In British Columbia, on the high flanks of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, last weekend a GearJunkie editor got schooled on the art of skiing the steep and the deep. Vertical chutes, tight trees, and cornice jumps included in the class.
Last week, skier Kikkan Randall won the Cross Country World Cup sprint title, a first for an American. We caught up with the XC star to ask about the gear it takes to win, which includes triangular-shaft poles and 30 pairs of skis in a quiver.
Flash in the pan, or here to stay? The cycling subcategory of “fat bikes” is hot this year, on the snow and for dry land. Our editor looks into the trend and adds some opinion from time spent pedaling in snow on these obese-wheel bikes.
Last month, three riders were killed in an avalanche outside Washington’s Steven’s Pass ski area. Our writer, T.C. Worley, was set to snowboard with one of the victims, Chris Rudolph, just a week after the tragedy. Worley showed up still to pay respect and try and live again in the present moment on the hill.
From an Arctic parka to a wind shirt, Gear Junkie’s column on Outside this week highlights ten shell jackets for “every thinkable activity and climate type.” Here’s an overview of the coats, parkas, puffys, and shell jackets covered in the mix.
Footwear for running uphill on snow — that’s the topic of this post, which highlights a GearJunkie editor’s equipment picks and overall experience in a unique mountain-running event earlier this month in Colorado.
Our writer threw a leg over a Surly fat-bike for a go at the Teva On-Snow Bike Crit, held in Vail earlier this month. Here is his report on the fat and frozen action.
Altai Skis’ stout backcountry planks ride a middle line between a snowshoe and a ski. Our writer put the skin-equipped Hok skis to the test this winter in deep snow on flat terrain and going down.
For a cool $700, Helly Hansen offers a be-all, end-all performance ski jacket. Pillows of goose down inside make it unique. Our writer wore it for a long, cold winter test.
The sport of ski-mountaineering racing, “SkiMo” for short, is gaining steam in America. A flagged course, checkpoints, mandatory avalanche gear, and hours of time on the move going uphill are common elements of the game. Our editor clipped in to try a SkiMo race this past weekend in Vail.
As the literal “brainchild” of a Swedish neurosurgeon, a company called MIPS AB introduced a new type of head protection to the helmet industry a couple years back. More companies are embracing MIPS this year.
No doubt, biking in the winter is difficult and cold. But if you slow down and gear up right riding through the white months can be manageable and, some days, even a joy.
Day two of the Winter Teva Games kicked off with a ski-mountaineering race. GearJunkie editors competed in ski and bike events, plus watched tele skiers and snow-bikers launch huge air off ramps of ice.
Day one of the Winter Teva Games included parties, ski races, ice climbers on an artificial wall, and a full “Gear Town” tent city with outdoor companies exhibiting new products.
Forget chairlifts. The backcountry is now the preferred playground for ski junkies seeking adventure and deep white turns. This week we wrote a piece for Outside magazine, “The Gear Junkie’s Top 10 AT Skiing Essentials,” that covers a stock of primo alpine-touring gear.
The Teva Mountain Games were created in 2002 as a summer event. This year, the organization launches a Winter version of the games, which kick off tomorrow in Vail, Colo. GearJunkie will be on site to cover the action as well as compete in several events.
A readymade ski-joring kit from Ruff Wear includes dog harness and belt for the owner in tow behind. We test the adjustable system with a Weimaraner that has a big chest and a propensity to get ahead on the leash and tug.
Bizarre handmade snowboards created by Corey Smith are part art, part performance product made for shredding the deep white. For $500, you can buy one of these hand-shaped, hand-painted wooden boards from Smith’s Spring Break Snowboards upstart.
Our reporter spent three days at the SIA Snow Show in Denver this past weekend, a trade event where hundreds of companies exhibit new goods. Here is our second report from the show, a few items that caught this “snow junkie’s” eye.
It has been something of a dry winter in the Rocky Mountains, but that hasn’t tempered the enthusiasm for the SIA Snow Show, opening today in Denver. GearJunkie is there to give some perspective and highlight new products to be seen on the ski slopes next year.
Part II of our “Best in Show” series highlights a stock of award-worthy introductions as seen at last week’s Outdoor Retailer trade show. From goggles with cameras and video screens to “cleat-equipped” skis, this gear represents some of the hottest new stuff shipping to stores this year.
Part I of our “Best in Show” awards highlights a spread of cutting edge products as seen at the Outdoor Retailer event this past weekend in Utah. These products represent true innovation in the outdoors industry and some of the best new gear you’ll see in stores this year.
Ski goggles, they’re not just for eye protection anymore! A new product announced today in Utah at the Outdoor Retailer trade show, Zeal Optics unveiled what it’s calling an “industry-changing goggle” that has an HD video camera built-in.
It’s show time! Outdoor Retailer kicks off this week. The GearJunkie editorial crew is en route to the madness today, including more than 1,000 brands exhibiting in the trade show hall. Here’s a peek at a couple dozen new items attendees will see.
Wear this big, puffy down jacket in “the wettest of conditions.” That’s the pitch from Brooks-Range, which is offering a treated water-resistant down in the to-be-released winter coat.
With the right gear, you can ride through snow and the dank cold of the winter months. Cinch your hood tight and put pogies on your handlebars. Our new gear list, a “top 10” piece written by a Gear Junkie editor for Outside magazine, will get you going on the winter road.
The problem: A boot that can brave the winter elements as well as look good out on the town. The solution: Salomon’s Uma Trois women’s boot. Our writer gives this hybrid footwear a test.
That proclamation, ellipses and all, is verbatim what Garmont assigns to its to-be-released alpine-touring boot line. The PowerLite AT Series includes stout ski boots that weigh as little as 44 ounces apiece.
Superlative warmth, hidden (integrated) mittens, a face shield, and a long, insulated body make the Stockholm Jacket from Loki LLC unique. Our writer gave the jacket a winter test last month in the woods and steep terrain in and around the mountain town of Bend, Ore.
Remember Scott Schmidt and the early ’90s? The famous proto-freeskier was known for his sick drops and a signature North Face ski suit, which the company still sells an iteration of in its revived Steep Tech line.
A transparent shell fabric and dyed goose down create a unique look for Hi-Tec’s 2012 Timaru jacket. New “Color-Tec” treatment increases loft of down as bonus, the company cites.
No, thanks.
