Check out Off-Piste Magazine’s expert ski gear reviews including backcountry skis, tech bindings, avalanche beacons, avalanche safety gear, avalanche shovels, ski jackets, backcountry ski pants, ski packs, headlamps, AT ski boots, crampons, climbing skins and more. We use the gear we write up, and the reviews here represent the best of the gear we have tested.
Osprey Soelden 32 Backcountry Ski Pack Skins. Shovel. Probe. Layers. Goggles. Food. Water. Check. Packing for a ski tour isn’t rocket science, but dialing in your ski pack for easy access to the gear you want when you want it takes practice and a pack with thoughtful organization. The Osprey Soelden 32 backcountry ski pack balances a quick-access main body… Read More
Multi-Tools For SkiersThree Leatherman Multi-Tools with Bit Drivers My backcountry repair kit is on the thin side when compared to many skiers, but I do always carry a multi-tool in my pack. In my experience, the highest use tools for addressing boot, binding and unforeseen backcountry issues are a scewdriver of one sort or another, pliers and a good blade…. Read More
Rocker Ski Racks Skis have a way of cluttering your garage, hallway, closet or wherever it is that you happen to store them. We all know what happens when you simply lean your skis against the nearest available wall – if they don’t fall over right away, they will fall over eventually, often taking a few other choice items with them on… 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
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
Backcountry Ski Packing List What’s in your ski pack? It’s a good question, and one that I occasionally ask myself as I heft the weight of my pack to my shoulder in the morning. There’s no sense in carrying more up the hill than you need to, but there are key items that you should always have with you in… Read More
DPS Phantom I’ve always enjoyed the ritual of waxing of skis. In the fall, it marks the approaching ski season. During the season, it harkens the call of a powder day or the anticipation of an extended trip deserving of fresh glide. Ski waxing can be a social event or a good reason to dissappear into your workshop. So when… Read More
Ski Crampons When the snow conditions are firm, nothing offers uphill security like ski crampons or, as they say in German, ”harscheisen”. The What Ski crampons are climbing tools that attach to your ski bindings (or ski as with some aftermarket telemark solutions) and pivot underfoot as you skin up the hill. They are made for use on firm snow… 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 on the gear glamour scale, but a fresh pair of good quality ski socks feels mighty nice sliding into a pair of boots. And 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… 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
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
Layering for Backcountry Skiing – Baselayers and Midlayers Dressing for a full day of backcountry skiing requires a balance of breathability and weather protection. And the only way to really achieve the balance is through layering. It’s not rocket science, but it is easy to overdress for ski touring. It’s an aerobic activity, and you need to be prepared to… Read More
Outdoor Research San Juan Jacket When is the last time you skied in the rain? Hopefully, it’s been long enough that you can’t recall. I ask because many skiers are too concerned with full waterproof protection when choosing a jacket for backcountry skiing. The reality is that the number of days we spend ski touring in truly wet conditions is limited…. Read More
Outdoor Research Trailbreaker Pants Review As the song goes, “you gotta get up to get down” and breaking trail tests more than just your legs; it tests your outerwear. Backcountry ski pants need to breathe while you go up and protect from the elements all the time. I’m a longtime advocate of softshell materials for backcountry skiing because of their increased… Read More
