent biodegradable, even the bristles.

STAINLESS STEEL STRAW

Price: £4.99 for four on Amazon

I know, I know. Who is actually going to go round cafes and bars with their own straw? Sometimes it's easier to just politely refuse a straw. But I do like these stainless steel straws - some sets even come with a straw cleaning brush to get those fruit seeds out from inside.

REUSABLE BAG

Price: £4.50 from Paperchase

We all have dozens of these bags lying around our houses. Just take reusable bags to the supermarket and avoid bringing home plastic bags. It's already great to see that Britain's plastic bag use has dropped significantly since the 5p charge was brought in last October - around 83 per cent less plastic bags used.

REUSABLE COFFEE CUP

Price: £15 from KeepCup

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall launched his War On Waste campaign this month against takeaway coffee cups. Britain gets through 10,000 coffee cups every two minutes - and they aren't recyclable, despite what Costa and Starbucks tell us.

KeepCup made the world's first barista standard reusable coffee cups - which means they are exactly the same size as the ones they use in coffee shops. Take this to your coffee shop each morning and get them to fill it up instead of using one of theirs.

Gear Review: Bowndling Hiking Leggings

A couple of months ago, I was hiking up Snowdon and I was thinking to myself, you know what the world needs? Hiking leggings.

Often in the UK, it's too cold to hike in shorts and most outdoor trousers are khaki green, baggy and frankly not something I want to spend £50 on.

I live in leggings. Leggings are great for running and yoga - someone should make a pair for hiking.

Then I came across Bowndling. They had already answered my prayers with their strapline 'hiking needs beautiful clothing'. I couldn't agree more.

Designed in the UK and made in Italy, these sweat-wicking leggings were not only perfect for hiking but they were made ethically in the EU. One per cent of every item bought goes towards environmental and wildlife protection.

My sister & I hiked up Hangman's Hill in North Devon, the highest sea cliff in England, to put them to the test - and they were perfect. Very comfortable and breathable. The elasticity of the lycra means you stretch over stiles and clamber over rocks without worrying the material is going to split.

The matching merino vest works well because it's long enough to cover your bottom and again is made from sweat wicking material. The only thing I would say is you need to think about which bra you wear with it - if you don't want your straps to show, go for a racer back.

They are definitely pricey - but when you feel the quality of the material, you'll see why.

I've since worn them to beach BBQs, on windy cliff top walks, even just down to the shops. I think it's pretty clear I've fallen in love. 

You can buy the Bowndling Quest Leggings in black (£79) and the Four Season Merino Tank Top in cream (£49) from the Bowndling website.

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6 Swimsuits For Outdoors Women

5 Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Everyday Items

Six Camping Accessories We Want This Autumn

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From top left clockwise: Finisterre Mora Fisherman Jumper, £95; Rucksack from Rucksack Village, from US $175; Miscellaneous Adventures Beanie, £16; BioLite Campstove, £149.99; Falcon Enamelware Cup, £7.99; Treeline Outdoors The Simple Man 2 Person Sleeping Bag, CAD $250

Camping gear doesn’t have to be nerdy. Not everything comes in a nice shade of bottle green. In fact, I’m slowly piecing together outdoor brands that don’t forgo style for no reason.

We might be coming to the end of camping season – winter is close around the corner. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start planning for Christmas presents.

I’m particularly keen on these three British brands here – namely coldwater surf company Finisterre, retro styled Falcon Enamelware and that mustard coloured hat from Miscellaneous Adventures. America’s got style, but so do we.

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6 Swimsuits For Outdoors Women

5 Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Everyday Items

Six Swimsuits For Outdoors Women

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From top left clockwise: Roxy Morroccan Moon One Piece, Surfdome £39.99; Gypsea Riviera One Piece, Seea £78; Billabong Hayuk One Piece, Paragon £58; Volcom Reality Bites One Piece, Surf Stitch £45; Carve Designs Beacon One Piece, REI £32; N.L.P. Zip Front One Piece, N.L.P. £150

Swimming costumes have long suffered a bad reputation. Ever since the bikini arrived on the scene, swimsuits have been the reserve of older women and children – but not any more.

7 Best Eco-Friendly Surf Accessories You Can Buy In The UK

There are some super cool designs out there made especially for sporty women. I’m personally a big fan of the built-in bra that supports rather than squishes your boobs into your chest.

There’s nothing mumsy about these designs, so you won’t feel frumpish on the beach, plus it’s way easier to peel off a wetsuit wearing one of these underneath than a bikini. No more fear of flashing the locals, hooray!

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6 Camping Accessories We Want This Autumn

5 Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Everyday Items