Snow Sports
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Snow is finally starting to dust the mountains, which means it’s time to get our skis prepped for the season. Our resident ski waxing expert, Brad Rassler, is here to walk you through the process of cleaning and waxing your skis.
These preseason events can be overwhelming. Here are some simple suggestions for how to get what you need.
Presenting our favorites from the annual test in Crested Butte, Colorado
The best planks from Outside's annual test in Snowbird, Utah, are engineered for big fun.
And Ortovox will help incentivize you: it'll pay $75 for any old transceiver through a new gear-retirement program
The days are getting shorter. Here's the best gear to brighten your path.
Snowmakers do their jobs at night, in frigid temperatures, while handling heavy, cumbersome equipment. Which means they need gear they can rely on.
Watch to see our editors’ four favorite items from the Winter Buyer’s Guide.
Boots don’t have to be torture devices. Here’s what to look for when buying your next pair—plus seven of our favorites.
Superior setups for heading beyond the ropes.
The race is on to create the perfect beyond-the-ropes setup.
Our testers whittled a field of 132 down to ten. Now shut up and ski.
Michael Lish and Kristin Broumas of Community Skis design custom skis out of a hand-built tiny home workshop.
Our nation's lifts are at the breaking point. We spent months researching past accidents and aging infrastructure—and found that it's time to act in order to avoid catastrophic failure.
Over the river and through the woods. (Fimbulvetr) Fimbulvetr Hikr Best For: Deep Snow Breaking trail in winter is just about the most difficult workout you can do. But that Herculean endeavor is made a bit easier with a platform like the Norwegian Hikr strapped to your foot. The lightweight plastic…
The ski world is going all in on high-tech safety gear, packing more features into smaller packages.
Best-in-class picks to match your style. (Amplid) Amplid LoveLife Best For: Aggressive Riders Amplid got the memo that not all women crave soft flex and graphics that look like Disney-princess wallpaper. Despite the unfortunate name, expert testers endorsed the LoveLife for its tip-to-tail stiffness, created by a low-density poplar core and a…
Your paws deserve the best. (Outdoor Research) Outdoor Research Capstone Heated Why spend five bills on electric gloves? To play longer when the mercury drops. A heating surface covers 70 percent of the Capstone (twice the area of most other models), and the lithium-ion batteries deliver up to eight hours…
World Cup skinny-ski gear for your local skate track
The alpine ski racer filed a lawsuit against the gear company on Monday
Skiers Chris Davenport and Sierra Quitiquit log the first film footage of the Super C Couloir near Portillo, Chile
Chris Davenport films his descent of the Super C couloir in the Chilean Andes—a 5,600-foot ride. …
Polar explorer Eric Larsen unlocks his storage secrets
California’s Boreal Mountain Resort experiments with a new snow machine that works even when it’s 90 degrees out. It won't help ski resorts fight global warming, but the tech's cool regardless.
Snowboarding ditches the bindings to find its surfy roots on capable, powerful, beautiful boards
Did El Niño deliver? Or was it just hype? Pro skier Chris Benchetler set out to answer that question for the West with his new GoPro-only video series
Pro skier Chris Benchetler, a native of Mammoth Lakes, California, created a GoPro-only web series about this year's El Niño weather system.
Mike Parris tailors around 100 pairs of skis each season to the individual needs and wants of riders.
We tested the SubQ Designs Jackson air bag jacket in Jackson Hole and found it ideal for skiing lift-accessed backcountry
The Douchebag Snowroller. Awful name, totally dialed product.
Online gear editor Jakob Schiller tests a lot of skis. Watch to find out what makes the new backcountry Wailer 106 Tour1 stand out from the rest.
Why you would use these things instead of touring skis is beyond us. But hey, anything in the name of snowsports innovation, right?
For the past 12 months, we tested these skins—which eschew the traditional mohair design in favor of patterned plastic—on everything from bulletproof skin tracks to sloppy PNW cement. Here’s what we found out.
If operators can’t get things moving again, here’s what to expect
The Powder 8’s, an old-school synchronized skiing competition, is making a comeback
Lots of new snow, an unstable early season snowpack, and high backcountry traffic all contribute
The most recent El Niño storm dumped more than three feet of fresh on Colorado. Avalanche danger skyrocketed, but if you stayed on lower-angle terrain, the skiing was all-time.
Here’s everything you need to ensure you don’t freeze at night and are ready for first tracks the next morning
Italian motorcycle brand Dainese will bring the first true, safety-certified soft helmet to market next winter. But will buyers go for it?
Almost as good as our Gear of the Year winner—for $350 less
Like any other sport, skiing has its legends and current all-stars—those people who set the bar when it comes to what’s possible on skis. We ran into several of these icons last week at the annual SnowSports Industries America tradeshow in Denver.
An in-depth look at our favorite all-mountain ski of the year
GetOutfitted will begin renting vintage onesies to skiers and snowboarders. Why? For the fun of it.
A new eight-person “business class” chairlift opened at Kitzbühel last month, complete with heated seats and race car–worthy upholstery
The best gear and accessories for the most punishing way to have fun this winter
The ultimate packing list for going out of bounds
It can be a lengthy process, but it's worth the time and effort to get right
Organization is key when you’re out of bounds
Safely skiing the backcountry requires some key pieces of gear. Watch and learn what to bring with you for a day in the backcountry, and how to properly pack it. …
Aiming to summit some peaks in the new year? We can help get you outfitted.
If you’re just getting into Nordic skiing, here’s the gear you need
Outside editors pick their favorite winter gear from this winter season
A backcountry plank handmade in New England
A special line of hand-crafted boards to celebrate the iconic resort’s birthday
We tested the Canadian company's new backcountry ski boot and avalanche airbag for a week in B.C. Here's what we learned.
The short answer? It all depends on what kind of skiing you want to do.
Most ice axes are made from metal—and for good reason. But last month, the geniuses at Furnace Industries launched their new wooden tool that’s as strong as it is pretty. While you may be tempted to just hang it over the fireplace, please don’t.
Zach Caldwell is Vermont's homegrown ski whisperer, with the ability to almost magically divine a board's properties. Here's how he does it.
On Monday, we got a sneak peek of the two new backcountry products at the company's Canadian headquarters
Many of us never wax our skis. We’re either too intimidated or too lazy. That’s a problem.
5 ways to ensure you land plenty of powder days this season
Pro skier Sage Cattabriga-Alosa lets us in on his preseason training hacks
When an airline bag packed with ski stuff goes unclaimed, it ends up at a warehouse in Alabama. Once a year, that gear goes on sale in the world’s biggest winter-goods orgy. We sent a photographer to document the chaos.
We love stocking stuffers, but the big-ticket hero gifts are the ones we really look forward to. Presenting eight splurges to buy—or maybe just drool over. (Salemtown Board Co.) Salemtown Board Co. Mimosa Oak Cruiser Close to two hundred bucks might feel like a lot to spend on a skateboard,…
Technology advances incredibly quickly in the snow sports industries, but the experts at REI did your homework for you. Here's an inside look at the hottest trends in skiing and snowboarding. …
These four rose to the top at our Crested Butte, Colorado test
Who needs a whole quiver when one set of planks does it all?
What goes up fast comes down happy
