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 course, flip cup practice—and our testers for the 2018 Gear Guide found it all at Powder Mountain, Utah. Skis, boots and bindings are all put through the ringer to find the standouts, with each ski tested eight times, three for boots and bindings. To get a sense of who’s putting in the work, we introduce Testers’ Choice profiles and picks, so you can be sure you’re getting the info right from the source.
Want to see in-depth tester feedback on these products? Subscribe now to get the 2018 Gear Guide, packed with reviews of all the Editors’ Choice winners, plus more than 200 other must-have skis, splitboards, boots, bindings, apparel and accessories.
[Photo] Matt Kiedaisch
AGE 28+
5 feet 8 INCHES, 118 lbs.
Steamboat Springs, Colo.
CURRENT SETUP
Rossignol S7 W skis, Scott Celeste boots, G3 Ion bindings
GEAR PREFERENCE
“For me, weight absolutely matters—but not as much as downhill performance. I look for gear that is light enough to not compromise how it handles the terrain and conditions, which is the sole purpose for skiing.”
SCARPA Gea RS
$795 – scarpa.com| SIZES (mondo): 22.5-27 | LAST (mm): 101 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 5.6 lbs.
[aesop_quote type=”pull” background=”#282828″ text=”#ffffff” width=”90%” align=”left” size=”1″ quote=”One of the better walking-performance options on the market, offering a nearly full range of motion better than all the other high-performance-oriented AT boots. The taller-than-average cuff height translates to more power driven the ski’s edge.” cite=”—Marla” parallax=”off” direction=”left” revealfx=”off”]
Tecnica Zero G Guide Pro W
$840 – tecnicausa.com| SIZES (mondo): 22.5-27.5 | LAST (mm): 99 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 5.1 lbs.
[aesop_quote type=”pull” background=”#282828″ text=”#ffffff” width=”90%” align=”left” size=”1″ quote=”This is the one boot for women seeking a 70/30 resort/backcountry application. Clean, four-buckle design is simple to operate. Super stiff—designed for a high-performance skier, delivering power to the ski’s edges with minimal loss of energy.” cite=”—Marla” parallax=”off” direction=”left” revealfx=”off”]
Atomic Backland Carbon
$900 – atomic.com | SIZES (mondo): 24.5-30.5 | LAST (mm): 98 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 4.8 lbs.
[aesop_quote type=”pull” background=”#282828″ text=”#ffffff” width=”90%” align=”left” size=”1″ quote=”All appearances position this boot as an uphill—only contender, but its downhill performance shocked me. Lightweight with a comfy walk mode and ridiculously stiff for a two-buckle, low-cuff boot. ” cite=”—Marla” parallax=”off” direction=”left” revealfx=”off”]
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