The 17 inches of powder that fell on Powder Mountain, Utah this past March didn’t distract testers at the 2020 Gear Test Week from logging hours on this coming season’s newest skis, splitboards and boots to find the standouts across crud, corduroy and deep blower fresh. From bell to bell, each tester buckled down to tally at least eight reviews per day, providing a final count of more than 1,000 individual reviews over the course of the week. This data transferred into the 218 reviews comprising the 2020 Gear Guide, on newsstands now.
After the week’s end, each tester was asked to nominate their personal favorites for skis, boots, bindings and splitboards. Here are their bios and top picks—so you can prepare for this season knowing what fresh products might be best for you.
AGE 26, 5 FEET 1 INCHES, 115 LBS.
Victor, Idaho
CURRENT SETUP
Dynafit One Px boots, Blizzard Zero G 95 with Dynafit Speed Turn bindings for long days; Scarpa Freedom boots, Sego UP Pro with Dynafit for gnar.
GEAR PREFERENCE
“Living in the Tetons, I’ve found that having a quiver is a must. I’ve got my ultralight set up for long days in Teton Park and my super fun skis that I know will crush anything for the quick hits on the pass.”
SALOMON STELLA QST 106
$900 – salomon.com | SIZES (cm): 159, 167, 174, 181 | DIMENSIONS (mm): 131/99/116 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 7.4 lbs. (174)
“Damp, floaty and playful. These handle pow like a champ, drive through crud and can get on edge and carve. Who needs a stable boyfriend when you have a ski this stable?”
BLIZZARD ZERO G 85
$720– blizzardsports.com | SIZES (cm): 150, 157, 164, 171, 178 | DIMENSIONS (mm): 115/85/99 | WEIGHT/PAIR: 5.2 lbs. (171)
“This is the answer to the weight weenie who isn’t willing to sacrifice downhill performance. I put this ski through the ringer and it continued to perform well in crud, low density pow and on groomers.”
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