Light and Free: Freeride skis catch a weight-saving wave
The Gear Guide used to have an unofficial 10-lb. limit. We wouldn’t consider heavier skis. They flat out would not make the cut, and even the most freeride-focused testers would begrudge those portly profiles. But things have changed.
Journey Lines: Splitboard mountaineer Josh Jespersen transitions from seeking vert to finding community in his new project
In 2017, splitboarder Josh Jespersen became the first person to climb and ski all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks—dubbed 14ers—during a single ski season. Jespersen, a splitboard-mountaineer and … [Read More...]
Finer Points: Five-point sidecut and the art of the taper
Even though antique skis are thought to be completely straight, a hint of sidecut has graced ski design since Norway’s early telemark skiers of the 1880s. The subtle one- to three-millimeter sidecut … [Read More...]
Backcountry Events Bulletin: November 2018
Across the U.S., late October and early November 2018 have brought winter weather, and early season turns are becoming the norm. To generate stoke and avalanche awareness for the quickly approaching … [Read More...]
Grassroots Glades
Holly Knox has been managing recreational opportunities as a Green Mountain National Forest District Recreation Program Manager for the last decade, a time when the number of backcountry skiers … [Read More...]
A Cinderella Story: how to find the best-fitting boot for winter 2019
It's a brave new world of AT boot design on the winter 2019 skintrack, but with options like shell moldability, four buckles or no buckles, flex ratings up to 130 and weights ringing in at a scant 3.9 … [Read More...]
Fine tuned and dialed in: Off-season prep for the upcoming winter
It’s only midsummer, but the powder dreams are settling in each night. As the days grow shorter, trailers for new ski movies debut and you’re in the thick of researching next year’s gear, it’s also … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Looking beyond instability
If you’ve taken an avalanche safety course—and if you haven’t, you should consider it—then you likely have it hammered into you’re brain that you must be constantly vigilant to changing conditions, … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: All-Mountain Skis
This year’s best skis are focused on transcending boundaries. From light skintrack slayers that can muscle through crud to fat powder boats that charge edge to edge, 2019’s Editors’ Choice lineup … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Freeride Skis
This year's best skis are focused on transcending boundaries. From light skintrack slayers that can muscle through crud to fat powder boats that charge edge to edge, 2019's Editors' Choice lineup … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Powder Touring Skis
This year’s best skis are focused on transcending boundaries. From light skintrack slayers that can muscle through crud to fat powder boats that charge edge to edge, 2019’s Editors’ Choice lineup … [Read More...]
2019 BACKCOUNTRY EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS
The 2019 Gear Guide's story is one of transcending boundaries, from the unification of our ski and splitboard tests at Powder Mountain, Utah to the gear itself. This year’s best products excel beyond … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Boots
Massive walk-mode ranges, state-of-the-art buckles, heat-moldable shells and true 130 flex ratings might have sounded far fetched among AT boots a decade ago, but the future is now with this 2019 … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Bindings
In the race to the top, it’s all about balancing weight and security, and this year’s Editors’ Choice bindings showcase durable construction paired with weight savings and tremendous versatility. From … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Apparel and Accessories
For the second year running, the 2019 Gear Guide is packed with the best jackets, layers, packs, helmets and more apparel and accessories for this winter. Our Editors’ Choice apparel exemplifies the … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Splitboards
As splitboarding has matured, so too has its relationship with skiing—and this year, we merged Board Test Week with our Powder Mountain Gear Test. Send trains, friendly one-upmanship and endless gear … [Read More...]
2018 Testers’ Choice: Dana Allen’s picks
Testing skis for the Backcountry Magazine Gear Guide can be a grueling endeavor—with hours upon hours of hot powder laps, edge-to-edge action on groomers, the occasional crud-busting run, and of … [Read More...]
2018 Testers’ Choice: Gavin Cooper’s picks
Testing skis for the Backcountry Magazine Gear Guide can be a grueling endeavor—with hours upon hours of hot powder laps, edge-to-edge action on groomers, the occasional crud-busting run, and of … [Read More...]
2018 Testers’ Choice: Becca Cooper’s Picks
Testing skis for the Backcountry Magazine Gear Guide can be a grueling endeavor—with hours upon hours of hot powder laps, edge-to-edge action on groomers, the occasional crud-busting run, and of … [Read More...]
2018 Testers’ Choice: Matteo Campbell’s picks
Testing skis for the Backcountry Magazine Gear Guide can be a grueling endeavor—with hours upon hours of hot powder laps, edge-to-edge action on groomers, the occasional crud-busting run, and of … [Read More...]
2018 Testers’ Choice: Cat Ambrose’s Picks
Testing skis for the Backcountry Magazine Gear Guide can be a grueling endeavor—with hours upon hours of hot powder laps, edge-to-edge action on groomers, the occasional crud-busting run, and of … [Read More...]
It’s what’s on the inside that counts: A Master Bootfitter’s guide to footbeds and liners
We last chatted with Board-certified pedorthist Bob Egeland just before the 2018 Powder Mountain Gear Test Week to hear about the ABCs of bootfitting. In our conversation, he elaborated on the three … [Read More...]
Board Test Week wraps up in Colorado
Sitting in the Monarch Cat Skiing yurt, seven testers laced up boots and turned on beacons when first-year tester Alex Spectorsky spoke up. “So, how’s the snow?” he asked the Monarch … [Read More...]
Board Test Week’s Peaks and Valleys
Despite the early wake up after three full days of testing boards, rumors of snowfall and significant amounts of cold-brew coffee fueled Monday morning’s stoke on the fourth day of Board Test Week. … [Read More...]
Gallery: Gear Test Week 2018
A few short weeks ago, more than 40 testers converged on the sunny slopes of Powder Mountain, Utah for Gear Test Week 2018. Along for the ride was photographer Matt Kiedaisch, who documented each day, … [Read More...]
How Romp Skis crafted the ultimate one-quiver backcountry tool
At 2018 Gear Test Week, 40 testers put more than 200 pairs of skis, 70 pairs of boots and every pair of backcountry bindings through the ringer. But one particular product stood above all the rest—and … [Read More...]
