Gear

Ski Tests

Our annual ski test of the best in new gear. 2012 Test results are coming soon!

Buyer’s Guide

Every January hundreds of international ski brands gather for their annual conference to showcase their latest gear, and Ski Canada is there to look, listen, poke, and prod. The result each year is our buyer’s guide to the best buys.

Tech Talk

Our Tech Talk column sums up the best in new technology and gadgets each issue.

Latest feature articles on ski gear:

The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous

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from Winter 2007 issue by Martin Olson                    

Overhead Cams

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THESE DAYS YOU’RE NAKED WITHOUT YOUR POV. by John Schwirtlich in Spring 2012 issue There’s only one way to describe shooting with a waterproof POV or helmet camera: fun and productive. For almost 10 years I’ve been staff photographer/videographer at the powder mecca of Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing, in Blue River, B.C. I record skiers’ powder fantasies coming true… More »

Woolly Warmth

Gear 600

 The fine undercoat of goats from Inner Mongolia goes into what’s possibly the world’s lightest, most ultra-soft luxury cashmere tuques. Handmade in Nepal from fair-wage, eco-friendly Ocabini. £55 includes shipping to Canada: www.ocabini.com  Ooooo! Nice sweater. Neve’s Ultra-fine, soft and non-itch 100-per-cent merino wool is 100-per-cent style. The Nicola Full Zip Cardigan ($164) in charcoal is Nordic enough for après ski, yet classy enough… More »

Park & Fly

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Ski Canada’s team of twintip testers played all over the mountain to show off this category’s versatility. by Ron Betts .. test co-ordinator Jeremy Cooper .. photos John Evely   In the late ’90s Wade Garrod, the head coach of the Silver Star Freestyle Club, wanted his skiers to excel at more than just the traditional freestyle disciplines of moguls… More »

Gear & Gadgets

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from 40th Anniversary issue  A leader in on-slope safety products, POC’s melon protection lineup includes the Receptor Backcountry helmet ($299). With its patented MIPS System, rotational forces to the brain (through serious oblique or lateral crashes) are reduced when a replaceable pin shears and the helmet’s liner releases from its outer shell. www.pocsports.com  Whether you’re catching an epic powder day in… More »

Powder Ski Test 2012

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  Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing provided the perfect snow, terrain and guides to evaluate this season’s crop of wide boys. BY RON BETTS, TEST EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN SCHWIRTLICH from 40th Anniversary issue The sport of skiing has undergone some remarkable changes in the last few decades. New technology in clothing, electronics, boots, bindings and skis has allowed skiers… More »

The Science Behind Helmets

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Protecting your head isn’t about colour and styling, it’s knowing a helmet’s limitations – and your own by Jasper Shealy with Robert Johnson and Carl Ettlinger from Fall 2008 issue – originally posted December 5, 2008 Jasper Shealy is Professor Emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY. This article includes material from Robert Wilson, Professor,… More »

Easy Cruising – 2012

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Mid-range performance in long and short turns. Written by Ron Betts, Test Editor Have you ever watched a ski video—you know the ones I’m talking about, where the athletes rip perfect turns down a 50-degree slope before airing off a cliff—and thought to yourself, “I’ll never do that.” Well, friends, you’re not alone. For a large portion of the ski population,… More »

Gear & Gadgets Fall 2011

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  Special thanks to sponsors at the Ski Canada Test at Silver Star 1 You don’t need a day skiing bumps to appreciate the advantages of a Max Sports Bra Top from Shock Absorber ($67). Google “bounceometer” (when the boss isn’t around) for a visual demonstration of how Shock Absorber can reduce damaging breast bounce… More »

Buyer’s Guide 2012

GEAR & GADGETS by Ray O’Reilly  Getting ready for ski season can be a lot more fun than wall sits in front of the TV and abusive spinning classes. A Gibbon slackline from Germany (and a couple of trees in your yard or park) is as entertaining as it is excellent at building core… More »