Latest
Summer Gear Storage
How to Store Your Skins, Skis and Avalanche Beacon Over the Summer When it comes to summer gear storage, a few easy steps will make sure your backcountry equipment – skis, climbing skins and avalanche beacon – are ready to roll when the snow flies in the fall. Summer Climbing Skin Storage Tips Proper summer gear storage for your climbing skins helps to preserve the glue for another season of trail breaking. Inspect your skins: The first step is to inspect your skins for wear and tear or damage. Check the tips and tails for worn connectors, blown rivets, bent parts, etc. Check the glue for pine needles, dirt, dog hair, etc. If the glue is dirty, take the time to clean it by removing…
Gear
Patagonia R1 Tech Face Hoody – Versatile Softshell Jacket
A Versatile Softshell Jacket for Uphill Pursuits You gotta get up to get down when backcountry skiing. And as much as we all love the down, it’s the up that really requires good layering and planning to regulate your body temperature over the course of a full day in the mountains. Every day is a little different, and every skier… Read More
G3 Zed Binding – Light is Right
Light-is-Right or Fully-Featured There are enough tech binding options available these days that choosing a binding requires some real homework. Generally, the first step in narrowing down tech binding options is to decide whether you want a fully-featured model or a light-is-right model. Typically, fully-featured tech bindings have brakes, heel elasticity, a wide release setting range, multiple heel lift options… Read More
Lightweight Backcountry Ski Helmet – Smith Vantage
A Lightweight Ski Helmet for the Backcountry While helmets are the norm for resort skiing, their use in the backcoutry is still mixed. There’s no doubt that a ski helmet has the potential to save your life, and the excuse that a helmet is too heavy for backcountry skiing is no longer a valid argument. Today’s ski helmet designs are… Read More
BCA RS EXT Avalanche Shovel – We Dig It
Avalanche Rescue and Snow Pits – The BCA RCS EXT 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
Ogso Corbets Ski – Nimble and Surfy
Surf, Slash, Slarve The latest board in the backcountry ski test quiver to get most-favored status is the Ogso Corbets. Named after the famed Corbet’s Couloir that’s accessible from the Jackson Hole Ski Resort, it measures in at 110mm underfoot. It’s a dedicated backcountry powder ski with a nimble, surfy feel and even-tempered personality that makes for effortless powder skiing…. Read More
Headlamps – Bright, Brighter, Brightest
Headlamps for Backcountry Skiing Have you ever tried to finish a ski tour in the dark or found yourself chasing daylight through the woods? Darkness takes on new meaning in the forest far from trailhead or home without a headlamp to light the way. Ounce for ounce, few pieces of gear can get you out of jam with a better… Read More
Features
Summer Gear Storage
How to Store Your Skins, Skis and Avalanche Beacon Over the Summer When it comes to summer gear storage, a few easy steps will make sure your backcountry equipment – skis, climbing skins and avalanche beacon – are ready to roll when the snow flies in the fall. Summer Climbing Skin Storage Tips Proper summer gear storage for your climbing… Read More
Tubeless Tire Tips
Go Tubeless or Go Home If you aren’t using tubeless tires on your adventure 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 punctures…. Read More
MADE – Custom Outerwear Brand Launches on Indiegogo
Made-to-Order Outerwear Have you ever wished your ski jacket fit better? Would you like to choose the jacket features that you actually want? Well, the time has come to the outdoor world. MADE, a new startup outerwear brand, is founded on offering made-to-measure outerwear. Started by outdoor industry veterans Dustin Butcher, Capri Phillip and Cheryl LeBarr, the MADE crew brings a… Read More
GORE-TEX GUIDE – Everything You Need to Know
GORE-TEX 101 GORE-TEX is synonymous with reliable storm protection. GORE literally pioneered the waterproof, breathable membrane technology that dominates the outerwear we all use, but understanding all of the GORE options takes some research. How much do you know about all the variations of GORE-TEX? Read on to learn the details about the GORE variations as well as the latest on… Read More
Adventure Ride Essentials
Tubeless Tire Tips
Go Tubeless or Go Home If you aren’t using tubeless tires on your adventure 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 punctures…. Read More
Castelli Entrata Cycling Vest
Castelli Entrata Cycling Vest – Windproof Front, Breathable Back Cycling vests are essential gear for shoulder season rides – or any cool weather riding, really. A good vest balances breathability and wind resistance. It lets you control your temp on climbs and blocks cold wind on descents. With GORE Windstopper® across the front and stretch breathable material across the back, the Castelli… Read More
Adventure Ride Essentials – Gravel Tires
Adventure Bike Gravel Tires Reviewed So many choices, so little time. Choosing the best gravel tire is a bit like picking the right shoes for the day. It’s all about the terrain and surfaces that are on the agenda. When talking adventure riding, maximum volume and width is a key consideration. Tread is important too. But volume is directly related to overall… Read More
GORE SHAKEDRY™ – 7Mesh Oro Jacket
GORE SHAKEDRY GORE set the standard to which waterproof, breathable outerwear is measured, and their latest innovation, GORE SHAKEDRY™, takes everything GORE-TEX is known for to a higher level of performance – waterproofness, breathability and lightweight construction. SHAKEDRY’s distinct design uses a GORE-TEX membrane as the face fabric and a 100% polyamide fabric as a backer. What does that mean?… Read More
Avalanche Safety
BCA RS EXT Avalanche Shovel – We Dig It
Avalanche Rescue and Snow Pits – The BCA RCS EXT 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
Movies
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 . . .
Backcountry Film Festival – Stream It at Home!
Stream the 2020-21 Backcountry Film Fest Well, heading to your fave local theatre or pub to see this year’s Backcountry Film Festival may not be an option. But you can still support the groups that rely on the film fest for raising revenue and awareness. Just choose the organization you want to support from the list of Backcountry Film Fest… 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
