On the Cover: Skier Piers Solomon and photographer Oskar Enander first teamed up over a decade ago to shoot around Engelberg, Switzerland. Over the years, the pair have gained fame as a photographer/skier duo, which has allowed them to travel the world chasing snow, light and steep mountains. While they’ve become ski household names, some things haven’t changed. Solomon still knows how to drag the hip, Enander continues to capture that magic and their top days together continue to take place right where it all began on the slopes of Engelberg. [Photo] Oskar Enander

THE 2024 GEAR GUIDE

SKIS, BOOTS & BINDINGS
Backcountry skiing peaked with the pandemic in 2020. As the world descends back to normalcy, one thing is clear: Our sport’s popularity—and the quantum leap in gear performance that came with it—is here to stay.

Skis
Boots
AT Bindings
Telemark Bindings

SPLITBOARDS, BOOTS & BINDINGS
Each year, the splitboard market atomizes, with more specific decks for specific conditions. However, this year our testers gravitated toward a bevy of all-mountain decks concerned more with versatility than selectivity.

All-Mountain Boards
Big Mountain Boards
Powder Boards
Boots & Bindings

APPAREL & ACCESSORIES
From featherweight layers for the gram counters to do-it-all, warm, heavy-duty outerwear, this year’s apparel selections are as at home on the skintrack as they are fixing your snowblower or having an après drink.

Editors’ Choice
Jackets & Pants
Puffies & Midlayers
Baselayers

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR'S NOTE

LETTERS

PERSPECTIVE

TESTERS

GLOSSARY

For over two and a half decades, Backcountry's kept a close pulse on skis, boots, bindings, splitboards and more.