Jeff Burke

Rossignol’s honeycombed tip and tail shed mass where it’s vital—away from your body. As a result, it’s effortless to throw the Soul 7 sideways in the trees or whenever you need to scrub speed.

The Best Backcountry Bindings

The first 16-DIN tech binding, the new Beast features a “return to center” toe piece. As you ski, the binding deflects to absorb shock. It’s one of the reasons, safety-wise, alpine-style bindings outperform tech bindings.

DPS took its deeply rockered Lotus 120—which sports a long pintail, tapered tip, and just a smidge of sidecut underfoot—and added a convex base to the shovel of the ski. That’s right, the base is actually spoon shaped in the front third.

The 6 Best Backcountry Boots of 2013

Whether you’re at the resort or deep in the backcountry, if your boots don’t fit properly you’re miserable. Not sure about size or which brand fit you best? Consult a fitter. To narrow your choices, match the boot to the binding you’re pairing it with.

The 3 Best Telemark Bindings of 2013

You now have two choices when it comes to telemark bindings: 75mm (traditional duckbill) and the newer NTN. The former is favored for its simplicity, lower cost, and greater variety of boot choices, but NTN is vastly more powerful and releasable, and it’s better-suited to driving today’s fattest skis.

We tested out the best backcountry and alpine boots to help you find the best fit for your ski experience.

The 3 Best Alpine Touring Bindings of 2013

Dynafit-style tech bindings, like the Radical and the La Sportiva RT, are the only ones that offer a true free pivot, meaning there’s no hardware attached to your boot heel or sole. They have fewer moving parts, ice up less, and require 15 percent less energy from you than other bindings.

When the results were tallied after our on-mountain evaluations, these were our female testers’ favorite planks.

The Best Women's Backcountry Bindings of 2013

Go deeper with our favorite telemark and alpine touring bindings of the year.

The 7 Best Backcountry Skis of 2013

If it’s been a while since you bought telemark or alpine touring gear, you’ll notice that the game has changed quite a bit. Skis that used to be fat are now narrow, almost every new model has some degree of rocker, and Dynafit and Dynafit-style bindings are becoming increasing common at the resort.

It makes no difference to Mother Nature whether you’re a few hundred feet outside the resort boundary or deep in the backcountry. At a minimum, if you plan to ski any uncontrolled slope, you need four things: a buddy, a beacon (worn over your midlayer, not stuffed in your pack), a shovel, and a probe.

The 6 Best Backcountry Bindings of 2012

Outside reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Marker Duke bindings

The 7 Best Backcountry Skis of 2012

Outside reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Volkl Nunataq skis

The 6 Best Backcountry Ski Boots of 2012

Outside reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Black Diamond Custom boots

Essentials: Backcountry Tools

Outside reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the BCA Arsenal A-1 shovel with 35-centimeter saw.