It is fall; leaves are popping or falling or in some state of decay. Snow, yes, real snow, is around the corner. This means it’s also time for Totally Deep to dig into some key gear selections for the upcoming season.
In Episode 103 of the Totally Deep Podcast, Doug Stenclik, Randy Young, and Cripple Creek Backcountry’s head of customer service, Tyler Vaughan, discuss their gear picks for the season. Certainly, at least in most locales, peak leaf-peeping season is over, and the collective of can’t-wait-for-snow among us is eyeing freezing levels and forecasts.
The pre-season is for many things; checking gear, zoning out watching ski flicks, and maybe opting for some new gear. As supply chains ease up somewhat, the new gear is arriving. With that in mind, Doug, Randy, and Tyler wax poetic about the following gear categories: race/uphill fitness, ski mountaineering, all-mountain, powder/freeride. And for those keen on brakes on integrated brakes on your skimo race setup, they dig into that too.
Keep the deep winter dream alive — it shall return soon. (Photo: Aidan Whitelaw)
Maybe in some far off fantasy world where bank accounts are flush with cash, and time is on your side, scoring countless skis to build out the ultimate quiver is real. If that fantasy remains unobtainable, have no fear, this podcast episode should help streamline the choices. Still, as Doug notes in the episodes, skis are relatively affordable luxury compared to some bikes out there. So backcountry skiing has that going for it.
Skis mentioned in the pod that have been reviewed by WildSnow are the Black Crows Mentis, DPS Pagoda Tour 112, and (the soon-to-be-published review) the Moment Wildcat 108. But that’s just some teasers — there’s more gear mentioned on the pod.
Have a listen and get ready for the impending vert and lovely descents. Thanks for listening and joining us for the 2022-2023 season.
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While most of the WildSnow backcountry skiing blog posts are best attributed to a single author, some work well as done by the group.
