After a week in Powder Mountain, the 50 gear testers and Backcountry staff have dispersed back to their respective mountain towns. Like the Annual Board Test, the Gear Test was a huge success; the squad tested 200 skis and 50 boots, as well as a range of tele and AT bindings, all while enjoying the surprise powder day, sunshine, and yes, steady flow of beer. And as much as the BCM staff appreciates the testers for dropping everything to spend a week on next year’s ski models, there are a few others without whom none of this would be possible: photographer Jeff Diener, our cooking staff, who supplied a seemingly endless amount of burritos and our tech crew, who turned screws with efficiency and style and fitted boots like, well, it was their job.
The week ended with the hottest day of the test—a bluebird, 50° scorcher that led to an afternoon barbecue and everyone buzzed on… Vitamin D. From the beginning of the week onward, the width of skis transitioned with the weather, moving from heavier powder skis to the lightest setups around—all of which will be recapped in September’s Annual Gear Guide. Here’s a recap of the week.
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