Welcome to the home of the backcountry skiing blog from Off-Piste Magazine. Here we post backcountry ski gear reviews, feature stories and avalanche safety advice, plus ski news, events and more.
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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 material (plush) type, tip and tail connection systems and also the depth or thickness of the plush. Choosing the best climbing skins for your ski touring needs depends on snow conditions, type… Read More
2024 Ski Movie Trailers Here’s your one-stop page for tracking all of the best 2024 ski movie trailers. Support us! Offpistemag may earn a small commission from affiliate links when you shop through our links and banners. Circle of Madness from TNF Circle of Madness is getting a lot of positive press, with many saying it is the best ski… Read More
It’s summer in the Pacific Northwest, and the Van Life crowd is everywhere. From bike races to remote trailheads and grocery store parking lots, you can’t escape them. And I’ll admit it. I suffer from van envy. Half of me wonders how so many people can afford $100,000+ vans, and my other half covets one. I’ve owned multiple vans over… Read More
Voile – Made in the USA Voile has been quietly designing and manufacturing backcountry ski and snowboard gear in Utah since 1980. That’s 44 years of hands-on backcountry know-how. Their product line is extensive and functional. From the humble but oh-so-useful Voile strap and bomber avalanche shovels to bindings, boards, skis and skins, they make a lot of products. More… Read More
Make Dinner a Priority Part of the fun and challenge of a multi-day bikepacking trip is planning the meals. Some routes let you indulge in small-town food stops where you can resupply or eat at a restaurant every few days. But what about more remote routes and the days when you need to be self-sufficient with your food? Packing enough… 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
Ski and Bike Industry News Blown-In — A semi-regular look at the latest ski and bike 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 EXPLORE Act status, a new multi-day bikepacking route in Oregon, plus new bike-specific gear from Outdoor… Read More
To the Hills & Back is not your typical ski movie. It’s a story of risk and consequence. What is risk? Risk is the likelihood of something bad happening and understanding the consequences. The new Sherpas Cinema film explores the consequences. It’s a story of loss, humility and resilience. No one heads to the mountains thinking about the worst that… Read More
Ski Industry News 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 a new avalanche beacon from Pieps, a new teleark ski boot from Scarpa, how to become a sponsored adventurer and… 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
Skiing is not art, and skiers are not artists. Unless, of course, skiing is art and skiers are artists? Abstract, Faction’s fourth feature film, exhibits pure creativity through a series of freeski sequences from the vibrant streets of Japan to the powdery pillows of British Columbia to the finely manicured terrain parks of Switzerland and Italy. Each location provides a… Read More
Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival Presented by Winter Wildlands Alliance, the Backcountry Film Festival captures a range of backcountry adventure, culture and advocacy. You can stream the full two-hour show right at home! Check out the film festival trailer below. Just kick down $20 to support the Winter Wildlands mission, and you can watch the full selection of films… Read More
How much should you spend on a mountain bike helmet? $100, $200 or even $300? No one wants to put a price on their head. But price still plays a role for most of us when shopping for a bike helmet. So, what’s the difference between a $100 mountain bike helmet and a $250 one? Aside from obvious design features… Read More
GORE-TEX 101 GORE-TEX is synonymous with reliable storm protection. Gore pioneered the waterproof, breathable membrane technology that dominates the outerwear we all use, but understanding all of the Gore options takes some research. How much do you know about the different types of GORE-TEX? Read on to learn the details about 2L GORE-TEX, 3L GORE-TEX, 2.5L GORE-TEX and Infinium constructions,… Read More
