Thanks to the stiff carbon-fiber tongue and “stringers” that laterally reinforce the Zzeros, these ultralight four-buckle boots felt surprisingly solid and stiff bombing down steep shots around Loveland Pass. 7 lbs; dynafit.us   Bonus: Grooved guides in the toe make the boots much easier to click into the bindings than…

K2's fattest women's AT ski has enough sidecut to arc GS turns on hardpack, enough flex to bounce through a foot of powder, and enough dampness to tame a crusty minefield. 120/88/108, 8 lbs; k2alpineterrain.com      …

EVERY RESORT, EVERY RUN Good for All Mountain Rossi bills the Phantom as a 60 percent off-piste ski. So we were a little nervous taking it out on early-morning boilerplate at Taos. But even though this shark-nosed and fairly straight ski is silky and light, it…

Chute fiends: This classic self-arrest pole has been redesigned with a non-removable (i.e., more confidence-inspiring) head and a pick cover (5/$10, not included)—so you won’t gut yourself in a wipeout. bdel.com…

Good for All Mountain The Anti Piste has the exact same dimensions as K2's popular Coomba but with a bit of rocker in the tip. You can tell. Testers loved the way the subtle tweak to the shape allowed them to smear turns in a flash but noted…

For the second year in a row, Atlas’s Elektra snowshoes made the cut for their superior performance and good value. The new Elektra 8’s have a contoured shape that doesn’t interfere with your stride and a light, easy-to-operate spring-loaded binding that accommodates a wide variety of boots. 23″ and…

HIGH FLYER Like the Tahoe-based hucker for whom it’s named, this one is all about the park. The Jackson Pro’s true-twin shape and easy swing weight allow for solid spins and switch riding. “Superstiff and powerful, this thing tore through the park,” remarked one tester after multiple laps. Strips of…

Good for Park and Pipe The reverse-camber Compact was the most confidence-inspiring and maneuverable park-and-pipe board we tested this year. We’re also big fans of Ride’s proprietary urethane sidewalls. They absorb chop better than other brands’ and help eliminate washout (over-rotating), a common problem with rockered…

Good for Telemark Now available in a size small, the NTN binding offers women accustomed to alpine-like control and power a no-sacrifices way to get into telemark skiing. Testers liked that they didn't have to bend over and mess with cables to get in and out. And everyone praised…

Good for All Mountain The highest-scoring ski in this category, the twin-tipped John wowed our testers with its versatility. Ex-racers can arc race turns, jibbers can throw them switch, and big-mountain skiers can blast through trees and powder. “Fun, fun, fun,” said one tester. Clearly the company…

Good for Resort Testers were truly shocked: You’re not supposed to be able to get a boot this good at this price. The key feature is the special plastic underfoot: It’s formulated for optimum energy transmission, and they must have gotten the recipe right, because the Sensor…

TELEMARK Good for All Mountain With the same dimensions as Rossi's S7 Barras alpine ski, the Mancini has a traditional camber and shape but adds a mega-wide rockered tip for float and a narrower pintail for scrubbing turns. The result is a ski that's equally adept at abrupt direction…

Band Aider New to running tech? Start here. A foot pod and waterproof wristband measure time, total distance (90 to 95 percent accurate), and speed (ballpark), then uploads the info into basic Web-based tracking software. nikerunning.nike.com…

All Mountain A few years ago, Marker wowed side-country fans with the burliest (and heaviest) AT binding in history, the Duke. And two years ago the company came out with a lighter version, the Baron. The weight-loss trend continues with the Tour F10 and F12, which both come in at…

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…

Why It’s CoolSometimes, even smaller packs need to carry heavy cargo—ice tools, camera gear, rock samples. The Needle weighs four pounds three ounces yet incorporates a full arsenal of support features—dense thermomolded foam that cups and cushions hips and shoulders, and a real framesheet with aluminum stays to provide structure.

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…

Why It’s CoolThe front is a pack unto itself—a giant bucket pocket stows raingear and bottles, while a watertight zipper opens into a front pouch big enough to house a purifier and your lunch. This makes the Z effectively 300 cubic inches bigger than its stated 3,760-cubic-inch capacity. » Another…

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…

Judicious use of siliconized nylon—bolstered by 1,000-denier reinforcements—make the Bodie both water-repellent and durable while keeping weight low. 2.5 lbs, 2,000 cu in; www.marmot.com…

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…

You wouldn’t expect Guinness to make anything but stout, and you shouldn’t expect Five Ten to make a shoe that can’t climb. The Prodigy has obvious rock-shoe features: sticky Stealth C4 rubber on the outsole and a profile that allows tight-quarters foot placement without pinching wide feet. The Prodigy…

Lightweight Response And for those of you who ride Burton’s EST boards, the company has updated its EST-only CO2 binding. Testers agreed that the new soft-rubber cushions in the highback soak up even more chatter, but they had mixed feelings about the redesigned ankle straps. They’re lighter but also…

MUCK BUSTERStylewise, the most I can say about the Renegade is that, well, it won’t exactly upstage your Gap khakis. But performance is what counts, and, with a full-grain leather upper and a stiff, three-quarter shank planted beneath the polyurethane midsole, these sturdy mud-lovers hand a whuppin’ to slick roots,…

RACE READY The brand of choice for over half of the top World Cup ski racers proves it can make planks that arc for weekend warriors, too. The B5i’s capped construction allows for easy turn initiation and release, which is why one tester felt “like an Austrian in a one-piece,…

Why They’re CoolA quarter-mile into my Fugitive load test, I turned around, went home, and topped off my pack with another ten pounds of gear. A way-old-school monster load of 45 pounds proved to be child’s play. » A supportive synthetic exterior heel cup partially explains the firm foundation. The…

Heading out the gate? This low-profile and lightweight (three-pound) pack comfortably carries skis, avy gear, and a helmet. There’s also extra back protection and an insulated hydration-tube sleeve. mammutusa.com…

Why They’re CoolThe ZG 20s’ tall all-leather uppers, huge wraparound toe rands, and stiff Vibram soles made these bomber boots a good fit for off-route cross-country rambling. » Scarpa’s oh-so-firm polyurethane midsole and nylon insole gave me the ridge-leaping powers of a mountain goat. I clung to hillsides as if…

GATE HOPPER The 1,098-cubic-inch Silo 18 is an ideal choice when you’re jumping between the lifts and the sidecountry. Three stash pockets (one internal, two external) help you keep track of quick-grab items. The polyethylene back panel is just tough and stiff enough to make a solid base for ski…

Fast and Light With all its various fabrics and plastic overlays, the Riot looks as if it was designed by committee. Even the “we want camo” guys were appeased; the outsole’s toe and heel are made with camouflage-patterned rubber. Thankfully, none of the aesthetics interferes with the…

This is the lightest-weight boot here. But there was just enough Thinsulate insulation to keep testers’ feet toasty on aerobic outings, and the protective sole is just stiff enough to handle strap-on crampons or snowshoes. Runs narrow. 2 lbs; columbia.com…

Big-Trip Brawn Thanks in part to a hybrid internal-external frame, this pack is outra-geously light for how much gear it carries (enough for a weeklong trip). But REI made sure not to skimp in the important places—like the wide, cushy shoulder straps and the hipbelt, which is canted for a…

Our favorite mountaineering boot this year, the Vajolet is ultralight (just 3.2 pounds) and comfy enough for daylong snowshoe outings. But thanks to a beefy nylon shank, it’s also plenty stable and rigid enough to wear with crampons. TAGS: mountaineering, uninsulated BonusIts soft forward flex makes for…

Size, Price: 64 oz, $21Flow Rate: 3*Funk Fighter? NoFilter-Compatible?: YesValve Shutoff?: NoGotta Love: Hang loop for easy dryingBummer: Fills from bottom; bite valve requires big biteSplat Test: Survived *Ratings: 1=Average, 3=Excellent…

Why They’re CoolIf you’ve had double ACL repairs or are minus some meniscus, you could be a candidate for the ultrasupportive 3D Grid Hurricanes. » On a day when my knees verged on mutiny and I detected squawking from strange little muscles that had never made their presence known, I…

LONG-HAUL COMFORT Most runners will either love or hate these flashy kicks on looks alone. But please, don’t be so superficial; there’s grit beneath the glam. Testers loved this shoe’s shock-absorbing heel pad, snug fit, and even flow through toe-off. The Triumph excelled on long, slow, base-building runs; several testers…

SMOOTH OPERATORS Testers loved this shoe’s comfort and smooth heel-to-toe transition. Credit a combination of silicone-based cushioning pads, a stable heel, and a springy midsole compound called MoGo, which we found responsive and highly shock-absorbing. Best for neutral runners to mild pronators. 9.1 oz; brooksrunning.com Bonus: The eco-friendly…

SPEED AND SOUND The Pegasus is like your favorite pair of jeans—soft, comfortable, and versatile enough to wear just about anywhere. And by anywhere, we mean both pavement and slushy trails. Like a true road shoe, its narrow shape and flexy construction inspire speed, especially on flat trails, dirt roads,…

FASTER THAN IT LOOKS “Much livelier than I was expecting” is how one tester described the Manifesto Beater. Sure, this beast features a firm, no-roll heel and rocks-be-damned protection, but it also boasts relatively soft forefoot flexibility, a generously padded tongue, and a responsive fit. “It feels very light given…

If you already have a hydration reservoir and just need a more versatile pack to put it in, go for the Razor and its interchangeable hipbelts. Use the minimalist strap for running with a light load; swap in the padded belt when you cram the pack full for a day…

DIRTMONGER The Wildwoods are designed to work equally well on dirt as on pavement. And while we found the Wildwood isn’t fluid enough for the road, it shined in hilly, rugged terrain. The outsole feels secure in the steeps, while an underfoot protection plate defends against sharp jabs. Ultra freaks,…

Technical Terrain Cross a race flat with a pair of crampons and the resulting mash-up might resemble the X-Talon. Tipping the scale at less than eight ounces, it’s like a slipper with cleats, with a snug fit and low-to-the-ground heel. Although its widely spaced, sticky rubber lugs…

Good for the Road If you’re like the vast majority of runners, you’re looking for a shoe that offers a touch of stability and ample cushioning but don’t want to pay the price in extra weight. Voilà: We give you the Ravenna. Its lean construction (10.1 ounces)…

Flat and Fast If you’re running dry, flat dirt trails, you might as well enjoy road-shoe-like comfort. Here the SyncroFuel XC delivers with a seamless upper and even cushioning—pillowy enough for long, slow miles but light enough to feel fluid at a lung-busting pace. The upper’s secure midfoot wrap held…

Shock Therapy While many shoes are exploring new territory, this one seems to be tending the home fires—an unapologetically traditional, cushy stability shoe that sits high off the ground. But among its megacushioned kind, the Adapt was our favorite. The standard dual-density midsole posting offers overpronators tried-and-true support, and an…

BEAT THE CLOCK With a one-inch-wide head tube and bladed fork, the full-carbon B2 enters the wind like a dart. A multi-position stem adjusts for the sweet spot between aerodynamic crouch and lower-back comfort. Shaped tubes keep everything hidden behind the front end to minimize drag, and even the rear…

Meet the Houdini of bikes: On the trail, the Anthem is so smooth it feels as if the bike has disappeared beneath you. Giant brings Maestro, 2005’s award-winning suspension, to 3.5 inches of travel, creating a lightweight ride that thrives on all manner of terrain—especially fast, technical, roller-coaster singletrack.

DISCOUNT TICKETThink of the Competition as a two-wheeled iMac: Pros may want more, but if you’re looking for a worry-free performance machine, clip on in. Raleigh is coming on strong for ’05 by combining cutting-edge frames with styling that harks back to the brand’s late-seventies/early-eighties heyday. Carbon tubing, aluminum lugs,…

A SMARTER WAY TO RIDE You know those glorious and rare outings when you think only about riding—and not about your bike? That’s what every ride is like on the carbon-fiber Epic. This year Specialized became the first major bike company to manufacture its own rear shocks, and their redesigned…

CROSS-COUNTRY REVELATION The Mach 4 is the first cross-country offering from MTB-design legend Chris Cocalis’s newly launched Pivot brand. It’s built around the same dw-link platform as the Gear of the Year–winning Ibis but tuned a bit firmer to stay active while eliminating energy-sapping pedal bob. The bike blasted up…

Trust us: It’ll make you a better photographer. The simple, intuitive M8.2 demands that you actually turn the aperture ring and shutter-speed dial manually, not just fondle screens. Luddite madness? Or a call for patience and thoughtfulness? The latter, no question. After days of shooting in Vancouver,…

While most folding bikes compromise wheel size or frame design, Ritchey’s unique coupling system delivers a full-size race rig. Also available in a sultry mix of titanium and carbon. ritcheylogic.com…

The price of our favorite tide watch drops by nearly half, putting it within reach of the dirtbag surfers who want it. www.ripcurl.com…

Though built for aggressive trail riding, this bike dished up so much speed, we had to double-check its specs. The aluminum Trailfox definitely uses all 5.5 inches of its travel, but the general consensus was that it often pedaled as well as a short-travel racer. “One of the fastest rides…

Four two-inch speakers—a pair of twist-off satellites, on three-foot tethers, and a subwooferlike bass unit—make this 40-watt aluminum system bump like a P-Funk track. www.thinkoutside.com…

Mountain Happy Trails The comfiest mountain-bike helmet in the test? You’re looking at it. The thumbwheel up top lets you snug a headband around your noggin via a cable for a pressure-point-free fit that every tester raved about. Bonus: enough vents for the hottest days. 9.8 oz;…

With an anodized-titanium handle swaddled in carbon fiber, XIKAR’s XI 158 EXCURSION knife is a techie’s dream cutter. (888-266-1193, www.xikar.com)…

CHALLENGE‘s handmade and all-conditions GRIFO OPEN TUBULAR TIRES offer tubular-like suppleness but mount like a clincher.

Lose the chest strap. With a touch of the finger, the 10M takes accurate readings in four to five seconds, twice as fast as other strapless monitors. Don’t look for lap features or data storage, but you do get the usual zone alarms, a stopwatch, and a calorie counter.

Meet your new cross-country training partner. With its integrated GPS receiver, the FORERUNNER 201 ($161) from GARMIN spits out continuous pace data on its widescreen LCD. Input your time and distance goals, and a little animated sprinter lets you know whether you’re really whupping it, or falling behind.

Beneath the waves, this scuba bad boy—an air, nitrox, and gauge computer with electronic compass, four-button operation, and giant matrix display—is king. suunto.com…

How’s this for a pendant? String it around your neck and—no matter the disaster—you’ll always have a half-ounce, 1.8-inch talon handy. buckknives.com…

Named for the speedsters who wear it on the track, TAG HEUER’S FORMULA 1 ($600) is an all-around performer, even away from the asphalt. This rugged Swiss Miss serves up easy-to-grasp ridges on the crown, a unidirectional bezel, and a 200-meter depth rating for fumble-proof visibility on land and sea.

If you’re heading way off the grid (think Nunavut) and need real-time weather data, invest in BRUNTON’S ATMOSPHERIC DATA CENTER PRO ($249). The handheld instrument pulls in 24-hour trend graphs for temperature, barometric pressure, and altitude. Beam the data to your PC via an optional infrared receiver ($49).

ALL-WEATHER BADASS Digicam designers must not get out much; the 790 SW is one of only two made to scoff at the elements. (The other is Olympus’s even tougher, fancier, pricier 1030 SW.) Rubber gaskets seal out dust and render the camera waterproof to ten feet down—a feature we tested…

Ideal for backcountry scoping, the Infinity features rugged, powerful optics. With a durable yet light-weight chassis, it’s primed for all conditions. 8.5×45; bushnell.com…

Big. And burly. With its roomy grip, double-pointed aluminum blade, and virtually unbendable shaft, this was our favorite shovel. 40 in extended, 29 in collapsed, 1.8 lbs; life-link.com…

Super-zoom digicams have come into their own. Check out the ten-meg 565’s specs: RAW shooting, exposure lock, built-in image stabilization to reduce image blur, a 20x zoom that stretches from 26mm to a ridiculous 520mm, to name just a few of its SLR-like capabilities. Over a week in Mexico,…

An upgrade to Minox’s proven, staff-favorite HG line, the powerful APOs deliver great edge-to-edge color quality in a tough but lightweight magnesium package. But that don’t come cheap! 8.5×43; minox.com…

Disproving conventional wisdom that gray lenses make for a flat, blah view, Maui Jim’s high-tech PolarizedPlus2 lenses add contrast and depth to reveal colors in all their throbbing glory. The optically ground glass yields superb clarity and detail, with a dark tint for searing brightness. And the oversize frames provide…

Why It’s CoolThe Z1’s silver plastic body oozes style—and garners envious looks on the trail. That said, the beauty is beyond skin-deep. » At its highest resolution, the 3.2-megapixel Z1 will reel off five frames in less than five seconds. And when I took lower-res shots of a friend mountain-biking,…

VERSATILE, AFFORDABLE Lose your glasses every other month? Don’t be embarrassed. Just buy these bargain shades and stop losing your money too. You get pink/red photochromic lenses that are good to go all day, and detailing like an adjustable metal nosepiece, sticky rubber where you need it, and antifog vents…

Slap Happy This watch’s fumble-free solution to recording your splits: Smack it! The slap-sensitive face works great (and is especially useful when wearing the watch under long sleeves). Plus, the enormous display is very easy to read. Note: Accidental bumps can trigger the timer, and the wrist strap is not…

Sample the fun, colorful prints—think hula girls and wine bottles—of PATAGONIA’s fast-drying CAPILENE SILKWEIGHT BOXERS. (800-638-6464, www.patagonia.com)…

Straight to Video Annoyed by menus, toggles, and buttons with inscrutable little symbols? You won’t find them here. Swing the lens arm up and this deceptively high-powered camera is ready for action. Separate buttons allowed us to take video and stills without changing modes, and by swiveling the lens unit…

This no-nonsense Canadian company specializes in “practical high performance”—a quality exemplified by the generically named but brilliantly engineered Rain Jacket. I stayed comfortably dry while cross-country skiing in a wet snowstorm, thanks to highly breathable eVent fabric and spare but effective features, like a huge chest pocket and a…

The iPad adds 3G connectivity to the debut version’s wi-fi so you can Web-browse, watch movies, or read the new issue of your favorite outdoor magazine from your car or a park bench. No, it won’t replace your laptop just yet, but in our go-everywhere testing, it lived up to…

Meet one of this summer’s best road shoes: The mostly mesh upper keeps your dogs cool and dry, even when the rest of you is melting. 11 oz; www.pearlizumi.com…

Get superior optics in a pocket-friendly package with this super-sleek palm-size model, updated this year for improved light transmission at dawn and at dusk. 8×20; www.zeiss.com…

Despite the name, there’s nothing feminine about this hard-riding, go-anywhere rig—except the women’s fit, of course. The racers among us loved the aggressive position, which made for fast handling on tight trails but still provided plenty of hookup in back on loose, sketchy climbs. On one log-riddled trail, a…