Though our testers spend much of Gear Test Week in denim, sequins and fur, they’re well versed in denier, down and wool. Here are their top choices.
2023 Editors’ Choice: Speed Touring Skis and Boots
Fast is light, and light is expensive. But the miles go by fast and easy. If that’s what you’re looking for, speed touring gear may be for you. See what skis and boots shined in this category.
Backcountry Magazine Welcomes Greta Close as Associate Editor
Backcountry Magazine is excited to welcome Greta Close to its production team as associate editor. An intern this summer, she returns—following a month lobstering in Maine—in a new role, joining Editor-in-Chief Betsy Manero and Managing Editor Tom Hallberg.
Rescuers recover body of ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson on Nepal’s Manaslu
Rescuers have recovered the body of renowned ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson, 49, two days after she fell while skiing below the summit of Manaslu in the Nepalese Himalaya. Nelson is being remembered as a super hero of the sport by many on social media.
Renowned Ski Mountaineer Hilaree Nelson Missing on Manaslu
Renowned ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson is missing on Manaslu in Nepal. Eyewitnesses reported that Nelson, 45, fell more than 80 feet into a crevasse while descending on skis from the 26,781-foot peak with her partner, Jim Morrison.
It’s Snow and Avalanche Workshop Season
It’s snow and avalanche workshop season, when avalanche centers and educational organizations around the country bring in snow-science experts to share the latest insights. To help you find one in your region, we’ve compiled a list of the workshops we know about.
Gearbox: Four Headlamps to Light Your Early Morning Adventures
It’s June, so you may have already transitioned to bike mode, which is fine, but if you live in one of the ranges across the United States still being hit with periodic storms, you may be looking for a headlamp to light the early morning wakeups. Or you’re looking for a light that illuminates any number of other outdoor activities, for a headlamp is a piece of gear that transcends seasons, that always lives in your pack, that saves you at just the right time, no matter the time of year. From the classic to the futuristic, here are four lamps that will help regardless of what type of adventure you’re on.
Chugach avalanche kills Valdez, Alaska, heli-ski guide
Mike Hamilton, a guide with Valdez Heli-Ski Guides, died after being caught in an avalanche Monday and being swept down a steep face and over a cliff.
Gearbox: Five GPS Watches to Track Your Adventures
Whether you want a GPS watch to track your turns, monitor your heart rate or give you a heads up when the barometric pressure drops too quickly, you have lots of options these days. We’ve come a long way from the digital Casio being your companion on a tour, and our editors have compiled a list of their favorites to help find the watch that’s right for you.
Highlights from the 2023 Gear Test Week
The skis, splitboards and testers have all gone home, but we still have lots of work to do. With another Gear Test Week in the books, we’re taking a couple of hard-earned days off before jumping into the massive endeavor of turning hundreds of review forms into our annual Gear Guide. We have a lot of info to parse—after we sneak in a little remote testing in our home range, that is.
