“great for skinning with buckles fully open.” The Tech: The Mercury Pro pants are designed to be as smooth as their elemental name implies. The softshell bottoms are comprised of stretchy nylon, and if the weather turns, a wind- and DWR treatment is intended to bead away moisture and chill. The Talk: While Dynafit’s sizing […]
Meier Prospector 106 Skis
“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 […]
Black Diamond Equipment Vision Down Parka
“The insulation makes it a luxury layer for alpine touring in colder climates, like Wyoming and Montana, and it doubles as a very comfortable frontcountry jacket.” The Tech: Black Diamond’s Vision is as tough as it is soft, thanks to an innovative fabric comprised of liquid-crystal polymer—the same durable material used in BD’s climbing harnesses—designed […]
Julbo Cyrius Goggles
“I love the style of these goggles,” The Tech: Julbo’s new Cyrius goggle debuts a frameless style featuring a cylindrical lens, which curves horizontally and runs flat from top to bottom. The shape is intended for a modern look and wide-open field of vision that’s made crisp and clear by Julbo’s best-in-class photochromic Zebra lenses. […]
Fischer Hannibal 106 Skis
A ski good enough to pass even a guide’s level of scrutiny? Fischer seems to have done it with their new Hannibal 106. “I wasn’t expecting much from these, but whoa!” said one Jackson-based ski guide and tester. “Light, yet incredibly drivable and pretty darn stable in that cruddy, variable stuff.” That stability comes from […]
Fjell M1542S Splitboard
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 […]
Venture Tempest Splitboard
“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 […]
4FRNT Renegade Skis
“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 […]
Outdoor Research Inception Aerogel Gloves
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 […]
Weston Japow Splitboard
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.” […]
