RETAIL/LEISURE

Dressed to Snow Board: With the weather turning colder and snow beginning to show in ski resorts, Orange County’s surf wear makers have turned to trying to promote their winter line.

For Gotcha, the Costa Mesa clothier, that means snow-boarding wear.

The sport has rapidly grown, but it could be growing faster. To help it along, Gotcha, along with Snowboarder Magazine in Dana Point, is sponsoring free lessons at major ski resorts across the country to teach beginners how to “shred.” The learners also get a discounted--or free--lift ticket.

For the uninitiated, snow boards look like big skateboards without the wheels. Shredders slide down the ski slopes in a series of gyrations that are very similar to surfing. Hence, surf wear makers are trying to capitalize on the new sport with lines of warm, loose-fitting, hip clothes.