It didn’t take long to feel comfortable on ZAG’s updated 2024/25 UBAC 95s, but I eased in anyway. I felt like I knew them quickly through soft snow, trees, soft chop, and powder. They just felt easy right off the… The post A Mellow Tours All-Rounder: ZAG’s UBAC 95 Skis appeared first on - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog ..read more

Having spent 15 years in product development myself, I’d always dreamed of building my own “Super Pack” for skiing. Kyle Siegel, a mechanical engineer with experience at SpaceX and The North Face, beat me to the punch by launching ultralight… The post Do Raide Research packs live up to the hype? appeared first on - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog ..read more

Backcountry travelers worldwide (that’s you!) can help researchers at Simon Fraser University study how winter recreationists use the avalanche forecast. You can access the survey here: https://caic2024.avalancheresearch.ca/en/ (Estimated 20 minutes to complete.) Here’s the basic idea of the research project:… The post Help Avalanche Researchers Study Forecasts, Win Prizes appeared first on - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog ..read more

Andrew McWilliams is a former Avalanche Technician at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area and is the current Colorado Avalanche Information Center forecaster for the Northern Mountains which includes the Gore Range and all of Colorado North of I-70.  Before that, he… The post Ask a Forecaster: Q&A with CAIC’s Andrew McWilliams appeared first on - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog ..read more

I’ve long been a shell guy when it comes to outerwear for ski touring but as I’ve picked up my pace on uphills and toured longer and longer into spring and summer, I’ve found myself searching for lighter layers that… The post Helly Hansen’s Odin Backcountry Softshell Kit Review appeared first on - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog ..read more

For most of us, backcountry skiing is a hobby, an outlet, and an excuse to spend time in the mountains, but if we aren’t professionals and don’t race, we don’t always think of it as a sport. Still, it’s physically… The post How to Fuel for Ski Touring: Nutritionist Q&A appeared first on - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog ..read more

It was 2008 when I first slapped skins on a pair of skis, my dad’s ~210cm tele skis from the early 90’s. I also borrowed his old Patagonia anorak rain jacket that had seen about as many years as the… The post A Pullover Hardshell for Spring Tours? Trew’s Le Skieur Anorak appeared first on - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog ..read more

Dylan Craaybeek is a backcountry skier and avalanche forecaster for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center based in the Crystal Valley near Carbondale.  He generates the avalanche forecast for the Central Mountains, which include the Grand Mesa, the West Elk and… The post Ask a Forecaster: CAIC’s Dylan Craaybeek appeared first on - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog ..read more

Avalanches are Colorado’s most deadly natural hazard, so public communication about avalanche safety is an important tool to help backcountry travelers stay safe. To learn more about how avalanche communication is received by the public, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center… The post Take 5 Minutes to Improve Avalanche Communication appeared first on - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog ..read more

Snow conditions have been wild this season. I’ve wallowed through waist-deep powder, struggled through breakable crust, skied a lot of ice, sloshed around in corn, and encountered everything in between. I’ve found a reason to bring out every ski in… The post A Lightweight Boot to Drive Any Ski: Fischer Transalp Carbon Pro Hands-On Review appeared first on - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog ..read more