Latest
Patagonia Houdini Jacket – Simplicity at Its Best
Patagonia Houdini Jacket So light and packable, there's no reason to leave it behind The best gear is the stuff that simply becomes part of your adventure kit, no debate required. The Patagonia Houdini Jacket is that kind of gear. It's not about specialty tech or features; it’s about simplicity and its ability to disappear. Stuffed into its chest pocket, the Houdini all but vanishes in a jersey pocket, a hip pack or a hydration vest until the weather shifts or the descent begins, and suddenly you’re glad you have it. Pull it on, zip it up and let the descent begin. It's a Windbreaker, Not a Rain Jacket At the most basic level, the Houdini is a windbreaker. It’s not trying to be a…
Features
MountainFLOW IR Waxer – The Future of Ski Waxing?
MountainFLOW IR Waxing Tool + Guide ReviewA shop-tech take from someone who’d rather be skiing, but who still cares about fast bases. DIY Ski Waxing – Ritual or Chore Ski waxing sits in that funny space between meditation and chore. Some folks throw on music, crack a beer and happily disappear into the rhythm of drip–iron–scrape like it’s part of… Read More
Arc’teryx Rush Jacket and Pants – Lightweight GORE PRO for the Backcountry
Terrain choices and weather patterns shift daily, and your layers need to adapt. The Arc’teryx Rush jacket and pants are the GORE-TEX shells purpose-built for all things backcountry. Made with full weather protection for dedicated touring wear, they let you adapt to the conditions over long tours, storm days and spring missions alike. Arc’teryx Rush Jacket and Pants At the… Read More
Ski Goggles – Photochromic vs. Changeable Lens
Photochromic Versus Changeable Lens Goggles Ski goggles come in many flavors. Choosing the best goggles to match your needs requires a basic understanding of tech and setting a few priorities. If you’re not familiar with lens shapes and their advantages, check out our Ski Goggles 101 article for some basic goggles tech and know-how. When it comes to key goggles… Read More
Top Gifts for Backcountry Skiers
Skier Gift Ideas Make your gift search easy. Check out our curated list of gift ideas for backcountry skiers. We’re talking real gear picks by real people. And it’s all stuff we actually use and endorse. Black Diamond Tour Pro Ski Gloves – $130 Ski gloves are not as glamorous as a new down puffy or a pair of skis,… Read More
Gear
Patagonia Houdini Jacket – Simplicity at Its Best
Patagonia Houdini Jacket So light and packable, there’s no reason to leave it behind The best gear is the stuff that simply becomes part of your adventure kit, no debate required. The Patagonia Houdini Jacket is that kind of gear. It’s not about specialty tech or features; it’s about simplicity and its ability to disappear. Stuffed into its chest pocket,… Read More
THERM-A-REST NeoAir XLite NXT
Size Matters Like backpacking, bikepacking rewards a minimalist approach to your gear. Packing light starts with stripping things down to the essentials and keeping the must-haves as light and packable as possible. A good place to start is with your sleeping kit, specifically your sleeping pad. A good pad can make the difference between a restless night and waking up… Read More
Sierra Designs Nitro Sleeping Quilt
Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt: Light is Right From stormy nights in Tasmania to calm summer evenings in the high desert and snowy high-alpine camps in the Cascades, I’ve spent my fair share of nights in a sleeping bag. But never had I used a sleeping quilt until I started using the Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt 20°. Why go with a… Read More
MountainFLOW IR Waxer – The Future of Ski Waxing?
MountainFLOW IR Waxing Tool + Guide ReviewA shop-tech take from someone who’d rather be skiing, but who still cares about fast bases. DIY Ski Waxing – Ritual or Chore Ski waxing sits in that funny space between meditation and chore. Some folks throw on music, crack a beer and happily disappear into the rhythm of drip–iron–scrape like it’s part of… Read More
Odin Ultimate Infinity Jacket – Lightweight Backcountry Simplicity
Every gram counts when you spend the day earning your turns on a skin track. The Helly Hansen Odin Ultimate Jacket strikes a nice balance between lightweight minimalism, pro-level storm coverage and breathability that keeps pace with trail breaking and extended climbs. As the industry pushes to eliminate PFAS from waterproof, breathable outerwear, Helly Hansen developed LIFA INFINITY™, a professional-grade… Read More
Arc’teryx Rush Jacket and Pants – Lightweight GORE PRO for the Backcountry
Terrain choices and weather patterns shift daily, and your layers need to adapt. The Arc’teryx Rush jacket and pants are the GORE-TEX shells purpose-built for all things backcountry. Made with full weather protection for dedicated touring wear, they let you adapt to the conditions over long tours, storm days and spring missions alike. Arc’teryx Rush Jacket and Pants At the… Read More
Adventure Ride Essentials
Patagonia Houdini Jacket – Simplicity at Its Best
Patagonia Houdini Jacket So light and packable, there’s no reason to leave it behind The best gear is the stuff that simply becomes part of your adventure kit, no debate required. The Patagonia Houdini Jacket is that kind of gear. It’s not about specialty tech or features; it’s about simplicity and its ability to disappear. Stuffed into its chest pocket,… Read More
THERM-A-REST NeoAir XLite NXT
Size Matters Like backpacking, bikepacking rewards a minimalist approach to your gear. Packing light starts with stripping things down to the essentials and keeping the must-haves as light and packable as possible. A good place to start is with your sleeping kit, specifically your sleeping pad. A good pad can make the difference between a restless night and waking up… Read More
Sierra Designs Nitro Sleeping Quilt
Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt: Light is Right From stormy nights in Tasmania to calm summer evenings in the high desert and snowy high-alpine camps in the Cascades, I’ve spent my fair share of nights in a sleeping bag. But never had I used a sleeping quilt until I started using the Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt 20°. Why go with a… Read More
Lightweight Camping Stoves – MSR, Snow Peak, BRS
Like backpacking, efficient bikepacking is all about packing light. Careful choices in tent, sleep system and cook kit are easy places to save weight and space. Choosing a lightweight camping stove and meal plan saves significant weight and space over a more complex cooking plan and stove setup (read about freeze-dried meals and meal tips for bikepacking). There’s no shortage… Read More
Industry News
Blown In – Outdoor Industry News
Blown-In is a semi-regular look at the latest ski, bike and outdoor industry news, featuring a collection of press releases, new products, and interesting stuff circulating on the interweb. This edition of Blown-In features the end of Niner bikes, El Niño predictions, Beartooth Basin summer skiing and updated recreation liability laws in Oregon. Niner Bikes “Pausing” Operations News of Niner… Read More
Spearhead Huts Macbeth Hut Project
In 2019, the Spearhead Huts Society successfully opened the Kees and Claire Memorial Hut, the first of three planned huts on the legendary Spearhead Traverse in British Columbia’s Coast Range. The next step in their vision is the Macbeth Hut. Sitting roughly halfway along the traverse, Macbeth will be the second of the three huts in the series. Tucked onto… Read More
Backcountry Film Festival Online
Stream the Winter Wildlands Backcountry Film Festival For more than 20 years, Winter Wildlands Alliance has produced the Backcountry Film Festival to celebrate the spirit of human-powered adventure through powerful stories that connect us to wild places, to one another and to the movement to keep winter wild. The festival has traveled the globe, raising millions of dollars to strengthen… Read More
Blown-In 8 – Ski and Outdoor Industry News
Blown-In is a semi-regular look at the latest ski and outdoor industry news, featuring a collection of press releases, new products, and interesting stuff circulating on the interweb that catches our attention. This edition of Blown-In features Everest ski descents, an epic bike-to-climb adventure, a women-centric ski film tour and the latest NOAA winter weather forecast. Girl Winter Ski… Read More
Avalanche Safety
Avalanche Education Online
Avalanche safety education is better than ever. Between improved forecasting and conditions reporting, the unified teaching curriculum brought by AIARE, along with elevated public awareness, there is more information and higher-quality educational opportunities than ever before. And you can add a new resource to the list: AvalancheAware AvalancheAware is a free, online starting point for anyone interested in heading into… Read More
Avalanche Beacon Tech – Barryvox S2
Since the advent of digital signal processing and the three-antenna transceiver design, avalanche beacon tech advances have been relatively incremental. There have been minor design updates, processing improvements and some promising features like voice direction and signal flagging. Nonetheless, for the average user, it’s hard to see the differences between most beacons. The Barryvox S2 by Mammut aims to change… Read More
Rocky Talkie – Pro-Grade 5-Watt Expedition Radio
Raise the Bar on Backcountry Communication – Rocky Talkie Radios If you don’t ski with two-way radios, you should. Good communication makes for a good day and safe travel protocol in the backcountry. On the most basic level, good communication is about staying in touch with your ski partner(s) while climbing and skiing. When the terrain splits your group, or… Read More
Must Watch – To the Hills & Back
To the Hills & Back is not your typical ski movie. It’s a story of risk and consequence. What is risk? Risk is the likelihood of something bad happening and understanding the consequences. The new Sherpas Cinema film explores the consequences. It’s a story of loss, humility and resilience. No one heads to the mountains thinking about the worst that… Read More
Movies
Tuesday Timewaster – RGB
Brandon Semenuk – Mountain Bike Video Canadian freeride MTB legend Brandon Semenuk has spent more than a decade setting a high bar for what’s possible on a mountain bike. His latest mountain bike video release trades the age-old bigger-for-the-sake-of-bigger content for something more interesting. Precision, timing and visual magic combine in a project that feels as much like a film… Read More
Backcountry Film Festival Online
Stream the Winter Wildlands Backcountry Film Festival For more than 20 years, Winter Wildlands Alliance has produced the Backcountry Film Festival to celebrate the spirit of human-powered adventure through powerful stories that connect us to wild places, to one another and to the movement to keep winter wild. The festival has traveled the globe, raising millions of dollars to strengthen… Read More
Tordrillo – An Alaskan Ski Film
Five friends, dubbed the Five Blind Mice, set out to explore a lesser-traveled corner of Alaska, the Tordrillo Mountain Range. With a general zone on a map, a hopeful weather window and a confident pilot, the Five Blind Mice loaded a plane with enough food for a small village. What followed was six days of gorgeous landscapes, stable snowpack and… Read More
2025 Ski Movie Trailers
Winter 2025-26 Ski Movie Trailers As summer fades to fall, it’s time for the annual parade of ski movie trailers. Not sure you’re ready for ski season yet? Take a few minutes to view the latest films from the big players like TGR and Matchstick, as well as smaller productions to fuel the stoke and kick the powder dreams into… Read More
The Vault
What’s The Problem? Understanding Avalanche Hazard
The classic backcountry ski checklist – shovel, probe, beacon, brain – has also come to include the avalanche forecast, and most of us make an effort to check the forecast before we head into the mountains. But an important question that’s often overlooked is, “Are you really absorbing the most important information contained in the forecast?” Sure, the avalanche hazard… Read More
Avalanche Accident – A Perfect Storm
A Perfect Storm – Reflecting on an Avalanche Accident Never have I fought so hard to suppress the overwhelming urge to panic. Before I realized what I was doing, I heard my own muffled screaming. I told myself to calm down. Again, I realized I was screaming. A few deep breaths later, I gained a small measure of composure. I… Read More
Avalanche Safety – The Morning Meeting
Avalanche Safety – Have a Clear Plan and Conditions Dialogue The number one response I hear from students when asked why they are taking an avalanche class is “to be safer in the backcountry.” Avalanche instructors work hard to send folks away with many of the tools they need to be safer skiers. Some of these avalanche safety tools are… Read More
The Art of the Uptrack
Larry Goldie – Owner, Lead Guide at North Cascade Mountain Guides First, there was the epiphany. It was a deep day, sixteen inches of new and still snowing. The hookup began as many do, spontaneously meeting at the trailhead with the same objective in mind. I was with my two most regular ski partners. Our spontaneous partner was a local… Read More
