Pack Light. Go Far.
It’s the rare day that look at a fellow backcountry skier’s pack and think, “Wow, that pack looks light and efficient.” More often than not, I wonder why a pack looks so big or full. Packing light, or packing smart as I like to think of it, is about more than just having the lightest weight gear. Packing smart is part gear, part efficiency and part experience.
So, how do you pack light on a backcountry ski tour? Well, short of spending heavy for all the lightest backcountry ski gear, packing light requires looking at the big picture—weather, destination, partners, terrain, etc. It takes evaluating your packing list relative to conditions and your destination, so you can dress smart, pack smart and trim small amounts of weight and volume where it makes the most sense.
Here are our top tips for packing light on a backcountry ski tour.
1. Choose Your Layers Wisely
Think about your layers as a system. When they all work together, each layer can be lighter than if it were a standalone piece. For example, even a modest-weight puffy is generally warm enough for a lunch break or a cold valley bottom transition when worn with your shell jacket and your midlayer. Never discount the importance of a warm hat and a hood. They maximize warmth without adding significant weight or bulk to your pack.
Dressing smart means choosing versatile layers—like a highly breathable and weather-resistant mid-layer—like the Arc’teryx Proton Hoody or the Patagonia Nano Air. When your layers breathe well, you stay drier and warmer, and you change layers less often. Breathability equals versatility. When breathable layers are combined with a hooded, puffy, and waterproof shell, they add up to expedition warmth.
If you’re new to ski touring, an easy place to start with packing light is to use a 3-layer shell jacket versus a 2-layer version. While a 3-layer jacket sounds like it would be heavier than a 2-layer jacket, it’s actually the opposite. A 3-layer jacket is a true “shell” with no lining or insulation, while a 2-layer jacket includes a lining that adds weight and bulk. You can read all about waterproof, breathable jacket technologies and the differences between 2-layer, 3-layer and 2.5-layer ski jackets in our GORE-TEX Guide article.
2. Go Light When Buying Required Gear
There are a few non-negotiable things that you need to carry for any ski tour—a backpack, a shovel and a probe. While it falls under the pay heavy to pack light category, you can save considerable weight when choosing your ski pack, shovel and probe. Check out some of our favorite ski packs.
Backpack weights vary significantly, and weight should be part of the equation when deciding which pack to purchase. Weight becomes even more significant if you are considering airbag packs, making the weight of your other gear choices that much more important.
Shovel weight also varies, and while the smallest, lightest shovel is likely not the most efficient for moving snow, finding a happy medium in blade volume and weight will still help lighten your load. The easiest way to drop weight with an avalanche probe is to go carbon. Better to have a 3m carbon probe than a 2m aluminum probe that weighs the same, but it’s better to have a 2m aluminum probe rather than no probe at all.
3. Share the Load
The next thing to think about when trying to pack light for a ski tour is what could be considered group gear—stuff like backcountry repair kits, a GPS and emergency supplies. All of these things have value, and you should carry a small repair kit specific to your gear, but not everyone in a group needs to carry everything. Think of it as group supplies and, depending on the type of tour, spread the gear around. One person brings a multi-tool. One person brings a GPS, and one person packs the first aid, etc. Read our tips for building a backcountry repair kit.
The same group logic applies to snow study gear. While everyone needs a shovel and probe in their packs, not everyone needs to carry a saw, rutschcord, snow science kit and notebook on a normal day tour.
4. Discard the Non-Essentials
Before something makes your packing list, ask yourself, “Do I really need this?”
For example, a bulky sunglasses or goggles case can be left behind and replaced with a simple cloth bag. If you prefer some structure to protect your goggles or sunglasses, check out Tailgate Industries. They make a nice lightweight, low-profile goggles case that easily doubles as a sunglasses case when you’re wearing your goggles.
Bulky food containers fall into the same category. They add weight and take up space to do a job that a simple bag can do. Here are a few more common non-essentials that can be left at home: glue saver sheets for your skins, spare goggles or lenses and rather than packing spare batteries for your headlamp, just make sure you have fresh batteries in it.
What else is in your pack that doesn’t need to be there?
5. Let Snow and Weather Guide Your Packing
Always consider the snow conditions, weather and the route when packing for the day. On a mid-winter storm day, you probably won’t need those ski crampons (or ice axe)—save them for high alpine spring tours. Likewise, if it’s -15 and storming, you can leave the ball cap at home. And if it’s a warm spring day, you can prob leave the spare gloves and thermos at home.
6. Water
Water is essential, but it’s only worth carrying as much water as you’re actually going to drink. So, how much water is the right amount? Of course, the amount of water needed varies by weather conditions, tour length and personal needs. I generally carry about a liter for an average day tour.
You also have choices as to how you carry water. Rather than a bulky metal or plastic water bottle, consider a lightweight, soft-sided Platypus or collapsable bottle. And while a vacuum insulated bottle like a Hydroflask is a great design for everyday use, they are heavy and unnecessary for a ski tour. A small purpose-built thermos is often lighter and lower profile than a bulky water bottle
7. Electronics
It’s tempting to pack all the latest gadgets, but some make more sense than others. And some have overlapping purposes. For example, a modern phone with a GPS app like Gaia and its built-in camera can save you from bringing a GPS and a camera. The latest iPhone even has emergency satellite locater capacity. And on a day tour, you can leave the backup battery at home, too.
As for electronics that should make the cut, two-way radios and an emergency satellite locator rank pretty high on the list. A basic FRS radio like the Backcountry Access BC-Link 2.0 is a safety tool that promotes increased communications within a group. Good radio comms help keep a group together, nail the good ski lines and troubleshoot small problems before they become big problems. If you choose to carry a satellite locator like the popular Garmin InReach Mini, be sure to keep it safely stored inside your top lid or a secure pocket versus clipped to the outside of your pack.
8. Knowledge and Skills
The most valuable things you can pack on a ski tour actually weigh nothing: knowledge and skill. They are your best asset for staying safe and having a good time. Knowledge doesn’t have to mean knowing everything or being super experienced. It can be as simple as reading the avalanche hazard rating and recognizing your limits or as complex as understanding how to find the persistent weak layer buried in the snowpack.
The bottom line for packing light is that it’s really about packing smart and packing efficiently. You can pack heavy and not be prepared, just like you can pack light and not be prepared. So consider the big picture—route, objectives, weather forecast, snow conditions, ski partners, and pack smart.
Read our recommended backcountry ski packing list
See what we recommend for a backcountry ski repair kit
Read our pre-season gear prep tips
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