Climbing skins are required equipment for backcountry skiing ’cause you gotta get up to get down. While all climbing skins work on the same principle, skins vary by plush type, tip and tail connection systems and material type. Choosing the best climbing skins for your ski touring needs depends on snow conditions, type of tour, experience level and personal preference…. Read More
Easy On, Easy Off — Hybrid Climbing Skins Most of us have struggled at one time or another while attempting to pull apart climbing skins stuck glue-to-glue. Sure, they eventually pull apart. But it’s no fun to struggle with them. That’s where the BCA Hybrid Climbing Skins come into the picture. The word hybrid in the name has a double… Read More
How to Store Climbing Skins, Skis and Avalanche Beacon for the Summer When it comes to storing your climbings skins and backcountry ski gear for the summer, a few easy steps will make sure your backcountry equipment is ready to roll when the snow flies in the fall. How to Store Climbing Skins – Summer Gear Sorage Tips Proper summer… Read More
Essential Backcountry Equipment — Climbing Skins Climbing skins don’t get nearly as much attention as skis, boots and bindings when building out a backcountry ski kit. Nonetheless, skins are essential equipment for backcountry skiing and deserve some real consideration. The big questions when looking for skins are: What’s the best plush — nylon, mohair or a blend? What’s the glue reputation?… Read More
Skins Maintenance and Glue Refresh Tips Climbing skin glue doesn’t last forever. It gets dirty, becomes patchy and turns gooey. Skin glue problems can wreck an otherwise excellent day of skiing. But there are some climbing skin maintenance tips and tricks to help you avoid the full (dreaded) reglue project. Refresh Climbing Skin Glue – Iron Your Skins Retouching skin… Read More
G3 Minimist Climbing Skins I’m a minimalist by nature. Less is more has proven to be a solid motto for most things backcountry skiing. Well, maybe not when it comes to the width of my skis, but today’s wide skis help fuel the less is more mantra, because if you’re gonna slide around on 110-130mm underfoot, you better lighten your… Read More
G3 Alpinist+ Climbing Skins – Glide Model I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; climbing skins are one of the most underrated pieces of gear we use. Yet without skins, we can’t do what we do, climb up to ski down. Having used nearly every type of skin available over the years, I have a strong preference for skins… Read More
Voile Climbing Skins Reviewed Voile Equipment is well known for their backcountry skis, splitboards and bindings, but they also offer a variety of time-tested backcountry accessories including climbing skins. Given the width of today’s skis, a climbing skin’s weight and glide are more important than ever for efficient climbing. Every step with climbing skins on your skis is effected by skin glide…. Read More
G3 Alpinist LT Climbing Skins Review We spend many an hour working our way uphill while backcountry skiing and our choice of climbing skins can make a big difference in our efforts on the skin track. Think lightweight and good glide. The lightweight part is obvious, but the good glide part is often overlooked in favor of grip. Today’s wide skis translate… Read More
A Clean, Functional Ski Pack for Day Tours “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Airman’s Odyssey Testing ski packs is a little like backseat driving; It’s easy to be a critic. In an effort to come up with fresh designs or innovative… Read More
Ski Industry News Updates Blown-In — A semi-regular look at the latest ski industry news bits — is a collection of press releases, new products, and interesting stuff circulating on the interweb that catches our attention. This week’s edition of Blown-In features fresh outerwear news from Norrøna, PHANTOM Glide for Nordic skis, new backcountry gear from HEAD/Tyrolia, a new AT ski… Read More
Skis, boots, skins, poles, goggles, beacon, pack, shovel . . . It’s time to scour your garage, search the basement and rummage through the closet. Winter has returned, so wherever you stash your ski gear for the off-season, it’s time to dig through the boxes and round up your backcountry kit.But is your backcountry ski gear ready to roll? Check… Read More
The Best Ski Packs Keep it Simple Backpack design is a funny thing. Designers are always looking for new ways to reinvent the wheel. In my opinion, the hallmark of a great backpack is simplicity. The newest Patagonia SnowDrifter 30L ski pack nails it with a clean, user-friendly and ski-ready design. It also happens to be made with 100% recycled… Read More
Pack Light. Go Far. It’s the rare day that look at a fellow backcountry skier’s pack and think, “Wow, that pack looks light and efficient.” More often than not, I wonder why a pack looks so big or full. Packing light, or packing smart as I like to think of it, is about more than just having the lightest weight… Read More
It’s that time again. Here’s our annual guide to cool gifts for skiers on your holiday list. Skier Gifts $100+ Give-r 4-Season Leather Gloves $119 We are big advocates of leather ski gloves, and it’s hard to beat the simplicity, durability and price of Give’r Gloves. They’ve got several glove and mitten options, but if you just want one pair… Read More
