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.
Maria Riek getting ready for a skinning mission at Gear Test Week 2019. [Photo] Matt Kiedaisch
AGE 15, 5 FEET 2 INCHES, 127 LBS.
Bozeman, Mont.
CURRENT SETUP
Voile Hyper Charger Skis, Dynafit TLT 5 Boots, Kreuzspitze GT Bindings
GEAR PREFERENCE
“I certainly want something fast and light for the way up, but if it doesn’t ski well on the way, down forget it.”
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: 164
“Definitely a backcountry ski. The light weight paired with an awesome powder performance makes it idea for Montana backcountry, but the ski lacked playfulness.”
DPS USCHI A94
$1,299 –dpsskis.com | SIZES (cm): 157, 165, 171, 178 | DIMENSIONS (mm): 129/94/110 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 6.6 lbs. (165) | TESTED LENGTH: 165
“A very aggressive ski that works better the faster you go, and they plow through crud. The performed very well on hard snow and had almost no chatter.”
VOILÉ HYPER VECTOR
$795 –voile.com | SIZES (cm): 154, 164, 171, 177, 184 | DIMENSIONS (mm): 130/96/114 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 5.6 lbs. (177) | TESTED LENGTH: 164
“They performed well in all conditions and were super easy to control. They plowed through crud and ripped down the groomers.”
Related posts: