“Great float for a 106, stable and refuses to deflect at speed despite its light nature,” The Tech: Eco consciousness lies at the heart of Meier Skis’ mission, and the Prospector 106 is no exception. Literally at its core: 100-percent Colorado-sourced aspen and beetle-kill pine that Meier chose for its playfulness on the descent. They […]

“Some people might not like taking the tongue out to tour, but once you do, you’ll see the light—amazing range of motion,” The Tech: New this year, the Lupo Pro HD—sporting Dalbello’s cabrio design—strives to improve on downhill chargeability with a lower polyurethane raceboot shell and a carbon-infused polyamide rear cuff designed for more lightweight […]

“These are the most shreddable touring bindings of all time,” As with Marker’s Kingpin, the Shift’s backend is comprised of an alpine-like heel, inspired by Salomon and Atomic’s STH platform but with a single heel riser (and no flat tour mode). The intrigue lies in the toe, which deploys pin-equipped wings for tech-binding-style climbing—read: unencumbered […]

“Take it anywhere and be prepared to be satisfied, but not ecstatic.” The Tech: $900 for a split, pucks, skins and hardware? Bob Barker might as well be whispering seductively in your ear. The Marauder follows a simple, proven formula: a blunt, elongated nose tapering to a squat, square tail, plus a camber-dominant profile and […]

“The two different materials are put in all the right places; the jacket breathes incredibly well and is comfortable, worn as a midlayer or stand alone on cold days moving uphill.” The Tech: The Kor Strata, new this year, is designed for go-to emergency warmth, boasting hyper-stuffable PrimaLoft Gold insulation combined with a Pertex Quantum […]

“Vans-slip-on comfort while touring” The Tech: The Aspect dynasty continues with a fourth consecutive Editors’ Choice Award. Testers were amped on the inner Boa lacing system, which cinches the Intuition SpaceHeater liner, as well as on the trustworthiness of traditional laces and a Velcro strap across the tongue. The Talk: The Vibram Mountaineer Outsole’s “chunky […]

The only thing identifying Fjell’s lightweight, directional MT1542s model is a “^” and coordinates for Ålesund, Norway, the home of their showroom—that’s it. This muted marketing left testers unsure of what they were riding, but they were damn sure that they liked it. “This deck feels at home in steep and aggressive terrain, and will […]

“The Renegade is like being the star of your own action film,” The Tech: It’s been nine years since the Renegade’s debut, and this brainchild of freeskier Eric Hjorleifson—envisioned as a steep and deep powder, pillow and spine-shredding machine—boasts updates including a tighter sidecut and a widened tip and tail intended for greater float. Inside […]

The Tech: Though freeze-dried ice cream is questionable, anything approved by NASA usually holds up on earth, in this case Outdoor Research’s Inception Aerogel Gloves. These gloves employ Primaloft Gold Insulation Aerogel—that’s the NASA part—which is designed to be compression resistant and block cold, rather than insulate from it. The Talk: A simply designed glove […]

“This helmet has more holes for ventilation than a cheese grater and is plenty airy while skinning,” The Tech: The name of Sweet Protection’s latest lid embodies its purpose—it’s designed for the growing number of tourers who wear their helmet all day long, not just for the descent, with low weight, high ventilation and no […]