Lighten the Load: Fours Skis To Go Farther, Faster
While staying afloat in winter’s deep snow requires a wide and sometimes heavy ride, spring—and summer—turns bring about a different list of requirements. For longer tours and steeper objectives that are more attainable in warmer weather, consider a ski that will work with—not against—you to go the distance. That means trading out powder-specific attributes for […]
Summer Stashes: Lance Riek tags solstice powder in the Gallatin Range
On the longest day of the year, Lance Riek mines powder outside Bozeman, Mont. [Photo] Lance Riek From Fourth of July corn harvesting in the Northeast to mid-summer snowstorms that closed mountain … [Read More...]
Drink It In
Reaching your day’s objective often requires calculated nutrition through the uphill grind. But after hours of slogging, few things can beat returning to a fully stocked tailgate session. From … [Read More...]
Above-average snowpack across the West delays pass openings
Avalanche debris piled high at the end of March near Silverton Mountain, Colo. [Photo] Courtesy Denver Post and RJ Sangosti For some, summer is a time for bike rides and float trips, but for … [Read More...]
Covering Ground: How to plan a dialed multiday traverse
Chris Figenshau makes a pilgrimage across Wyoming's Teton Range in April 2015. [Photo] Jimmy Chin Wapta. Ortler. Spearhead. Haute Route. These are hallowed ski routes; lines on a map that, over … [Read More...]
Reclaiming Lost Ground, Revisited
In the Hellroaring Drainage of Montana's Mt. Jefferson, a Wilderness Study Area sign fends off motorized use. [Photo] John Slaughter The 50-year history of snowmobile management in U.S. national … [Read More...]
Higher Learning: The nuances of how, when, where and why to take a course
Two Marches back, as I stood on the edge of the frozen Bell Lake in Montana’s Tobacco Root Mountains, I knew I was exactly where I needed to be. Together with a half dozen no-longer-strangers, I … [Read More...]
Quick Pits Part II: How pits help with in-the-field decision-making
In Sarah Carpenter’s article, The Dos and Don’ts of Quick Pits, released last month, she explains the benefits of a quick pit as a tool to gain a “focused assessment of snowpack in [a] particular … [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...]
2020 Gear Test Week Instagram Recap
The 2020 Gear Test Week may be over, but memories of a week fueled by powder, sun and fun are still fresh in the minds of testers and editors. The work at Backcountry Magazine headquarters located in … [Read More...]
The 2020 Gear Test Week in review
Tester Kris Thomas examines his ski's flotation properties at 2020 Gear Test Week. [Photo] Matt Kiedaisch Snow was in the air last week when more than 40 testers converged on Powder Mountain, Utah … [Read More...]
Splitting the difference at the 2020 Gear Test Week
Tester Whitney Gilliam gets down with this coming year's splitboard selection. [Photo] Matt Kiedaisch Last year’s 2019 Gear Test Week was the first at which skiers and splitboarders shared slopes … [Read More...]
Fat skis at the 2020 Gear Test Week lighten the load
Tester Betsy Manero tests out her ski's flotation on Day Two of 2020 Gear Test Week. [Photo] Matt Kiedaisch Adding weight in the gym may be a point of pride, but on the skintrack every gram counts. … [Read More...]
2020 Gear Test Week: The ties that bind
Tester Marla Bailey leans in to the latest binding tech. [Photo] Tyler Cohen There is one piece of gear that is the foundation of all AT setups, since Dynafit’s 1986 Low Tech model: the binding. … [Read More...]
2020 Gear Test Week: With boots, is less more?
In recent years, AT boots have sported all manner of buckle systems, from the Boa cinch to the traditional four-buckle lock-down. Each method is geared toward a particular use; the Scarpa Alien RS’s … [Read More...]
