Backstory: Baby Steps
It’s two in the morning, and our breath has frozen in sheets on the inside of the 4Runner’s windows. I’m unsure if I’m awake from the biting cold or from my excitement for tomorrow’s objective. We’re the only car in Summit County, Colorado’s Mayflower Gulch, where four inches of snow fell earlier tonight. As I […]
All-Day Warmth: New and advanced synthetics offer lighter weights and breathability
Skinning is typically a sweaty affair where a lightweight baselayer and a thin shell will most often suffice. But some days—when the tempo is slow, the wind is blowing or the temperature hovers around … [Read More...]
In Memoriam: Richard “Woody” Wood, Powder Mountain’s Legendary Driver
Backcountry’s extended Gear Test Week family lost its greatest legend earlier this week. Richard “Woody” Wood—Powder Mountain, Utah’s smiling, steady-handed, always-punctual bus driver—passed away on … [Read More...]
Fanfare: Scott and Alpride take the avalanche airbag to a futuristic level
Scott Backcountry Patrol AP 30$1,000 | scott-sports.com | Total Weight: 5.8 lbs. | Volume: 30 Liters The inner workings of Scott’s new supercapacitor-powered avalanche airbag sound like something … [Read More...]
Craig Gordon: The Know-Before-You-Go Guy
Craig Gordon, neither a fan of convention nor shirtless, finds his own groove. [Photo] Nick Snyder After a deadly slide in 2003, the Utah Avalanche Center’s Craig Gordon knew it was time to change … [Read More...]
Tom Murphy, Karl Klassen & Jean Pavillard: American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Founders
[Photo] Courtesy Jean Pavillard Today, the acronym AIARE (“airy”) is practically a proprietary eponym—like Kleenex or Spandex—for an avalanche courses. Less than two decades ago, however, there was … [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...]
