Check out Off-Piste Magazine’s expert ski gear reviews, including backcountry skis, AT ski boots, tech bindings, avalanche beacons, 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’ve tested.
Recovery and Maintenance – Foam Roller Time Anyone who prioritizes mountain adventure knows the importance of training to make the most of every outing. But how many of us take recovery and body maintenance as seriously as we take the playing part? Let’s be real: riding, skiing, running, and hiking are the fun part. The body recovery and maintenance parts,… Read More
Ortlieb, Osprey and Deuter Seat Pack Reviews The seat pack is one of the largest volume bags in most bikepacking setups. They are also arguably the most finicky to set up and fit to your bike. They require careful packing, correct positioning, snug attachment and enough clearance above your tire to avoid problems down the road. We tested a number… Read More
Immersing yourself in the rhythm of flowy forested singletrack on a mountain bike takes confidence, faith in your tires and a crisp view of the terrain ahead. Confidence comes with practice. Faith in your tires comes with experience. And a crisp view of the terrain comes with great mountain bike sunglasses. When choosing MTB sunglasses, consider the wide range of… Read More
Ortlieb Fork Packs – Convenient Mini Panniers Support us! Offpistemag may earn a small commission when you shop through our links and banners. Packing your gear and loading up your bike for an adventure requires a mix of experience, restraint and experimentation. It also takes the right combination of bikepacking bags. I consider a set of fork-mounted bikepacking bags like… Read More
With bike road trip season rapidly approaching, we take a look at the Thule RoundTrip Bike Duffel. The RoundTrip is a purpose-built bike gear travel bag. It’s designed to keep your gear organized and easy to find whether you’re headed for your local trailhead or on a multi-day road trip. Get Organized with the RoundTrip Bike Duffel Like most people,… 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
PFC-Free GORE-TEX GORE-TEX has been setting the standard for waterproof, breathable outerwear for more than 30 years. Now, they’re shaping the future of waterproof, breathable outerwear, and it’s PFC-free. The GORE-TEX fabrics we all know feature a combination of materials laminated to a thin membrane called ePTFE (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene) — read more about the different types of GORE-TEX. PTFE is… Read More
We’ve skied just about every generation of the Scarpa Maestrale Ski Boots — and its predecessor, the Spirit Three. In 2023, we likened the Maestrale to the Toyota Tacoma of alpine touring ski boots — a utilitarian backcountry ski boot that gets more capable with every generation. The new 2025 Maestrale turns up the performance with a lighter, stiffer, and… Read More
The Best Home Ski Waxing and Tuning Bench Solutions 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. So much use that I got creative to… Read More
A Backcountry Ski Jacket for the Ascent and Descent I’m a longtime advocate of ditching a full-on waterproof, breathable hardshell ski jacket in favor of a more breathable softshell ski jacket. Nonetheless, I always keep a waterproof shell in my pack for windy ridge tops and stormy weather. The Black Diamond Dawn Patrol Hybrid Ski Sell walks the line between… Read More
Pack-Friendly Ski Goggle Case Goggles are essential gear for most backcountry ski tours, but packing them is not so simple. Big hard cases are just that, big and bulky. And a simple goggle bag offers limited protection when goggle are in your backpack. Our favorite low-profile ski goggle case for ski touring use is the Niner from Tailgate Industries in Bend,… Read More
Backcountry Ski Gloves Backcountry skiing is a lesson in temperature regulation. You must dress lightly enough to climb uphill without overheating and heavily enough to descend without getting cold. It’s all about layering and de-layering to match your effort. And your hands are no exception. It’s the rare day that you can wear the same gloves to climb up and… Read More
The Best Backcountry Skiing Mid-Layer Five or six years ago, Outdoor Research made a lightweight fleece mid-layer called the Deviator Hoodie. They only made it for a couple of seasons. If you were lucky enough to own the original Deviator Hoodie, you know how great it was as a ski touring mid-layer. For those unfamiliar, it was essentially a fleece… 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 ski 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 ski gear issues are a screwdriver of one sort or… Read More
How Light is Right for a Bikepacking Tent? My first bikepacking tent was an REI Half Dome—a roomy two-person tent with two doors and a bomber build that handles rainy nights and gusty thunderstorms with ease. But at 4.75 pounds, it’s not exactly an ultralight tent. Nonetheless, I packed it for several multi-day bikepacking trips, including the Oregon Outback, and… Read More
