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.
The Alpinist – Feature Film Movie Trailer As the sport of climbing turns from a niche pursuit to mainstream media event, Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. On remote alpine faces, the free-spirited 23-year-old makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. Yet, he draws scant attention. With no cameras, no rope, and no margin for error,… Read More
A Lightweight Softshell Jacket for the Uptrack You gotta get up to get down when backcountry skiing. And as much as we all love the down, it’s the up that requires good layering to regulate your body temperature over the course of a full day in the mountains. Every day is a little different, and every skier has their own… Read More
Winter is solidly in the rearview mirror at this point, but here’s a little crash reel from Matchstick Productions to help you reflect on your ski season. The adage – if you ain’t flyin’, you ain’t tryin’ – comes to mind. Huck Yeah . . .
Made-to-Order Outerwear (UPDATE: MADE outerwear is now in production. Read our full review of the MADE ski jacket and ordering process.) Have you ever wished your ski jacket fit better? Would you like to choose the jacket features that you actually want? Well, the time has come for the outdoor world. MADE, a new startup outerwear brand, is founded on… Read More
Backcountry Skier Personalities – The Newbie We’ve all been there. New gear or new to the sport, the Newbie is both endearing and embarassing. The Newbie You needn’t search far afield for the Newbie. This species is ubiquitous around North America and commonly sighted at sidecountry locations and roadside attractions made popular by their easy access and moderate terrain. A Newbie… Read More
Light-is-Right or Fully-Featured There are enough tech binding options available these days that choosing a binding requires some real homework. Generally, the first step in narrowing down tech binding options is to decide whether you want a fully-featured model or a light-is-right model. Typically, fully-featured tech bindings have brakes, heel elasticity, a wide release setting range, multiple heel lift options… Read More
A Lightweight Ski Helmet for the Backcountry While helmets are the norm for resort skiing, their use in the backcountry is still mixed. There’s no doubt that a ski helmet has the potential to save your life, and the excuse that a helmet is too heavy for backcountry skiing is no longer a valid argument against wearing one. Today’s ski… Read More
Avalanche Rescue and Snow Pits – The BCA Dozer 2H Shovel Does It All Avalanche shovels are the kind of gear we hope to never really use for their intended purpose of recovering a buried ski partner. But the shovels we all carry have many other uses, primary being to dig snow pits in search of weak layers and to… Read More
Backcountry Skier Personalities One could argue that a Rando Racer is not really a backcountry skier, and that the easiest way to take the fun out of backcountry skiing is to time it. But there’s been some bleed over between the rando race scene and the lightweight touring world, so here is the Rando Racer backcountry skier profile. Stay tuned… Read More
Surf, Slash, Slarve The latest board in the backcountry ski test quiver to get the most-favored status is the Ogso Corbets. Named after the famed Corbet’s Couloir that’s accessible from the Jackson Hole Ski Resort, it measures in at 110mm underfoot. It’s a dedicated backcountry powder ski with a nimble, surfy feel and even-tempered personality that makes for effortless powder… Read More
Voile HyperDrifter – Modern Powder Slashing for the Traditionalist Voile has long focused on wide powder ski designs. As a dedicated backcountry brand with the famed deep snow of the Wasatch as their testing grounds, it only makes sense. From the early Mountain Surf to the more contemporary Drifter and Charger models, they have been building skis that set the… Read More
Chest Harness or Pants Pocket – What’s the Best Place to Wear Your Avalanche Transceiver Standard protocol for wearing an avalanche transceiver has long been strapped to your chest in its harness. In the last handful of years, more and more skiers are moving to storing their beacons in a pants pocket. Using a pant pocket makes for convenient access… Read More
Salomon TV Freeski Collective 2020 Movie Trailer Each day is one day closer to getting on snow and skiing . . . Get ready to make the most of it when it gets here. Salomon TV has some motivation for you with their fall/winter 2020 Freeski Collective Movie Trailer
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
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 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 issues are a screwdriver of one sort or another, pliers and… Read More
