Julia Mancuso took hers to Olympic gold. On you, foam insulation, a honeycomb Aramid air layer, and multiple pad configurations make for a snugger (and slimmer) alter-native to the traditional bobblehead-style racing helmets. pocski.com…

WINTER TRAINER This snowshoe has a message for triathletes and runners trying to stay in shape during the winter: Get off the treadmill and go outside. By building an integrated snowshoe/boot system, the TSL saves weight and delivers better energy transfer than you get with traditional bindings. The Step-In Race…

CRUISE MISSILE Good for PowderSchlepping most oversize (and heavy) rockered skis up on a boot-pack can be spirit-crushing. Not so with the Megawatt. At ten pounds six ounces a pair, they’re markedly lighter than the norm. But they don’t ski wimpy. Although the Megawatt sports a rockered tip, it…

This intermediate-level boot’s duck-footed stance allows your feet to angle out slightly, which leaves you standing in a more natural position and makes for quicker energy transfers. It takes some getting used to, but the position does make it easier to get your skis on edge.

Two sports, one helmet. That’s the idea behind WRSI’s highly adjustable snow- and kayak-ready Fresh Roy. The only downside: With no vents, it’s the least breathable helmet here. Get the optional detachable face mask ($40) if you take big risks but like the way your face looks.

Good for All Mountain With a max DIN of 12 and full alpine- and AT-boot compatibility, the Freeride Plus remains the go-to binding for aggressive alpine skiers who spend equal time in and out of bounds. Downhill performance isn't quite as rock solid as the Baron, but the Freeride…

TELEMARK Good for Telemark Like all the women-specific telemark and AT skis we tested, the Joule didn't stand up to our most aggressive female skiers. But it held its own in tricky backcountry conditions, and it's impressively light for its dimensions. 125/95/112, 7.3 lbs; bdel.com  …

Because the Marshall has a low-profile sole and footbed, testers agreed it affords the best snow feel. Narrow feet? This boot is probably too wide for you. romesds.com…

At 1.9 pounds per pair on our scales, these unisex shoes are remarkably nimble. While they meet US Snowshoe Association racing requirements, they work just as well knocking around your local trails. northernlites.com…

Good for Resort The problem with some boots with a Boa lacing system—wire laces you ratchet snug—is that you can’t fine-tune the fit. The Thraxis solves that by letting you tighten the liner and the upper and lower portions of the shell separately. It works: Testers…

Good for Frontside Last year’s Gear of the Year award winner comes back this season with an updated look, but the same explosive turn shape and no-nonsense edge hold. Essentially a World Cup race ski—wood core and sandwich construction—with a bit more girth, the Classic 80 is…

Because of its high-cut shell and 11 metal-screened vents that channel air in but keep snow out, I could feel the air rushing around my head, making this the perfect lid for those warm spring days. Available in ten different graphic options. nutcasehelmets.com…

ALPINE TOURING Good for All Mountain With unrivaled downhill performance, the DIN-16 Duke does anything a resort binding can—huck air, carve rails, hammer bump lines. Just don't think of it as an AT binding. It's an alpine binding with a walk mode. Yes, the Duke will tour when you…

A top-quality helmet with a (literal) twist. The inner shell rotates on impact, potentially reducing the twisting forces transmitted to your brain. Eight offset vents provide extra protection from pointy objects (like a branch or ski pole), but they restrict airflow a bit. TAGS: rotates, best protection…

Alpine Touring The Quadrant’s four buckles, consistent flex, and 40 degrees of touring motion make it BD’s best all-mountain option yet. Testers praised the stout overlap upper cuff and the way the Boa closure system in the boot’s liner cradles your ankle. 7.8 lbs; TAGS: all mountain, Boa…

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…

Why It’s CoolIt’s so simple—a single strap secures the floating lid, and that’s all you see looking at the front of this bag. Not to fear; you get ice-ax loops, daisy chains, and compression straps down the sides, but the absence of front clutter is refreshing. » The suspension is…

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…

Why They’re CoolThere’s a 20-foot-long slab of slick rhyolite near my house, inclined at about 55 degrees. Maybe one out of ten pairs of hikers I try will cling to it at all, but the sticky-soled Ventures just walked right on up. » Surprisingly, the sharp lugs also performed perfectly…

The XCELERATOR SKATE NIS BINDING lets you microadjust your position on the ski to locate your personal sweet spot.

Ankles prone to rolling? The Breeze’s stable platform makes it incredibly supportive for a light hiker, yet it doesn’t feel clunky. The mostly mesh upper breathes exceptionally well and dries quickly. The Breeze excelled on fast-and-light trips, like a jaunt up and down Vermont’s Stowe Pinnacle. www.tecnicausa.com Bonus:…

All Mountain With a lower cuff, a super-comfortable walk mode, and a grippy sole, the intermediate, all-mountain Delight was a tester favorite. While it’s not quite as stiff as the Inferno (above), it delivers an impressive balance of power transfer and all-day comfort. Plus, quilted down in the lower liner…

Can’t bear to leave anything behind, even on a weekend trip? This sleek pack has the biggest capacity of the bunch, with a suspension that can handle 40-plus pounds and a height that didn’t cause instability when I hiked Colorado’s steep Liberty Bell Trail. The pack is on the…

  The instrument of choice for the Austrian national ski team, this basic carbon-fiber pole has a Velcro strap for easy adjustment. Light, simple, and inspiring. Just knowing that the world’s best ski team uses them makes you feel fast. komperdell.com          …

LITTLE BIG BOOT A hike on the eight-mile trail to the top of Colorado’s 14,259-foot Longs Peak demands a lot out of a shoe: support, traction, durability, agility, and low weight. That’s a tall order, but the Namche carried the day, performing like a running shoe disguised as an approach…

HARD CHARGER Unless you huck off every cliff in sight, donning body armor is overkill. But a little back protection makes sense for anyone who ventures into exposed, big-mountain terrain. The multitasking, 1,450-cubic-inch Razor is built with a Shield Back System: foam-wrapped polyethylene pads that are part of the internal…

THE PERFECT TRAVEL HIKER We didn’t pick this shoe because it’s good-looking enough to wear to dinner. We picked it because it performs just as well as the other light hikers we chose and you won’t look like a dork walking around downtown later that evening. The mid-sole of the…

Thanks to beefy waterproof-breathable uppers and grippy lugs, the Alby Low is our top pick for inclement weather. Ultra-cushy soles pad finicky feet on long walks, and on a snowy day hike, one tester reported perfectly warm and dry toes. 13 oz; hellyhansen.com…

Why They’re CoolAt a scant one pound 15 ounces per pair, I could feel the V-Lites maximizing my fuel efficiency with every step. Yet the full-height uppers shielded my ankle bones from rocks, stumps, and gravel. » Hi-Tec built the V-Lites around a midsole of shock-absorbing EVA, which made for…

This was the best multi-day haul pack we tested. In terms of both price and usability, the 3,480-cubic-inch El Lobo hits the sweet spot. “Feels lighter than it is” and “really moves with you” were common tester refrains. Credit the Lobo’s X-shaped chassis and dual-pivot hipbelt, which, as advertised,…

Why It’s CoolNot everyone can reach a rooftop storage box, and even those who can might not be in the mood to clean-and-jerk gear into place after an epic outing. Enter this hard-shell hatchback add-on. » Mounting is easy—the Terrapin connects with your trailer hitch and has its own taillights.

Best for Scramble-Hikes Most approach shoes are either too slipperlike for hiking or too rigid for scrambling. But SCARPA’s Epic hits the sweet spot with its combination of a thick, shock-absorbing EVA foam midsole (for the hike in) and a sticky, smear-ready outsole (for the assault on the top). The…

I am an organization freak, so I find Zen when all of my gear has its own place, like in the multiple pockets of this compact 1,200-cubic-inch hydration pack, which holds three Nalgenes’ worth of water. ospreypacks.com…

If a moon boot gave birth to a trail runner, it would look like the Ochoco. But we doubt it would run as well. The padded ankle, soft tongue, and firm arch support gave us blissful feet after long hours pounding the trail. The just-right midsole has enough cushioning…

Why They’re CoolThe treads—made of softer tacky carbon and resembling mini-cleats—behave like knobbies, plowing through gunk instead of caking up, while a perimeter ring of harder carbon-rubber lugs gives good grip. » After a stretch of riverbed mudflats, I sprinted up an embankment, yet didn’t end up falling on my…

LONG-HAULERThe X stands for ten—the number of revisions Asics has made to this lightweight standard bearer. Serious racers will still find Asics’s proprietary gel cushioning and the firm arch post they’ve come to depend on. But with an open-air mesh upper, this year’s DS offers a more stable ride, a…

DO YOUR RUNS BECOME CLIMBS? La Sportiva’s heritage is in climbing shoes and mountaineering boots, and you can see the alpine influence in nearly every aspect of the Fireblade: the impeccable fit, the sticky rubber outsole, the double-stitched seams on high-wear areas of the upper, the reinforced toe bumper and…

HARD CHARGER Aggressive, all-conditions runners will love these stable, protective, and well-cushioned shoes. Rocks, logs, unstable sand, and even snow gave us no trouble, thanks to a lug pattern that grips in all directions. The gel cushioning absorbs impact on hardpacked trails, and the forefoot flexes easily for a comfortable…

Live in a mild climate? These breathable mesh trail shoes (read: not winterized) are light and nimble, yet the grippy outsole allowed us to run confi-dently on loose terrain and packed dirt. The solid external heel counter adds stability, as does the no-slip fit. The feather-weight cushioning is best…

MOTION CONTROL LITE Runners whose mild or moderate heel rolling doesn’t warrant a fat, heavy heel brace will find smooth striding in the new Gel-3000. The wide, stable heel features a moderately cushy foam—offering the softness and sprightliness of a neutral-cushioning shoe at heel strike. But as the shoe rolls…

Runners seeking structure that can stand up to long training runs and marathon-distance races will appreciate this stability shoe. This tried-and-true model got some major updates this season, including better rear-foot stability and new women-specific support in the midfoot. 11 oz; asics­.com…

CushioningCan’t stand the squishy feeling of your current running shoes? The Glycerin 7, by far the firmest shoe of our picks this year, might be more your style—especially if you’re a heavier runner or a slow-and-steady type. Of the neutral shoes on this page, the no-frills Glycerin…

Stable and protective, the all-terrain Release, with its women-specific fit, cushioning, and outsole, was our top pick for rocky trails and all-day hike-and-run epics. 11 oz; patagonia.com…

All-Terrain Rambler With a sticky rubber outsole, the light and flexible Tsali performs best on rolling, rocky trails. We especially loved the lacing system, which provides a snug, arch-supporting fit. And there's more than just a gender-specific last here: To accommodate a women's lighter weight, the Tsali's midsole and a…

Trail Newton’s first trail shoe still uses the company’s trademark set of prominent, extra-springy lugs under the forefoot to encourage mid- and forefoot running, but it adds tight mesh to the upper to keep debris out and grippier rubber for traction. It’s good for working on form and running fast,…

Road This value-priced lid kept testers cool (28 vents!) on even the most sweltering days. www.louisgarneau.com Bummer: Not everyone will love the exposed-foam look.

The TITLE 9 NO SWEAT STRING BIKINI has lightweight, wicking CoolMax Alta fabric to regulate temperature when the going gets hot. (800-342-4448, www.title9sports.com)…

A RACE-READY BARGAIN Raleigh reclaims some of its Tour de France-winning heritage with its new line of full-carbon, race-specific frames. The Supercourse is the most wallet-friendly of the bunch, but the cost savings come from the components. The frame is the same one Raleigh’s sponsored riders race, and you can…

This no-nonsense shoe is plenty stiff, has an aggressive tread, and sports a synthetic leather upper tough enough for the roughest trails. It performs as well as some cleats twice the price. bike.shimano.com…

At just nine ounces, the über-flashy S-Works is the lightest lid on the planet. Deep vents, Kevlar reinforcement, and an ingenious full-head fit system make it as sensible as it is light. specialized.com…

Mountain Stalking Rugged, comfortable in-hand, and damn near hurricane-proof, the Legend Ultra is a mountain man’s binocular. The glasses are outfitted with Bushnell’s ED Prime Glass, which offers impeccable light transmission and color resolution, allowing them to excel in low-light conditions. That, combined with their ample field of view for…

Somehow, Bontrager managed to squeeze all the features of a high-end shoe—heat-moldable insoles, carbon-reinforced soles, removable toe spikes—into this extremely well-priced model. Fits narrow and medium-width feet best. bontrager.com…

This wrist-top GPS manages a knife-edge feat: It’s equal parts cool and geeky. Sporting the X9i, I launched out on a run from my hotel room in downtown Buenos Aires. Within minutes, the 12-channel GPS receiver had locked on to satellites and was displaying my speed and distance. When…

Cross-Country Comfort Though this aluminum cross-country racer doesn’t boast the exotic carbon fiber and secret build techniques of the bikes above it in the Spark line, it does have the same semirelaxed geometry and efficient 4.3-inch-travel design that have made those bikes popular endurance racers. “I know it’s a race…

If you think catch-and-release is too prissy, unholster this seven-inch stainless-steel blade. With a retractable blade guard (which means less handle to get in the way when you’re slicing), this scalpel would make a sushi chef proud. www.benchmade.com…

Utility For Town or Country Need a tour-ready, highly walkable shoe that delivers stiffness and a grabby tread pattern—and is also pretty styling? Here you go. The tough leather upper took a beating and easily brushed clean, the roomy toe box was comfortable on long rides, and the reflective…

DAY TRIPPERCanon engineered this 7.1-megapixel, brushed-aluminum jobbie for road warriors. Why? Its retractable, extra-wide, 28–100mm (film equivalent) zoom lens nails broad outdoor landscapes. In Punta de Mita, Mexico, I immortalized sweeping beach vistas—from the locals slicing open fresh coconuts under palapas to the surfers riding the point break—that…

When portability is paramount, Sony’s Vaio T is the ultimate machine. I’ve road-tripped mine across the United States and Canada. It’s survived a kayaking expedition to Madagascar, where it happily chugged a steady diet of digital photos. On my “recovery” days, it’s a coffee-shop conversation starter: “Is that a real…

WEATHERPROOF POCKET CAM Thanks to internal gaskets, the slim Stylus easily fended off steady rain while I was shooting in a storm on the west coast of Vancouver Island—conditions that would have fizzled non-water-resistant cameras in less than a minute. My other favorite feature is its image-stabilized 5x zoom lens…

Big, clear sound, 24 hours of playback, universal iPod docking/charging, an auxiliary jack, and a shock- and splash-resistant body spell the best portable system out there for active types. alteclansing.com…

With titanium handles and a veritable panoply of smart, multifunctional utensils, this thing is the RoboCop of all-in-one tools. leatherman.com…

We hope you’ll never have to search for a victim, but if you do, this ultralight (7.6 oz) and long (91 inches) probe assembles instantly and is sturdy enough to break through cementlike snow. bdel.com…

Satellite-telephone time ain’t cheap, which is why the handset of the GLOBALSTAR GSP-1600 ($599, plus monthly subscription fee) switches over to a regular cell network whenever you roam within range of one. In the backcountry, the 13-ounce phone patches in to the company’s fleet of birds for direct-dial via outer…

Lightweight aluminum sheathes both standard and serrated blades. A perfect pocketknife. gerbergear.com…

The MAGELLAN SPORTRAK TOPO ($269) is the first GPS sold with pre-installed elevation maps of the entire country. The six-ounce waterproof unit holds 108 megabytes of contours and elevations (along with 16 megs of memory for personalized mapping), and renders them sharply on the gray-scale screen.

A safe bet for ocean adventurers, LOWRANCE’S IFINDER PRO ($209) accepts marine charts made by market leader Navionics. The huge three-inch diagonal gray-scale screen looks sharp—even when viewed in bright sunlight. Minor bummer: It’s waterproof, but only when stuffed into the included plastic pouch.

The LCD digits look like they did circa 1981, but the no-nonsense Road Trainer’s functions are all 2009. With included heart-rate-monitor strap, it spits out maxes, averages, calories burned, six zones, split times for 50 laps, and so on. timexironman.com…

The G1 is the first phone loaded with Google’s Android operating system. And as you’d expect, it’s all about integration: Android promises to bring the same level of multifunction- ality you expect from Google—search, mail, maps, documents, etc.—to multi­media mobile devices. The interface isn’t quite there yet, but we’ve…

Although it was designed for ice climbing, the Minus One proved ideal for everything from backcountry skiing to cold-weather mountain biking. It’s waterproof, light and supple, reinforced in all the right places, and surprisingly warm. It fits snugly; consider upsizing. TAGS: versatile, warmer than it looks…

Feature-fanatic Timex does an about-face with the simple, analog Rugged Field series. The shock-resistant housing (smaller than most), water-resistant leather-and-canvas strap, and daiquiri-green Indiglo light make it a sweet deal for unfussy explorers. timexexpedition.com…

  The Vapor’s lightweight plastic upper protects your feet from all things pokey or prickly, but thanks to a foldable heel, it also converts to slipper mode. The only downside: The plastic isn’t very breathable. merrell.com          …

Ansel in Your Pocket The design-conscious Germans didn’t invent the category of full-featured, full-sensor compact (that honor probably goes to Sigma, for last year’s DP2). But they do it better than anyone. The 12.2MP X1 uses a top-of-the-line CMOS sensor and a fixed 36mm f/2.8 lens of the first order,…

With black lace and stretchy microfleece that mimics cashmere, the FLEUR D’HIVER LUCY camisole is flirty and functional. (208-726-2263, www.fleurdhiver.com)…

Maverick Most of us won’t need a watch that’ll withstand 12 G’s, but it’s nice to know it will keep ticking through an inverted flat spin. Add Casio’s antishock technology, 200-meter water resistance, atomic timekeeping, and solar power backup and you’ve got a high-performance, well-priced workhorse. Bummer: Learning to operate…

If God is in the details, the Zorro is heaven-sent. The hood, which adjusts behind the head and below the chin, cinches out of view with or without a helmet—making it the best we tested. The gaping chest pockets easily accept backcountry skins or salami, and the solid pocket…

Understated black-faced analog watch by weekday, sturdy digital sports watch by weekend: This triathlon tool gives a new meaning to “transition” by letting you hide all the digital readouts with the push of a button. When you need them, they’re all there: three interval timers, 24-hour chronograph, 42-lap memory,…

The ultimate summer jersey: The soft MicroSensor fabric wicked sweat well, and the mesh panels kept air circulating—even at high noon in Tucson. www.pearlizumi.com…

Why They’re CoolThis petite sports wrap loves things strenuous and sweaty, while remaining—dare we say it?—a lady. The design slenderizes the familiar wrap by squeezing the lens into a pleasing feline shape. On a small face, nothing is lost in coverage. » The view is pretty, too, through poly lenses…

Why They’re CoolThe temples are made of bendable nylon—think Gumby—that remembers the shape you give it. » Glare is no match for the polarized copper-tint lenses, which yield a brilliantly high-res, high-contrast view. » The look is plenty smart, too, with wide temples plus wide, boxy lenses. » All is…