(Edit: I've updated/edited this posting, originally posted last month, to incorporate more information on my beginner board that seems to attract alot of searches.)

I had to hit a few different stores in downtown Toronto last week for some gear. Some if it was for me, most of it for friends who were with me that are coming to Whistler.

I visited, in no particular order:

Hogtown Extreme Sports: Great store, lousy website. Offer possibly the widest selection of ski and snowboard bags I have ever seen. Knowledgeable staff, and only seem to carry high-quality stuff. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the King/Spadina area.

Mountain Equipment Co-Op: Everyone loves MEC. Especially hippies. Good for base layers, camping gear, that sort of stuff. Not much available in the way of gear specifically for snowboarding, but great winter clothes.

Europe Bound: You know, I had never been in there before, and I was disappointed when I finally did. More stuff than MEC, but way less organized and very messy. Difficult to walk around in. I guess this will appeal to a certain type of shopper.

Sport Chek: I'm sure someone will call me a 'poser' for saying this, but: I end up buying lots of stuff here. Everything is very affordable, and they have a little of everything - boards, coats, gloves, tools, boots, bindings, etc. Both brand names and odd names you've never heard of (likely their own private label brands), like Mole snowboards (I own one). At least my bindings are from a company I've heard of before...

Man, I didn't realize Flow got flow.com. Great URL.

Edit December 2005: I seem to be getting a lot of traffic from Google searches for Mole Snowboards. I, like you, couldn't find much information about them. So I'll list below what I know about them:

- I believe they are a private label brand of Sport Chek, a Canadian retailer. Sport Check has a few private lable brands they use for outdoor clothing and equipment.

- I got the board at an end-of-season sale at Sport Chek when I was learning how to snowboard. It's 154cm and has a picture of Mount Hood on it.

- For all intents and purposes, it has been very good. Actually, I still use it. And I've taken it to Whistler three times, Vermont once, and southern Ontario a whole ton. It has done the job quite nicely, and I highly recommend it as a learner board. It has taken rocks, jumps and general wear and tear quite well.

- I'm using Flow bindings with the board.

- The board is thinner than most snowboards I have seen.

I am planning to replace the board soon simply because I think my abilities now go beyond the board - I want something a little wider, maybe a little more stiff, and a little thicker/able to absorb some more shock. But all things considered it was a great board to start/learn with.

If you have any more information on this board I'd love to hear from you so we can get a bit of a repository going.