The 2027 Gear Guide
Contrary to popular belief, our ski magazine doesn’t go dormant over the summer. While the days lengthen, our team sinks knee-deep into reviewing gear. From the PNW to Jackson, Salt Lake to Jeffersonville, our editors read through over 500 handwritten forms from the winter. Then, we sit down with local companies or ring European offices to get the scoop on the latest backcountry gear. And each week, we come together to ask one core question: Why trust us?
For the last 34 years, we’ve produced the Backcountry Magazine Gear Guide. We don’t just have decades of experience, but years of refining our review process. While our values—thorough testing, diligent research, honest feedback and well-written reviews—haven’t changed, the way we assemble and design the Gear Guide constantly evolves with our readers’ needs. That’s why the 2027 Gear Guide is different.
We increased our word counts, added a glossary and made the call to review not only skis, boots, boards and apparel, but beacons, packs, skins and more. Somewhere along the way, we started calling it The Backcountry Bible.
Enjoy our most comprehensive Gear Guide yet.
The 2027 Gear Guide is coming. Subscribe by September 30 to get the Gear Guide with your subscription.
Our test runs the spectrum from skinny skimo skis to purebred pow slayers. The result is a robust selection of touring skis, boots and bindings that fill every niche: from your first touring ski to the perfect setup for that 50-mile traverse to the best combo for big-mountain sends.
Skis
Boots
Bindings
Telemark
The 2027 Gear Guide is coming. Subscribe by September 30 to get the Gear Guide with your subscription.
What do you call a snowboarder in court? The common answer to the joke is the defendant, but we call them the judge, and our crew of splitboard testers ruled on the carvability, slashability and popability of these boards, boots and bindings.
Splitboards
Splitboard Boots
Splitboard Bindings
The 2027 Gear Guide is coming. Subscribe by September 30 to get the Gear Guide with your subscription.
Good skis and boards can make the tour, but the wrong layers can ruin it. Plus, on top of shells, puffies, midlayers and baselayers, we have the scoop on the other backcountry essentials, including beacons, packs, skins, poles and more.
Outerwear
Insulation
Accessories
The 2027 Gear Guide is coming. Subscribe by September 30 to get the Gear Guide with your subscription.
