Latest
Protein vs. Calories: What Matters Most on a Multi-Day Bikepacking Trip
Protein vs. CaloriesWhat Matters Most on a Multi-Day Bikepacking Trip? A long day in the saddle can burn thousands of calories. Running low on fuel is a fast track to sluggish legs, poor decision-making and a miserable ride. That's why most bikepacking food tips focus on calorie-dense staples like tortillas, peanut butter, pasta, and trail mix. But on trips lasting several days, calories are only part of the equation. Recovery matters too, and that's where protein comes in. The Importance of Protein Protein becomes increasingly important during back-to-back riding days. While carbohydrates provide the fuel to keep pedaling, protein supplies the building blocks needed to repair muscle damage and support recovery overnight. Without enough protein, fatigue accumulates faster, recovery slows, and each day can feel…
Features
Protein vs. Calories: What Matters Most on a Multi-Day Bikepacking Trip
Protein vs. CaloriesWhat Matters Most on a Multi-Day Bikepacking Trip? A long day in the saddle can burn thousands of calories. Running low on fuel is a fast track to sluggish legs, poor decision-making and a miserable ride. That’s why most bikepacking food tips focus on calorie-dense staples like tortillas, peanut butter, pasta, and trail mix. But on trips lasting… Read More
DIY Chain Wax Stand for $30 or Less
If you have tried waxing your chain, you likely know the advantages. I’m talking a smooth, clean drivetrain. If you’re ready to commit to chain waxing, the best way to make it fast and efficient is with a dedicated chain-waxing stand. A dedicated stand makes waxing a snap. Just heat the wax and submerge your chain. We are talking 10-15… Read More
Summer Gear Storage Tips – How to Store Climbing Skins, Skis, Beacon
As the main ski season comes to a close, it’s worth giving some thought to storing your climbing skins, skis, boots and beacon for the summer. A few simple steps will make sure your backcountry ski gear is ready to roll and easy to find when the snow flies in the fall. How to Store Climbing Skins – Summer Gear… Read More
Arc’teryx Rush Jacket and Pants – Lightweight GORE PRO for the Backcountry
Terrain choices and weather patterns shift daily, and your layers need to adapt. The Arc’teryx Rush jacket and pants are the GORE-TEX shells purpose-built for all things backcountry. Made with full weather protection for dedicated touring wear, they let you adapt to the conditions over long tours, storm days and spring missions alike. Arc’teryx Rush Jacket and Pants At the… Read More
Gear
Why You Should Use a Sleeping Quilt – Thermarest Vesper Quilt
Go Light and Don’t Look Back When bikepacking, storage space is precious, and every piece of gear needs to earn its place. Packing light starts with paring your gear down to the essentials. Once you’ve done that, the challenge becomes finding the lightest gear that still meets your needs. I’ve refined my shelter, cooking kit, and food system over the… Read More
Patagonia Houdini Jacket – Simplicity at Its Best
Patagonia Houdini Jacket So light and packable, there’s no reason to leave it behind The best gear is the stuff that simply becomes part of your adventure kit, no debate required. The Patagonia Houdini Jacket is that kind of gear. It’s not about specialty tech or features; it’s about simplicity and its ability to disappear. Stuffed into its chest pocket,… Read More
THERM-A-REST NeoAir XLite NXT
Size Matters Like backpacking, bikepacking rewards a minimalist approach to your gear. Packing light starts with stripping things down to the essentials and keeping the must-haves as light and packable as possible. A good place to start is with your sleeping kit, specifically your sleeping pad. A good pad can make the difference between a restless night and waking up… Read More
Sierra Designs Nitro Sleeping Quilt
Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt: Light is Right From stormy nights in Tasmania to calm summer evenings in the high desert and snowy high-alpine camps in the Cascades, I’ve spent my fair share of nights in a sleeping bag. But never had I used a sleeping quilt until I started using the Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt 20°. Why go with a… Read More
Adventure Ride Essentials
Why You Should Use a Sleeping Quilt – Thermarest Vesper Quilt
Go Light and Don’t Look Back When bikepacking, storage space is precious, and every piece of gear needs to earn its place. Packing light starts with paring your gear down to the essentials. Once you’ve done that, the challenge becomes finding the lightest gear that still meets your needs. I’ve refined my shelter, cooking kit, and food system over the… Read More
DIY Chain Wax Stand for $30 or Less
If you have tried waxing your chain, you likely know the advantages. I’m talking a smooth, clean drivetrain. If you’re ready to commit to chain waxing, the best way to make it fast and efficient is with a dedicated chain-waxing stand. A dedicated stand makes waxing a snap. Just heat the wax and submerge your chain. We are talking 10-15… Read More
Patagonia Houdini Jacket – Simplicity at Its Best
Patagonia Houdini Jacket So light and packable, there’s no reason to leave it behind The best gear is the stuff that simply becomes part of your adventure kit, no debate required. The Patagonia Houdini Jacket is that kind of gear. It’s not about specialty tech or features; it’s about simplicity and its ability to disappear. Stuffed into its chest pocket,… Read More
THERM-A-REST NeoAir XLite NXT
Size Matters Like backpacking, bikepacking rewards a minimalist approach to your gear. Packing light starts with stripping things down to the essentials and keeping the must-haves as light and packable as possible. A good place to start is with your sleeping kit, specifically your sleeping pad. A good pad can make the difference between a restless night and waking up… Read More
Avalanche Safety
Avalanche Education Online
Avalanche safety education is better than ever. Between improved forecasting and conditions reporting, the unified teaching curriculum brought by AIARE, along with elevated public awareness, there is more information and higher-quality educational opportunities than ever before. And you can add a new resource to the list: AvalancheAware AvalancheAware is a free, online starting point for anyone interested in heading into… Read More
Avalanche Beacon Tech – Barryvox S2
Since the advent of digital signal processing and the three-antenna transceiver design, avalanche beacon tech advances have been relatively incremental. There have been minor design updates, processing improvements and some promising features like voice direction and signal flagging. Nonetheless, for the average user, it’s hard to see the differences between most beacons. The Barryvox S2 by Mammut aims to change… Read More
Rocky Talkie – Pro-Grade 5-Watt Expedition Radio
Raise the Bar on Backcountry Communication – Rocky Talkie Radios If you don’t ski with two-way radios, you should. Good communication makes for a good day and safe travel protocol in the backcountry. On the most basic level, good communication is about staying in touch with your ski partner(s) while climbing and skiing. When the terrain splits your group, or… Read More
Must Watch – To the Hills & Back
To the Hills & Back is not your typical ski movie. It’s a story of risk and consequence. What is risk? Risk is the likelihood of something bad happening and understanding the consequences. The new Sherpas Cinema film explores the consequences. It’s a story of loss, humility and resilience. No one heads to the mountains thinking about the worst that… Read More
Industry News
Blown In – Outdoor Industry News
Blown-In is a semi-regular look at the latest ski, bike and outdoor industry news, featuring a collection of press releases, new products, and interesting stuff circulating on the interweb. This edition of Blown-In features the end of Niner bikes, El Niño predictions, Beartooth Basin summer skiing and updated recreation liability laws in Oregon. Niner Bikes “Pausing” Operations News of Niner… Read More
Spearhead Huts Macbeth Hut Project
In 2019, the Spearhead Huts Society successfully opened the Kees and Claire Memorial Hut, the first of three planned huts on the legendary Spearhead Traverse in British Columbia’s Coast Range. The next step in their vision is the Macbeth Hut. Sitting roughly halfway along the traverse, Macbeth will be the second of the three huts in the series. Tucked onto… Read More
Backcountry Film Festival Online
Stream the Winter Wildlands Backcountry Film Festival For more than 20 years, Winter Wildlands Alliance has produced the Backcountry Film Festival to celebrate the spirit of human-powered adventure through powerful stories that connect us to wild places, to one another and to the movement to keep winter wild. The festival has traveled the globe, raising millions of dollars to strengthen… Read More
Blown-In 8 – Ski and Outdoor Industry News
Blown-In is a semi-regular look at the latest ski and outdoor industry news, featuring a collection of press releases, new products, and interesting stuff circulating on the interweb that catches our attention. This edition of Blown-In features Everest ski descents, an epic bike-to-climb adventure, a women-centric ski film tour and the latest NOAA winter weather forecast. Girl Winter Ski Film… Read More
Movies
Off-Piste Mag Tuesday Timewaster – Stop-Motion MTB Animation
This stop-motion MTB animation isn’t new, but it’s a worthy two-and-a-half minutes. So creative! Off-Piste Mag is created by skiers and riders for those dedicated to backcountry adventure on skis and bikes. We offer an authentic, user-based perspective on backcountry ski, adventure cycling gear and related mountain culture. Offpistemag.com is an AI-free zone. All content is created by real people. If… Read More
Off-Piste Mag Tuesday Timewaster – RGB Mountain Bike Video
Brandon Semenuk – Mountain Bike Video Canadian freeride MTB legend Brandon Semenuk has spent more than a decade setting a high bar for what’s possible on a mountain bike. His latest mountain bike video release trades the age-old bigger-for-the-sake-of-bigger content for something more interesting. Precision, timing and visual magic combine in a project that feels as much like a film… Read More
Backcountry Film Festival Online
Stream the Winter Wildlands Backcountry Film Festival For more than 20 years, Winter Wildlands Alliance has produced the Backcountry Film Festival to celebrate the spirit of human-powered adventure through powerful stories that connect us to wild places, to one another and to the movement to keep winter wild. The festival has traveled the globe, raising millions of dollars to strengthen… Read More
Tordrillo – An Alaskan Ski Film
Five friends, dubbed the Five Blind Mice, set out to explore a lesser-traveled corner of Alaska, the Tordrillo Mountain Range. With a general zone on a map, a hopeful weather window and a confident pilot, the Five Blind Mice loaded a plane with enough food for a small village. What followed was six days of gorgeous landscapes, stable snowpack and… Read More
