In the past you’ve had to trade weight for comfort, but these two products prove that’s not the case. This summer, we figured we’d freshen up our gearbox with something more in-season.
Gearbox: There and Back Again
Five skins for going the distance—and a reglue service to test time, not patience.
Gearbox: In-Vesting in Off Season Training
It’s no secret that ski touring is physically demanding. More fitness equals more fun—both breaking trail uphill and cranking powder down. Because the best ski tours last for at least a few hours, your body needs to adjust to that duration of exercise—sub-one-hour workouts don’t induce the needed adaptation. Trail running provides one of the […]
Dynafit bindings: From basement-made Low Tech to TÜV certified
In 1982, 12 years before the birth of Backcountry Magazine, Austrian mechanical engineering student Fritz Barthel and his partner decided to tack the summit of Mont Blanc onto the end of an April climbing trip. Burdened by heavy gear and 200 cm slalom skis, they were exhausted by the time they reached the summit. That climb instilled Barthel’s drive to design lighter gear.
Training Shoes: Tested Trail Runners
The peaks are collecting an ephemeral white coating about once a week, the leaves are turning in the valley, and my kids are hounding me to watch ski movies—it must be fall. Good thing I’ve been running the hills all summer to get my legs and lungs ready for winter.
Lance’s Lab: The Deepest Days
Calvin, of Calvin and Hobbes, said it best: “Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.” Everyone likes to win big. But what were the biggest winning storms—the all time huge dumps, and awesome events? And where did they happen?
Lance’s Lab: Rocker Revelations
After watching their parents float through fluff and rise above backcountry crud for four seasons, my daughters finally drew the line. “We NEED fat, rockered skis!” one said. When asked why, they responded, simply, “Because they FLOAT.”
Carbon Crappers: Ski construction drops a load, and its price
Elemental carbon is a major component of all living things, plus pencil lead, diamonds, etc. But none of that is useful for making skis. Sure, everyone knows carbon fiber is used in the construction of skis, boots, poles, and probes (not to mention bike frames and fishing rods). But, did you know that you can buy a carbon-fiber coffee table, toilet or even a complete bathtub?
Lance’s Lab: A Pound Saved is a Lap Earned
“I like my heavy gear—it gives me more control.” “I don’t need light gear. I’m faster than my partners.” “Saving a couple pounds doesn’t really matter anyway.” I’ve heard all these statements about lightening the backcountry load, but are they really valid? Or does trimming zipper pulls and cutting toothbrush handles really make a difference?
Lance’s Lab: “You Gonna Finish That?”
A ski partner of mine always “carbo loads” with gas station “Bearclaw” pastries before tours. His idea of a recovery drink is a post-ski PBR. I, on the other hand, have been caught weighing protein powder on a gram-precise scale. The former seems less than ideal, and the later, inconvenient. But just what should we eat—before, during and after—to log another lap or two?
