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Atomic’s WORLDCUP SKATE BOOT is light and stiff.
CRUD DESTROYER Good for Powder The three-year-old Pontoon remains the best crud-buster of the lot, which is key. While all reverse-camber skis are fun in powder, once you hit manky snow (like the kind that wants to tear the ligaments off your knee), you’ll appreciate the…
Malleable rubber gaskets behind the foam create a reassuringly snug seal. Free-spinning strap hinges eliminate pressure points. And the spherical-like lens was second only to the Smith I/O in clarity. spyoptic.com…
Good for All Mountain Hands down the most powerful ski in this category, the Magnum IQ sports race-worthy edge grip. “This is an all-mountain ski for East Coast hardpack skiers,” said one tester. Featuring a full wood core that’s overbuilt at the edges for still more bite,…
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…
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…
LEKI‘s SHARK CRUISER GLOVES are stylish and comfortable.
SMOOTH OPERATOR Good for Big Mountain The Monster 102 is only a millimeter slimmer than Head’s pro-model ski, the plank-stiff 103, but the performance is a world apart. Thanks to its softer tip and a powerful tail, it’s easier to move through tight trees and…
Are we not dudes? Must we sport beads and faux fur on our goggles? Oakley, thankfully, says “No!” The new Ambush is blessedly simple but stylish, comes in six different colors, and has top-notch helmet compatibility. oakley.com…
Good for All Mountain Like the K2 Xplorer (above), the brand-new SC 87 wowed testers in every condition. “Silky,” “energized,” and “stable but completely maneuverable” were tester refrains. Credit that wealth of positives to Rossignol’s attention to the balance between a ski’s longitudinal and torsional flex, one…
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,…
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…
When paired with high-quality base layers, PATAGONIA‘s supple and breathable WIND SHIELD JACKET is all you need 90 percent of the time.
Building mountain-ready knees is all about listening to what they're trying to tell you.
UP-AND-COMER The Sundance set will rejoice over the fact that The Canyons, a once unknown Park City resort, now hosts a Waldorf Astoria, complete with a slick new Spruce Restaurant from celeb chef Mark Sullivan. Avoid the glitz by hitting the steep, open glades off the Ninety-Nine…
Without agility, working out is just bodybuilding.
We've narrowed the field to the six best of the year. Now, use our Terrain Meter to choose a pair based on the conditions you ski the most.
Build Power, Not Bulk The Pillars of Fitness To get in peak shape try out all four parts of our comprehensive series. IF YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWING our Pillars of Fitness series (“Building a Base,” March, and “Speed Up,” May), congratulations. By now you’ve dedicated yourself to sustainable, year-round conditioning…
The latest research can help boost your horsepower—and cut your workouts in half
For multisport athletes like you, the trick isn't getting in shape. It's staying there. Here's how.
"Ninety percent of people do nothing to take care of their skis from the day they buy them to the day they throw them in the trash," says Peter Boyer, of Boulder, Colorado's Alpine Base & Edge. Don't follow suit. We asked Boyer for a few tips to keep your skis and boards running fast and true.
Pick one frontside ski (1, 4, or 5) and one fat powder board (2, 3, or 6) and you'll be set for the season
The goal: To rank the continent's top ski destinations. The deciding factors: Snow quality and terrain. The judge: Marc Peruzzi, intrepid Colorado-based ski reporter, former Outside staffer, and editor of Skiing magazine, 2003-2008.
An American is the best female skier in the world. Better start paying attention.
1. Most frontside skis are too precise and exhausting for freeskiing. Not the pared-down CX 80, which does away with heavy add-ons like complex binding plates for a more responsive feel. It’s ten millimeters fatter than most, but its World Cupinspired…
In the Store: If you’re buying just one pair of skis (and not building a quiver), look for a set that matches your style of skiing and the terrain you frequent 70 percent of the time. And don’t be afraid to upgrade: Buy skis slightly above…
Like the father he hardly knew, Kye Petersen is out to conquer the biggest mountains around
Tech toys are great. It's the people who don't know when to put them away that suck.
Adventure sports are more factionalized than religion. And I'm feeling like a heretic.
Wanna live where the action is? The goal: Trails out the back door, a serious Saturday-morning peloton, whitewater just up the road, and neighbors eager to join in. Our source: The best adventure athletes in America, who tell us where they live and why. The result: 20 places where locals work, train, and play hard. Start packing now.
![The Boulder Flatirons at sunrise.
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Think life in America's favorite outdoor mecca would be dreamy? Careful what you wish for.
The next wave of night-vision and sports-lighting systems equips you to explore more—and sleep less
Ever since Chanel models toted ice axes down the Paris runways last year, fashionistas have been looking to the REI racks for inspiration. And while this latest crop of haute outerwear may not suffice on a Chugach Range overnighter, it'll certainly keep you sleek and toasty for a brisk stroll this fall—while giving your fleece a well-deserved rest.
Exploring remote canyons is dangerous fun, but expert advice will get you through it alive. Marc Peruzzi learns the ropes, deep in the Arizona backcountry.
Enter the pucker zone: Alaska's Chugach Range, land of waist-deep powder and drop-dead steeps, where the best big-mountain freeskiers in the world come to unhook. Up here, however, being best isn't the point.
So, feeling like a plunge down a Himalayan river, a race up the face of a Patagonian spire, or a ski expedition to the North (or South—that's O.K. too) Pole? Feeling a little scared? That's why we call them Tough Trips.
It’s not easy to add up all the ways in which Lance Armstrong has earned the title of American hero. Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong First he was the fiery phenom, a brilliant athlete on the brink of greatness. Then he showed us the vulnerable, terrified, but always…
A corps of rock rats in a hurry is putting the pedal to the mettle in big-wall climbing
The Pacific Rim's most explosive endurance sport combines speed, pain, and ancient tradition
Way, way out in the land of powder, the cornices are steeper, the trails go deeper, and the crowds are nonexistent. Where is this mythical kingdom, you ask? Right here in North America.