Related: Ferreol Surfeur 112 Review (2025): A Playful Powder Shredder

Quick Specs

Playground: All-Mountain Powder Ski, Versatile Backcountry Ski
Length: 188 cm
Dimensions (tip-waist-tail): 137-105-126 mm
Turn Radius: 17 m
Weight per ski: 1820 g
Construction: Poplar Core, Titanal Mounting Plate, Fiberglass/Carbon Inlay
Bindings: Atomic Backland Summit 12 LSH
Binding Mount: Recommended Line
Climbing Skins: Pomoca Tour Pro

Construction

Ferreol also gave the construction a thoughtful update. An aluminum mounting plate adds underfoot rigidity for added strength and confidence when you’re carving at Mach 16. Replacing the full-length carbon layer is a 100-mm carbon strip, boosting durability while trimming down the ski’s carbon footprint compared to the previous version. Skiers will be relieved to see a rubber tail reinforcement with the ever-so-useful indentation onto which climbing skins clip. Needless to say, it’s a no-nonsense solution to the topsheet durability issue of the previous generation, specifically at the tail, observed by a few backcountry skiers. It seems like Ferreol is truly listening to its customer base.

Weight

At 1820 grams per ski, the Ferreol team updated an already lightweight all-mountain powder ski that can easily be hauled around in the backcountry. For how well its multi-layered construction can handle variable conditions, crud and chop, they have no doubt pulled a magic trick on us. The Pionnier 104 handles crud, chop and groomed runs as well as some heavier contenders such as the ever-popular Salomon QST 106 at 2190 grams per ski. Striking a thoughtful balance between weight and performance, the Pionnier is also a great option for slackcountry days where you’ll start your day in the backcountry and finish with a few inbound runs as the sun sets over the peaks.

In the backcountry, the Pionnier 104 2.0, mounted with the Atomic Backland Summit 12 pin bindings, made travel effortless. Sure, the Pionnier is no featherweight, but I prefer that. I’d rather have a supportive ski in the 1700-1850g than a 1500g noodle. Working as a ski guide in all sorts of conditions, I need my skis to handle everything the mountain will throw at me. The Ferreol Pionnier 104 2.0 will do just that.

Downhill Performance

While The Uptrack is mainly focused on ski touring, I’ve spent some time on the Pionnier 104 inbounds, shredding moguls and carving on groomers. One of my biggest gripes with lightweight skis is their erratic behaviour at speed when the tips start vibrating uncontrollably. The Pionnier’s updated construction solves that problem, making it quite damp on groomers. Its damp character, especially for its weight class, combined with the triple-point cambered shape, gave me that extra confidence to carve Super-G turns at supersonic speeds. Its 104mm-wide (105mm in the 188cm model) provided a rather snappy edge-to-edge transition for an all-mountain powder ski.

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In the glades and moguls, the skis, in 188cm length, were agile enough to weave through the terrain. Coming off the Ferreol Surfeur 112 (184cm), the brand’s de facto powder ski, the Pionnier offered an exhilarating, albeit very different experience. Since the ski has less tip and tail rocker, its longer effective edge and much stiffer tail offered greater stability at the expense of feeling a little more cumbersome in tight terrain features. At first, I found it considerably harder to locate the longitudinal sweet spot. I felt the tails were constantly catching in turns. After a few laps of trial and error, I figured out the correct position and had an absolute blast plowing through powder, refrozen moguls and hardpack. As much as we all dream of resort skiing in deep powder, that’s often far from reality. The Pionnier’s increased stability and control when compared to the Surfeur 112 was especially beneficial in variable conditions. This ski definitely requires an aggressive, dynamic stance where you really drive the shovels around. I suspect the shorter length models would allow for a more relaxed skiing style.

Ski Touring Performance

In deep untracked powder, the Ferreol Pionnier 104 2.0 offered a fine-tuned balance between weight, stability and float. Its 104mm-wide waist and large shovels provide plenty of floatation in boot-top to knee-deep powder. I haven’t tried it in snorkel-deep blower, but would most likely prefer the Surfeur 112 if that were the case. I’ve spent a few days on the Pionnier in untouched powder at Balu Pass (Rogers Pass) and in the RMR slackcountry. I was blown away by how well it handled the knee-deep powdery pitches followed by the icy, hardpack bobsleigh track at the valley’s exits. At the end of a tiring day of ski touring, it makes a huge difference. I’d rather avoid crashing on hardpack in the evening. In practice, backcountry skiing isn’t always all powder. Armed with the Pionnier 104 2.0, I’ve had the pleasure of effortlessly slicing through wind slabs and melt-freeze crust. The skis handled those difficult conditions brilliantly. I’ll do some more testing in Spring, but I could definitely see this ski shining on ski-mountaineering trips where conditions are often anything but powder.

On the uphill, the 188cm model is light enough to haul up the mountains. Kick-turn initiation is smooth enough, with the shovels naturally tilting up when needed. Breaking trail, the ski’s wide tip easily surfs on top of the snow, which thankfully spares your hip flexors on the uptrack.

The Brief Rundown

The talented team at Ferreol crafted a lively, confidence-inspiring ski that weaves through tight trees, charges when you ask it to, and adapts beautifully to a variety of snow conditions. Compared to the previous version, it’s got the same pioneer spirit, just sharper, stronger, and ready to chew up terrain.

You could go either way with this ski. Mount it with a downhill binding for a stable, agile tree-skiing machine or with a hybrid binding for maximum versatility on and off piste. Tooled with a lightweight pin binding, the Pionnier 104 2.0 will grant you access to any backcountry terrain with minimal compromise. If anything, I wish Ferreol would offer the ski in an intermediate length between 180 and 188cm. Personally, a 184cm model would be an absolute dream, granting a little more agility and a slightly snappier pivot.

The post Ferreol Pionnier 104 2.0 Review (2025): The Ultimate Quiver Killer appeared first on The Uptrack.

Quick Specs

Playground: Resort Powder Ski, Powder-Oriented Backcountry Ski
Length: 184 cm
Dimensions (tip-waist-tail): 141-112-130 mm
Turn Radius: 17 m
Weight per ski: 1895 g
Construction: Poplar Core, Titanal/Flax/Carbon inlay
Bindings: Atomic Shift 13 MN
Binding Mount: Recommended Line
Climbing Skins: Contour Guide Pure 2.0

Construction

Sourced from sustainably managed forests located within 100 km of the factory, the Ferreol Surfeur 112 has a carefully crafted poplar core that comes from selective harvesting practices with a focus on forest regeneration. The result is a lightweight but strong and reliable ski. Ferreol added a Titanal mounting plate to increase underfoot stiffness, which results in great stability at speeds and edge hold on firm snow. Along its length, an optimized blend of flax and carbon fibres reinforces the ski, providing added stiffness while maintaining its low weight. In addition to the flax fibres, a biosourced epoxy resin and topsheet incorporate renewable materials, lowering the ski’s carbon footprint while offering exceptional durability.

Weight

While optimizing the carbon and flax fibre mapping within the Surfeur 112, Ferreol produced the perfect 50/50 ski. It’s equally happy hitting the resort slopes on a powder day or exploring our backcountry playground. On one hand, it’s on the lighter end of the resort ski spectrum. Fear not, its lightweight design can definitely hold its own in chop and crud. On the other hand, its 1895g (184cm model) is on the heavier end of the ski touring spectrum.

Mounted with a pin binding, the Surfeur 112 is tailored to ski tourers searching for a downhill-oriented option that can still be hauled up the mountain with a little extra effort. Personally, I prefer a slightly heavier ski that can offer added stability in variable conditions. Let’s be honest, backcountry skiing involves more than just blower powder. Oftentimes, you’ll encounter difficult snow conditions, especially closer to the valley bottom, something that’s easily handled by the Ferreol Surfeur 112.

Downhill Performance

The Surfeur 112 shines in soft snow on the resort or in the backcountry, especially when tree skiing. It’s an incredibly playful, intuitive, and maneuverable ski that can handle powder, tight trees and moguls with ease. Its light tip and softer tail make releasing or smearing turns as effortless as possible without getting thrown around too much when you don’t hit that bump perfectly. It has a progressive mounting point, 7-8cm behind the true center, which helps maintain its agility in tight terrain without compromising on flotation. There’s nothing better than slashing powder stashes all over the resort with the Surfeur 112. There’s no doubt – Ferreol has found an elegant solution to their “surfy” aspirations.

When the terrain opens up, it can keep its composure at speeds or in variable conditions. While it’s not a true charger compared to dedicated 2000+ grams resort straight-liners, the ski will happily rail groomers. Through chop and crud, it’s surprisingly damp and stable for its weight. Thankfully, the poplar core keeps the skiing lively enough. In any case, I’m not looking at a 112mm-underfoot powder ski for carving super-G turns on groomers, but it can handle its own to get to and from your favourite powder stash or if you’re looking for varied terrain after a half-day of powder skiing.

Ski Touring Performance

Having put a few backcountry days with the Surfeur 112 in a variety of conditions, I can confidently say this is my ideal powder touring ski. While there are lighter options on the market, none offer the same blend of agility in all snow conditions, stability at speeds and edge hold on firm snow. On a recent trip to Rogers Pass with more than 60cm of fresh snow, I had a blast surfing waist-deep powder, slashing turns on a whim, and navigating the early-season bush down in the valley. I cannot reinforce enough how well the Ferreol Surfeur 112 floats in the deep stuff, from 15cm of boot-top powder to 60cm of faceshot-friendly snow. It’s by far the most fun I’ve had in years – and that’s coming off the Atomic Backland 109, known for its flotation and playfulness.

On the uphill, the 184cm model pivots easily during kick-turns and stays afloat when breaking trail in deep snow. This is most likely due to its mounting point and weight balance. Since I had the ski mounted with the Atomic Shift 13 MN, the sheer weight and ergonomics of the binding did feel cumbersome after some time, but that’s totally an issue with binding choice. This is a compromise I made when selecting a ski that would work for resort, helicopter and slackcountry skiing. I’ve got no illusion. The Surfeur 112, mounted with a lightweight pin binding, would be my perfect touring partner at Rogers Pass.

The Brief Rundown

The Ferreol Surfeur 112 could be a great addition to your ski quiver. It’s an incredibly versatile ski that can be mounted with downhill, hybrid or pin bindings. Its playfulness truly whips the fun back into skiing, and its maneuverability helps tackle a range of conditions. It’s clear to me that the design emphasis is on powder skiing. It really comes alive when surfing on soft, untouched snow. This ski wants to be thrown sideways, hence the French naming “Surfeur”. While relatively damp and stable at speeds and in variable conditions for its weight, it’s no crud-busting resort charger. That’s an acceptable compromise for a ski that can handle the resort and backcountry alike. By all means, look elsewhere if you’re hunting for the best ski to race down a steep resort chute at Mach 1000 or climb 2000 vertical meters up Mt Baker in Spring.

Personally, I would also gladly mount a pin binding on the Surfeur 112 for a dedicated powder touring ski, perfectly suited for locations along the BC powder highway, such as Revelstoke and Rogers Pass. Mounted with a hybrid binding, the Surfeur 112 could be your 50/50 ski for hitting the resort slopes in the morning and ducking the rope into the backcountry in the afternoon. The ski essentially guarantees versatility with minimal compromise.

The post Ferreol Surfeur 112 Review (2025): A Playful Powder Shredder appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: The Early Season Snowpack: How It Affects Your Winter

Pre-Season Gear Prep

A significant part of pre-season preparation for the ski touring season involves inspecting your gear. There’s no doubt – ski touring and splitboarding are gear-intensive sports. Keep an eye out for unusual wear, visible cracks, frays and verify the equipment’s functionality.

Skis, Boots and Poles

Starting with the basic gear, it’s worth checking the ski’s edges and top sheet for delamination, where it separates from the ski’s core. Slide your hand across your bases, feeling for deep gouges. It’s a great time to pull out that smelly PTEX stick and fix those gouges. Alternatively, a reputable ski shop can do the needed repairs for you. Inspect your bindings to ensure they clip in easily and that the rear turret risers are in good condition. To check the binding screws, gently attempt to pry off the baseplate from the ski’s topsheet.

Related: How To Choose Touring Skis

Regarding your ski boots, inspect the upper and lower cuffs to ensure there are no cracks in the plastic shell. Glance over the steel tech inserts and toe/heel welts to ensure they’re still securely embedded in the shell. Try on your boot liners – they pack out over time and often require a few tweaks by an experienced bootfitter throughout the season. It’s best to get it over early on so you can tour comfortably.

Fix your bent ski poles, keeping in mind that aluminum poles snap if forcibly bent in the cold. Heat aluminum poles with a torch, then bend them back into shape. If you’re using telescopic poles, make sure your ski poles can fully collapse and verify their locking mechanism. Trust me: you don’t want to have poles slip when skiing down an exposed feature. In the past, I’ve also forgotten to swap my pole’s low-profile hiking baskets for the oversized powder baskets. Learn from my mistakes.

Climbing Skins

Take a moment to dig out your climbing skins from the back of your freezer. You’d be surprised – some folks store their skins in their freezer to preserve the skin glue. Inspect both the plush for cuts or odd frays and verify that the glue is working properly. Take a look at your tip and tail connectors as well.

Related: How To Choose Climbing Skins

Avalanche Rescue Gear

Here’s another crucial tip regarding ski touring pre-season preparation: inspect your avalanche rescue gear. That includes your transceiver, shovel, and probe. These days, a transceiver with three antennas and multiple burial functionality is standard. If your device doesn’t meet that, it’s probably time to consider an upgrade before hitting the winter season.

Related: How To Choose An Avalanche Transceiver / Beacon

Practice companion rescue scenarios with your touring partners. It’s the fastest way to see if your avalanche tools actually work and to build muscle memory for high-stress situations. In the fall, I always run a full transceiver function check. Take a close look at the depth markings on your probe as well. They tend to wear down inside your backpack. Without accurate depth readings, even a well-practiced rescue can be slowed or complicated.

Backcountry First Aid Kit

A solid backcountry first aid kit isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s an essential piece of gear for ski touring. Before your first tour of the season, take the time to check every item and make sure your kit is fully stocked. Small but critical items, like blister bandages, moleskin patches, or rolls of KT tape, often vanish over the winter months. Don’t wait until you need them in the middle of a backcountry skin track or a remote descent. Resupply basics such as gauze, adhesive tape, antibiotic cream, and pain medication. Consider also including items for cold-related injuries, like chemical hand warmers, extra gloves, or a space blanket, and any personal medications or allergy treatments you might need.

A well-prepared kit can make the difference between managing a minor incident efficiently or turning it into a serious problem. In the backcountry, help is not just around the corner, so being ready means not only having the supplies but knowing how to use them. Below is a suggested list of common first aid items to include in your backcountry kit.

• Assorted adhesive bandages
• Large gauze pad (abdominal pad)
• Gauze rolls
• Non-stick wound dressing
• Medical tape
• Antiseptic wipes
• Blister care bandages (moleskin, KT tape)
• Small scissors
• Elastic bandages with safety pin
• Triangular bandages
• Pain management medication (ibuprofen, acetamenophen)
• Allergy medication (antihistamine)
• Gloves (nitrile)
• CPR pocket mask
• Immobilization splint (SAM splint)
• Heat-refracting tarp (space blanket)

Backcountry Repair Kit For Ski Touring and Splitboarding

Before your first backcountry tour, take a close look at your repair kit and make sure it’s fully stocked. A well-prepared kit should cover all the essentials to handle common gear and clothing issues in snowy, remote environments. Think about skis, splitboards, boots, poles, and even your outer layers, anything that could fail or need quick adjustment on the skin track or descent.

Check your inventory of screws, nuts, and other hardware and update it to match your current setup. If you’ve changed bindings, ski boots, or other gear since last season, you may need to swap out certain screws or small parts in your kit. It’s also worth including a multi-tool, spare straps, duct tape, ski crampon screws, and a small roll of climbing wire. Even minor fixes, like a loose binding or ripped gaiter, can turn into a frustrating or dangerous situation if you’re unprepared. Regularly reviewing and refreshing your repair kit ensures that when a problem arises in the backcountry, you can fix it quickly and safely without cutting your day short. Preparation in the garage before you head out can save hours and headaches on the mountain. You’ll find below a list of suggested items to complete your backcountry first aid kit.

• Multi-tool with scissors
• Binding tool (if not included in multi-tool)
• Adhesive tape (gorilla or duct tape)
• Stash of zip ties
• 2-3 ski straps (voile straps)
• Small roll of bailing wire
• 5-10m of accessory cord (4-5mm)
• Spare binding screws
• Spare boot screws
• Spare binding toe piece (important for multi-day trip)
• Extra tip and tail clips/connectors for climbing skin
• Extra powder pole basket
• Ski scraper
• Clothing patch (tenacious tape)
• Firestarter kit (lighter, waterproof matches, chunk of bike inner tube or dry cotton balls)
• Backup mini-headlamp
• Small tube of threadlock (Blue Loctite)

Pre-Season Vehicle Prep

Getting your vehicle ready for winter might not feel like part of ski touring pre-season preparation, but it’s every bit as important. Around Revelstoke, my home base, winter or mud/snow tires are mandatory for driving through mountain passes like Rogers Pass. I run dedicated studded winters on my AWD rig, and the difference on icy, snow-packed roads is night and day. At highway speeds, good traction and smart driving habits matter far more than having an AWD or 4×4 badge. If you’re renting a vehicle, know that most companies only supply all-season tires with the standard fee. My advice? Pay the premium for proper winter tires. They’re worth their weight in gold.

I also keep a small emergency kit in my truck: first aid supplies, road flares, tire chains, and a stash of canned food. That kit has already paid for itself during long road closures from accidents or avalanches. Once, I was stuck for more than four hours while crews cleared avalanche debris off the Trans-Canada near Rogers Pass. Out here, delays are part of winter travel. Drive slow, drive smart, and be prepared.

Pre-Season Training

Working as a ski guide, I spend a healthy chunk of my pre-season training for emergencies. This ranges from dusting off my avalanche rescue training, practicing my crevasse rescue rigging skills and refining my first aid skills. While my emergency response trainings are based on an operational context, whether I’m heli-skiing or ski touring, recreationalists should practice those skills on a seasonal basis. Sadly, too few dedicate the time required to do it properly.

Avalanche Rescue Training

Avalanche rescue is never as simple as it sounds. On paper, it’s just three steps: find the victim with a transceiver, confirm their location with a probe, and dig them out with a shovel. In reality, it’s messy, high-stakes, and often chaotic. That’s why I put myself through regular practice scenarios. The most useful drills, I’ve found, are the ones that push me outside my comfort zone: multiple burials in treed terrain. Forests are disorienting; they force you to slow down, build a mental map, and really think about how you’re moving through the scene. Those details matter because in a real emergency, you won’t have the luxury of clarity.

Early in the season, many operators run Avalanche Skills Training (AST) courses that mix avalanche terrain management with rescue scenarios. For those who want to strip it down and focus purely on emergency response, companion rescue courses are another option. Either way, the practice pays off because, when the chaos is real, the training kicks in and the response becomes automatic.

Crevasse Rescue Training

If you’re planning to travel in glaciated terrain, a crevasse rescue course and regular practice are non-negotiable. It’s an important pre-season preparation for ski touring or splitboarding. Rope systems like the Z-pulley (3:1 advantage) or the Canadian Drop Loop (6:1 advantage) provide the mechanical advantage needed to haul a partner out of a crevasse – but they require detailed rigging skills that are easy to forget under pressure. Even as a professional, I find myself re-learning the finer points each November during pre-season training. Effective crevasse rescue comes down to precision and repetition. The only way to truly be ready is to practice, again and again.

Backcountry First Aid Training

When you travel into the backcountry, you step into an environment where professional medical help may be hours or even days away. In these settings, first aid training is not just useful, it’s essential. The ability to assess injuries, manage medical emergencies, and improvise with limited resources can make the difference between a manageable situation and a life-threatening one.

Backcountry first aid differs from the classic occupational first aid in key ways. Hazards in the mountains result in injuries from sprains, fractures, and multi-trauma to illnesses from hypothermia to altitude sickness and allergic reactions. Unlike urban settings, you can’t rely on a quick ambulance ride or a nearby emergency room. Backcountry first aid training equips you with the skills to stabilize a patient, relieve pain, and make critical decisions about evacuations over more than 48 hours. For example, knowing how to splint a broken leg with poles, manage shock in freezing conditions, or recognize early signs of hypothermia can save lives. In short, it’s not optional – it’s a must.

Physical Conditioning

And then there’s pre-season physical conditioning, the part everyone knows about but too often skips. Ski touring and splitboarding demand far more than just strong legs. It requires endurance and stability. Long climbs, heavy packs, and variable snow conditions push your cardiovascular fitness to its breaking point, while steep descents and tricky terrain test your strength and balance. Pre-season conditioning reduces the risk of injury, helps prevent fatigue, and makes long days in the mountains more enjoyable. A mix of aerobic training, strength work (especially core and legs), and flexibility exercises will prepare your body for the uphill grinds and downhill rewards that define ski touring and splitboarding.

Picture this: it’s early November, your skis are freshly tuned, your pack is dialled, every feature checked. You clip into your bindings for that first day back in the mountains, buzzing with excitement. Then, in a split second, a sloppy fall leaves you with a blown knee and a broken arm. Just like that, your season is over before it even began. The truth is, a stronger, better-prepared body might have saved you from that fall. With the right conditioning, you’d still be skiing today. That’s why your pre-season preparation for ski touring or splitboarding is so important!

The post Pre-Season Preparation For Ski Touring: Get Ready To Shred appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: What To Pack For A Ski Tour: A Comprehensive Guide

The Dream Hut Trip Backpack

A large 50-60L backpack with features specific to ski touring. Most manufacturers advertise their multi-day packs for the mountaineering crowd. Thankfully, you’ll find many cross-over features that work for both ski touring, splitboarding and mountaineering. In a perfect world, I dream of a pack with the following features:

• Rope carry system (usually sandwiched between the top lid and the pack body)
• A-frame and diagonal ski carry with reinforced side straps for ski edges
• A helmet carry system that doesn’t interfere with the lid buckles
• Secure crampon and ice axe attachments
• A padded hip belt with a side pocket on one side and a gear loop on the other
• A main compartment to swallow most of the bulky gear and a large top lid for knick-knacks

Choosing the right size backpack for your body is crucial. Manufacturers often release gendered options in S-M and M-L based on your torso length. It’s best to try out different backpacks fully loaded at the store. I’ve got a slender figure with virtually no hips and a long torso. Finding a pack with a small hip belt but a long torso length has proven to be a challenge over the years.

The Overnight Hut Essentials

The way I see it: ski touring hut trips are demanding – accumulated fatigue and poor sleep affect my backcountry mental game. Having all the hut essentials to maximize comfort after hours will stack the odds in my favour when making life-saving decisions at 3000m. Before packing for your backcountry hut trip, research the backcountry huts you’ll be visiting. Nowadays, most huts are equipped with a wood or propane stove for boiling water and heating the interior space. You’ll still come across the oddball one, which is essentially a bare metal box anchored to a rocky cliff, somewhere up high in the alpine. Their location and amenities will determine the insulation requirement for hut-specific gear such as your sleeping bag and baselayers.

Sleeping bag: A lofty sleeping bag rated to at least -10C filled with down or synthetic insulation works wonders for ski touring hut trips. I prefer down insulation since it’s lighter and more compressible than synthetic insulation, keeping your pack weight and size down. On the flipside, down loses its loft and insulation potential when wet. Not much of a problem when you’ve got access to a heated hut.

Most huts are poorly insulated, with temperatures hovering close to freezing overnight. You’ll need a little more insulation than what you would find in a summer sleeping bag to stay warm. It’s also important to consider what the warmth rating stands for. A -10C sleeping bag is rated for a lower limit of -10C, where you’ll make it through the night, but not without a few shivers. The “comfort” limit for those bags is often closer to -3C depending on the bag’s insulation and design. You’ll find more information on winter sleeping bags in the post, Backcountry Winter Camping Gear For Alpine Touring.

Spare hut clothes: There’s nothing more satisfying than taking your drenched ski boots off and slipping into a fresh pair of socks. I recommend a spare set of merino baselayers and socks to wear in the hut and in bed. Merino wool is pure magic. It wicks moisture away from your skin and doesn’t hold on to odour – for the sake of everyone around you.

Hut shoes or booties: Insulated hut booties are key. I feel for the folks who keep their ski boots on in the hut after forgetting to pack their hut booties. It’s worth mentioning that keeping ski boots in the hut is bad etiquette – you’ll leave a wet mess all over the wood floors. I always bring insulated booties with integrated gaiters and a grippy sole, especially useful for shovelling a path to the outhouses. To keep the smell at bay, outhouses are often separate from the sleeping and cooking quarters.

Inflatable pillow: The true ultra-light alpinists out there will shun me for this. I will not compromise on my sleeping system. While you can make a good-enough pillow by stuffing your down jacket into your sleeping bag stuff sack, I prefer a dedicated inflatable pillow that’s highly compressible and has a smooth face fabric for comfort. I never forget my trusty pillow when packing for a backcountry hut trip.

Stove: While most modern huts are equipped with a wood or propane stove, some huts require you to pack a small camp stove for cooking. If that’s the case, keep it simple and bring food prep to a minimum – boiled water, dehydrated rations, and no dishes.

Food and drinks

Food and water intake for a ski touring hut trip depends on your own needs. I don’t need much to get by, but that’s often not the case for most folks. To keep pack weight and size down, I stuff a sil-nylon compression sack with dehydrated food and powered drinks. Doing so, you’ll mostly avoid doing dishes.

• For breakfast: oatmeal crowned with raisins, cranberries, figs, butter and brown sugar, sealed in individual ziplock bags. Pro-tip: freezer bags can handle boiling water, so you won’t need to do dishes after breakfast. The extra butter will give you plenty of calories throughout the day. I also bring powdered coffee or tea.
• For lunch: pepperoni sticks, nut mix, and chocolate to be consumed during your tour with 1.5-2L of electrolyte water.
• For an appetizer at the hut: a warm, salty miso or chicken broth on the menu to reset your electrolytes and warm your core.
• For dinner: a dehydrated ration such as the one offered by Peak Refuel works wonders. Simply add water and you’ve got a tasty, healthy meal. The dehydrated packets are pricy, but are crammed with calories, more so than the competition. Chocolate and candy are a great way to end your meal with a sweet bang.

First thing in the morning, I drink plenty of water. I’m often dehydrated from the previous day’s effort. It’s best to start your tour hydrated, so you’ll be more efficient on the uptrack and drink less throughout the day.

Packing Checklist For A Backcountry Hut Trip

The post Packing For A Backcountry Hut Trip: Tips For A Great Ski Tour appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Packing For A Backcountry Hut Trip: Tips For A Great Ski Tour

The Ski Touring (Splitboarding) Essentials

Avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe: This is the first thing that I pack. Going in the backcountry without the potentially life-saving avalanche equipment is a big no-no. While the shovel and probe live in my daypack, I usually stuff my avalanche transceiver in my “car” bag (a simple grocery bag) along with my climbing skins, a pre-hydration water bottle and some snacks.

Touring skis, ski boots, poles & skins: They are all bundled together so I don’t forget anything. Make sure your touring skis have workable bindings and ski boots, a selectable walk mode. I prefer two-piece adjustable poles, since they can be shortened when bootpacking and easily strapped to my pack. To avoid cold fingers, pre-mount your climbing skins in the comfort of your home.

Related: How To Choose Touring Skis, Bindings, Boots and Skins

Backpack: A well-fitted, comfortable backpack makes your day fly by. After conducting extensive research over many years, I’ve identified the key features to look for in a backpack suitable for ski touring day trips. I’ve found a 35-40L backpack works best for standard day trips, while a 40-45L pack, for technical ski-mountaineering missions. For a deeper insight into backpack features, check out How To Get Into Ski Touring (Backpacks).

Ski googles: On a wintery day, ski googles are a must when I pack for a ski tour. Bring an appropriate lens for the expected weather. On most days, I carry a low-light lens in the Interior British Columbia as it works for overcast days and skiing in those shady, north-facing bowls. By springtime, I’ll bust out the sunny lens. Nowadays, unless I’m expecting snorkel-deep powder, I wear “visor-like” sunglasses such as the Smith Wildcat with a photochromatic lens and low-light lens. The ski googles stay at home until it’s truly storming out there. Those sunglasses are lighter, more packable and work as well in knee-deep powder as your typical googles.

Skin Wax: On a warm spring day, moist snow will tend to pack under your climbing skins, hampering your glide. Skin wax is essentially a waterproof coating for your skins, making it harder for snow to stick to those prickly hairs. While it reduces grip slightly, having an unimpeded stride is far more important. Pro-tip: apply skin wax across the entire skin base, at the trailhead, before the climbing skin gets saturated with water. I usually leave the wax at home until mid-February when the temperatures soar.

• Avalanche transceiver
• Avalanche shovel
• Avalanche probe
• Touring skis (or splitboard)
• Touring boots (with walk-mode)
• Touring poles (adjustable ideally)
• Climbing skins
• Backpack (35-45L)
• Ski Googles (or visor-type sunglasses)
• Skin wax (optional unless expecting warm weather)

The Clothing

Base layers and socks: It’s hard to forget the base layers when you pack for a ski tour. You’ll hopefully be wearing them. I heavily recommend merino wool base layers. While they dry slower than their synthetic counterpart, they breathe well, wick moisture effectively, and don’t hold on to body odour. Also, I’d avoid driving to the trailhead with your ski sock. Do your best to keep those heavenly foot bags dry until you begin your ski tour. Slipping wet socks into your ski boots at the start of your tour is the absolute worst! You’ll know when you make that mistake.

Midlayer “active” jacket: This midlayer goes under your outer weatherproof shell. Since you’ll often be wearing this jacket on the uphill, it’s best to choose a midlayer that’s lightly insulated, breathable and wind-resistant. Striking the balance between warmth, breathability and wind-resistance involves much trial and error with different brands and models. It depends on how your body manages heat and sweat during high-output exercise.

Uphill and downhill gloves: Why carry two pairs of gloves? For starters, you’ll need a backup pair when the first one eventually wets out. You also want to avoid soaking your downhill gloves in sweat to maintain their insulating property. Since I get clammy hands, my uphill gloves are breathable, quick-drying and dexterous. I also get cold fingers, so my downhill gloves are ultra-warm and relatively water-resistant. As for ideal material, I favour leather treated with a waterproofing wax such as Nikwax. Leather offers a great balance of durability and dexterity.

Puffy jacket and pants: When it’s truly arctic out on your ski tour, you’ll want to pack a large puffy jacket (either synthetic or down). While down tends to pack smaller, synthetic insulation such as PlumaFill (Patagonia) retains heat when wet. Nevertheless, I always carry a light, midlayer puffy jacket. The puffy pants are entirely optional, and whether you get cold legs. I don’t see a need for it unless I’m winter camping in frigid weather.

• Synthetic or wool base layers (top & bottom)
• Synthetic or wool ski socks
• Midlayer “active” jacket (preferably wind-resistant)
• Weatherproof puffy jacket (down or synthetic)
• Weatherproof ski shell & pants (waterproof/breathable membrane)
• Neck warmer (Buff)
• Neck warmer (Buff)
• Brimmed “active” cap and toque (wool or synthetic)
• Light uphill gloves
• Warm downhill gloves (weatherproof outer shell)
• Puffy pants or shorts (optional)

The Personal Items

Sunglasses: Sport sunglasses with a lens of at least category 3 rating are an important part of the ski touring quiver. You’ll find yourself wearing them on overcast days, as the sunlight gets amplified by the reflective snow surface. As previously mentioned, I favour visor-like sunglasses since they provide optimal coverage for both the ascent and descent and shelter from the wind. On a truly deep day, the googles will come out of my bag.

Sunscreen and lip cream: Even in the dead of winter, the solar radiation can still pierce through the clouds and affect your skin. It’s crucial to apply sunscreen, with a minimum rating of SPF 50, regularly throughout your ski tour. Zinc-oxide paste becomes especially handy during spring ski tours to protect your face, neck and arms from a nasty burn. You’ll always find a small tube of SPF 50 sunscreen at the top of my pack.

Insulated water bottle: With temperatures dipping below -15 °C regularly during our Canadian winter, water will freeze in a bare water bottle, and you’ll be left with nothing to drink. A quality insulated bottle will keep your tea or water warm throughout the day. There’s nothing better than a hot tea in bitterly cold weather. When spring rolls around, my water intake goes through the roof. Instead of my usual 1L, I tend to drink about 1.5-2L of water, especially when the blazing sun is beating down on my neck. I pack a 500mL-1L Nalgene to supplement my 1L insulated mug.

Repair Kit: Slip a repair kit at the bottom of your bag when you pack for a ski tour. While we all want to avoid being stranded in the backcountry, your equipment will fail at some point. That’s where the repair kit comes in handy. A simple collection of zip ties, bailing wire, pole splint, binding screws, pocket screwdriver, ski straps and gorilla tape will get you back to the trailhead.

.

• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen and lip cream (minimum SPF 50)
• Insulated water bottle (1 – 1.5L)
• Wide-mouth water bottle (1L)
• Food (stored in a lightweight bag)
• Pocket knife
• Repair kit (for boots, bindings and poles)
• First aid kit (with pain & blister care)
• Headlamp (with spare batteries)
• Smartphone & camera
• Toilet paper

The Group Gear

Some equipment can be shared between your group, which spreads some heavyweight items across your party.

Emergency toboggan: Not many backcountry skiers or splitboarders carry an emergency toboggan. To be fair, they are expensive, and you’re probably never going to use a toboggan. Think again! The reality of ski touring in the high mountains is that a helicopter rescue may be impossible in some locations. You’ll be travelling through complex, unforgiving terrain. The only solution is to drag the injured person using a toboggan to an area where an air rescue works or back to the trailhead.

Emergency shelter: Using the same line of thought, you’ll need an emergency shelter to cover the injured person while waiting for a rescue or to spend the night in the backcountry. Some products, such as the Ski Guides Rescue Tarp by Alpine Threadworks, can double as a toboggan.

Bush saw and fire starter kit: If you’re spending the night in the mountains, you’ll want to make a fire. Staying warm is paramount. A bush saw that doubles as a snow study saw and a fire starter kit will go a long way to keeping you alive in an emergency.

• GPS
• Emergency satellite comunication device
• Emergency toboggan & shelter
• Snow/bush saw
• Fire starter kit
• Map (paper or digital), altimeter & compass
• Snow study kit (optional)

The Ski-Mountaineering Gack

Ski-mountaineering rope: You’ll bring different ropes depending on the objective. Glacier travel, rappels or even lead climbing introduce specific requirements on your rope systems. Gone are the days when you’d have to haul a burly 11mm single rope up a mountain. During most ski-mountaineering trips, I’ll bring a 6mm glacier cord for glacier travel, crevasse rescue, and sometimes rappelling (depending on the complexity of the rappel). If I’m expecting complex scrambling or technical climbing, I’ll bring a lightweight 9mm single rope to belay my partner or short rope.

Glacier harness with gear: While a regular climbing harness works fine, a lightweight ski touring harness will help reduce your pack weight and size. While not the most comfortable if left dangling above a crevasse, the harness will hold your weight. For the most part, you’ll forget you’re wearing it as you slide along the glacier.

Ski crampons: Nobody enjoys wearing ski crampons. They slow down your stride, but they’ll get you out of an uncomfortable situation in a pinch. They are useful – especially in Spring – when you’ll often travel over wind-scoured ridges and refrozen crusts. Verify that the ski crampons are compatible with your bindings and fitted tightly to your skis while moving freely around their pivot. Trust me – too wide of a crampon will ruin your stride – and your day.

Boot crampons: Boot crampons are critical when bootpacking up icy or wind-scoured slopes. While backcountry skiers can often get away with kicking in steps, snowboarders on soft boots are left in the dust. Avoid those heavy steel crampons like the plague. Nowadays, hybrid designs, such as the Pezl Irvis Hybrid, combine the durability of steel front points with the weight savings of aluminum construction and packability of a flexible spine. Some opt for full aluminum boot crampons. Keep in mind that they will wear down quickly when scrambling on rocks.

Related: Spring Ski Touring Gear: The Essential Goes A Long Way

• Ski-mountaineering rope (for rappelling and glacier travel)
• Glacier harness with gear
• Ice axe
• Helmet (can be ski helmet)
• Ski crampons
• Boot crampons

How To Pack Your Backpack

Packing your backpack smartly will get you further up the mountain. It’s crucial for comfort, balance and both uphill and downhill efficiency. In the long run, it’ll help avoid nasty back injuries. Let’s divide the backpack into three sections: the main compartment, top lid, and side pockets (if available).

Main compartment in three layers from bottom to top:

• First aid kit, pocket mask (for CPR), repair kit, rescue toboggan (which doubles as a tarp shelter), and spare accessory cord at the very bottom of my bag. Some would argue that the emergency gear should be stored at the top of your pack. I’ve heavily trained with my emergency gear, and am pretty quick at getting to them. I would rather locate its bulk at the bottom of the pack, right above my hip belt.
• Food, an insulated bottle, and googles in the middle of the main compartment.
• Spare gloves, jackets, and a neck warmer at the top of the main compartment. The lightest items are stored at the top, where there’s the most side-to-side sway.

Top Lid: The top lid houses small, light items such as the sunscreen, granola bars and toilet paper. An emergency satellite communication device, such as a Garmin InReach, also lives in the top lid.

Side & Accessory Pockets: Some bags have side or accessory pockets, perfect to store all the other knick-knacks.

Packing Tips:

• Make sure externally strapped items are secured to your pack so you don’t drop key gear on the uptrack or, even worse, lose it in an avalanche.
• Avalanche safety tools should always be stored internally, ideally in a designated quick-access pocket.
• Store your water bottle in an internal pocket to avoid the water freezing.
• The water hose on Camelback-type hydration systems will freeze in sub-zero temperatures.
• Adjust your pack so that it’s comfortable during your tour.

The Complete Checklist

After all this talk about specific equipment to pack in your bag, I’ve compiled an interactive packing list that you can use every time you go out in the backcountry.

The post What To Pack For A Ski Tour: A Comprehensive Guide appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: 1. Spring Ski Touring Basics: Weather, Corn Skiing And Avalanches 2. Planning A Spring Ski Tour: Optimize Your Peak Pursuit

The essentials of spring ski touring

Skis: While you can use any ski to get around in spring, I recommend skinnier skis. I’d target an underfoot width ranging between 90-100mm with a wider shovel in the front (130-140mm). Ideally, you’re looking for a ski that can handle the wide variety of spring conditions from firm snow to blower powder. It’s important to strike a balance between the following goals:

• Hold an edge on firm snow, which you’ll encounter often in spring
• Offer a low weight to optimize your energy expenditure on long ski-mountaineering days
• Have a wide enough shovel and underfoot width to handle those awesome spring powder days.

No ski can check all the boxes perfectly. You’ll have to sacrifice in some way. Now, it’s up to you to decide where to sacrifice. I prefer a slightly heavier ski that can hold an edge when skiing variable snow down a steep couloir or that can open up the throttle on a massive alpine face. Being a fervent downhill skier, I naturally prioritize “skiability” over weight. Some choose a skinny lightweight ski, compromising on skiability, but maximizing uphill efficiency. A little soul searching and experience in varied snow conditions will help you find your perfect balance. For more details on picking the right ski, check out the following post: How To Choose Touring Skis.

Bindings: Pin bindings (low-tech bindings) are an essential part of your spring ski touring gear quiver. Nowadays, modern pin bindings are anything but low-tech. Designers and engineers figured out how to build low-weight, user-friendly and durable pin bindings perfectly suited for spring ski touring. Gone are the days of hauling 3kg frame bindings up the hill!

Here’s one question I get asked all the time: Do you run ski brakes and ankle leashes on your setup? I run brakeless bindings and no leash. In my opinion, going brakeless removes a failure point on my setup. I often eavesdrop on folks complaining about their brakes releasing unexpectedly while touring. In powder, brakes don’t do much to stop the ski as it rockets down the slope. As for leashes, they cause more harm than good. I usually don’t run them on my setup after taking a bad fall where the leash failed to break. The one exception: I use leashes when travelling on glaciers, where the risk of losing a ski in a crevasse far outweighs the risk of a leash mishap when falling. For better insight on choosing the right bindings for you, check out the following post: How To Choose Ski Touring Bindings.

Climbing Skins: I recommend using 100% mohair skins in springtime. The increased glide truly maximizes your uphill efficiency throughout the day. I also find mohair skins tend to avoid snow buildup on a wet skin base, called glopping in the ski touring and splitboarding world. Applying skin wax preemptively at the beginning of the day or when the snow moistens helps reduce glopping. For a deeper dive on ski touring bindings, check out the following post: How To Choose Climbing Skins For Ski Touring.

The Bits and Bobs Of Ski Mountaineering Gear

Ski tourers and splitboarders love sharp, pointy tools. Ice axes, ski crampons, ice screws, you name it! They’re a crucial part of spring ski touring gear and rather situational.

Related: What To Pack For A Ski Tour: A Comprehensive Guide (Ski-Mountaineering Gear)

Ski Crampons: Those are constantly strapped to my hip belt starting in April when early morning conditions are icy due to the spring freeze-thaw cycle. They are essential when ascending refrozen snow and exposed features where slipping would be treacherous. A good pair of aluminum ski crampons should be slightly wider than the waist width of your skis. Too wide and they’ll interfere with your touring stride.

They’re especially important for splitboarders with less of an effective edge. Splitboards in uphill mode tend to offer less grip on firm snow than skis. Always ensure to test fit the ski crampons to your setup before heading out in the backcountry. Ski crampons aren’t universal and fit specific binding brands.

Boot Crampons: Your spring ski touring gear closet always includes a good pair of lightweight boot crampons made of either aluminum or steel. Aluminum boot crampons sacrifice durability in favour of low weight. If your planned route involves drawn-out scrambles on bare rock, aluminum crampons will wear quickly and often break.

I use hybrid crampons which utilize steel where it truly matters – on the front points – and an aluminum rear piece which offers a balance of durability and weight. The Petzl Irvis Hybrid boot crampons strike that balance with ease. Practice strapping them to your ski boots and verify the fit before heading out for a big ski-mountaineering day.

Ice axe: A lightweight ski touring ice axe provides an additional layer of safety when travelling on glaciers or climbing steep snow slopes. It can also be used as an arm extension when scrambling up peaks.

Some manufacturers sell all-aluminum ice axes specifically designed for ski mountaineering on snowy slopes. While acclaimed for their low weight, I prefer an ice axe with a steel pick and an aluminum shaft as a good compromise between weight and durability when climbing technical rock routes. Since you’ll be using it on steep snow slopes, ski-mountaineering axes are typically shorter than their summer mountaineering counterpart. Double up on the axes if you’re expecting to climb a particularly exposed section. The added safety is a great idea!

Harness & All The Dangly Bits: A ski touring harness is designed with low-weight and all-day comfort in mind. You’ll be amazed at how light those things are. How on Earth do they hold a crevasse fall? Well, they do, a testimony of advanced material science and careful engineering. The harness and the bits & bobs dangling from it are required when travelling on crevassed glaciers or skiing technical routes involving rappels and belays.

Specific objectives can require advanced rock protection or extra accessory cord/slings to build bomber anchors. Do your research to avoid heading out the door unprepared. For standard glacier travel, I typically carry enough gear to rescue from a crevasse fall effectively. It includes the following:

Hyperstatic Ropes: While a single ropes (9-10mm in diameter) work fine to arrest crevasse falls and rappel into big mountain lines, they are rather heavy to carry up a mountain. Most people now use lightweight, hyperstatic ropes (6mm diameter) engineered for glaciated travel, crevasse falls and technical rappels.

Hyperstatic ropes are designed to minimize rope stretch under load. It increases their efficiency when rigging rescue systems and hauling people out of crevasses. However, those fancy (and expensive) ropes have their limitations. Hyperstatic ropes aren’t designed to take lead falls and shouldn’t be used near sharp rocks. Their skinny diameter makes them prone to slicing. On the flipside, a study by Petzl has shown that hyperstatic ropes are more effective at arresting crevasse falls than regular climbing ropes due to how the shock load is absorbed. The skinny glacier ropes only work in tandem with approved hardware such as the Petzl Micro-Traxion.

Springtime Extras

There are a few extras that should be included in your spring ski touring gear bag: alpine sunscreen, shaded headwear and glacier sunglasses. Those components are indispensable when the sun is beating down on your head. They will save you from getting gnarly sunburns in weird places.

Alpine Sunscreen: If there’s one thing that’s constantly on my mind in spring, it’s the strong solar radiation and how easy it is to burn my skin. The beaming late-season sun reflects off the white snow and tends to irradiate often overlooked body parts such as the bridge of your nose, nostrils and underside of your chin. I’ve even burnt my palate (my mouth’s roof) on a boiling-hot ski traverse many moons ago. Some days, the solar radiation makes it feel like an oven outside. I carry a bottle with 50+ SPF sunscreen for my hands, arms and neck. For my face and lips, a hydrating zinc oxide paste. I wear breathable and UV-protective tops and gloves to shield my skin even more. I apply sunscreen in the morning, lunch and mid-afternoon to guarantee maximum sun protection.

Shaded Headwear: Protective headwear is key to shielding your head from sunburn and potential heat exhaustion. While a breathable cap works well enough, I prefer a wide-brim hat such as the Patagonia Quandary, which provides 360-degree shade and covers the back of your neck. It’s also very packable. On the downside, you can hardly wear it under your downhill helmet.

Glacier Sunglasses: The strong solar radiation during springtime is deadly to the eyes. In the alpine world, this is called “snow blindness”, resulting in unbearable stinging eyes and temporary eyesight loss. It’s a key piece of your spring ski touring gear. Look for sunglasses with flexible side & nose shields, CAT-4 glacier lenses and comfortable temples.

Smart Layering Goes A Long Way

The spring season brings a wide array of weather patterns from endless storms to scorching sun and bluebird days. Wearing the appropriate layer for the atmospheric conditions makes your day a whole lot smoother. I typically carry five layers:

• A moisture-wicking layer
• A lightly insulated jacket
• An insulated puffy
• A windproof and waterproof layer
• An insulated parka (larger overcoat-type puffy)

With experience and common sense, you’ll figure out which layer to wear to minimize overheating and protect yourself from our temperamental Mother Nature. It’s a question of striking a perfect balance, like most things, ski touring or splitboarding. For more insight on picking the right layers, see How To Get Into Ski Touring (Layering).

The post Spring Ski Touring Gear: The Essential Goes A Long Way appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Winter Camping For Ski Touring: Pro-Tips To Better Your Trip

Winter Shelter For The Backcountry

Your shelter is your home. It’s where you cook, rest, and weather out the storms. You might be stuck in your shelter for many days in a row. It becomes your lifeline, especially when faced with a medical emergency. You’ll find below a few criteria I look for when choosing a winter camping tent.

1. Four-Season Tents:
   • Choose a tent specifically designed for winter or four-season use. These tents are built to handle snow loads, strong winds, and low temperatures.
2. Shape and Design:
   • Geodesic or dome-shaped tents are ideal for winter camping. They offer better stability in windy conditions and are capable of shedding snow.
   • Single-walled tents (without a rain fly) are low-weight, more packable and easier to set up. Condensation tends to be an issue with limited ventilation and airflow. Be prepared for your gear to get a little moist overnight. To circumvent the issue, I pitch my tent with the door into the wind and crack it open overnight. Although tempting, I also avoid camping next to a creek when moisture is plentiful.
   • Double-walled tents (with a rain fly) are heavier and harder to set up, but provide excellent airflow to reduce the build-up of condensation inside the tent.
3. Durability:
   • Look for a tent with a robust and durable construction. Reinforced materials, strong poles, extra guyline points, and quality zippers are essential for withstanding harsh winter conditions.
4. Ventilation:
   • Adequate ventilation is crucial to prevent condensation inside the tent. Look for tents with adjustable vents and mesh panels to allow for proper airflow.
5. Weight:
   • While winter tents tend to be heavier than three-season tents due to their robust construction, consider the weight if you plan on carrying the tent for an extended period.
   • Some ultralight winter tents are available for those focused on minimizing weight.
6. Size and Space:
   • Make sure the tent is spacious enough to accommodate your party and your gear comfortably, although I tend to leave my bag outside. A little extra space allows for better insulation and storage.
   • Ultralight tents minimize the footprint to reduce weight, which makes for a snug interior. They may not be the best choice if you’re weathering a storm and cooped up for several days in a row.
7. Ease of Setup:
   • Setting up a tent can be challenging in cold, windy weather. Choose a tent with a simple and quick setup, which minimizes your exposure to the elements.
   • Use your ice axe and poles to stake the tent down. I’ve used skis in the past, but that means you won’t be able to travel efficiently when gathering water, wood or travelling the distance on the ol’ poo run.

Depending on the trip logistics, I have four backcountry winter camping gear options.

• A bomber, self-standing tent with a vestibule (Everest-type) for extended base camps, where I won’t relocate as often. It’s a heavier setup I only bring when the approach is short or if I fly in. I also pack a pyramid tarp (such as the Black Diamond Mega Light) to use as a kitchen shared among the group.
• A single-wall, alpine-style tent for fast and light ski traverses where I’ll be moving camp every day and carrying the shelter on my back the whole way through. It’s crazy light and easy to set up or tear down.
• A pyramid tarp shelter for multi-day traverses is a little more involved and less sturdy than a regular tent, but it does leave you with plenty of headroom. Best to keep this option for fair-weather camping. I can’t be bothered with digging the pad every evening after a long day of ski touring, so I resorted to a light single-walled tent.
• A snow cave if the forecasted weather is fair with little to no precipitation, which greatly reduces my pack weight. I don’t recommend this system if you’ll move camp every day. Digging a snow shelter is a time-consuming and sweaty business.

Winter Backcountry Sleeping Bag

Choosing the right winter sleeping bag is crucial for staying warm and comfortable during cold-weather camping or outdoor activities. Here are some factors to consider when selecting a winter sleeping bag:

1. Temperature Rating:
   • Look for a sleeping bag with a temperature rating appropriate for the coldest conditions you expect to encounter. Bags are typically labelled with temperature ratings like “comfort,” “lower limit,” or “extreme.” The comfort rating is the most relevant metric to most users. I typically use a -18C sleeping, a solid number for spring weather encountered in my playground, British Columbia, from the Coast to the Rocky Mountains. When the temps drop below the comfort rating of my sleeping bag, I sleep with my down jacket/pants and camp booties.
2. Insulation Type:
   • Down insulation is known for its excellent warmth-to-weight ratio and compressibility. However, down loses its insulating properties when wet, so it’s essential to keep it dry. Some models are now wrapped in a waterproof/breathable fabric (Gore-Tex) to alleviate this issue. Moisture will still accumulate within the bag, which is difficult to keep dry during extended winter camping trips.
   • Synthetic insulation is more water-resistant and retains some insulating properties when wet. It’s a good choice if you anticipate damp conditions.
3. Fill Power:
   • When it comes to down sleeping bags, fill power indicates the quality and loft of the down. I aim for a sleeping bag with a higher fill power (e.g., 800 or 900) for a high warmth-to-compressibility ratio.
4. Shape and Size:
   • Mummy-shaped bags are more thermally efficient as they minimize the air volume around your body, but they can feel snug at times.
   • If you prefer more room, consider a semi-rectangular or rectangular bag. I tend to size up my sleeping bag to dry moist garments and boot liners inside the liner as I sleep.
5. Weight and Packability:
   • Consider the bag’s weight and compressibility, especially if you plan on carrying the bag over many days. Down sleeping bags are generally lighter and more compressible than synthetic ones, which is an important factor when planning long-distance ski traverses and keeping your pack’s weight down.
6. Additional Features To Consider:
   • Draft collars, hoods, and draft tubes along the zipper help prevent heat loss.
   • Zippered vents along the side of the sleeping bag to free your arms for cooking

Remember that personal preferences and individual tolerance to cold can vary, so it’s essential to consider your specific needs when choosing a winter sleeping bag (i.e. whether you’re a cold or warm sleeper).

Insulated Sleeping Pad

When it comes to backcountry winter camping gear, the right winter sleeping pad makes a huge difference in sleep quality. You’ll find below some of the factors I consider when choosing an insulated sleeping pad.

1. Insulation Type:
   • Closed-Cell Foam Pads are lightweight, durable, and excellent insulators. They are resistant to punctures and work well in snowy conditions. However, they are bulkier and less comfortable compared to inflatable pads.
   • Inflatable Pads offer more comfort and are usually lighter and more compact when packed. Some models are filled with down or synthetic insulation, while others use a heat-refractive liner to reflect heat toward your body. I prefer the latter. It crinkles, but its weight for warmth is unrivalled for its packability.
2. R-Value:
   • The R-value measures a sleeping pad’s ability to insulate against cold surfaces. A higher R-value is better for backcountry winter camping equipment.
3. Weight:
   • While winter pads are generally heavier than three-season pads due to increased insulation, try to strike a balance of warmth and weight, especially if you plan on carrying the equipment over many days.

You can also lay a closed-cell pad under an insulated air pad to increase the system’s insulating property. It’s an effective solution if you’re expecting the bitter cold.

Insulating Layers For Camp

Layering is crucial for staying warm and comfortable during winter camping, as it helps regulate your body temperature and manage moisture. The key is to use a combination of different layers to trap heat, wick away moisture, and protect against wind and precipitation. Here’s a general guide for layering during winter camping:

1. Base Layer:
   • Top and Bottom: The reality is that you’ll roll into camp with some sweat on your skin. Choose a moisture-wicking material like merino wool or synthetic fabrics. This layer is in direct contact with your skin and helps move sweat away, keeping you dry and warm. Merino wool has anti-bacterial properties, holding back odours for those sweaty spring trips. I always slip into my camp base layers (warmer than my touring ones) once the tent is erected.
2. Insulating Layer:
   • Top: Synthetic or down-insulated jackets are excellent choices for mid-layers. They trap warm air close to your body and provide exceptional warmth when inactive.
   • Bottom: Down-insulating pants or a second pair of leggings can be added for extra warmth in extremely cold temperatures.
3. Outer Layer (Shell):
   • You’ll often encounter stormy weather when winter camping. Wearing your waterproof/breathable shell is essential to keeping you dry and warm. It breaks the brutal wind.
4. Head and Neck Protection:
   • Hat: A warm hat that covers your ears is essential to prevent heat loss from your head.
   • Neck Tube or Balaclava: Protect your neck and face from the cold wind. A versatile neck gaiter can also be pulled up to cover your nose and mouth.
   • Gloves or Mittens: Insulated, waterproof gloves or mittens are crucial for keeping your hands warm and dry. Make sure you’ve got a dry, spare pair of gloves or mittens in your pack for when you’re sitting in camp. Don’t get them wet when boiling water!
5. Footwear:
   • Socks: Thick wool socks are the best to keep your toes warm.
   • Camp Booties: Insulated, water-resistant booties with good traction are essential. You’ll want to get out of those damp ski touring or splitboarding boots ASAP.
6. Accessories:
   • Hand and Foot Warmers: These can be useful in extremely cold conditions. Sometimes, all the layers in the world just aren’t enough to keep you warm in severe weather.

Remember to adjust your layers based on the weather conditions and activity level. If you’re excavating a snow cave or digging a lush latrine, avoid sweating excessively. Moisture build-up within your layers will reduce the effectiveness of your insulation.

Cooking Systems For Cold Temps

A hearty, calorie-dense meal is crucial in cold weather. After all, you’ll be burning so much energy simply trying to stay warm, on top of your usual expenditure when ski touring or splitboarding. Owning a reliable stove that works in cold weather can make the difference between eating a hot soup or ice-cold chunks.

• Isobutane or propane canister stoves:
  • They are known for their packability, ease of use and low weight. It’s my preferred type of cooking system.
  • Canister stoves drop in efficiency in frigid weather. In some cases, the stove might not work at all. I warm up a spare canister in my jacket before use when the temperature plummets below -11C (with isobutane).
  • Some folks wrap a copper coil connecting the canister to the heating element to circumvent the issue. Apart from the obvious hazard of applying uncontrolled heat to a container filled with flammable fuel, it’s a clever way to expand the stove’s operating temperature.
  • You’ll need a separate pot to cook meals. Sadly, isobutane canisters can’t be recycled or refilled.
• Integrated cooking systems:
  • Originally known through the brand name JetBoil, the design integrates the canister, stove (flame), cooking pot, and, on some models, a windscreen to minimize heat loss.
  • Those systems are designed to boil water incredibly fast, which is exactly what I’m looking for.
• White fuel stoves:
  • While heavier and harder to use, white fuel stoves can operate below -40C, which gives them an edge in truly arctic weather.
  • The lengthy setup becomes a non-issue with a little practice priming the stove.
  • White fuel canisters are also refillable at some outdoor stores.

Since I exclusively rely on dehydrated meals when winter camping, I only need boiled water for breakfast and dinner. Throughout the day, I snack on calorie-dense foods while on the move. The integrated cooking system is my solution of choice unless temperatures drop below -20 °C. Then, I’ll opt for a white fuel stove. I also always pack some warm, salty drinks (i.e. miso or chicken broth) for dinner to replenish electrolytes and heat my core. It’s the one thing I look forward to when arriving at camp. Whether you can consider your meal part of the backcountry winter camping gear is debatable, but I figured it’s still good advice.

Long-Lasting Headlamp

Backcountry winter camping puts a serious demand on your headlamp battery. Not only will the cold dictate how much juice is available, but you’ll be spending much time at camp past nightfall. I recommend a 450-600 lumen headlamp that functions with a rechargeable battery and disposable alternatives as a backup. I always keep six disposable AAA batteries in my repair kit at the bottom of my backpack.

The post Backcountry Winter Camping Gear For Alpine Touring appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: Getting Caught In An Avalanche: A Wild Ride

Is It a Transceiver, Beacon, or Bacon?

Commonly, the terms “transceiver” and “beacon” are often used interchangeably, but “beacon” is factually incorrect. A transceiver functions as both an emitter/transmitter and a receiver. Likewise, a beacon exclusively emits. To say the truth: I catch myself using the wrong terminology often enough.

What’s an Avalanche Transceiver?

Understanding the inner workings of an avalanche transceiver is the first step to selecting the right one. The core concept is that the transceiver provides two essential modes: send and search.

Send Mode: The send mode emits a radio signal at an industry-standard frequency (457 kHz) that’s recognizable by all transceivers worldwide. As soon as you turn on your transceiver, automatically entering send mode, a radio signal is broadcast. This signal can be picked up by other transceivers in search mode.

Search Mode: When you are close to an emitting transceiver, your own transceiver in search mode detects the radio signal and provides you with visual clues as to where the emitting transceiver would be located. It indicates the distance and direction of the emitting transceiver by analyzing the strength and orientation of the signal using a minimum of three receiving antennas. Typical search ranges vary from 30-50m. Any device below that threshold should be disposed of.

Key Features

When you’re wandering through the aisles of your local gear store and wondering how to choose your next avalanche transceiver, I’ve outlined a few key features to look out for.

Lockable Send/Search Toggle: This is an important one. A transceiver must be able to flawlessly switch between the send and search modes and stay locked in its position. There have been instances in the past of transceivers switching into search mode or even turning off after a hard fall, unbeknownst to the user, due to the locking mechanism failing. Professional skier Nick McNutt reported on this flaw with his Pieps DSP Pro transceiver when he got buried by a fast-flowing avalanche and couldn’t be located by his peers.

Three Antennas: Transceivers require three antennas to accurately detect a burial’s location. Those antennas work in tandem to provide the user with both the distance and direction of the source, regardless of the buried victim’s orientation. Two-antenna models are absolutely obsolete and should only be used as spares for practicing avalanche scenarios.

Search Range: The transceiver must have an appropriate search range. Most digital transceivers now advertise a search range of 70m (under optimal conditions), with some offering an extended search range of 100m using the analog signal, which only provides an intermittent audible cue without distance or direction. A higher range improves your odds of picking up a signal in the wake of a large avalanche.

Display Screen: Modern transceivers are equipped with a simple digital display that indicates the distance, direction, battery level, multiple burial incidents, and even a visual cue as to whether the buried victims have a heartbeat or not. The display screen must be user-friendly and intuitive. There’s no time to waste during an avalanche burial, as every second passing by could mean the victim’s last breath.

Multiple Burial Search and Mark/Flag Function: Transceivers have a function for detecting situations involving several buried victims. The transceiver automatically locks on the strongest signal, filtering out the other signals. Once a victim has been located, it must provide the option of marking him, thereby ignoring the signal, which allows you to move on to the next buried subject.

Group Check Function: The group check function is an essential tool that checks the functionality of transceivers within your touring group. The checking transceiver analyzes the frequency, period, and pulse duration of the emitted signal to ensure your group’s devices (including your own) are within industry-standard tolerances.

Automatic Revert to Send: when search mode is activated, most transceivers now revert to send mode automatically if they detect no movement for 2-4 minutes. This safety feature allows searchers to be located if buried by a subsequent avalanche.

User-Friendly Harness: a comfortable, user-friendly harness, which secures the device to your torso, is an often-overlooked feature that makes a difference when you choose an avalanche transceiver. The main clip that secures the device must be easy to release with one hand. Again, every second counts in a burial. The leash connecting the transceiver to the harness must be extensible and long enough. And, the torso straps would ideally fit your body shape and provide some breathability. After all, you’ll be wearing it for several hours of intense physical activity.

Useful Advice

Here is a bit of advice that you’ll find useful after you choose your avalanche transceiver. Take it or leave it. Generally speaking, read your transceiver’s user manual before making any rash decisions.

Wear the transceiver under your outermost layer… ideally. In theory, it speeds up searches as you won’t have to dig deep through your clothes. In practice, it doesn’t make sense if you’re wearing several layers and plan on de-layering as soon as you start sweating. To me, it sounds much worse to remove the transceiver and its harness while delayering, even if you are in a safe spot. What if a surprise avalanche rockets down the slope towards you? Suddenly, you’ll be without a transceiver.

Avoid interference with electronic and metal objects. As a rule of thumb, your transceiver must be located more than 30cm from electronic devices and metal objects in send mode and 60cm in search mode to minimize signal interference. As such, the transceiver can be worn in its harness or in your pants’ side pockets as long as you respect the rule above. Storing your transceiver in cargo pockets is not recommended, as it can be ripped apart during an avalanche incident.

Perform a group check every time you head out in the backcountry. Transceivers may eventually break down and must be checked before every single outing. Switching on search mode and looking for your friend’s signal isn’t going to cut it. The group check functionality verifies the transceiver’s signal frequency, period, and pulse duration. It will alert you when a transceiver is dropping out of tolerance.

Practice rescue scenarios multiple times before and during the season. It’s important to maintain this skill as speed is of the essence in an avalanche burial. To minimize the expected chaos, it’s crucial to understand the ins and outs of your model. Closely spaced, multiple-burial scenarios in forested terrain are often harder than practicing in open alpine terrain.

Change your transceiver’s batteries once they get down to 40-50%. Below that point, the transceiver may turn off unexpectedly under cold conditions, either due to weather or de-layering.

Alkaline and lithium batteries are solid options for your transceiver. Use the option recommended batteries in your transceiver’s user manual. On one end, alkaline battery levels decrease faster but progressively in a cold environment. On the other hand, lithium battery levels hold up better to cold but tend to drop off unexpectedly once in use. Some transceivers, such as the Mammut Barryvox, can accurately estimate lithium battery levels as long as you swap for a fresh set of batteries when the time comes.

Avoid dropping your transceiver. Remember those three antennas that determine the direction and distance of emitted signals? They are very fragile and are prone to damage. Care to not drop the transceiver and keep it away from water or snow.

Related Articles

– How To Choose Touring Skis: Shred On
– How To Choose Ski Touring Bindings: Clip-In And Ski
– How To Get Into Ski Touring (Backcountry Skiing)

The post How To Choose An Avalanche Transceiver / Beacon appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: How To Choose Touring Skis: Shred On

Be Honest With Yourself

What’s your local playground? How much experience do you have with ski touring in the backcountry? Answering those questions will help you choose the climbing skins that suit your needs.

For instance, I’d weigh in favour of energy-efficient mohair or hybrid skins for multi-day ski tours on mellow terrain since they provide the best glide and the least weight. For beginners, I wouldn’t bother with those, as you’ll be wasting far more energy trying to gain traction on steep sections or worse, you’ll rip them apart on rocky terrain. Simply put, be honest with yourself, answer the two key questions, and only then, start shelling out the big bucks.

Pick A Base Material (Plush)

The skin’s base material or “plush” completely changes how the skin behaves on snow, as it determines the balance between traction and glide. You’ll find below four materials currently available on the market.

Nylon: Nylon provides the best traction. It’s also the most durable at the cost of being heavier and less packable. I usually recommend nylon climbing skins to beginners as the top-tier traction will more than make up for poor uphill technique. Alternatively, nylon skins are worth picking up if your local playground is riddled with steep, bushy uptracks just like my locale, Rogers Pass.

Mohair: Mohair provides the best glide at the expense of traction. It’s less durable than nylon but is lightweight and packable. They are awesome for multi-day ski traverses on alpine terrain, where you will mostly tour up low grades. With good pathfinding and some touring experience, you can make full mohair skin work for you on steeper terrain.

Hybrid: Hybrid skins offer a blend of nylon and mohair, striking a good balance between traction and glide. I usually look for a material incorporating a 60-30 mohair/nylon blend. They are the jack-of-all-trades climbing skins, such as the Pomoca Tour Pro, my favourite due to its overall performance on snow. Not too heavy nor too light, with the perfect balance between glide and traction.

Verify The Tip & Tail Hardware Compatibility

How annoying is it to have your tail clip sliding off your skis after each stride? First world problem, right? Climbing skins come with a variety of tip loops and tail straps that secure them to your touring skis. Some hardcore alpinists even cut off the tail strap to reduce weight and bulk. While modern tip & tail hardware works well with a wide range of skis, I recommend going to your local gear store to check the fit. For instance, Black Diamond sells an assortment of tip loops compatible with a specific range of ski tips.

Some skins are designed with an attachment system that’s only compatible with skis of the same brand. Dynafit is a good example: their tip attachment is fitted to narrow slots in the ski’s tip. While lightweight, the feature makes reselling much more complicated. I prefer universal models for that reason.

Size Your Climbing Skins Accordingly

The width of the fabric before trimming is an important factor to consider if you were to choose some climbing skins. They are generally offered in 10-cm increments. I recommend buying skins as wide as the widest point along your ski (usually located at the shovel). Then, trim the extra material by following the manufacturer’s instructions, usually achieved by leaving a 2mm gap around the edge of your ski. Select a skin length that’s longer than the length of your skis. With clever sizing, you might be able to use the same skins on skis of varying lengths. Careful! The width may not match up. A skin that’s too narrow for the ski’s base makes touring on hard snow extremely difficult since the plush won’t contact the snow.

Store Your Climbing Skins Like A Pro

Climbing skins are a durable product, but like any outdoor gear, they don’t last forever. Proper storage will extend their lifetime. On the slopes, store them in your backpack, folded glue-on-glue. I personally don’t bother with the skin savers in the backcountry. Those flimsy storage sheets will flap around in the wind and fly away at a moment’s notice. I’m talking from experience here.

After skiing, I stretch them out on a drying rack. Keep them away from serious heat sources – that includes wood stoves, dryers or electric baseboards. When dry, I lay the plastic storage film over the adhesive, fold the plush in quarters, and slide the pair into its storage bag. Ideally, the adhesive never comes in contact with itself, except in the field. In the off-season, I shelve them in a cool, dry environment in an airtight storage bin with skin savers applied. True believers chuck them in the freezer to preserve the glue, but I’m quite skeptical of this practice.

Maintain Your Climbing Skins

For the most part, climbing skins are pretty much maintenance-free, unlike your ski bases. Stitches work wonders if you ever tear them, which is very easy when bushwhacking below treeline. In truly bone-chilling weather, the glue loses some of its adhesive properties. If that’s the case, you’ve got two options:

• Stuff the skins in your jacket to warm them up.
• Secure them with multiple ski straps along the length of your skis if they’re beyond repair.

Just like us, skin adhesive has a life expectancy. There comes a point where the glue won’t adhere to your bases. Fortunately, G3 and Black Diamond both sell kits to rejuvenate the glue, albeit with varying degrees of success. It’s a messy, time-consuming process. At the risk of offending the anti-consumerists out there, it’s almost cheaper to buy a fresh set of skins than attempting a re-glue when considering the opportunity cost of your labour.

Related Articles

– How To Choose Touring Skis: Shred On
– How To Choose Ski Touring Boots: Fit & Features
– How To Choose Ski Touring Bindings: Clip-In & Ski

The post How To Choose Climbing Skins For Ski Touring: Stick & Glide appeared first on The Uptrack.

Related: How To Choose Ski Touring Boots: Fit & Features

Pick Your Playground

Rule #1: Pick your playground. Where will you most often go ski touring? The answer will determine which binding is most applicable to your terrain type. Are you skiing lift-accessed powder right out of Whistler’s bounds? Or, are you completing a self-supported 9-day traverse from the Bugaboos to Rogers Pass?

In the former’s case, I’d recommend picking up a pair of hybrid or SHIFT bindings, perfect for both resort and sidecountry days. As for the latter, a pair of ultralight pin bindings would do the trick since you’ll be hauling those babies up and down mountains for more than a week. My best advice: choose ski touring bindings that make logical sense in the environment you’ll be skiing in most often.

Choose A Binding Category

There’s a ton of ski touring binding models available on the market. All of them can be brought under 5 umbrella categories: frame, pin, hybrid, SHIFT, and swappable.

Frame Binding: The frame binding has a standard alpine skiing toe and heel piece joined by shaped metal or polymer tubes. While this beefy setup is great for hucking cliffs and sending big pillow lines, it is rather heavy and better suited for short lift-assisted ski tours. The frame linking the toe and heel piece stiffens up the underfoot portion of the ski considerably: this alters the ski’s behaviour. Frame bindings are the only category that is compatible with standard ski boots (devoid of pin inserts). By now, this binding category is pretty much obsolete.

Pin Binding: the pin binding (also called “low-tech”) uses two sets of pins to secure the skier’s toe and heel welts. Being the lightest and oldest design, those bindings excel at high-mileage tours. Keep in mind that some models are known for poor reliability, inefficient power transfer on the downhill, and premature releases. Do your research before buying. Those bindings require a significant investment as they need special boots with embedded metal toe and heel inserts.

Hybrid Binding: The hybrid binding is a combination of the two options mentioned above: a light pin-style toe piece and an alpine heel piece. This arrangement provides an adequate blend of stiffness for hard-charging skiers, consistent heel release for those awkward yard sales, and low enough weight for long summit days. Like pin bindings, they require boots with pin inserts.

SHIFT Binding: the SHIFT binding, pioneered by renowned gear giant, Salomon, is a class of its own. In 2023, Salomon released the SHIFT 2.0, an updated version of the original design, fixing issues, such as the notorious pre-release problem. The binding consists of an alpine-inspired toe piece with embedded front pins. Through some clever mechanism, the toe piece morphs into its pinned counterpart. The heel piece is just your plain Jane alpine setup with a nifty retracting brake design. It’s light enough to bring on longer missions, fast enough during the transitions, and skis as well as an alpine setup. Like pin bindings, they require boots with pin inserts. Marker came out with their version of the shift binding, the Marker Duke PT, offering DIN values ranging from 11 to 16. I’ve personally never used those bindings, so I’ll leave it up to you to decide if you like the product.

Swappable Binding: the swappable binding was first seen in the CAST Freetour Upgrade Kit, with a fixed alpine heel piece and an interchangeable toe piece. On the uphill, you swap the alpine toe piece for its pinned counterpart. On the downhill, you replace the alpine toe piece. The CAST system provides an efficient option for touring up and a burly one for skiing down. The downside: it’s heavy and ices up frequently. You also have to toss the alternate toe piece in your pack and risk losing it. To me, it’s a little obsolete. I would always go for the SHIFT bindings first as they are much lighter, provide a faster transition, and perform as well on the downhill. Like pin bindings, they require boots with pin inserts.

My advice here is to go for the pinned binding categories (everything except the frame bindings) even if you’ve just started ski touring. To be honest, frame bindings will suck all the fun from the uphill part of the journey. You’ll end up hating ski touring. I’d usually recommend getting a pair of shift or hybrid bindings if you’re just getting into the sport.

Check The Boot Sole Compatibility

No one seems to agree on a standard sole design, making matters worse when it comes to binding compatibility. Sadly, some soles aren’t certified for use with certain bindings as they either wouldn’t provide a consistent release, or they simply won’t fit in the bindings. Binding manufacturers now advertise their products using a few keywords that can be cross-referenced with sole standards. Here’s the best way to navigate the systems.

1. Look up the keyword in the binding description online (GripWalk, MNC, WTR, Sole.ID). Ex: Salomon SHIFT Bindings MNC 13.
2. Look up the keyword in the touring boot description online (Alpine, Touring, GripWalk or WTR).
3. Cross-reference the binding sole standard with your touring boot’s sole standard using the table below to ensure compatibility.

Check The Maximum DIN Setting

You’ve seen the number scales located on both the toe and heel pieces of your bindings. This is the DIN setting (stands for Deutsches Institut für Normung). This setting is the industry-recognized scale for the release force of ski bindings. The setting makes the difference between a cushy fall and a torn ACL. By all means, please go to a professional ski technician if you’re not familiar with the system. Otherwise, there’s an online DIN calculator you can use to determine a safe DIN setting. This is only a starting point. Most skiers tweak the settings based on the binding’s model and personal experience. For instance, the calculator recommends a DIN setting of 8.5 for my weight, height, experience level, and boot length. I started with that value and increased it in increments of 0.5 until I was releasing out of my bindings at the desired pressure. I ended up with a DIN setting of 9.5 for my pin bindings and 10.5 for my SHIFT bindings.

Now that you’ve narrowed it down to a few models, take a moment to check the maximum DIN setting located on the manufacturer’s website. Ensure that the binding supports the setting that you usually run on your downhill ski setup. Honestly, most ski touring bindings run DINs up to at least 8. This is plenty enough for most backcountry skiers.

Go Skiing

You’ve managed to choose great ski touring bindings. Now, go skiing! There’s no better way to know if you’ve picked the right one than to test it out in the field. Remember to tweak your DIN settings. Don’t worry if you’re not feeling them at all: there’s a savvy used market for ski touring bindings.

Related Articles

– How To Choose Touring Skis: Shred On
– How To Choose Ski Touring Boots: Fit & Features
– How To Get Into Ski Touring (Backcountry Skiing)

The post How To Choose Ski Touring Bindings: Clip-In & Ski appeared first on The Uptrack.