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2002 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
Toyland
Who says tricks are for kids?
By Sam Moulton


	Eric Swanson

Paul Turner, inventor of the RockShox fork, took three years to perfect the aluminum MAVERICK ML7 full-suspension mountain bike ($2,695, frame only; $5,000 as pictured; 303-415-0370, www.maverickamerican.com). The result is a rear-shock design that delivers the Holy Grail of bikedom: four plush inches of all-mountain travel meshed with supersnappy cross-country performance.

Pull that mountain bike out of the basement, pop off its wheels and drivetrain, and swap in the skis and foot pegs of WINTER X-BIKE's SKI-MX conversion kit ($300; 866-766-2453, www.winterxbike.com). Voilà: your own ski bike! With more than 45 U.S. resorts now permitting ski bikes on their slopes, the opportunity to launch big air on a rig over a crash-landing pad of snow, not hard earth, is too tempting to ignore.


	Eric Swanson

Yes, the TRIKKE.8 ($299; 877-487-4553, www.trikke.com) looks like a poor man's answer to the Segway, 'cept it's way more fun. To move forward, lean into a turn and rock the steering column, using an S-motion. The resulting fluid ride feels surprisingly like skiing—down asphalt. The collapsible, 19-pound Trikke.8 rolls smooth and fast on polyurethane wheels and uses dual independent rear brakes, crucial for stopping at that inevitable intersection at the bottom of the hill.

Behold WILDERNESS SYSTEMS' TEMPEST 170 kayak ($2,699; 800-311-7245, www.wildernesssystems.com), the first fully tricked-out touring boat that maneuvers in high seas like an America's Cup rig. Its streamlined hull will float up to 310 pounds of man and gear, and it's the first sea kayak to feature an infinitely adjustable seat (goodbye, leg cramps!) for a custom fit that locks in the thighs to help execute aggressive lean turns while surfing through a rocky break.

PREMIER SNOWSKATES' founder, Andy Wolf, has taken his original, five-year-old design for a snow skateboard and produced the first-ever convertible snowdeck, the 2-4-1 BI-DECK SAFARI ($180; 800-305-4138, www.premiersnowsk8.com). Its mini-ski attaches to the bottom of the board for a better edge hold while carving down groomers. Remove it and the Safari becomes a stable deck for sticking rail slides in the parking lot.

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