Westbound Boarder

As much as a long day of snowboarding ahead always peaks my excitement, I never look forward to 6am weekend wake-up calls (really, who does?)  Which is why I always start my day out right with a wholesome breakfast, orange juice… and a big, tall cup of coffee!  But sometimes I need just a little more energy to get me through the day and keep my body fresh, and that’s where energy drinks come in.

Earlier this year, AMP Energy, a long-time player in the ever crowding energy drink market, launched a new energy drink – a 100% juice infused with all the power of regular AMP Energy.  Its a great alternative to your morning cup (with an extra s, in my case) of joe, and it has the energy you need to keep your body going throughout the day.

AMP Energy recently sent us some samples of their juice to try.  Now, normally I’m not a huge fan of energy drinks (anyone who knows me well – or not so well – knows I’m a slave to coffee, and the occasional sugar free Red Bull here and there) but I tried it and its actually pretty good (a little sweet, but good).  It definitely woke me up and got me going without making me jittery and anxious like some energy drinks can do.  The best part, in my opinion, is that this juice version of AMP Energy is made with 100% juice and no added sugar, so it doesn’t contain nearly the ammount of chemicals as the typical energy drink (I’m a big proponent of the all-natural and organic craze, and this is about as close as an energy drink can get).  Plus, Hannah Teter drinks AMP Juice, so duh, its obviously healthy.  It was a little sweet for my taste, containing 41 grams of sugar per serving, but keep in mind that energy drinks are developed with the athlete in mind – aka, you need this sugar to keep your energy levels up all day long.

Their juice is made with 100% juice and no added sugar, and it contains vitamans B and C, taurine, ginseng, guarana and caffeine (one serving contains 120mg, about as much as a 12 oz cup of coffee).  The drinks can be found in stores nationwide (beginning Feb. 2010) in flavors such as orange and mixed berry, and they cost $1.99 for one or 2 for $3.

And the most exciting thing about AMP Energy Juice?  They are giving us an “AMP UP” prize pack, which includes an iPod Touch, hat, and, of course, AMP Juice to give away to one of YOU!

How To Win: For this one, we’re trying something just a little bit different.  We all love friendly competition (hey, us boarders are competitive!) so we set up a photo competition through ibeatyou, a competition-based social network.  Here’s how it works: We all make that face every now and again.  You know, that face where you’re so charged up you think you can do anything.  The face where you are totally pumped!  We want to see the face YOU make when you are energized and ready to go… We want to see your AMPED face!  To enter, take a picture of your best AMPED face and upload it (via ibeatyou) using the widget below.  The catch?  We won’t pick the winner, we’re turning to our community of readers to pick instead!  So tell your friends to vote for you, and possibly (if you so desire) to vote down the competition.  You can vote on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest, so the more 5′s your AMPED Face gets, the closer to first place you’ll move, but the more 1′s your face gets; well, you do the math.  So get voting!  And may the most AMPED face win.  The person who is in first place at midnight next Monday, March 29, will take home the prize.

Also, a quick side note, today is the last day to enter the Kombi Sports base layer giveaway, so check that one out as well!

UPDATE: This contest is now closed.  Congratulations kerriekg; you won!  Make sure you check your message inbox on ibeatyou.com for our e-mail!