There’s a time and place for skimo gear, and there’s a time and place for fat, freeride skis that handle drops, steeps and deeps like a champ. Our testers found several pairs they liked in the latter category.
2022 Editors’ Choice: AT boots
Boots can be the difference between a great day in the mountains and a miserable one. Our testers narrowed down the ever-expanding world of AT boots to just six pairs to help you decide.
2022 Backcountry Editors’ Choice Awards
Our testers worked all winter in their home ranges to try gear in narrow couloirs, open pow fields and tight trees. Though they didn’t get to hang out at Powder Mountain, Utah, like they usually do, they did learn their gear even better, bringing you tried-and-true Editors’ Choice picks.
2022 Editors’ Choice: All-Mountain Skis
One ski to rule them all. These Editors’ Choice picks might not quite fit the bill of being the One Ski, but our testers said they’re solid for those looking for skis that do a bit of everything.
2022 Editors’ Choice: Lightweight Skis
From the 2022 Editors’ Choice picks, a few lighter options skis rose to the top. These are the kind of skis you can bang out laps on the skintrack and have fun on the descent, provided it’s not too deep.
Wild Rides: Inside the 2022 Gear Guide
This year, we did things a little differently. In lieu of bringing 60 testers, techs and cooks to our week-long test at Powder Mountain, Utah, we held local mini tests across the country all season long. The results are 153 reviews of skis, splitboards, boots, bindings and apparel, including 35 Editors’ Choice Award winners. These are deep and detailed reviews of products we tested hard, with real and credible feedback from testers in their home ranges, East to West.
The 2022 Backcountry Gear Guide
You could call the Backcountry editors single-minded. While all our friends have been soaking in the summer sun and letting their goggle tans fade, we’ve been thinking about one thing and one thing only: backcountry skiing and riding. And after months of studying last winter’s testing notes, we’re getting ready to drop this year’s Gear Guide in September.
Gearbox: Five tools for touring on high
Spring mountaineering season has arrived to the high peaks, and these tools might be your ticket to ticking off your next big line.
Gearbox: Gloves and Mittens
Six pairs of gloves and mittens for everything from sunny skintracks to arctic descents.
Gearbox: Ortovox Diract Voice
As an avalanche instructor, I spend a lot of time calling out directions to my students: “Zig-zag until you find a signal! Follow the arrows! Make sure the numbers are going down! Get lower to the snow! Now pull out your probe!” Well, imagine a world in which I don’t have to yell those things, because your beacon is doing that for you.
