TAKE IT EVERYWHERE Good for Groomed Runs The most versatile frontside ski we tested, the brand-new 777 is less of a pure carver than the other skis on this page, making it an ideal choice for advanced skiers looking to step it up. Built to similar specs…

Obvious beer-goggle jokes notwithstanding, Scott’s new spherical, all-conditions Natural Light lens might be the most versatile in our test. Instead of a gray or vermilion field of vision, Natural Light shows the world pretty much as it is. scottusa.com…

Good for Big Mountain With features like a free-pivot touring mechanism, a reliable safety release, brakes, and the closest thing to step-in convenience in the freeheel world, the NTN (New Telemark Norm) binding represents a significant departure from conventional tele bindings. While it can be overpowering when matched with…

Although K2 calls the Lotta Luv an expert ski, it accommodates a wide range of advanced skiers. The wood core, topped by a layer of metal, makes for a quiet ride, while the integrated Marker system binding allows the ski to arc naturally through the turn. If that all…

STIFF AND STABLE On paper, the 154 demo model we were sent should’ve been too short for most of our testers. But this true twin proved to be surprisingly stable at speed. “It felt longer and stronger than it should have at top speed,” said one of our larger riders.

Instead of two straps, the new Essence has one big flap with four mini-ratchets. It’s a time-tested design, and testers loved this binding’s unparalleled feeling of security. flow.com…

Good for Resort Beginners, take note: This is the most forgiving board in our lineup. If you’re wondering whether rockered boards are really all that (and they are), know that the Angus is the most predictable and easygoing reverse-camber board here. This all-mountain, directional twin took on…

Good for All Mountain Are you rather large? Do wimpy skis piss you off? Go to Helldiver! Here’s an all-mountain ski with a big platform underfoot—90 millimeters—and no speed limit. While our biggest and fastest testers loved bombing groomers on it, our lightest testers found it a…

With its fog-cutting yellow-based tint, the Revolution has the most effective photochromic lens we’ve seen, capable of going from a milk-bottle day to bright sun. julbousa.com…

The tour mode still lacks the flexibility of traditional bindings, but the wide range of variously stiff, color-coded cables makes the NTN a good choice for skiers of all abilities. “This binding truly brings telemark skiing to a new level,” said one neophyte. 5.4 lbs; rottefella.com  …

It doesn’t get much simpler than this. The low-profile Riot has a few small air vents, fleece-lined earflaps, a molded (read sturdier) brim, and that’s about it. The earflaps detach too easily. A nonadjustable liner means it either fits your head or doesn’t. TAGS: no frills, low-profile…

Telemark This year, SCARPA finally adds a walk mode to the powerful, smooth-skiing T-Race. Add that to its downhill chops—four buckles and the best power strap we’ve seen—and you’ve got, as one tester put it, “a full-tilt, full-shred crusher.” 8.6 lbs; TAGS: all mountain, new walk mode…

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…

Good for Backcountry Pricey, comfortable, and tough, the Pro Light Tour was the luxury SUV of our test. There are no cupholders, but with a separate pocket for tools, vertical-carry ski straps, and ice-ax loops, everything else has a place. Plus there’s ample padding and just enough…

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…

Why They’re CoolEvery month or so I study mountain lions on a rough tracking transect. During my most recent jaunt, the aggressive Vibram soles on the Nimbles negotiated myriad off-trail surfaces like a set of paws. » The low-cut uppers allowed my ankles to flex freely on steep climbs, but…

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…

Visible technology may be the buzz at most design shops, but on trip after trip, this pack scored top marks because of what you can’t see: two hinges hidden behind the lumbar pad. Each side of the hipbelt swivels independently, allowing it to conform perfectly to your body shape…

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…

Why They’re CoolI’ve never experienced a more comfortable hike in boots capable of carrying 40-pound backpacking loads. The trick? A softer insert embedded in the heel of a dual-density polyurethane midsole keeps things pillowy, while a polyurethane heel cup and full-length thermoplastic shank do their share, adding the rigidity needed…

  Thanks to a neoprene toe box and ample cushioning, these are as close as you’ll come to skiing in a pair of bedroom slippers. But due to a forward stance and stiff flex, they performed well, too. nordicausa.com          …

GREEN KICKS WITH GUTS Eco-friendly shoes used to be fine for backyard lounging, not the backcountry. With its new footwear, Patagonia makes it clear such restrictions no longer apply. Here’s why. Performance: The outsole’s narrow profile and stiff edges boosted my confidence on sketchy downclimbs, while the upper’s durable leather…

SPEED DEMON It’s rare for all of our testers to be on the same page, but everyone agreed: The new 888 is unquestionably the best ski the Slovenian company has produced in years. During several days of testing at Powder Mountain, these moderately wide planks (88 millimeters underfoot) effortlessly zippered…

Ground-biting traction and a cushy, flexible midsole made this low-top our favorite for fast scrambling in steep terrain. scarpa.com…

A waterproof inner bootie, full-grain leather upper, and stiff sole make this a legit snowshoe boot. A removable shearling insole makes it legitimately cozy. uluboot.com…

LOVES BIG LOADS Can’t decide whether to pack the pinot noir or the grigio? Bring ’em both—and the cast-iron skillet. On a multi-day trip in the Cascades, the Argon’s burly suspension system and memory-foam hipbelt and shoulder straps didn’t flinch at 60-plus pounds. It’s also crammed with tons of user-friendly…

Good for SnowshoeingThe diamond-pattern sole dug into snow and slush, while the shearling lining and shock-absorbent insole made the Woodbury feel like an outdoor slipper. timberland.com…

This smart little pack brings a dash of technical know-how to a street-savvy bag. In town, you can remove the hip strap to dial back the crunchy-guy factor, while a bit of reflective piping increases your visibility when riding or walking in the dark. Wherever we were, the water-resistant…

Mud Control Tromping through sludgy puddles on the Appa­lachian Trail, the Moraga’s combination of a waterproof upper and snug-fitting gusseted tongue easily kept slop at bay. That was to be expected. What really impressed us was its bite. The Moraga’s toothy outsole shed the glop and provided plenty of stability…

Burly Day Hiker Whether for a dog walk or an eight-hour peak assault, testers came back to this shoe again and again—even if the forecast called for rain. The waterproof Gore-Tex lining in this nubuck hiker kept our feet dry but never steamy. Want something sturdier for multi-day excursions? Opt…

Board Sport Unbuckle the Blade’s padded back flap, place your snowboard across the pack horizontally, rebuckle, and you’re off. Not only is the process as quick and easy as it sounds, but testers liked the way this design balances the board’s weight, even if it’s not ideal in every situation…

Size, Price: 70 oz, $28; 100 oz, $30Flow Rate: 3*Funk Figher?: Antimicrobial treatmentFilter-Compatible?: Yes, with $7 adapterValve Shutoff?: YesGotta Love: Angled mouthpiece puts bite valve where you need itBummer: Tricky to drySplat Test: Survived *Ratings: 1=Average, 3=Excellent…

Don’t be fooled by the adiStar’s low weight and mesh upper. It’s a solid motion-control shoe for heavier runners or severe overpronators looking to hammer out miles. Adidas recently streamlined its proprietary Ground Control System, resulting in a sleeker, lighter shoe with the same support benefits. It nips overpronation…

SUPERLIGHT AND SUPER-SECURE The lacing system on this shoe swerves so radically you might think it’s a factory blooper. It’s not. Less than a mile into a training run along the Boulder Creek Path, it was clear that the Concinnity’s off-center lacing system pulls double duty: It helps provide an…

ALL-PURPOSE This crossover shoe performs well on a variety of surfaces. On technical trails, it’s stable and comfortably cushioned, thanks to high-rebound foam in the midsole and a solid plastic protection plate in the forefoot; on hard surfaces, the cushion almost makes this shoe feel like it was made for…

If you’re one of the lucky ones who can trot out the front door and weave together a perfect run on a mix of trail and pavement, stop gloating and buy a pair of Odysseys. At first glance the toothy tread appears to be trails-only, but the low-profile lugs, four-density…

TRIATHLON-READY With a pronounced heel tab, quick-pull laces, and sole drain holes, the Tempo is designed to speed up your switches from bike to run. But the first-ever road shoe from the triathlon-apparel company Zoot is also a highly advanced, lightweight trainer for everyday roadies. The midsole’s dual-density foam and…

Thanks to a full-length TPU Flexion Plate that instigates forward motion, we simply felt fastest in these light stability shoes. In other words, they’re pricey but worth it. And you can run them hot: The breath­able mesh is treated with temperature-regulating material that actually seems to work. 10 oz;…

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” may work as a guiding principle for, say, can openers, but not running shoes. Brooks took a popular, high-quality cushioning shoe and went back to the drawing board, producing the new and improved Radius 06. It’s a lighter and more generously padded runner…

The most gender-specific shoe in our test, the Wave Rider accommodates a woman’s unique biomechanics. The result is a nimble, comfortable, impressively breathable, neutral trainer that’s also ready to race. 8 oz; mizunousa.com…

Motion-control shoes have a rep for feeling big and clunky, but this agile cruiser defies the stereotype. The key component is the detached heel-strike pad, which moves independently of the rest of the midsole. The design isolates shock absorption from the rest of the shoe and stops mild pronation in…

Cool Runner We have to admit, the Ravenous surprised us. Columbia is new to the running market and debuts with this breathable, lightweight, perfectly competent trail shoe. It’s best on rocky terrain and—with its particularly breezy open mesh—begs to be unleashed in humid climes. The traction ranked high on dry…

Road Think classic American sedan: plush interior, soft in the shocks, and ready to cruise. The updated Ghost is a comfort-minded neutral trainer, ready for high-mileage days and moderate paces, though it was too spongy for our speedsters. 8.8 oz. TAGS: neutral, generous cushioning…

The Ghisallo is a wake-up call for weight-freak roadies dutifully switching everything (even water-bottle-cage spacers!) to carbon: There’s another gravity-defying game in town. Weighing less than a box of Clif Bars, this all-titanium frame is not only the wispiest factory model available; it’s the lightest complete bike we tested.

WIN A TRIATHLON Lance-like speed, La-Z-Boy comfort. Well, almost: The 9.9 features the same basic design of Trek’s Armstrong-era time-trial bikes—the TTX foil shape, bottom bracket, wheel cutout, and fork. But thanks to longer head tubes and a slightly steeper, 76-degree seat-tube angle (a flip-flop head allows 74.5 to 79…

With a buckle closure and carbon sole, these have all the features of a top-end cleat—except the staggering price tag. bike.shimano.com…

RACE-READY CARBON If you place speed above all else, consider this hardtail. The 986 may be Look’s first foray into the off-road world, but as their road bikes have proven, they know their way around carbon. With dramatically shaped tubing—faintly hexagonal in the top and seat tubes and broad in…

Good for Backcountry Because both the head and shaft are made out of aluminum (with steel tips), the Corsa weighs half as much as normal axes (just 8.8 ounces). Of course, that lack of heft also makes getting purchase in blue ice more difficult. Think of it…

To create our new favorite road shoe, Sidi took the slipperlike synthetic upper, full-carbon sole, and adjustable heel retention of its top-of-the-line (and rather narrow) Ergo 2, then reassembled it all for those of us with wider feet. sidiusa.com…

This genius watch measures your resting heart rate (collected while you take a five-minute break) and automatically builds a weekly training regimen. Then it tracks your progress and updates your workouts accordingly. www.polarusa.com…

Plush Hardtail For years, carbon fiber and full suspension have been the driving forces in mountain-bike innovation. But the industry’s recent embrace of big-wheeled rigs has breathed new life into aluminum frames and hardtail designs. “This bike reminded me that aluminum hardtails are incredible climbers,” wrote one tester. “Extremely comfy…

Updated with an elegant new ergonomic case, the classic traveler’s tool kit still includes nearly every widget you could wish for—even a wrench. www.wengerna.com…

Climb Any Mountain The only difference between this frame and the one Cannondale’s pros are racing in Europe is the carbon fiber. The SuperSix 3, built up with Shimano Ultegra components, uses a less expensive weave, but the molds are the same. Given that, we were expecting it to handle…

GEEK’S DELIGHTPaging all data whores! The S625X, which ships with a wireless speed sensor that mounts on a shoe, lets you program and track a seemingly infinite combination of complex workouts. (Wireless bike cadence and speed sensors are sold separately, $40 each.) Forty bucks also buys you an infrared PC…

The Modena is the first carbon-fiber stock road bike from Titus, a company known for its formidable custom-made machines. That may sound like a come-down, but consider this: For half the cost of most naked frames in the custom line, you get a complete bike (lighter than last year’s…

BOLD STATEMENTIt felt good to be the only guy running the trails of Boulder, Colorado, sans flapping headphone wires. In a wild science project, Oakley pimped out a pair of its Half Jacket sunglasses by tucking a 256MB flash-memory-based player in the stems and adding flip-up lenses. Phones slide directly…

You know your VO2 max and resting heart rate, but what about your “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” value? Maybe it’s time to spring for SUUNTO’s new T6 ($449). After measuring millisecond differences between your individual heartbeats, the wrist computer will indicate how quickly you bounce back from a tough training…

Whether you’re playing preloaded tunes or the radio, that built-in speaker sounds a helluva lot better than you might expect. And when you’re ready to plug in earbuds, just slide the speaker back behind and watch the display shift from horizontal to vertical. PC only; samsung.com…

There’s nothing quite like a beautiful, badass blade, especially when it’s a one-handed, mechanism-assisted opener like this pocket sword. $382 with pictured handle inlays; benchmade.com…

TIMEX took the heavy metal out of its Ironman. Sure, the MEGA-LAP SLEEK ($70) has an ultraslim design and svelte resin band. But with its 200-workout memory and calendar reminder with text memos (“Get ass in gear for half-marathon!”), the features are as phat as ever.

Want rugged portability? Then this sound system in a suitcase is a no-brainer. The weather-resistant i-F3 features iPod charging and storage, auxiliary input, FM, and alarm and puts out respectable sound for 20 hours per charge. si5.com…

A pivot fin along the back, assisted by an internal tension rod, lets you open this utility knife like a switchblade, fast and with a flick of the finger. kershawknives.com…

CREATIVE’s 3.1-ounce NOMAD MUVO² X-TRAINER 512MB ($269) is built for rough handling, with a half-gig of fixed flash memory wrapped in a protective rubbery case. The rugged X-Trainer gets about twice the battery life (16 hours) of most hard-drive-based spinners.

This compass weighs just 1.2 ounces, and its smash-proof housing also contains an inclinometer. brunton.com…

When it first emerged last year, face-recognition technology seemed hokey and didn’t even work that well. The F60fd changes all that. When we passed it around among amateurs and pros alike, it easily recognized multiple faces, even in full profile, nailing exposure, focus, and color balance every time.

The single-hinge design makes for a comfortable grip on these backcountry-ready binocs. And with a wide field of view and excellent clarity at dawn or dusk, they’re ideal for viewing wildlife. 10.5×45; leupold.com…

Lance Armstrong’s preferred eyewear during his return to racing, the new Jawbone uses a hinged frame for easy lens changes. Small bumpers inside the tops of the frame secure the smudge-free, hydrophobic lenses without distorting them. oakley.com…

This relatively svelte, Windows-based smartphone is a pure traveler, with a great navigation system (geotagging and U.S. maps built in), a 2.8-inch touchscreen, an intuitive interface, and a 3.2-meg camera that delivered decent shots in a variety of conditions. htc.com…

Angle away with these optical wonders. Though they’re great for wearing out and about, the Baysides sport glass lenses in a greenish tint that’s perfect for fishing streams and saltwater flats in low light, yet the polarization knocks out surface glare to reveal the water’s wily inhabitants in any…

General Scoping Acquired by elite optics company Leupold & Stevens in 2009, Redfield is back this year with the Rebel, an ergonomic and economical binocular that’s a great all-around choice. The fully multi­coated lenses stood up well to repeated stream drops and didn’t fog up in cold-weather testing, plus an…

Swimming Elegance We can’t get enough of Suunto’s Elementum line. The dive version, a.k.a. Aqua, automatically logs depth, dive time, max depth, surface time, and water temp—and stores it all for up to 14 dives. But it’s the superclear, handsome reverse-LCD display on this iF Design Award–winning model that we…

DIAD stands for “done in a day,” but even testers who didn’t speed-climb El Cap appreciated this wispy storm shell. It’s perfect for windy summits and surprise squalls—and so light we never debated packing it. Designing a seven-ounce jacket requires cutting a few corners, which in this case means…

Freestyle takes a step back from its usual designer impulses, leaving in the 100-meter water resistance, stainless-steel case, and fumble-proof nylon strap. Best of all, though, is the popsicle-blue backlight, like something you’d see in a sea cave at dusk. TAGS: simple, casual…

Sidi has long made bombproof shoes for mountain bikers and the Blaze is no exception. With two sturdy Velcro straps and a rugged plastic sole, these synthetic leather cleats will simply not succumb to trail abuse. 12 oz; www.sidiusa.com…

These bargain binos are priced to move but still tough enough for hard use. They’re protected against falls and klutzy friends and come with a lifetime prism-alignment guarantee. 10×25; www.carson-optical.com…

Cross a rubber tire with a sandal and you get this cool beast. A pull-through cord snugs each “rib” (actually made with EVA plastic foam) down like a clamp for great stability. www.mionfootwear.com…

This compact road-racing machine offers the best of both material worlds: The aluminum main frame makes for a snappy ride (and keeps the price reasonable), while the carbon seatstays, seatpost, and flat-bladed monocoque fork smooth out road chatter to keep your body fresh. The combination makes the Finest light…

Split the difference between superlight and full-featured: This packable polyester shell has a fleece-lined collar, hem drawcord, and chest pocket that doubles as a stuffsack. 5.8 oz; cloudveil.com…