How to get the most out of gear
There’s no denying it—backcountry gear is expensive. And while touring may offer freedom from purchasing lift tickets or a season’s pass, the cost of a new setup can quickly creep well above $2,000, which isn’t an annual line item in many a skier’s budget.
The Simplest Things: Part Two
Photographer Liam Doran spent his quarantine in Eagle's Nest Wilderness, located in Colorado's Gore Range. After coming out of the woods, he reflected on the highs and lows of backcountry living, and … [Read More...]
The Simplest Things: Part One
Photographer Liam Doran spent his quarantine in Eagle's Nest Wilderness, located in Colorado's Gore Range. After coming out of the woods, he reflected on the highs and lows of backcountry living, and … [Read More...]
Next Steps: Why Everyone Needs to Take a Wilderness Medicine Course
Woody Lowder passes along wilderness knowledge in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park. [Photo] Samuel Cooper I’ve spent enough time in the backcountry to start becoming complacent. This isn’t a … [Read More...]
The Best of Fest: The Winter Wildlands Alliance Celebrates 20 Years
This year, Winter Wildlands Alliance (WWA) celebrates their 20th anniversary. With Covid-19 barring large gatherings, WWA is releasing a “Best of Fest”—a collection featuring the top film from each of … [Read More...]
Gearbox: In-Vesting in Off Season Training
It's no secret that ski touring is physically demanding. More fitness equals more fun—both breaking trail uphill and cranking powder down. Because the best ski tours last for at least a few hours, … [Read More...]
This is the year to go remote, and our 2021 Gear Guide has all the skis, boards, boots and bindings to get you there. Whether you’re looking for your first backcountry setup or just updating those well-loved planks, we’ve got unbiased and in-depth reviews of 51 skis and 29 splitboards that will take you where you want to go, wherever that may be. Plus, 21 boots, 12 bindings and 28 pieces of apparel, all of [Read More…]
Mountain Skills: How a rescue sled can save the day
When considering avalanche rescue, everyone knows to carry the basics: beacon, shovel and probe. And when we practice our rescue skills, the focus often lies just on the beacon search. Once you have … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Manuel Genswein on 20 years of education, safety and snow science
Is it safer to be a backcountry skier now than it was 20 years ago? It’s a complicated question, but most snow-safety gurus believe the answer is yes. We spoke with eight leaders in avalanche … [Read More...]
Black Diamond Equipment Helio 95 Skis
Black Diamond overhauled their Helio line of touring-specific skis last season and the widest model, the Helio 116, earned an Editors’ Choice Award for its best-in-class weight-to-width ratio. This … [Read More...]
2020 Testers’ Choice: Kris Thomas’s Picks
The 17 inches of powder that fell on Powder Mountain, Utah this past March didn’t distract testers at the 2020 Gear Test Week from logging hours on this coming season’s newest skis, splitboards and … [Read More...]
Fjell M1542S Splitboard
The only thing identifying Fjell’s lightweight, directional MT1542s model is a “^” and coordinates for Ålesund, Norway, the home of their showroom—that’s it. This muted marketing left testers unsure … [Read More...]
2020 Testers’ Choice: Nick Rustigian’s Picks
The 17 inches of powder that fell on Powder Mountain, Utah this past March didn’t distract testers at the 2020 Gear Test Week from logging hours on this coming season’s newest skis, splitboards and … [Read More...]
2020 Testers’ Choice: Meg Schultz’s Picks
The 17 inches of powder that fell on Powder Mountain, Utah this past March didn’t distract testers at the 2020 Gear Test Week from logging hours on this coming season’s newest skis, splitboards and … [Read More...]
2020 Testers’ Choice: Betsy Manero’s Picks
The 17 inches of powder that fell on Powder Mountain, Utah this past March didn’t distract testers at the 2020 Gear Test Week from logging hours on this coming season’s newest skis, splitboards and … [Read More...]
2020 Testers’ Choice: Hans von Briesen’s Picks
The 17 inches of powder that fell on Powder Mountain, Utah this past March didn’t distract testers at the 2020 Gear Test Week from logging hours on this coming season’s newest skis, splitboards and … [Read More...]
2020 Gear Guide: Splitboard Accessories
In 1994, Voilé release the first ever splitboard kit for those who wanted to transition their solid board into a backcountry friendly device—all you needed was a table saw and a bunch of free time. … [Read More...]
2020 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS: STANDOUT OUTLIER SKIS
There is a time and a place for niche taste and from uphill-oriented speedsters to lightweight powder slaying, women’s specific and brawny freeride chargers, these unique standouts will help you with … [Read More...]
2020 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS: SPLITBOARDS
It was a brave new world for splitboard brands at this year’s Backcountry Magazine 2020 Gear Test at Powder Mountain, Utah. Five new companies submitted boards to be tested and reviewed, and three of … [Read More...]
2020 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS: APPAREL
In its third year, the Backcountry Magazine Apparel Test is based on the in-depth reviews from our dedicated team tasked with skinning, sweating and shredding with the upcoming season’s … [Read More...]
2020 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS: SKIS 105-108 MM
This year at Powder Mountain Utah, testers gathered for the 2020 Gear Test Week to review 157 pairs of skis. Of those, there was a noticeable abundance of standout mid-fat chargers that boasted waist … [Read More...]
2020 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS: BOOTS
The story behind many of the boots in this year’s 2020 Gear Guide is one of lightweight chargeability. With two Editors’ Choice-winning boots ringing in at less than 5 lbs. and two more under 6 lbs., … [Read More...]
