Love 'em or hate 'em - they sure are tasty!

When energy drinks first sponsored snowboarders, it was bizarre. Now it's as kosher as manischewitz on shabbas. Non-snowboard-related companies, i.e., non-endemics, are have been around forever. Heck, Swatch sponsored the snowboard world championships in the '80s after all. Who wouldn't want to align their brand with cool cats in hot pink?

That said, the success of these tiresome alignments vary: from half baked and phoned in, to sweet and bubbly with long-lasting flavor. As we approach another cool winter, here's a minty taste of ten of our favorites both past and present. We know this roll call could be twice as long, but we don't have the minutes.

Totino's Pizza Rolls

Danny Davis and Mason Aguirre re-image their Totino's commercial. From FrendsVision.

One of the most classic and well-known non-snowboard company sponsorships, due to the broad reach of their commercials, Totino's made a pretty hard bid to be a part of snowboarding a few years back. The pizza snack company held the Roll Into the X Games video contest during X Games 13 (featuring former team snowboarder, Danny Kass), and brought team of really good riders, including Danny Davis and Mason Aguirre. Everyone likes snacks, so no one seemed to mind freezers were filling up with bite-size pizzas. You have to hand it to Totino's for having a sense of humor and making some knowlingly silly commercials, too, helping ease their way into acceptance in the world of snowboarding. I guess when your product is a microwavable pocket filled with pizza toppings, you know not to take yourself too seriously (because pizza is fun, right?).

Relative Shreddines: None. But who doesn't like pizza? Exactly.

Should you buy it: Sure, keep some Totino's in your freezer, because Domino's doesn't deliver 24 hours a day.

Snowskin

Travis Rice: Best of from SBTV. Footage from Absinthe Films.

Snowskin is a new sunscreen company out of New Zealand. Travis Rice rides for them, which is a heck of an athlete endorsement. The product is bombproof protection for your skin, with SPF 30+ and sweat/water resistance.

Relative Shreddines: It may seem like sunscreen doesn't apply (get it?) to snowboarding, but in sunny areas at altitude, the sun can scorch your skin quickly. Even on cloudy days, sunburns are a threat with the sun's reflection in the clouds and off the snow. If you live on the East Coast, you probably don't have to worry too much about sunburn, but for Colorado, Utah, Tahoe and other areas that have bigger mountains and more bright weather, sunscreen is a must.

Should you buy it: Yes. Keep your skin safe and avoid goggle tans.

Matador

Matador by Jack Links signed Olympic snowboarder Scotty Lago to represent their snowboard team for a few years in the late 2000s, and we imagine that during that time his jacket pockets we filled with all of the dried beef he could dream of. Beef jerky makes an excellent on hill snack due to its portability, deliciousness, and the fact that you could forget it's there for months and next time you reach into your pocket, it's still going to be edible.

Relative Shreddiness: Beef Jerky is awesome. It doesn't matter if it has anything to do with snowboarding, because it's delicious. With a range of flavors from teriyake to maple, there's beef jerky for everyone (vegetarians can eat fake jerky, though not made by Matador)

Should you buy it: Yes.

Kicker

Kicker has an expansive team list that include video heavy hitters like Aaron Biitner, Darrell Mathes, and Marie-France Roy, contest killers Louie Vito, Chas Guldemond, and Torstein Horgmo and more. They've been involved in snowboarding for a few years, but even though their speakers are known for being loud, they tend to be a little quieter in their presence in snowboarding, supporting their team and partnering on relevant projects and events.

Relative Shreddiness: You can listen to music on your drive to the mountain. People that like actions sports like music, but doesn't everyone?

Should you buy it: If you want a banging system in your whip, Kicker is the way to go.

Paul Mitchell

Paul Mitchell is an official partner of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, and Lindsey Jacobellis is a member of the USSA Team, so basically she's sponsored by Paul Mitchell. Lindsey has one of the most celebrated hairdo's in snowboarding, her curly blond hair almost as iconic as Shaun White's messy red waves. For year's, her coif has been the face, er, hair of Paul Mitchell's presence in snowboarding.

Relative Shreddiness: There's always lots of free Paul Mitchell samples at the US Open, but many snowboarders don't shower, so they may not be a fantastic target market. If you're on the cleaner side of things and are trying to avoid dreadlocks by washing your hair, take advantage of the salon shampoos and conditioner.

Should you buy it: You don't want to be a dirtbag, do you? So yeah, buy some shampoo.

Boost Mobile

Before iPhones and Androids came out and dominated the phone world in terms of functionality and coolness, Boost Mobile was buying two-page ads in snowboard magazines in attempt to be the preferred phone of extreme youth. Did it work? They had a sick team in the early 2000s, including Travis Rice and Danny Kass. Unfortunately, the number of Boost Mobile phone owners decreased dramatically if you weren't sponsored by the company.

Relative Shreddiness: You have to call your friends to meet them at the hill?

Should you buy it: Prepaid unlimited phone service? You can't get the iPhone on Boost, so, probably not.

Jones Soda

Natural soda in bright fluorescent colors and flavors like FuFu Berry. It's sweet, carbonated, and delicious. Lindsey Jacobelis is on the Jones Soda team, and Chanelle Sladics used to ride for them, too.

Relative Shreddiness: None. It's not going to hydrate you well during riding, and you can't mix drinks with it for apres. That doesn't mean it's not delicious, it just has nothing to do with shredding.

Should you buy it: If you like soda, sure. If not, no.

Cholula Hot Sauce

2011 Cholula Triple Air video by Matt Komorous,

In the divided world of hot sauce preferences, whether you're a Frank's Red Hot man, or a Sriracha connoisseur, Cholula has been deemed the official hot sauce of snowboard by the USASA contest series. The USASA Team, made up of riders like Ty Walker and Jenna Dramise (past riders include Trevor Jacob, Kaitlyn Farrington, and Broc Waring), is sponsored by Cholula through the USASA's partnership with the hot sauce.

Relative Shreddiness: Not much. Hot sauce really doesn't come to play in snowboarding at all, unless you're trying to add some heat to a bland breakfast burrito from the lodge. But, authentic and inexpensive Mexican food is one of the best eats post-shredding, so there's a slight relevancy.

Should you buy it: Yes, it's delicious, or instead of buying it, you could start competing in USASA competitions, earn points, and get all the free Cholula you want.

Holga

Holga recently started up a snowboard team, comprised only of female athletes, really, really good female athletes. Gretchen Bleiler, Chanelle Sladics, Jamie Anderson, and Maddy Schaffrick make up snowboarding team (Kristi Leskinen and Grete Eliason for skiers). Holgas are pretty cool cameras, and apparently the company is capitalizing on more than just their hipster-based resurgence with this solid team. The ladies took photos of their travels all winter long last year, and the pictures have started popping up, like for Jamie Anderson's Dispatch on SnowboarderMag.

Relative Shreddiness: Medium. Taking photos is a big part of snowboarding, even though the riders are usually the subjects rather than the photographers. Plus, being artsy is super hip. and taking photos with a Holga will definitely raise your artsy level.

Should you buy it: If you're interested in photography, the Holga is definitely a unique, fun, and affordable camera. Even better, buy the Gretchen Bleiler Limited Edition Holga and a portion of proceeds will be donated to Protect Our Winters, a non-profit dedicated to reversing the global warming crises.

BFGoodrich

Non-snowboard brands have sought out Shaun White for years (RELATED: TOP 5 BRANDS THAT SHOULD SPONSOR SHAUN WHITE), recognizing the extreme marketability power he has outside of the action sports world, and BFGoodrich Tires are no exception (Shaun's current non-snowboard sponsor line up also includes Target, Ubisoft, and Stride). A tire sponsor may seem practical, useful, but not very interesting, until you watch the above video of rally driving and high-speed drifting. Then tires seem way more interesting.

Relative Shreddiness: None. But, rally driving has seen snowboarder and action sport crossover, and tires do help you get to the mountain.

Should you buy it: It's good to replace your tires every 20,000 miles or so, so, sure. If it's good enough for Shaun White...

The bottom line, yes, there's many companies that sponsor snowboarders that have little to actually do with snowboarding. But, if the riders are stoked to eat pizza, get to rally in crazy cars, or enjoy taking photos, all while being supported by these companies, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Obviously, experienced and core snowboard companies who have contributed to making the snow community prosper and grow can never be replaced as the most relevant and important sponsors in the world of snowboarding, but supporting pro riders is a group effort from companies. As long as outside brands aren't hurting things, it's our choice to purchase their products, or just enjoy any funny marketing efforts. And anyway, who doesn't want to freshen their breath with signature Shaun Whitemint gum?

http://www.absinthe-films.com/