Winter Buyer's Guide
Archive
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Marker Duke bindings
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Black Diamond Custom boots
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Volkl Nunataq skis
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Moving Comfort Rebound Racer Bra.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Canada Goose HyBridge Lite jacket
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Saucony ProGrid Outlaw.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Arnette Mercenary goggles.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Merrell Wilderness Canyon boot.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Arbor Swoon Board.
国产吃瓜黑料 Buyer’s Guide editor Sam Moulton takes Intern Dave and Patagonia’s waterproof Primo Down jacket to the carwash.
Intern Dave dives deep for Olympus’s waterproof, shockproof, and freezeproof point and shoot, the TG-810. For more of the right travel gear, check out our travel essentials.
Avalanche air bags are gaining in popularity. And for good 颅reason鈥攖hey can increase survival rates by 98 percent.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Rossignol Krypto Magtek snowboard.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the CAMP Xenon Trek pole.
For this winter’s Buyer’s Guide our testers teamed up with Backcountry magazine to put the skis through the ringer, for a week, in waist-deep powder.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Black Diamond Ultra Distance Trekking Pole.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the BCA Arsenal A-1 shovel with 35-centimeter saw.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Exped Explorer 120 trekking pole.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Oakley Holbrook sunglasses.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Contour+ POV camera.
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Tubbs Wilderness Snowshoe
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Cassin X-All -Mountain ice ax
国产吃瓜黑料 reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Tecnica Cochise Ski Boot
Take your finest wine into the backcountry with this budget gift. $10…
A fashionable new jacket that works just as well on the slopes as it looks good at the resort bar. $300…
The most versatile jacket, and our Gear of the Year winner.
A pair of well-priced, versatile snowshoes built for rolling hills and trails.
Buyer’s Guide managing editor Alicia Carr picks some of her favorite new gear from the SIA snow show.
A great looking down jacket that can weather harsh conditions. $325…
Buyer’s Guide managing editor Alicia Carr picks her favorite gear from the SIA Snow Show.
An 850-fill goose down jacket at home on a weekend climb or in the city. $269…
Wick away sweat and stay warm with these new baselayers, the Helly Hansen W Verglas Hybrid $100 and the Neve Designs Chamonix $130.
Classic board shorts perfect for that ultimate winter getaway. $108…
A tough, old school commuter bag made in the U.S.A. $170…
An axe that works for everything from chopping kindling to field dressing an animal. $170…
TAKES IT EASY Good for Packed Trails If cushion is king for high-mileage training or heavier runners, then the Supernova reigns supreme. Its pillowy crash pad is perfect for cruising on mellow trails. And despite its speedy geometry—the shoe is tilted slightly forward—the forefoot foam doesn’t feel gutted.
The Imperial has plenty of trick features—like shell material that helps distribute the rider’s weight and rubber ice spikes on a Vibram outsole for better hiking traction. But testers most appreciated the simple lacing system, which allows you to quickly lock in the ankle and toe areas separately.
Big Daddies If these were skis, they’d be your superfat powder boards. With smaller teeth and abundant surface area, the aluminum-framed Mountain Quests easily kept testers afloat when smaller snowshoes began to sink. While it takes a bit of practice not to feel as if you’re walking in flippers, they’re…
BEST FOR BACKCOUNTRY Unlike a lot of windproof soft shells, which rely on an embedded membrane, the Winter Guide’s gale-thwarting abilities come from a supertight weave, enabling it to breathe better than most. During a day of ski touring in Washington’s North Cascades that involved everything from cold descents to…
Few base layers make the transition from chairlift to barstool like this moisture-wicking, antimicrobial button-down. eesa.com…
THE CLASSIC If Toyota made a jacket, it would be a lot like the Escape: solid performance, great value. Made of Gore-Tex Performance Shell (the new name for the classic two-layer waterproof-breathable fabric), the Escape shucked off the elements in the nastiest Northwest storms. It’s not as light as comparably…
Thanks to a breeze-busting layer of fleece-lined Gore Windstopper, this is the warmest hat here. dakine.com…
HARD CHARGER Unless you huck off every cliff in sight, donning body armor is overkill. But a little back protection makes sense for anyone who ventures into exposed, big-mountain terrain. The multitasking, 1,450-cubic-inch Razor is built with a Shield Back System: foam-wrapped polyethylene pads that are part of the internal…
Unlike most park-and-pipe helmets, the Mutiny has a hidden, adjustable vent system and a removable, two-position goggle clip. Remove the ear pads and wear it all spring. burton.com…
Stiff plastic and a double-injected cuff afford alpine-boot-like downhill performance, but thanks to a walk mode it feels like an alpine-touring boot on the way up. 8.3 lbs; garmontusa.com 聽 Bonus: Further evidence of its split personality: It comes with two interchangeable soles, one a grippier ski-mountaineering sole and one…
We hope you’ll never have to search for a victim, but if you do, this ultralight (7.6 oz) and long (91 inches) probe assembles instantly and is sturdy enough to break through cementlike snow. bdel.com…
LIGHT AND FAST These winterized trail runners are perfect for cruising fast through sloppy conditions, thanks to waterproof-breathable XCR liners and clip-on ankle gaiters (included). lasportiva.com…
Consider this eVent-lined four-wheel-drive boot the Subaru of hikers; it has superb ankle support with a deeply contoured Achilles to cut out calf rub. kaylandusa.com…
With five adjustable underfoot cable settings, this binding, which was built to accommodate smaller boot sizes, suits all levels. 3 lbs; twentytwodesigns.com 聽 聽 聽…
SCARE-THE-TOURISTS FAST Good for All Mountain “It feels like a World Cup race ski and a powder ski had a love child,” said one tester. Part of the completely revamped line of skis from Blizzard, the Magnum 8.7 features the company’s Powerframe construction—essentially stacking more of…
The Tartan’s ergonomic grips are the most comfortable of any here, and the aircraft-grade aluminum should stand up to years of abuse. scottusa.com…
Good for Big Mountain This year's Ravyn received a facelift (new graphics) but otherwise returns unchanged. It remains relatively light for its footprint but still impressed testers with its damp feel and edge-to-edge prowess. “The harder the Ravyn is pushed, the easier it is to ski,” said one tester.
Good for All Mountain Testers praised the Push for its terrain-soaking dampness and remarkable out-of-the-box fit. Credit the snowboard-boot-like Boa liner (a nexus of metal wires you ratchet down tightly). “The best off-the-shelf fit and feel of any boot liner out there,” one tester noted. It's a bit softer…
Good for Backcountry Problem: Snowy lifts are cold. Solution: the Hoback. Cloudveil took a two-layer Gore-Tex Pro Shell and shot it up with PrimaLoft insulation. Too toasty? Unzip the thigh vents. cloudveil.com…
TOWN AND COUNTRY Good for Backcountry Don’t worry, it’s also available in black and UPS brown. We were surprised that what looks like a soft-shell sweatshirt on acid could perform so well in nasty conditions. But this hoodie felt as at home riding the lifts on…
Cut extra long and packed with 800-fill down for extreme cold, this super-puffy kept us warm in near-zero temps and 30-mph winds on a 12,000-foot-high ridgeline. 2 lbs; 66north.com…
BEST OVERALL This jacket is all about skier-friendly features. Our favorites: an easily removable hood, a powder skirt, zipper tabs big enough for mittened hands, and fleecy cuffs that keep drafts out. The insulated Sofia is warm without looking bulky, but on the coldest days you’ll have to layer up…
1. From backyard strolls to backwoods epics, the Back颅country was our favorite all-purpose snowshoe. Its frame is really two pieces of aluminum alloy held together at the toe and heel by sturdy, flexible plastic, so the deck self-adjusts to tricky terrain. The inner tail is streamlined to allow a…
A SOFTY WITH GUTS This true twin spins like a top with incredible control, but thanks to its predictable flex and soft feel, it’s an extremely forgiving board—and a great choice for intermediates looking to take it to the next level. It won’t let you down: Testers were surprised by…
Our criteria for a good travel speaker: light, tough, and sounds good enough to keep playing once you’re there. The last one is usually the deal breaker, but the iP49 docking station flips open and pumps out surprisingly rich, bassy notes. Plus it has FM radio, alarm clock, equalizer, and…
Light as a feather and stuffed with 700-fill down, these moonboot-like waterproof-breathable pillows-for-your-feet have just enough guts for a run to the beer store, while cordlocks cinch tight to keep out snow. Though designed with winter camping and hut trips in mind, it’s really the perfect apr猫s footwear anywhere.
Our favorite mountaineering boot this year, the Vajolet is ultralight (just 3.2 pounds) and comfy enough for daylong snowshoe outings. But thanks to a beefy nylon shank, it’s also plenty stable and rigid enough to wear with crampons. TAGS: mountaineering, uninsulated BonusIts soft forward flex makes for…
All Mountain Aptly named for the exposed adjustable pivot beneath the toe, the Axl is a free-pivot touring binding like its forebear, the legendary Hammerhead. Testers found that the underfoot pistons, sleek cable routing, and heel throw provided more downhill chops than any similar binding on the hill. And unlike…
Yup, these lightly insulated work gloves are basically the same ones you’ll find at the local hardware store. The difference is, this Denver company bakes them in beeswax, a natural water repellent. They received high marks for dexterity but are only so-so breathers. TAGS: tough, hardware store…
VAUDE‘s ROCK 45+10 PACK. Its front crampon pocket keeps sharp points away from your jacket and rope, and its single-clip holsters fit everything from mountaineering tools to leashless axes with and without grips.
Last year, Arbor applied its version of multicontact edge technology—they call it GripTech—to its first hybrid-camber board (the Draft). It was a winning combination, literally, taking home last winter’s Gear of the Year award. Now, GripTech and hybrid camber are featured in six of Arbor’s boards, from park hounds…
JUST RELAX Every ski in K2’s line features rocker this season. In addition to floating a ski, rocker can be designed to help initiate a turn. Such is the case with the easy-skiing Aftershock. And where skis like the Nordica Enforcer and V枚lkl Kendo require near-constant attention, it’s possible to…
SOFT SERVE ONLY We know, the name makes you lisp. But if you’re a hard-charging resort powder skier, you’re gonna have to deal. The Obsethed was the fattest ski submitted to our big-mountain test, and, outside of the Sierra or the Pacific Northwest, it’s all any serious powder skier really…
When paired with high-quality base layers, CRAFT‘s full-zip ACTIVE CROSS COUNTRY TOURING PANTS are all you need 90 percent of the time.
From day hiking in the Front Range to hut trips in Canada, testers loved the go-anywhere Electra for its new FRS (free-rotating suspension) binding, which, they said, gave the shoe a springy feeling that made walking easier. The squared-off claws bit into steep terrain as well as fanglike crampons,…
Alpine Touring With its alpine buckle configuration and beefy power strap, the respectably light Shaka is one of the burliest women-specific boots on the market, capable of driving the biggest, fattest skis. Even better, it’s also Dynafit-compatible and, thanks to rockered soles, sure-footed in the backcountry. 7.2 lbs. TAGS:…
CW-X‘s REVOLUTION TIGHTS will serve you well. Through a miraculous feat of fabric engineering, they combine light, stretchy CoolMax sections with firm muscle-supporting panels without a tangle of seams.
Up top, the goal is moderate warmth in a tight-fitting piece that won’t snag, something like GORE BIKE WEAR‘s XENON THERMO JERSEY.
Road The DS Trainer was minimalist before minimalist was trendy, and its 15th iteration is still extremely lightweight and has high-speed specs, gentle stability control, an airy upper, and just enough cushion for moderate-length runs. Our team raved about the fit, aided by pressure-free asymmetrical laces: “It feels like it…
聽 The instrument of choice for the Austrian national ski team, this basic carbon-fiber pole has a Velcro strap for easy adjustment. Light, simple, and inspiring. Just knowing that the world’s best ski team uses them makes you feel fast. komperdell.com 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽…
Good for SnowshoeingFor fast-and-light excursions in cold temps, the waterproof, lightweight Multiterra Ultra is our favorite. Its Vibram sole afforded best-in-class traction on frost-covered trails, and when the snow fell, the insulation was just enough for aerobic snowshoeing. hi-tec.com…
Testers reached for the burly Vector when they knew they’d be in changing conditions—like atop Mount Elbert, a Colorado fourteener. Spiked rails and a bear claw of points underfoot bit into hard-packed snow and ice. “I never had to take my gloves off when adjusting my shoes,” one tester…
Aigle Shems – Midweight Jackets: Reviews 聽 With a soft fleece interior and warm, durable merino wool/nylon exterior, this jacket combines our favorite fabrics in one versatile top. 1.9 lbs; aigleusa.com 聽 聽 聽 聽 Patagonia Pau – Footwear: Reviews (Terry Heffernan) The coolest mocs we’ve ever laid eyes…