Everything
Last year, Arbor applied its version of multicontact edge technology—they call it GripTech—to its first hybrid-camber board (the Draft). It was a winning combination, literally, taking home last winter’s Gear of the Year award. Now, GripTech and hybrid camber are featured in six of Arbor’s boards, from park hounds…
Mark Landvik’s pro model, the Lando Phoenix is a big-mountain charger built for Landvik’s home playground near Juneau, Alaska. But like the Rome (opposite), it’s no one-condition pony. Testers loved how the mixed camber (rocker between the feet, with traditional camber at the tails) locked onto rails and made…
Each size of this all-mountain twin is adorned with a different dude, like John Lennon, Albert Einstein, or Martin Luther King Jr. But all the dudes ride the same: Thanks to a robust poplar-and-beech core, it’s the stiffest and most carve-ready board here. Like the Rossignol One Magtek, it’s…
The all-mountain One Magtek got the same high scores as the Lando Phoenix (but doesn’t require a black belt in snowboarding), even though its profile is the exact opposite—traditional camber between the feet, with rocker in the tip and tail. “Reverse camber done right,” said one tester after experiencing…
The Quasar features triple-layer foam for a cushioned fit, spherical lenses for optical clarity, and, like the Smith (right), an equalizer vent to help eliminate moisture buildup and fogging. All those inclusions would more than merit the $140 price tag, but the Modulator lenses are also photochromic, a feature…
Zeal has carved out a niche for itself in the ultra-high end of the market, and the SPPX Eclipse fits right in. Not only did the lenses get the highest score for optical clarity; they’re also polarized and photochromic. It’s the latter feature that will really blow you away,…
Testers were impressed with the Prophecy’s secure fit and crisp lenses, but the coolest feature is its Porex Filter. This tiny little portal lets air but not water pass through, which prevents moisture buildup between the lenses and also regulates the air pressure, thus decreasing the chances that the…
The Elevate has everything we’ve come to expect from Oakley. Helmet-compatible outriggers. A wide-view spherical lens. An internal skeleton that evenly distributes pressure to your entire face (not just your nose). But also something new at this price: polarization. The effect is a near-total elimination of glare.
By laminating different materials to the frame (canvas and faux leather), Anon has constructed an impressively sturdy and cool-looking goggle. But we didn’t pick it just because it’s crafty. The Figment was also one of the most comfortable and fog-resistant goggles we tested this year. TAGS: new…
Because the Cornea’s burly, cylindrical polycarbonate outer lens is attached to the outside of the frame, its peripheral vision is as good as it gets. We tested a bunch of lens colors but were especially keen on the “clear” option (the Persimmon Red lenses are pictured), which allows 45…
The softest-flexing boot here, the Ceptor is designed specifically for freestyle riding and landing big airs. A proprietary gel material in the heel adds comfort and helps absorb some impact, while molded vents release steam during long hikes up the pipe. TAGS: freestyle, lightweight…
A side-mounted Boa lacing system equalizes the tension between the upper and lower boot, and an oversize Velcro power strap seals the deal. The result: exceptional heel hold and a soft, responsive flex for everything from pillow lines to the park. TAGS: versatile, Boa…
Salomon’s idea is this: A contoured footbed increases circulation, which means a warmer, happier foot. Hard to say if it works for sure, but the beefy, all-mountain Dialogue received high marks for both comfort and, yes, warmth. Testers also praised the pressure-point-free lacing system. TAGS: big mountain, big…
Rome’s new lacing system lets you adjust four different areas—the inner liner, forefoot, ankle, and upper cuff. Sounds complicated, but two cords are all it takes. And it works. The Libertine received the highest score for out-of-the-box comfort and chutes-to-kickers credibility. TAGS: customizable fit, supportive…
Retightening your boots has never been easier. A cord on the outside of the Ryker’s upper cuff lets you control the inner lacing system without having to loosen the rest of the boot. They look dangly, but the external cords never snagged on anything. TAGS: quick-adjusting, all mountain…
At our annual ski test, 12 hard-charging testers put the Kendo through its paces at Snowbird (see page 37), and every tester wrote something to this effect: “You can make every turn shape at every speed on every style of terrain.” That’s the ultimate goal of an all-mountain ski,…
JUST RELAX Every ski in K2’s line features rocker this season. In addition to floating a ski, rocker can be designed to help initiate a turn. Such is the case with the easy-skiing Aftershock. And where skis like the Nordica Enforcer and Völkl Kendo require near-constant attention, it’s possible to…
WELCOME TO BIG BOY The Sultan 85 features the resilient wood core, powerful vertical sidewalls, and two sheets of vibration-quieting Titanal that elite skiers demand, but thanks to the addition of an “early rise” tip—a hint of rocker up front—you won’t have to muscle it into turns. Which means you…
CARVE IT ALL Like every model in Blizzard’s line, the M-Power is overbuilt, with beefy vertical sidewalls. The resulting deep edge penetration and an unwavering stability made the M-Power the best groomer ski in this category. But there was a tradeoff: It was a little hard to handle in soft…
STREET-LEGAL ROCKET The Enforcer wowed us with its off-the-chart stability at high speed and penchant for tearing through piles of crud with nary a twitch. Credit its wood-core, vertical-sidewall, metal-reinforced construction and monster sidecut. The downside? The Enforcer can take its toll on lighter skiers. “It’s not a lazy-afternoon ski,”…
PLAY ANYWHERE If you think an all-mountain ski needs to handle crust and crud as well as it deals with powder and corduroy, then the Chris Davenport–designed Kästle FX94 is for you. Kästle builds the nicest race-room-quality, laminated-wood-core skis you can buy, but what makes this one so versatile is…
YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL Even at a wider 95 mm underfoot, the Sentinel was one of the more dynamic skis in the category. The front of the ski is playful and floats nicely in resort powder, but the Sentinel is all business in the back, where the sidecut and…
ALL-TERRAIN DOGG The Snoop has been a mainstay in Atomic’s line since 2006, but the company redesigned the ski last season (it now has vertical sidewalls and laminate construction instead of a cap construction). And testers still loved it this year: On the snow, it feels livelier than earlier…
THE WORKHORSE Line is best known as a jib-inspired freeski company, but the Prophet 90 is one of the most versatile all-mountain skis we’ve tested. It’s traditionally cambered and as forgiving in powder as it is damp and predictable on hard snow. Plus it’s quick enough for bumps, trees, and…
RACE CARVER If you spend 80 percent of your time wailing high-speed carved turns on groomers, the AC50’s are for you. The most powerful and dynamic carvers we tested this year, they’ll track unwaveringly back across the fall line when you lay them over. Despite the ample width underfoot,…
NO RATTLE, PLENTY OF HUM Another no-nonsense frontside carver, the new Strato 80 Ti is motorhead-fast right down to the flaming Troy Lee Designs graphics. But although you can push into sweeping turns at GS speeds and beyond, it’s not race-ski nervous. The wide-body tip needs only to be rolled…
MOST VERSATILE It’s a frontside ski, so you can carve easy but powerful turns on it all day long, but thanks to subtle tip rocker (see page 39) and a big sweet spot, you can work the Rictor through bumps and mellow off-piste conditions with ease. Buy it if you…
THE TWOFER Remember what we said about simple ski design being the best? Forget that for a moment. Atomic’s DoubleDeck (D2) technology actually delivers. Each ski is essentially made up of two decks: The bottom one contours the snow surface—boosting edge hold, control, and glide—while the upper one responds to…
FAT AND FURIOUS The Atlas was designed for guys who charge down 50-degree faces at downhill racing speeds. And what does that mean to you? Only this: The Atlas is fat enough for the deepest snow, but it handles like a traditional ski. So you can load it up and…
POWDER SPECIALIST The Gambit—by Boulder, Colorado–based custom ski builder Folsom—is part of a new generation of fat skis that are serviceable on groomers, too. Here, the aggressively rockered tip and tail are tapered for a loose feel in deep snow, but the traditional camber and sidecut let you edge with…
BIG FAT CARVER Despite the Olympus’s big but curvy proportions and rockered tip, it can, like all Elan skis, carve a mean turn. When you put it on edge, its deep sidecut and powerful guts (two sheets of metal and a burly wood core) penetrate even the hardest morning snow.
Want no-compromise magnification without a weight penalty? At 19 ounces, the Echo is the lightest full-size model we tested. 10×32; www.brunton.com…
BIG-MOUNTAIN RACER It’s the skinniest ski we tested in the big-mountain category, but with its wood core and two sheets of chatter-absorbing titanium alloy, the Sultan was also among the most powerful. So much so that it would have been overpowering if not for the rockered tip, which effectively shortens…
ROCK THE GLOP The little brother of Rossi’s S7 powder ski, the new S6 features U Rocker—bent up at the tip and tail, flat underfoot. As you’d expect, it floats in crud and fluff, but that flat section adds edging confidence. You can arc the ski into a big sweeping…
I NEED A MIRACLE They look like traditional cambered fat skis, but step into them and the tips and tails lift into a rocker shape. It’s been called “adaptive rocker” and it offers two benefits: the added float and loose feel of rocker, and the extended contact point of camber…
SOFT SERVE ONLY We know, the name makes you lisp. But if you’re a hard-charging resort powder skier, you’re gonna have to deal. The Obsethed was the fattest ski submitted to our big-mountain test, and, outside of the Sierra or the Pacific Northwest, it’s all any serious powder skier really…
Designed by Nordica’s big-mountain and park athletes, the brand-new Ace of Spades has an upright stance designed to give you a solid, well-balanced platform for skiing switch and landing big airs. And should you land in the backseat, extra room around the big toe helps disperse some of the…
Expert skiers have long favored the precise fit and feel of Lange boots. The only problem was, if you didn’t have narrow feet, the fit could be painfully tight. Enter the brand-new RX 130, the first high-performance boot Lange’s made—it’s the stiffest boot here—specifically for folks with wider feet.
The Sensor3 is easy to like. It has a slightly wider fit that almost every tester (except those with really narrow feet) raved about. But it’s no slouchy cruiser; despite its comfy fit, it’s one of the stiffest boots in Rossi’s line. TAGS: easygoing, big mountain…
Based on the classic Raichle design from the eighties—with some cool updates—the First Chair has impressive quickness edge to edge and, of course, the trademark progressive flex. But it’s also got new metal buckles (lighter, more durable) and an updated cable system that’s easier to adjust. TAGS:…
Testers loved how this intermediate/advanced boot combined a great out-of-the-box fit with a smooth and predictable flex in all conditions. “Great feel without sacrificing ankle flex,” said one tester. Also available in a much stiffer 130 flex with a steel frame for more torsional rigidity. TAGS: intermediate,…
The Quest likes to ski the resort, boot-pack, and occasionally go on tours. Sound familiar? While it weighs about 30 percent less than your average alpine boot and has a walk mode, it’s no softie on the way down. “This is truly a go-anywhere boot for better skiers,” said…
BIG MOUNTAIN With plenty of snow to push around during testing at Utah’s Powder Mountain, people didn’t wait long to dig in with Scott’s fattest ski. The general consensus: Most felt its name is somewhat misleading. “Lively … Stay forward and let the rockered tips plow over anything,” said one…
GEAR OF THE YEAR “You can never have a bad day on the Coomback,” said one tester of the most adored ski in this year’s test. Returning with refined tip rocker—which allows the ski to plane, surf, and smear in powder without giving up control on hardpack—the Coomback was lauded…
MADSHUS‘s NANOSONIC CARBON SKATE R SKIS, some of the lightest and most responsive we tried last winter.
MADSHUS‘s NANO SKC BOOT is a no-frills carbon-cuffed racer.
The XCELERATOR SKATE NIS BINDING lets you microadjust your position on the ski to locate your personal sweet spot.
We were equally smitten with ATOMIC‘s top-end SNS setup: THE WORLDCUP SKATE FL SKIS made long climbs a little less painful.
ATOMIC‘s SNS PILOT RACE SKATE BINDINGS can be equipped with the SNS Wedge ($15), a “gas-pedal” shim that magically balances your weight on both the gliding and the kicking ski.
Atomic’s WORLDCUP SKATE BOOT is light and stiff.
LEKI‘s SHARK CRUISER GLOVES are stylish and comfortable.
When paired with high-quality base layers, PATAGONIA‘s supple and breathable WIND SHIELD JACKET is all you need 90 percent of the time.
When paired with high-quality base layers, CRAFT‘s full-zip ACTIVE CROSS COUNTRY TOURING PANTS are all you need 90 percent of the time.
Finally, embrace your inner nordic dork with CASCO‘s frameless, photochromic NORDIC SPIRIT COMPETITION SHIELDS.
GOLITE‘s windproof BLACK MOUNTAIN THERMAL WIND PANTS might seem beyond the budget, but think of your winter workout gear as a vacation investment—your ticket to transcending the slop and sleet to a warmer, sunnier plane.
Think of your winter workout gear, like SALOMON‘s lightweight, breathable MOMENTUM II SOFTSHELL JACKET, as a vacation investment—your ticket to transcending the slop and sleet to a warmer, sunnier plane (in your head, anyway).
Navigate the sunrise in real life with the USB-chargeable LED lights on SAUCONY‘s windproof PROTECTION GLOVES.
If the temps dip into the teens, throw on a fleece-lined POLAR REVERSIBLE BUFF, an odor-resistant, two-layer tube that can be worn 12 ways.
The 100 percent merino-wool jersey knit in SMARTWOOL‘s moisture-wicking MICROWEIGHT TANK is so comfortable, you’ll likely have rolled out of bed in it.
SKULLCANDY‘s lightweight CHOPS HEADPHONES. With arms that wrap firmly behind your ears, they keep the tunes coming at you loud and clear.
Throw on this 540-fill faux-down jacket (our warmest here), insulated side in, when you’re at the resort. The waterproof, breathable, neon-sunshine hard shell will keep you safe from the elements (and from getting lost). Afterwards, turn it inside out for a street-smart lime puffy. TAGS: reversible, neon, technical…
Nothing beat the uninsulated Snowbelle on bluebird spring ski days. Patagonia’s proprietary fabric is completely waterproof but didn’t suffocate, even when we wore it on a steep, snowy hike up 9,111-foot Atalaya Mountain in Santa Fe. Our taller testers applauded its extra length (which kept snow out), and everyone…
The wrong knee-length parka can make you look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Not the Aria. Its 650-fill down is toasty on blustery winter days, but the close-fitting silhouette doesn’t add bulk. Plus one of the hand pockets doubles as a stuffsack. TAGS: knee-length, media pocket, packable…
This lightly insulated, water-resistant soft shell is perfect for nordic skiing or snowshoeing on winter’s coldest days. It’s got a plethora of pockets, activity-friendly four-way stretch, and a helmet-compatible hood. Why we didn’t want to take it off: The quilted lining is like wearing your softest sleeping bag all…
The styley exterior of this hearty resort jacket hides thumb gaskets, a waterproof membrane, a storm collar with a mesh vent for breathability, and other wonkish details. When it starts to get warm, snap out the liner to make the jacket a hard shell. TAGS: resort, three-in-one.
For slogs into the backcountry, this soft shell carried its (barely there) weight with smart features like a chenille-soft chin guard and slanted pockets you can still access with a pack on. It won’t stand up to a major snowstorm—the Pro Tour is only water-resistant—but it’s the go-to jacket…
Snowshoe runners and fast-and-light hikers, rejoice. Salomon’s most popular running shoe is now winterized, with insulation, Gore-Tex waterproofing, and a higher cut for keeping snow out.
From day hiking in the Front Range to hut trips in Canada, testers loved the go-anywhere Electra for its new FRS (free-rotating suspension) binding, which, they said, gave the shoe a springy feeling that made walking easier. The squared-off claws bit into steep terrain as well as fanglike crampons,…
The high-cut, deeply lugged BugaTech not only excels at ankle support and traction, it’s also toasty, thanks to a proprietary space-blanket-like lining. Plus, flat lower lacing makes it a perfect mate for snowshoes.
If your main objective is gentle, packed trails or snowy, rolling hills, the Crest is for you. Testers were drawn to it because of a comfortable and easy-to-ratchet binding, enough float for undemanding trails (like Vermont’s Bolton backcountry), and surprising grip. All at less than half the price of…
Waterproof full-grain leather with faux shearling and a liberal dose of insulation made this grippy, midcalf lace-up a testers’ fave for mellow snowshoe jaunts that ended with lounging by the fire.
Yes, the graphics are a bit much, but testers couldn’t get over how stable this reverse-camber park rat was. “I went for any lip I saw,” one tester said. “It was so responsive.” Credit the true twin shape and its shallow sidecut, which also made arcing in and out…
Our skepticism of these radically designed bindings was quickly put to bed. “I couldn’t tell where the bindings stopped and the board began,” one tester said after trying out the pictured duo. “They felt like one unit.” The single strap held us in with more responsiveness than any others…
Testers dug the Geos for their roomy toe box, flexible and responsive upper, and easy-to-lace liner. Grippy fabric—it feels like a cat’s tongue—in the heel helps keep your foot in place. Be forewarned: These run about a size too big. TAGS: stylish, runs big…
The all-mountain OMG was at its best making big carves at high speed, charging down steeps, and gliding through trees. A bit of rocker in the tip and tail helped it power confidently up and over chop, but it was incredibly stable thanks to subtle traditional camber between the…
This lightweight binding is anything but wimpy when it comes to performance. Testers felt stable on steeps and plowing through chewed-up crud in the sidecountry. Plus the redesigned straps, with a cored-out toe strap to cut weight, are more comfortable than last year’s version. TAGS: lightweight, durable…
Rome’s new lacing system allows you to tighten down four different zones—the liner, forefoot, ankle, and upper cuff—with just two lace pulls. It’s ridiculously easy, and it works. Plus these boots had the best out-of-the-box feel of any we tested. TAGS: great laces, no break-in…
Big Mountain Our women testers praised the Nemesis as “the go-to ski for anyone who seeks powder at all costs.” But, while the 98-millimeter waist says soft snow, when you hit the hardpack you can hang it way out there with the carvers. New this year, a “slow rise” in…
Big Mountain As the stiffest boot in the women’s Inferno line, the Crush was our favorite advanced-level boot. “It’s a no-holds-barred women’s skiing machine!” one tester exclaimed. Its basic design—low volume with a very natural and efficient stance—fit most of our testers well right out of the box. A faux-fur…