“Responsive, easy-turning and moderately lively, the Stellas manage most terrain and conditions with grace and ease,” The Tech: Salomon’s overhaul of this year’s QST line extends across their women’s offerings, with updates to their Lux, Lumen and Stella, the latter being the lone ski of the female fleet tested at Powder Mountain. The Stella similarly […]

“The Renegade is like being the star of your own action film,” The Tech: It’s been nine years since the Renegade’s debut, and this brainchild of freeskier Eric Hjorleifson—envisioned as a steep and deep powder, pillow and spine-shredding machine—boasts updates including a tighter sidecut and a widened tip and tail intended for greater float. Inside […]

Named after arguably the hottest shred destination of 2019, Weston’s Japow was the highest-rated men’s board of the test, and it thrives in the fabled blower conditions that even dirtbag splitboarders will chase halfway around the world. “I converted to Shintoism after one lap on the Japow. Then I booked a plane ticket to Hokkaido.” […]

The Tech: Though freeze-dried ice cream is questionable, anything approved by NASA usually holds up on earth, in this case Outdoor Research’s Inception Aerogel Gloves. These gloves employ Primaloft Gold Insulation Aerogel—that’s the NASA part—which is designed to be compression resistant and block cold, rather than insulate from it. The Talk: A simply designed glove […]

“This helmet has more holes for ventilation than a cheese grater and is plenty airy while skinning,” The Tech: The name of Sweet Protection’s latest lid embodies its purpose—it’s designed for the growing number of tourers who wear their helmet all day long, not just for the descent, with low weight, high ventilation and no […]

Mountain Equipment’s new Kaniq is designed for the tourer who wants to bring everything but the camp sink without committing to a heavy load. It sports a minimalist design featuring a roll-top entry to the voluminous main compartment and a separate Velcro-sealed avy compartment to help keep tools organized. Two pockets on the clamshell topper […]

“Just the right amount of stiffness for full control while allowing plenty of room to play,” The Tech: Venture’s Storm scored an Editors’ Choice Award in 2018, and this year testers gave top honors to the Tempest, a women’s-specific interpretation. The same floaty freeride formula—gravity-defying nose, tapered waist and traditional tail—is on tap, but with […]

Salomon’s five-ski QST series has become ubiquitous at resorts and in the backcountry since its 2016 introduction. And while each ski has experienced minor improvements over the last three years, the entire line is overhauled this season to improve versatility and turn initiation. Those updates shone best in the QST 106. “These feel much bigger […]

When Dynafit introduced the TLT line in 1989—the same year Greg Stump released the film License to Thrill—backcountry skiing was far from mainstream. In the subsequent three decades, touring boots have transitioned from niche to commonplace, and the TLT, once again overhauled, has been along for the trip. “I’m not really sure why people ski beefier […]

Last year, Atomic beefed up their touring-specific line with the 107, the widest version of its Backland models, and earned an Editors’ Choice Award in the process. The Backland 107 returns unchanged, aside from updated black graphics to tack “dark and handsome” onto its list of affable attributes.  “Provides confidence in powder,” one tester said, […]