We don’t use the term quiver-killer lightly, but at the Backcountry Magazine 12th annual Gear Test Week this past March, the ski racks were full of all-mountain standouts. The mid-fat widths, ranging from 108 and 90 mm underfoot, slashed the lines between nimble carver, chunder crusher and powder slayer. And that’s not to say there […]
Lighten the Load: Fours Skis To Go Farther, Faster
While staying afloat in winter’s deep snow requires a wide and sometimes heavy ride, spring—and summer—turns bring about a different list of requirements. For longer tours and steeper objectives that are more attainable in warmer weather, consider a ski that will work with—not against—you to go the distance. That means trading out powder-specific attributes for […]
Summer Storage: What To Do With Your Skis and Boots
Spring is here. And in many places, so is full-on summer. But even though the snow is gone, that doesn’t mean skis and boots can be tossed aside until next season. Without any of that pesky white stuff to distract you, now’s the perfect time to properly clean, wax and store skis and boots, so they’ll be […]
Summer Storage: What to do with your jacket, pants and puffy in the off season
Winter is winding down, leaving a slew of winter gear to contend with in your closet, basement or car trunk. And while it may be easier to just shove your puffy and beacon into the depths of your closet and call it a winter, there are a few easy and quick steps to improve your gear’s longevity and ensure it’s as ready as you are once the flakes start flying again. Here’s how to treat your apparel with the respect it deserves.
All-Day Warmth: New and advanced synthetics offer lighter weights and breathability
Skinning is typically a sweaty affair where a lightweight baselayer and a thin shell will most often suffice. But some days—when the tempo is slow, the wind is blowing or the temperature hovers around zero—require a little extra warmth. Insulation-makers have honed in on this need, introducing new synthetics meant to offer warmth and exceptional breathability. These layers, intended for all-day wear, are soft to the hand and stretchy with a sweatshirt-like feel. But they’re also among the most technical pieces of insulation out there.
Deep Threads: Eight essentials for powder-day touring
Ultrawide skis and swallowtail boards draw all the hype surrounding deep-snow gear. But a day breaking trail through waist-deep fluff requires more than just floaty tools underfoot. Fresh and falling snow can make an ill-prepared skier a soggy mess, and turning back early due to wetness and cold is even more lame than doing it because of foggy goggles.
Fanfare: Scott and Alpride take the avalanche airbag to a futuristic level
The inner workings of Scott’s new supercapacitor-powered avalanche airbag sound like something out of Back to the Future. And while the Backcountry Patrol AP 30 doesn’t have the time-travel capabilities of Dr. Emmett Brown’s DeLorean (thanks to its flux capacitor), this pack is more travel-capable than many airbags.
Get The Gear: Four Navigation and Safety Must-Haves
When traveling through the backcountry becomes old hat, don’t revert to complacency. Instead, with bigger objectives comes more responsibility to safety and navigation—here are five gear essentials to help push into the unknown.
Get The Gear: Five Out-Of-Bounds Essentials
You’ve been skinning at the resort and want to take your backcountry skills to the next level with an avalanche course, but need the gear to best equip you for the next stage in your skintrack education.
A Master Bootfitter’s guide to footbeds and liners
We last chatted with Board-certified pedorthist Bob Egeland just before the 2018 Gear Test Week at Powder Mountain to hear about the ABCs of bootfitting. In our conversation, he elaborated on the three key steps to a good AT boot fit: A) The proper shell size; B) Stabilizing the foot with some sort of foot bed; and C) Dealing with all of the padding, poking, punching and grinding.
