Mountain Equipment’s new Kaniq is designed for the tourer who wants to bring everything but the camp sink without committing to a heavy load. It sports a minimalist design featuring a roll-top entry to the voluminous main compartment and a separate Velcro-sealed avy compartment to help keep tools organized. Two pockets on the clamshell topper […]

“Just the right amount of stiffness for full control while allowing plenty of room to play,” The Tech: Venture’s Storm scored an Editors’ Choice Award in 2018, and this year testers gave top honors to the Tempest, a women’s-specific interpretation. The same floaty freeride formula—gravity-defying nose, tapered waist and traditional tail—is on tap, but with […]

Named after arguably the hottest shred destination of 2019, Weston’s Japow was the highest-rated men’s board of the test, and it thrives in the fabled blower conditions that even dirtbag splitboarders will chase halfway around the world. “I converted to Shintoism after one lap on the Japow. Then I booked a plane ticket to Hokkaido.” […]

Blizzard overhauled nearly everything about their Zero G ski line after three years of hard-skiing, lightweight notoriety. One tester called the redesign of the most substantial offering—narrowed from 108 to 105 mm underfoot—“A welcomed update to Blizzard’s widest touring ski.” “Quicker edge to edge,” one tester said. “Super playful, very predictable, yet responsive.” The updates […]

Introduced last year, returning unchanged and once again earning an Editors’ Choice Award, the Zero G Tour Pro is Tecnica’s answer to an aggressive alpine-style boot that can also speed up a skintrack, with a solid 130 flex and generous 55-degree walk-mode range. “The top-of-the-line walk mode paired with downhill performance and fit comparable to […]

The Scarpa Gea RS: off again, on again. And when the switch is between years spent earning an Editors’ Choice Award and a Gear Guide selection, flip-flopping isn’t too bad. “A highly effective and efficient buckle design…slightly more aggressive forward lean angle than most.” Two years ago, Scarpa overhauled the Gea RS and its male […]

When Dynafit introduced the TLT line in 1989—the same year Greg Stump released the film License to Thrill—backcountry skiing was far from mainstream. In the subsequent three decades, touring boots have transitioned from niche to commonplace, and the TLT, once again overhauled, has been along for the trip. “I’m not really sure why people ski beefier […]

The ZED 12 came to market in a soft launch midway through last winter and, as a result, 2020 Gear Test Week was the first time testers got aboard G3’s new binding. And while the tech behind the ZED isn’t anything groundbreaking, its simplicity and reliability make it stand out in the sea of lightweight […]

Last year, Atomic beefed up their touring-specific line with the 107, the widest version of its Backland models, and earned an Editors’ Choice Award in the process. The Backland 107 returns unchanged, aside from updated black graphics to tack “dark and handsome” onto its list of affable attributes.  “Provides confidence in powder,” one tester said, […]

New this year, the Hoji Free is the stiffer, narrower, freeride-oriented iteration of freeskier Eric Hjorleifson’s pro-model, the Hoji Pro Tour, released last year. The re-introduction of the toe lug and a new power strap are intended to cater to the touring set looking for downhill precision, uphill mobility and compatibility with frame bindings. “This […]