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.
AGE 48, 5 FEET 9 INCHES, 150 LBS.
Colorado Rockies
CURRENT SETUP
Weston Backwoods Splitboard, Voile Speedrail Bindings, 32 Prime Boot
GEAR PREFERENCE
“I like lightweight, durable gear.”
ARBOR SWOON
$690 – arborcollective.com | LENGTHS: 148, 152, 156 | WEIGHT: 6.2 lbs. (152)
“Just like I like it—stiff enough to boost your confidence but flexy enough to be playful. It turns like a dream and it’s extremely fluid. An added boon is that it’s made with a sustainable wood core and bamboo topsheet.”
WESTON RIVA
$899 – westonsnowboards.com | LENGTHS: 149, 153, 157 | WEIGHT: 6.4 lbs. (149)
“Powder hunters woudl love this board. It has perfect sidecut and turns are smooth. The light weight on the uphill is great.”
PRIOR KHYBER XTC
$949 – priorsnow.com| LENGTHS: 150, 153, 156, 160, 165, 170 | WEIGHT: 6.7 lbs. (160)
“It’s shaped for major flotations in deep pow and is definitely directional—not for park riders. It turns great on demand and is fluid and floaty.”
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