Latest
La Sportiva Synchro AT Ski Boot
La Sportiva Synchro AT Ski Boot It's no secret that we spend more time climbing uphill than we do skiing down when backcountry skiing. Nonetheless, downhill performance remains high on the AT ski boot requirement list for most backcountry skiers. As a result, our boots need to walk the line between being lightweight and uphill-friendly while maintaining the ability to deliver performance when called upon to ski down. La Sportiva hit a sweet spot a few seasons back with their Spectre AT Ski Boots. The Spectre - and now Spectre 2.0 - offer remarkable uphill/walking comfort and solid downhill performance - all in the sub 3kg/pair (weight varies by size) category. Well, in an effort to take the downhill performance to a higher level, La…
Features
Plan your BC ski trips – Whistler Area Ski Touring Guide
Whistler Area Ski Touring Guide The Whistler Area Ski Touring Guide provides a concise, backpack-friendly (though not pocket- friendly) introduction to the vast array of ski-touring options in the Whistler, British Columbia area. Clear descriptions, photos, and basic maps are provided for a handful of day trips starting from each of the area’s four most popular backcountry access points: two… Read More
La Niña, El Niño and Your Ski Season
La Niña, El Niño and Your Ski Season “Hey Ethel, you seen how fat the squirrels are this fall? It’s a sure sign, we’re in for a whopper of a winter” (Updated for winter 2018-19) Yup, it’s that time of year again. It’s time for pros and amateurs alike to expound on their weather and climate theories. Honestly, I love… Read More
Gear
La Sportiva Synchro AT Ski Boot
La Sportiva Synchro AT Ski Boot It’s no secret that we spend more time climbing uphill than we do skiing down when backcountry skiing. Nonetheless, downhill performance remains high on the AT ski boot requirement list for most backcountry skiers. As a result, our boots need to walk the line between being lightweight and uphill-friendly while maintaining the ability to… Read More
Leather Ski Gloves
Leather Ski Gloves Put your skins on. Take your skins off. Buckle your boots. Loosen your boots. Fuss with your bindings. Open your pack. Eat a snack. Take a photo. A typical day in the backcountry asks a lot of our gloved hands – far more than a day at the resort. Good gloves for backcountry skiing need to be… Read More
Osprey SnowKit Duffel
Osprey SnowKit Duffel The joys of air travel for skiing – it’s a mix of anticipation for the adventure to come and the possibility that your gear may not arrive when you do. It only takes getting skunked on arrival without some piece of critical gear – like your boots or skins – once to appreciate the ability to carry… Read More
Defunkify Review – Get the Funk Out of Your Base Layers
Defunkify – Enzyme-Based Detergent Review You know the drill. Pull a shirt out of your bag, drawer or off the pile on the floor and see if it passes the sniff test to wear another day. It seems like the older the layer, the lower the chance it will pass the test. Nothing develops it’s own special funk quite like… Read More
Avalanche Safety
Avalanche Safety – Communication in the Backcountry
Avalanche Safety – Communication in the Backcountry The freezing levels in the Northwest have been on their typical fall rollercoaster ride and, with the ride, the snow has come and gone and come again. Early season skiing has its attraction, but I like to remind myself that there is no rush. That said, plenty of skiers have seized the moment… Read More
Avy 101 – Weak Layers – A low tech approach to identifying common avalanche culprits
Weak Layers A low-tech approach to identifying common avalanche culprits – by Larry Goldie Believe it or not, regardless of what triggers an avalanche, every avalanche has one thing in common: they all fail on a weak layer of snow. Personally, I would much rather be out skiing than standing around in snowpits looking at snow crystals and analyzing weak layers…. Read More
Movies
Traditional Wooden Ski Making
Ski making may have evolved since the days of hand-hewn boards, but we are all motivated by the same sensation of sliding on snow. Here’s a quirky ski video that runs through the traditional wooden ski making process. Just remember that, “One wrong chop and it’s nothing but firewood . . .”
Children of the Columbia – A Skier’s Odyssey
Children of the Columbia – A Skier’s Odyssey by Sherpas Cinema Canada’s Columbia Mountains are home to some of the most sought-after powder skiing on the planet – think the Monashee, Selkirk and Kootenay ranges. And a mighty river runs through it all. The Columbia River, fed by thousands of high peaks in south-central British Columbia, lights the homes of… Read More
The Vault
La Niña, El Niño and Your Ski Season
La Niña, El Niño and Your Ski Season “Hey Ethel, you seen how fat the squirrels are this fall? It’s a sure sign, we’re in for a whopper of a winter” (Updated for winter 2018-19) Yup, it’s that time of year again. It’s time for pros and amateurs alike to expound on their weather and climate theories. Honestly, I love… Read More
The Art of the Uptrack
The Art of the Uptrack Larry Goldie – Owner, Lead Guide at North Cascade Mountain Guides First, there was the epiphany. It was a deep day, sixteen inches of new and still snowing. The hookup began as many do, spontaneously meeting at the trailhead with the same objective in mind. I was with my two most regular ski partners. Our… Read More
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Off-Piste Mag Issue 66 – Winter 2016
Subscribe to get Off-Piste Mag Issue 66 Off-Piste – the backcountry skier’s magazine – Issue 66, Winter 2015/16 Issue 66 includes 2016 backcountry ski reviews Download Issue 66 in a digital page turner format
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Off-Piste Magazine Issue 65, March 2015
Download Off-Piste Issue 65 Off-Piste – the backcountry skier’s magazine – Issue 65, March 2015 Issue 65 includes Dream Job – Pro Skier Molly Baker; Guide’s Corner – Turning Around; Trouble at Tuckerman’s and more
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Off-Piste Magazine Issue 64, January 2015
Download Off-Piste Issue 64 Off-Piste – the backcountry skier’s magazine – Issue 64, January 2015 Issue 64 includes avalanche beacon reviews; dream job – ski photographer and more
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Off-Piste Magazine Issue 63 December 2014
Download Off-Piste Issue 63 Off-Piste – the backcountry skier’s magazine – Issue 63, December 2014 Issue 63 includes avalanche airbag pack reviews; guide’s corner – morning meeting; dream job – ski guide and more