It’s not all fun and games at Gear Test Week. Our 43 testers—32 skiers and 11 splitboarders—hit the slopes at Utah’s Powder Mountain with the dawn’s early light and don’t go to bed ’til the day’s reviews are complete. From carving smooth powder turns to busting through crud and shredding corduroy, each tester aims to test eight products per day, a task that provided us with more than 1,100 individual reviews to craft the 2019 Gear Guide, available now and packed with tester feedback.
From the 236 products we ran up and down the mountain, each tester nominated their personal favorites. Here are their picks and profiles, so you know who’s doing the dirty work and what they liked best.
Jeremy “Shaggy” Bailey stays loose for a week of shredding at Powder Mountain, Utah. [Photo] Jeff Diener
AGE 47 6 FEET, 165 LBS.
Steamboat, Colo.
CURRENT SETUP
For telemark: Line Sir Francis Bacon skis, Scarpa T-Race boots, Twenty Two Designs Axl bindings. For AT: Voile SuperCharger skis, Scarpa Freedom RS boots, G3 Ion bindings
GEAR PREFERENCE
“I don’t get too jammed up about how heavy my rig is—weight plays second fiddle to downhill performance. If you want to save a few pounds, skip the all-you-can-eat buffet at the Golden Corral the night before–or take a dump at the trailhead.”
ARMADA TRACER 108
$825 – armadaskis.com | SIZES (cm): 164, 172, 180, 188 | DIMENSIONS (mm): 134/108/126 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 8.2 lbs. (180) | TESTED LENGTH: 180
“This [ski] is dead simple to ski. It’s super damp and unperturbed in mixed snow and mank, and it possesses adequate float in the softer stuff.”
VOILÉ HYPER CHARGER
$795 – voile.com | SIZES (cm): 154, 164, 171, 178, 185 | DIMENSIONS (mm): 140/106/124 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 6.1 lbs. (178) | TESTED LENGTH: 185
“Western bc skiers stop your search. These [skis] are versatile at any speed, any turn and any snow condition. They’re uber light and extremely stable in chop—weapons grade performance in a budget-friendly package.”
ATOMIC BACKLAND 107
$850 – atomic.com| SIZES (cm): 175, 182, 189 | DIMENSIONS (mm): 137/107/125 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 7 lbs. (182) | TESTED LENGTH: 182
“This might be the ski of the test—it really has no Achilles’ heel. This ski will leave you grinning all day. It seems like [Atomic] has dialed in their secret sauce of lightweight, damp and playful.”
SALOMON S-LAB X-ALP
$1,000 – salomon.com | SIZES (mondo): 24.5-30.5 | LAST (mm): 98 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 5.4 lbs.
“This boot kicks some serious ass for how light it is. It can drive bigger boards in soft snow without issue. My biggest gripe is the wonky touring lever and hardware.”
DYNAFIT HOJI PRO TOUR
$799 – dynafit.com | SIZES (mondo): 25.5-30.5 | LAST (mm): 102 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 6.4 lbs.
“[The Hoji Pro Tour has a] downright brilliant power cuff buckle pul cord. It allows for quick loosening of your power strap with a glove hand. Ditto on the tour mode lever’s integration with the top buckle. A standout, do-it-all boot hampered only by the cheesball thin liner.”
Can you compare the Hyperchargers vs. Backland 107?
On paper they seem very similar – the Voile is just a tad lighter.