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.
Adventure Map – Rogers Pass In our digital age with GPS enabled phones and Google Earth, one might ask who needs a traditional folding map? Well, when it comes to remote, mountainous places a hardcopy map still trumps electronics for those who know how to read them. Modern technology can be awesome, but a map is a multi-purpose planning, navigation… Read More
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ice Pack Summer is in full swing here in Hood River, and that means packing as many adventures into the week (or day) as possible. I have been testing the Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 Ice Pack for the past couple of months and have attempted to put it through the full gamut of mountain adventures from day… Read More
Mountain Coloring Book for Outdoor People A wide variety of outdoor gear and related stuff comes across our desk over the course of a season, but this is the first time we’ve ever seen a coloring book. It’s a mountain coloring book to be specific. And, believe it or not, it’s worth a look. The Mountain Mix Coloring Book is… Read More
We’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; climbing skins are one of the most underrated pieces of gear weuse. Yet without climbing skins, we’d struggle to do what we do – climb up to ski down! I’ve used just about every climbing skin on the market over the years, and I have developed a strong preference for mohair… Read More
Mystery Ranch Patrol 45 Ski Pack The Mystery Ranch Patrol 45 ski pack is a refined piece of history. For those readers old enough to recall the Dana Bomb pack, the Patrol 45 has a familiar air about it. The Bomb pack was the go-to day pack for ski patrol, ski guides and any backcountry skier who appreciated a quality… Read More
Tailgate Niner Goggle Case We pack a variety of gear in our packs for a tour, but few things get taken in and out of our packs as much as our goggles. On storm days, goggles are right up there with our skins for getting used and repacked with every transition. We’ve all scratched or otherwise abused a perfectly good… Read More
Fritschi Tecton – Tech binding meets alpine binding ease The latest tech binding to make our test fleet is the Fritschi Tecton. As tech bindings evolve, the designs can be categorized into one of three general categories – minimalist, full-featured and – for lack of a better term – freeride. The Fritschi Tecton binding fits the freeride category. It builds… Read More
Snow Shed Topsheet Wax We’ve all been there – breaking trail with a healthy layer of snow on our ski topsheets, cursing the added weight with every step. It does not seem to matter what your ski topsheet material is or it’s texture; given the right conditions, snow builds up and adds weight to every step as you head… Read More
La Sportiva Synchro AT Ski Boot – a first look 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… Read More
Patagonia Snowdrifter Backcountry Ski Pants If you’ve ever ski toured in a pair of Gore-Tex ski pants, you know how little they really breathe when you’re working hard on the uptrack. Unlike our upper layers, no one changes leg layers while out skiing. Backcountry ski pants require breathability to manage the demands of the skin track. Waterproof and breathable sounds… Read More
Deuter Rise Lite 28 Backcountry Ski Pack The rise of the avalanche airbag pack has taken some attention away from the traditional backcountry ski pack. Airbag packs are a solid innovation in avalanche safety and have proven to be true life savers, but the reality is that most of us still use regular, non-airbag ski packs for human powered ski… Read More
Dynafit TLT Speedfit Binding As the snow stacks up in the hills, so does the test gear in the Off-Piste Mag shop. The latest new tech for testing is the new Dynafit TLT Speedfit binding. The Dynafit tech binding design has seen a steady evolution from the original Dynafit TLT to the now feature-rich Radical 2.0 and Radical ST bindings…. Read More
Voile SuperCharger Ski Review As ski season approaches, we’ve got a few more 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. Voile launched the SuperCharger last season and Off-Piste chose it as one of… 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, too. Backcountry ski pants need to breathe while you go up and protect from the elements on the up and down. I’ve long been an advocate of softshell materials for backcountry skiing… Read More
G3 SENDr 112 – Ski Review We have been fans of the G3 Empire for several seasons. It’s lightweight carbon build plus healthy width and rocker combined to deliver a surfy and playful ride in any soft snow conditions. Well, the next evolution is here and it’s a lot of fun, too: the 2018 G3 SENDr 112. The SENDr 112… Read More
