Alpine Touring Gear

Recent Alpine Touring Product Reviews

Volkl Attiva Aurora

"Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman" just like SECRET deodorant used to be! Ha Ha. If you read my intro and thought "Oh no, he's reviewing women's deodorant", you'll be sadly mistaken. In fact, I'm reviewing a pair of alpine (downhill) skis. Full disclosure: I'm a 6'1" and ~230lb adult man who proudly and confidently rides this pair of Volkl women's skis. I'll start with a little backstory for context: in the fall of 2014, I was not yet an alpine skier. I had attempted to ski on ONE… Full review

Rossignol BC 65

Very good all purpose skis that will work back country and in track. I've had these for like eight years and use them four or five times a year. We like to hit some trails about 10 miles from the house and Yellowstone Cooke City area mostly. These work well in powder out in Yellowstone or in track when we have been there. Good skis, can't go wrong. Full review

Atomic Sugar Daddy

The journey to find the elusive "one ski to rule them all" continues. About me I am an intermediate skier who skis the winters away on the groomed runs then take my skis to the mountains in the summer after the avy danger has mostly passed.  Tech specs 126-99-117 Regular camber 183 length The story When I saw these on Craigslist three hours away with Fritschi touring bindings on them for $150 I got in the car and drove. Does anything depreciate as quickly as skis? This setup would have been $1200… Full review

Black Diamond AMPerage

Super playful skis. Stable, will never let you down. Those skis have been following me for five years now. Big mountain, backcountry skiing, skins, name it. They are stable and durable, very playful skis. I am able to go on powder as much as groomed resort skiing (great on ice too!). The only downside from my experience is that the aesthetic coating of the ski peels off on the ends where I clip my skins. But other than that, great product. Full review

Shred Slam Cap NoSeason

A lightweight, all-season helmet featuring the latest in safety technology. This helmet has the best fitting system I have ever worn. Warm when needed with excellent ventilation. I was lucky enough to score a Shred Slam Cap NoSeason helmet early in the ski season in order to give it a through testing. I had been hoping for some time to get the chance to check out a helmet that featured the latest in helmet safety. This multi-sport helmet is certified to meet the latest US and EU regulations for… Full review

G3 Expedition Skins

Decent traction but a bit less glide than other brands. Tip metal loops need RIVETING to stay attached! Tail clips are fine. My G3 Expedition skins are 10 years old but still work OK even though getting worn down a bit and needing seasonal re-applications of glue. My gripe is that the metal loops (which must be sized for your wide or narrow ski tips) tend to let go when the self-glued skin that doubles back to hold them lets go. I had to rivet my loops in place. Newer style "tip pockets" may be… Full review

Smith Men's Vantage Helmet

Best helmet on the market in my opinion! The Vantage was designed for hard-core skiers/riders; it features an amazing ventilation system, BOA on the fly adjustment system, and Koroyd aerocore construction which makes it one of the lightest snow helmets on the market. Testing I purchased this helmet at the beginning of the 2016-17 ski season and have now used it for 22 days of skiing in conditions that vary from extremely cold (-15 degrees) to temps just below freezing. On a couple of occasions I've… Full review

Dynafit TLT Radical ST

Very good bindings. Low price and good quality. Recommended 100%. Full review

Marker F10 Tour

Light-ish frame style tour binding for the rest of us. My first tour bindings. I ski 80% in bounds so solid downhill performance is important to me and I also need to watch my weight because I also go on dawn patrol and up mountains on occasion. I had heard that these rattle, but saw none of that.  Marker makes several frame-style tour bindings and I was not ready to shell out the coin for bindings that release at 12 and weigh more than the skis they are attached to. Plus I don't need that much… Full review