Latest
Made for Ski Touring – Arcteryx Procline Jacket and Pants
Go Light. Go Breathable. Go Far. You can backcountry ski in a fully waterproof, breathable hardshell ski jacket and pants, but I'm not sure why so many people do. Waterproof membrane shells like traditional two- and three-layer GORE-TEX — or any of the myriad of alternatives — are essential when skiing at the resort. However, they're just not necessary for backcountry skiing. In fact, they'll leave you sweaty and damp, no matter the weather. When you're working hard breaking trail and skinning, highly breathable soft shells like the Arcteryx Procline jacket and pants actually keep you dryer in all weather conditions except for rain. I have skied for literal decades in all forms of weather — stormy, sunny, windy, mild and extremely cold days —…
Gear
Purpose-Built Softshell Backcountry Ski Pants
Outdoor Research Trailbreaker Ski Pants Review As the song goes, “You gotta get up to get down,” and skinning uphill tests more than just your legs. It tests your outerwear, too. Unlike a jacket that you can change as needed for the up and down, you’re gonna wear the same pants all day. As a result, backcountry ski pants need to… Read More
Home Ski Waxing and Tuning Stand – Mr. Grippy
Happy Norwegian Ski Waxing and Tuning Stand If you don’t wax your own skis, it’s time to start. Thanks to the creative folks at Happy Norwegian, Mr. Grippy makes setting up a home ski tuning stand easier than ever. Mr Grippy is a portable ski waxing and tuning stand designed for home and travel use. It works almost anywhere. Works For… Read More
DIY Ski Wax Kit – mountainFLOW eco-wax
DIY Ski Waxing with mountainFLOW eco-wax If you’re new to ski waxing at home, having freshly waxed skis is easier than you might think. And if you’re a seasoned wax pro, you’ll apprciate the sustainable, plant-based approach that mountainFLOW brings to their eco ski wax products. MountainFLOW launched in 2016 with a focus on creating plant-based alternatives to traditional petroleum-based ski… Read More
More Multi-Tools for Skiers – Swiss+Tech Micro-Plier
Minimalist Multi-Tool Most backcountry skiers (and bike packers, hikers, etc) will agree that a multi-tool is an essential part of any backcountry repair kit. The multi-tool category is packed with a range of useful, if a little heavy, options for backcountry use. Read our review of the best multi-tools for skiers. But the true minimalist looking to pack as light… Read More
Patagonia R1 Tech Face Hoody – Lightweight Softshell Jacket
A Lightweight Softshell Jacket for the Uptrack You gotta get up to get down when backcountry skiing. And as much as we all love the down, it’s the up that requires good layering to regulate your body temperature over the course of a full day in the mountains. Every day is a little different, and every skier has their own… Read More
La Sportiva Vega Ski Boots – Lightweight, Walk-Friendly, Four-Buckle Power
Uphill Ease, Downhill Power – La Sportiva Vega We ask a lot of our ski boots when backcountry skiing. They need to be light and flexible enough for easy uphill travel, stiff and responsive enough to drive skis in a wide range of conditions, and comfortable enough to wear all day long. The new La Sportiva Vega ski boots check all… Read More
Features
Climbing Skin Reglue Service – Big Sky Mountain Products
Time for a Skin Reglue? Is your climbing skin glue a gooey mess? Do your skins leave sticky residue on your ski bases? Does your skin glue lose its effectiveness as the day goes on? Failing skin glue will put an early end to an otherwise great ski day. Whether your skins have seen too many uptracks, you’ve abused them… Read More
Skier Gift Guide – Cool Stuff for the Skiers on Your List
2021 Skier Gift Guide What are you going to get that hard-to-shop-for skier on your list? We’ve got you covered with skier gifts large, small and literary. Happy Norwegian – Mr. Grippy – $119 Waxing your skis is easy when you have a good setup. If your favorite skier likes to wax and tune (or aspires to), Mr. Grippy is… Read More
DPS Pagoda Tour 112 – Overview
Made in Utah – The New DPS Pagoda Tour DPS Skis set a high bar for dedicated backcountry ski performance when they launched their Tour 1 ski construction in 2015. The Tour 1 skis married their proven profiles with a lightweight paulownia wood and carbon laminated core. The result is some of the lightest skis in their width class. They… Read More
Backcountry Ski Gloves – Give’r Classic Leather Gloves
Give’r Leather Ski Gloves A typical day of backcountry skiing requires a lot of our gloved hands: open your pack, close your pack, put your skins on, take your skins off, buckle your boots, switch your bindings, take a photo, assemble your shovel. The list goes on. Good backcountry ski gloves need to be weatherproof, dexterous, durable and reasonably warm —… Read More
Adventure Ride Essentials
Portable Solar Panel – GoSun SolarPanel 10
GoSun 10 Watt Portable Solar Panel Phone, GPS unit, satelite communicator, camera gear, headlamp, the list goes on. Carrying electronics in the backcountry is the norm these days. Keeping them charged over the course of a multi-day backcountry trip, however, is a project of its own. Portable batteries are an obvious solution and are great for a single device for… Read More
Showers Pass Cloudburst Rain Jacket
Cloudburst Rain Jacket We’ve all heard the phrase; “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” And of all the ways to endure bad weather, few avtivities highlight bad clothing as quickly as cycling in the rain. Riding a bike with any real effort puts waterproof, breathable claims to a serious test. It’s one thing to throw on… Read More
7Mesh Horizon Cycling Jersey – Low-Key Look, Refined Feel
The boom in gravel riding and adventure cycling has brought with it a fresh take on cycling clothing — jerseys and shorts that offer all the performance of technical cycling kit with a clean, simple take on the look and feel. You no longer have to settle for the race team or over-stylized cycling jersey that has dominated riding apparel… Read More
Tubeless Tire Tips
Go Tubeless or Go Home If you aren’t using tubeless tires on your adventure gravel bike, you should be. Imagine bombing down gravel descents and across rough ground without concern for flats. Going tubeless is the key to reducing tire issues on adventurous rides. Tubeless lets you run lower tire pressure without fear of pinch flats and essentially eliminates routine… Read More
Movies
Tales from Cascadia – Ski Film Trailer
Six Tales That Define The Cascadia State of Mind Cascadia is a bioregion defined by its unique natural characteristics, its people and its diversity. From the shores of the Pacific coast, to the lush rainforests, to the volcanic mountain peaks, there are tales that define this harmony. Blank Collective films embeds themselves in Cascadia in pursuit of these winter tales.
TGR Ski Movie Trailer – Stoke The Fire
Ski movie trailers are dropping like snowflakes. Get your winter stoke fix with the the latest ski movie trailer from TGR: Stoke The Fire Stoke The Fire – Behind The Scenes
The Alpinist – Movie Trailer
The Alpinist – Feature Film Movie Trailer As the sport of climbing turns from a niche pursuit to mainstream media event, Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. On remote alpine faces, the free-spirited 23-year-old makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. Yet, he draws scant attention. With no cameras, no rope, and no margin for error,… Read More
Crash Reel – Huck Yeah!
Winter is solidly in the rearview mirror at this point, but here’s a little crash reel from Matchstick Productions to help you reflect on your ski season. The adage – if you ain’t flyin’, you ain’t tryin’ – comes to mind. Huck Yeah . . .
Avalanche Safety
Terrain Tips
Using Terrain to Your Advantage – Seven Terrain Tricks Safe backcountry skiing starts with a big picture perspective (plus reading and understanding the local avalanche conditions report). Experienced skiers often reference terrain as trumping hazard. In fact, “The snowpack is the problem, and the terrain is the solution,” is an old ski guide’s adage that informs a lot of backcountry decision-making…. Read More
BCA Dozer 2H Avalanche Shovel – We Dig It
Avalanche Rescue and Snow Pits – The BCA Dozer 2H Shovel Does It All Avalanche shovels are the kind of gear we hope to never really use for their intended purpose of recovering a buried ski partner. But the shovels we all carry have many other uses, primary being to dig snow pits in search of weak layers and to… Read More
Backcountry Radio Channels – Group-to-Group Communication
Designated Radio Channels for Popular Backcountry Zones It’s commonly understood that avalanche safety often hinges on human driven factors. Ideas like familiarity with terrain, the expert halo and group communication (or lack thereof) rise to the top of the list as contributors to avalanche accidents. Broadly speaking, group communication is at the root of many mistakes. Communication alone will not… Read More
Common Snowpack Stability Tests
Know Your Snowpack Stability Tests With the growing complexity of snowpacks around the country, it’s a great time to brush up on your snowpack knowledge, specifically common snowpack stability tests. The following video presentation of snowpack stability tests by Bruce Jamieson and Mike Conlan from the Applied Snow and Avalanche Research Center at the University of Calgary in Alberta offers a lot of… Read More
The Vault
Backcountry Skier Personalities – The Newbie
Backcountry Skier Personalities – The Newbie We’ve all been there. New gear or new to the sport, the Newbie is both endearing and embarassing. The Newbie You needn’t search far afield for the Newbie. This species is ubiquitous around North America and commonly sighted at sidecountry locations and roadside attractions made popular by their easy access and moderate terrain. A Newbie… Read More
Backcountry Skier Personalities – Rando Racer
Backcountry Skier Personalities One could argue that a Rando Racer is not really a backcountry skier, and that the easiest way to take the fun out of backcountry skiing is to time it. But there’s been some bleed over between the rando race scene and the lightweight touring world, so here is the Rando Racer backcountry skier profile. Stay tuned… Read More
