"Contour"

As a navigation tool, CalTopo offers a complex feature set that sometimes takes time to hone. With a little savvy, CalTopo offers some hidden gems to make backcountry skiing/riding trip planning more useful. Here are three specific features to dial in your ski and winter climbing plans.

From Ski Trab we dive headfirst into a primo lightweight setup with the Magico.2 ski and Titan Vario.2 binding. Solid engineering and deep mission worthy.

Looking to learn about the skin basics? Here’s “Skins 101” to cover materials, tip and tail attachments systems, and stickiness- or lack thereof- of glue.

Grace Staberg, a U.S. skier on the ISMF World Cup, provides some insight into her stash of skimo race gear. Yup, it looks fast, and it’s light.

Climbing skin snafus can take the smile off your face like frozen drizzle crusting a once perfect powder shot. Resources to keep your climbing skins dialed.

The big, wide, open … and steep ski terrain around Jackson Hole can be dizzying to the uninitiated. Here’s a Teton appetizer for those new to the range.

It’s time to check your backcountry ski gear. From boots, bindings, skis, and skins, our pre-season gear checklist is a reminder to get all things in order.

Trip report from three day backcountry ski tour along the Isolation Traverse in the North Cascades in Washington.

Review of the Voile UltraVector BC ski for traverses and rolling terrain, testing the grip limit of fish scales.

Review of the DPS Pagoda Tour 112 RP and Tour 94 C2 as a quiver of two for ski touring, ski mountaineering, powder skiing.

Reviving climbing skins in the field. Basic prevention to dealing with a full climbing skin failure. Tips to keep your backcountry ski tour going.

Ski traverse of Colorado Elk Mountains, 1980, trip report and narrative by Richard Compton.

Review of the CAMP Speed Comp Helmet, a lightweight helmet suitable for ski mountaineering and backcountry ski touring.

As ski touring gains in popularity, etiquette in the backcountry is more important than ever. Here, a few thoughts to keep the skin track pleasant for all.

Review of the Gregory Targhee 45 backpack, a versatile backcountry pack with features specific to ski touring and splitboarding.

Ortovox Bacun ski touring pant is made from Schoeller soft shell fabric, comfy and stylish, check our review.

The Power of Four and Power of Two ski mountaineering races are the real deal. M gives the play by play, right from the skin track.

First look and review of the updated Black Diamond Helio 104: powder plank with lots of pop in deep snow.

Cutting ski touring climbing skins, and a DIY trick to center the skin before cutting for this essential gear item.

How do you outfit a kid for uphill skiing with only $50? Andy Sovick searches far and wide for boots, skis, bindings and skins for the perfect DIY getup.