Backcountry Skier Personalities Backcountry skiers can be a curious bunch. We come in a variety of flavors and there are several easy stereotypes to poke fun at. Of course, we all hold traits from a mix of stereotypes, but in the spirit of making fun of ourselves, we broke backcountry skier personalities into six classic stereotypes — Gearhead, Jaded Local,… Read More
Three Leatherman Multi-Tools with Bit Drivers My backcountry repair kit is on the thin side when compared to many skiers, but I always carry a multi-tool in my pack – read more about backcountry repair kits. In my experience, the highest-use tools for addressing boot, binding and unforeseen backcountry issues are a screwdriver of one sort or another, pliers and… Read More
Hut Trip Packing List Eat. Sleep. Ski. Repeat. Few experiences capture this mantra, like a week-long backcountry hut trip. Waking up with the first climb just steps away from the front door is good living. And few places serve up the experience better than one of the many huts and lodges that make up the Backcountry Lodges of British Columbia… Read More
DPS Lotus 124 2.0 – Alchemist Edition For the most part, backcountry ski waist widths have settled into the 100-115mm zone the last couple of seasons. You can confidently grab a pair of skis with a waist in the low hundreds for just about any day of touring. Between rocker, sidecut and lightweight core materials, these skis are agile, light,… Read More
Darkside Calling – Telemark vs. Alpine Touring by Paul Butler Right before the end of the year, I went out skiing. After a week of torrential and monumentally depressing rain turned Christmas into Slushmas, cold from the east brought December back to the way it should be in these parts. Two friends and I began making our way up “the… Read More
The Ogso Schwarztor – A Quiver of One – 135-104-120 Choosing one pair of skis to do it all in the backcountry is a big ask. There’s no shortage of good skis. It’s finding the one ski that blends playful powder skiing with confident control while keeping it light underfoot that’s the hard part. I typically spend my winter on… Read More
The Best Ski Socks Ski socks may be low on the gear glamour scale, but a fresh pair of good quality ski socks feels mighty nice sliding into a pair of boots. High-quality socks can actually mean the difference between a good day and a bad day of ski touring. From comfort to durability, high-quality socks outperform cheap socks. The… Read More
DIY Ski Wax Bench If you plan to do your own ski maintenance, a solid ski waxing and tuning bench is a must. Between keeping my skis ready to roll, setting up test gear and working on friends’ gear, my ski bench sees a lot of use. Ski widths exceeded the width of my traditional ski vices years ago, and… Read More
Marker Alpinist 12 Tech Binding Dynafit set the tech binding standard, and many have followed. One of the more recent alpine touring tech bindings to turn our heads is the Marker Alpinist 12. Marker is, of course, well established in the alpine binding world and first stepped into tech binding design with the Kingpin. Blending the security of an alpine… Read More
Voile SuperCharger – Do-It-All Versatility As ski season ramps, we’ve got a few ski reviews to share. First up is the Voile SuperCharger. It’s a carry-over ski from last season, but it would be crazy to leave the SuperCharger off our list of favorite backcountry powder skis. Editors’ Choice Voile launched the SuperCharger in 2017-18, and Off-Piste chose it as… Read More
Backcountry Ski Pants Patagonia Snow Guide and Arc’teryx Rush FL Softshell Ski Pants You gotta get up to get down, and skinning uphill requires breathability in your outerwear. It’s easy enough to shed your ski shell when breaking trail, but your ski pants are a different story. As a result, backcountry ski pants need to vent or, better yet, be… Read More
Climbing Skin Tips and Tricks Dysfunctional climbing skins are frustrating at best and will put an early end to a day of backcountry skiing at worst. Fortunately, most climbing skin problems can be overcome in the field or, better yet, avoided through proper care and use. The following climbing skin tips and tricks will help keep your skins doing what… Read More
Ultralight Boot Crampons – TechCrampon 250 The slogan, “If I can’t climb it, I won’t ski it,” helps keep me out of trouble. However, come spring, there are situations when a steep slope may be too firm to climb, but in time will soften into good skiing. Climbing steep firm slopes requires the right tools, namely boot crampons. But, for… Read More
Roller Ski Bags – The Only Way to Travel A minimalist at heart, I traveled for many years with the most basic of ski bags: a single-zip padded bag with a shoulder strap. I’ve looked on with envy at those traveling with roller ski bags as they effortlessly negotiate the airport and car rental counters but have never bought in… Read More
Prior Husume – XTC Construction – A Balance of Float, Power and Weight Handmade in Whistler, BC, the Prior Husume ski has been serving up all-conditions float and control for many years. The latest version features a 109mm waist and the same hard-charging, big radius personality as earlier versions. Crossover Resort and Backcountry Feel I’ve been skiing the Husume XTC… Read More
