The 4-Quattro SL promises and delivers legit stiffness. The sole is GripWalk compatible for the 50/50 skiers out there. Don’t be fooled by the 50/50 … it could go 100/0. Here’s a first look.

It is that time of year: Gift Guide season. Sales abound, Black Friday extends to Monday, and there’s a scurry to infill gifts for those who made the short-list. In the build-up to no matter what you celebrate, the solstice, which we suppose from an available daylight metric is something to observe, goes down in the Northern Hemisphere at 1:47 PM Dec. 21. You still have time to think of others. Let the gifting begin.

Buzzwords abound when considering the “green” economy. WNDR Alpine, based in Salt Lake City, incorporates bio-materials into their building process and, along the way, nudges the ski and snowboard industry to think differently. WildSnow takes a WNDR Alpine factory tour and has a first look at their newly released BelleTour splitboard.

The synthetic fill puffy is a staple for those looking for some foul and cold weather insulation when moisture might compromise a down piece. Outdoor Research’s Superstrand LT Hoodie delivers a lightweight and compact punch for those on the go in the backcountry .

Moonlight skis Cruiser 120 offers plenty of width underfoot, and throughout the ski, for that matter, to make the most of powder skiing. And if you are going the distance, the ~1600g won’t tax you too much on the skintrack.

We learn early and often in avalanche education that slides are more likely to occur on slope angles of greater than 30 degrees. We know this as the 30-degree threshold. Here’s some backstory on the good work of Ron Perla…