I grew up with an Army vet Dad who liked to yell out a favorite maxim from his West Point days: “Proper prior planning prevents poor performance!” When I asked Joe Howdyshell, head coach at Summit Endurance Academy and former…

Black Friday has passed, but if you’re like me, your holiday shopping isn’t finished. For some, it hasn’t even started. If you’re here, you have friends and family that are backcountry skiers and so it makes sense to look for…

Avalanche airbag packs featuring the LiTRIC electronic deployment system co-developed by Arc’teryx and Ortovox are finally available in the US for this winter. The electronic airbag inflation system is much lighter and takes up less pack volume than canister-driven airbag…

Booking a backcountry ski hut in Colorado is more like trying to score Taylor Swift or Phish tickets than it is booking a hotel room. If you weren’t smashing a keyboard the second they went on-sale, you probably aren’t getting…

The Julbo Montebianco 2 offers great eye protection from intense sun. And fit with the Reactiv 1-3 High Contrast prescription lens; this is eyewear I can use from dawn to dusk.

Now beyond cult-follower status, Hyperlite Mountain Gear (HMG) remains a staple of the backpacking light crowd. Amongst the ski touring community, they have a following too. With the Headwall 55, they introduce their first ski-specific pack that is a great companion for overnighters and single-day tours.