2015 Gear Test Week Dispatch: Day Zero

Day zero of Gear Test Week started as a trickle. By noon, just a few dozen skis had been dropped off as the wind kicked up, blowing a gray, biting cold front across Eden, Utah and nearby Powder Mountain, where we’ll be testing skis, boots and bindings all week. An early afternoon phone call up to Powder revealed that the winds had shut down the lifts for the day.

Then it began to snow.

The storm before the storm. [Photo] Tyler Cohen

So began this year’s Gear Test Week, our annual pilgrimage to Powder Mountain, Utah where more than 40 testers will evaluate some 200-plus skis and 100 AT and telemark boots. For five days, we’ll ski it all to create an unmatched volume and quality of feedback that will land in next fall’s 2015 Gear Guide.

Shuttling the first load of skis up to Powder Mountain. [Photo] Tyler Cohen

A few hours later, the garage at our Northstar Lodgings condos was stuffed with more than 150 skis and several hockey bags of boots. Testers began streaming in from Crested Butte, Salt Lake and Vermont, and snow began to fall heavily after the wind died. And the snow should keep up all night, coating Powder Mountain in a fresh coat for day one of testing.

The test crew, and friends new and old, rolling in from ski towns across the country. [Photo] Tyler Cohen

Stay tuned all week for updates, photos and tester’s favorites from this year’s Gear Test Week and check out #geartestweek on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.