Backcountry Skis
Archive
Companies making gear from aluminum and steel—everything from camp stoves to bike frames—will be hit hardest by the new tariffs, economists say
Barking At the Door from Good Company Ski features skiers Lucas Wachs and Karl Fostvedt going huge in the backcountry.
From Black Crows, Lusti follows Christina Lustenberger who is an ACMG certified guide and former world cup racer. In this film, she’s chasing after a first descent of 'the black friar'.
HandCrank’s Power of Film series follows brothers Sam and Zack Giffin who double as a filmmaker and pro-skier, respectively. In episode two the duo head to Alaska to film with cinematographer Ben Sturgelewski.
In Black Diamond and Nomadik Motion’s new film, Connections, it follows skiers Tobin Seagel and Mary McIntyre as they venture into the Monashee Mountains.
From Sherpas Cinema and the North Face, Tsirku is a three-part film series featuring skiers Hadley Hammer and Sam Anthamatten with snowboarder Ralph Backstrom attempting to ski Corrugated, a set of spines on the Tsirku Glacier.
From Sherpas Cinema and the North Face, Tsirku is a three-part film series featuring skiers Hadley Hammer and Sam Anthamatten with snowboarder Ralph Backstrom attempting to ski Corrugated, a set of spines on the Tsirku Glacier.
From Sherpas Cinema and the North Face, Tsirku is a three-part film series featuring skiers Hadley Hammer and Sam Anthamatten with snowboarder Ralph Backstrom attempting to ski Corrugated, a set of spines on the Tsirku Glacier.
From filmmaker Thomas Woodson, photographer Adam Clark, and skier Drew Peterson Skiing the Wild West documents Peterson’s mission to ski the tallest mountain in each of the western states.
From the Utah Avalanche Center To Hell in a Heartbeat follows three friends on a day in the backcountry when things go horribly wrong.
In the last installment of this year’s The Shadow Campaign from DPS Skis and filmmaker Ben Sturgulewski the series takes a musical approach.
In a remote cabin somewhere between Revelstoke and Golden a few skiers and musicians are getting together to meld the world of music and backcountry skiing.
While in the backcountry, there's an array of different variables to be on the lookout for. This animated video from SINTR Visuals specifically examines two of those, snow faceting and sintering.
We recently sent reporter Paddy O'Connell to Aspen, Colorado hoping the kind folks in this ski town could help him define some of backcountry skiing's more arcane lingo.
From skier, producer, and director Nikolai Schirmer with support from Black Crows, Shapes follows Schirmer and Flo Bastien as they explore the backcountry in Canada, France, and Norway.
From Scott Sports and their athletes, Sam Cohen and McKenna Peterson, Peak of Ill Repute follows the team on a three-week skiing expedition at the base of Alaska's Fairweather Range.
A few weeks back we posted Faction's This Is Home. Though the footage was sweet and satisfying, there was a lingering hope that they may provide us with a little dessert. And did they ever.
The Seeking Nirvana series is back with this year's installment Road To Nowhere. This season, skiers Riley Leboe, Mike Henituk, Joe Schuster, Matt Margetts are on a road trip for ski and swell through Vancouver Island.
An A to Z guide to the ups and downs of the sport
The Utah-based ski company claims its new "glide treatment" will make your skis slippery for life. We tested it and came away impressed.
From Salomon TV, Mica follows rising ski star Andrea Byrne along with Cody Townsend, Chris Rubens, and Leah Evans as they indulge Mica Heli Skiing's endless terrain.
The More Than You Think series from Outdoor Gear Exchange, aims to highlight the backcountry offerings in New England showed off by the women who know it best.
Freeskier Sam Favret and snowboarder Julien Herry take on steep riding in the heart of Mont Blanc massif.
Often overlooked as a ski destination, the Aussie backcountry has some spectacular lines as displayed in this video from We Are Explorers and Hayden Griffith.
From KGB Productions, Westward follows a host of fascinating ski characters who are doing things their own way.
From DPS Skis The Shadow Campaign, The Time Within finds five of DPS's best skiers in the powder haven of Japan.
From Outdoor Gear Exchange, the More Than You Think series aims to highlight the expanding opportunities for backcountry skiing in the northeast.
Our PlayNow series highlights an epic POV clip so you can get in on the action even when you're stuck behind a desk.
Thanks to a plethora of new materials, skis are getting way more versatile.
For this season of Westward, KGB Productions has four new profiles of skiers doing it their own way.
AT gear keeps getting better and better at handling the down.
Better garage organization means easier gear access, which means more time to play outside
This video from Salomon is a teaser for all their upcoming films this ski season. With athletes like Cody Townsend, Greg Hill, and Kalen Thorien, this season is sure to set a new high.
From Matchstick Productions, Drop Everything features skiers like Cody Townsend, Michelle Parker, Elyse Saustad sending huge lines everywhere from British Columbia to Matchstick's home base of Crested Butte.
From DPS Skis and filmmaker Frank Pickell, The Shadow Within tells the tale of a young boy who finds a mysterious treasure on the shore of a deserted island.
For this film This Is Home, they all returned to their old playgrounds, secret spots, and favorite lines during filming. From the Flathead Valley to Verbier Switzerland, this film takes you around the globe in search of what it means to be a skier.
From DPS Skis The Shadow Campaign brings you into some of the most epic ski terrains in the world.
This basic piece of gear is a must-have for any adventure
The winter of 2017 was a force to be reckoned with from Tahoe to Maine, there were record snowfalls across the board. It was a wild season and you can follow all the excitement in TGR's new feature film Rogue Elements.
Four products I use all the time that were built here in the USA
A Whole Different Enchilada is a short film from Evo that follows professional athletes Adam Craig and Josh Dirksen.
Everything you need to know to ensure you don't ruin your skis, boots, and kit before next season
The DPS Wailer 112 RPC 2.0 ski is damper than its predecessor yet still light and quick on the uphill, making it one of our favorites for winter 2017.
The DPS Zelda 106 Pure3 is one of our top picks for women’s skis thanks to its powder performance and versatility.
The Women’s Volkl 100Eight earned high praise for handling both deep powder and crud with ease.
These preseason events can be overwhelming. Here are some simple suggestions for how to get what you need.
The race is on to create the perfect beyond-the-ropes setup.
If our Santa Fe office was on fire, this is the gear we'd save
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.
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.
Who needs a whole quiver when one set of planks does it all?
The two best alpine-touring setups of the year.
Alpine-touring equipment continues to evolve
From traveling light to going fast and steep, these 8 pairs of planks will help you carve pow all winter long
Venture Snowboards announced Thursday that it will not release boards for the 2015/16 season
The logistics of a ski weekend with kids are challenging, but the gear schlepping and tantrums just might be worth it.
I'm having trouble figuring out what gear to give my loved ones for the holidays.
DPS took its deeply rockered Lotus 120—which sports a long pintail, tapered tip, and just a smidge of sidecut underfoot—and added a convex base to the shovel of the ski. That’s right, the base is actually spoon shaped in the front third.
Rossignol’s honeycombed tip and tail shed mass where it’s vital—away from your body. As a result, it’s effortless to throw the Soul 7 sideways in the trees or whenever you need to scrub speed.
Thanks to the new factory, built with Laakso’s pre-preg expertise, all of Black Diamond’s 2013-14 skis are lighter but higher performance than existing models.
When the results were tallied after our on-mountain evaluations, these were our female testers’ favorite planks.
Outside picks the best gear for your alpine-touring setup, including the K2 WayBack skis.
Black Diamond's new Carbon Megawatt is light enough for touring and fat enough to float atop soft snow.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Line Celebrity 100 skis.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Volkl Nunataq skis
I'm heading into the backcountry this winter after years of in-bounds skiing, and I need a randonee set up. How much should I plan to spend? And will I notice a big difference between randonee boots and skis, and my race boots and all-mountain skis?
What's the ultimate telemark setup this year? The Editors Santa Fe, NM
Built on the same chassis as Völkl's bestselling alpine ski, the Mantra, the M Rock is lighter (there's no metal in it), and its wood/PU core makes it slightly less forgiving—and more fun—in powder. 133/94/113, 7.8 lbs; volkl.com Bonus: Hands-down the best resort AT ski we tested. “I'd put…
ALPINE TOURING The third-year Aura is lively on hardpack and absorbs crud, thanks to Völkl's poplar-and-beech core and the two sheets of titanium that cover it. Bonus: The progressive sidecut holds an edge at all speeds. Bummer: Dampness and power equal extra weight. 130/94/113, 7.3 lbs; volkl.com…
Big Mountain With the surface area of an aircraft carrier, aggressive rocker forward of the boot, and traditional camber underfoot and in the tail, the DarkSide dominates deep powder. “Scary fast and maneuverable in the fluff,” said one Utah tester. The stiff, flat tail provides a solid platform for…
From ripping the steeps at Silverton to carving groomers at Loveland, these twin tips were the ultimate hero skis. Their wood core makes them feel indestructibly stiff while bombing descents, yet their lightweight construction means they climb easily too. 128/98/121, 8.4 lbs; rossignol.com Bonus: Super stable in crud. …
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 …
Big Mountain The Freeride has been the go-to AT binding for years. Why? It’s an all-around performance-driven binding that accepts alpine and AT boots. Switching between ski and walk mode, as well as adjusting the heel riser, happens with the flick of a pole. Taking a cue from its little…
Liked last year's Mt. Baker? These are the same, only lighter. By using thinner steel, K2 shaved off almost a pound per ski, which testers noticed on the way up: “I felt like I could run in them,” said one. 120/88/108, 6.5 lbs; k2alpineterrain.com Bonus: In all other conditions—especially…
Good for Alpine Touring All-around mid-fat dimensions make the Shazam our favorite go-to gun for resort-based adventures—it's just plump enough to keep afloat in a foot of powder. On firmer snow, testers found that the wood core provided dampness and torsional rigidity for quick, edge-to-edge responsiveness. 120/90/113, 6.8 lbs;…
All Mountain “Gobs of power and stability and no speed limit,” said one tester. The rockered Alias floats through powder like a much larger ski and cuts through crud like a GS racer, with just enough camber in the aspen-and-poplar core for snappy rebounds. Warning: This ski is not for…
At a pound less than Karhu's in-bounds version, the Jak BC is a featherweight climber made with carbon components and the new environmentally friendly Greenlight Core, which is made of sustainably harvested Chinese wood. 124/90/113, 7.1 lbs; karhu.com Bonus: Lots of pop for such a light ski. Bummer:…