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 new alpine ski gear.
Latest feature articles on ski gear:
Heading to the U.S. or Europe? The quickest and cheapest Rapid Antigen COVID test we could find comes in Proof of Entry’s DIY kit for $25. Test results are verified within 60 minutes by an MD, followed by an emailed certificate accepted by airlines and at land border crossings. Order a few and the price … More »
As leather succumbed to the superiority of plastic in the 1960s, there was a period of experimentation and innovation that saw many new, now memorable, ski boot designs, such as the Scott boot from the 1970s. (Scott USA was registered in 1958 but is now a Swiss company.) The visually small ski boot was also … More »
Goat power! With a 70:30 mohair-nylon ratio, Chamonix-based Black Crows promises its all-new, 100 per cent waterproof Pilus skins ($269) to be “the ideal partner for gliding serenely toward happiness.” The world’s most visibly recognizable skins have trimmed down in weight and beefed up durability all while using a greener (no fluorocarbon) manufacturing recipe. black-crows.co … More »
AVALANCHE SAFETY Gear up for sliding beyond the ski area boundary with these essentials. Osprey Soelden Pro: Along with the women’s Sopris, this avalanche pack uses an electronic power source to inflate an air bag, increasing the likelihood of ending up on top of a slide, not buried in it. $1,700; ospreypacks.com Ortovox Diract Voice: … More »
LAYERING 2022 Staying comfortable on the ski hill is as much about staying cool as it is staying warm. Get sweaty and then sit on a chairlift for 15 minutes and you’ll probably feel cold, even with the best layering system. Add some cotton or a non-breathable jacket into the mix and it’s a recipe … More »
CELEBRITY SKI LINE Over the last decade Kye Petersen has earned a reputation as one of the world’s best big-mountain skiers, stomping airs and bombing faces onboard planks made by several brands. Now he’s building his own, Kye Shapes, in collaboration with Johnny “Foon” Chilton. Out of Chilton’s Pemberton-based Foon Skis factory, Kye Shapes includes … More »
THIN IS IN – NORDIC UPDATE Politics may be more polarized than ever, but gone are the days of skiers hating snowboarders and both wondering about those hippy skinny skiers. Today we’re fans of anything that slides on snow. The aerobic workout of cross-country skiing may not be for every adrenaline-powered skier, but skate and … More »
50/50 BOOTS – ALPINE TOURING In order to see where skiing is heading, it’s often illuminating to watch where the energy and R&D are going. And much of that is flowing into boots designed for no-compromise downhill performance with the ability to tour. These four-buckle boots look as if they’re made for the resort, but … More »
TESTED HEAD TO HEAD PUFFY PROTECTION We never went ski touring without a puffy for packable warmth and a shell for weather protection. Most of the time we wear both and only on the way down. A few brands made the same realization and are releasing jackets that combine insulation and weather protection in one … More »
TESTED HEAD TO HEAD BACKCOUNTRY HELMETS That which happens at the resort, slowly migrates beyond the boundaries. And so, helmets are becoming more common far from the ski hill. A resort lid works fine, but it tends to be bulky and heavy. Instead, opt for a backcountry-focused one. G3 AT Helmet A collaboration with helmet-maker … More »