With lift-lines often getting choked full of people, and youtube gopro videos highlighting the splendor of the pure outdoor ski athletes cutting new tracks into pristine snow, Backcountry Skiing is on the rise!
I recently did the research and bought a backcountry touring kit. This page details what I bought, for how much, and why -- in case it's useful for someone else.
If you want to skip right to the gear list, scroll down...
If you want to skip right to the gear list, scroll down...
How I started Alpine Touring...
I got interested in Alpine Touring because I liked the outdoors exercise of Nordic XC, but I don't like those unstable thin skis and being stuck on the groomed tracks. A couple weeks ago, I finally had the chance to do some uphill skinning on Alpine Touring skis, inbounds at Aspen Buttermilk. And I really liked it!
I think trying Alpine Touring inbounds is a great way to start, because you can see what it's like to go uphill without avalanche safety preparedness (or danger). I'm told there is a growing community of people who inbounds skin uphill for the workout, without even being strong downhill skiers.
I find Alpine Touring more of a workout and less strain than Nordic style cross-country skiing. Those narrow unstable cross-country skis make even shallow uphill or downhill sections really challenging when the snow is hard and fast, and on the flat sections it's really not that much exercise unless you go long distances and spend lots of time doing it. Nordic XC does have some benefits - it's open to more skill levels, you can chat more, there is virtually no avalanche danger, and it's somewhat easier to bring a dog (where allowed). When Nordic XC is done in groomed tracks, it's like running laps at the gym.
In comparison, Alpine Touring gear feels like stable snowshoes with a little glide. They come in various traction-to-glide ratios. With the nylon rental skins, I could just point uphill and walk.
If my memory is right, my first ascent was about 1700ft vertical in 80 minutes (I forgot to strava). I'm a moderately athletic 45 year old, and I found it much more of a cardio and breathing workout than anything else. On steep sections, I had to breathe heavy and slow or stop to catch my breath. My legs never hurt, but started to get tired near the top.
Aspen's inbounds uphill policy is pretty flexible. Both Buttermilk and Snowmass allow uphilling during lift operating hours, and they rent (mediocre) uphill gear for $70/day at the base. You don't even need a lift pass. At Aspen you're allowed to bring dogs before lift hours, and on AJAX you can even download dogs (and yourself) on the gondola for free.
It's not so easy to do inbounds in Tahoe. Diamond Peak's uphill policy allows inbounds skinning before and after lift hours, most other Tahoe mountains don't allow it inbounds at all.
From Inbounds to Backcountry
Inbounds is only the beginning, skinning makes access to the Backcountry possible, though to do this involves avalanche risks and requires serious attention to safety gear and preparedness.
I began my research, and whoa there is both a ton to learn, and a *ton* of equipment out there for backcountry. In addition to specialized skis and boots and bindings, skiing outside the safety of ski patrol (even on day laps) requires a kit of safety equipment. After pouring over tons and tons of gear reviews, and shopping for online bargains to keep the prices down, I assembled my kit.
Alpine Touring has been around for a while, but it wasn't until around 2015 that bindings achived TUV certified DIN safety release settings, and a couple AT bindings came out with alpine-style lateral safety release at the toe, and alpine style pressure heel retention. (I'm speaking here of the Fritchi Tecton, and Solomon Shift). While there is no perfectly safe binding, these newer bindings seemed closer to something I'd take a chance on, especially Salomon Shift, which converts into a full Alpine style binding for the downhill.
I ordered absolutely everything online. I feel a little bad not supporting local retail, but they make it really hard. First, San Francisco is not a ski town, so the selection of back-country gear is pretty poor, and requires driving around to different stores. Even when they had something I want, they didn't have it in my size. Tahoe/Truckee has a backcountry store with great selection, but when I travel to snow, I want to ski, not spend my time shopping or waiting for binding mounting. Second, the prices at retail are hugely inflated. The Jetforce AVA backpack is priced at $1400+tax at retail. I got it for $910 shipped from France, saving $590. That's over 40% savings (or 64% local markup). That's more than the cost of my skis or bindings. Plus, I find it easier to research online reviews at my computer, make lists at my computer, and order at my computer.
The most obvious thing to buy in a local store was the boots, but mid-season shopping for a touring boot was really tough. I visited 3 different San Francisco area stores, and even a backcountry store in Aspen, CO, and I didn't find any boots I wanted. I measure a 27.5, but I have a mid-high instep. The Zero G Pro Tour 28.5 bit into my instep and my heel swam. I couldn't get my foot into the HAWX XTD 130 27.5 (though the clerk never suggested to try it in walk mode). A 28.5 Hoji Pro Tour fit decently but doesn't work with the Shift binding. The Lupo Air 27.5 fit okay but had pretty localized shin pressure and i couldn't find any decent reviews. The Cochise 120 fit but is too heavy for what I wanted. The most comfortable boot I found was a Maestrale XT in 28.5/29, but it seemed too roomy. I decided to take a chance and order the Maestrale RS 27.5/28 on Amazon (free returns), as this is a very-popular boot and has the same lower as the XT. If I don't like it I can use it to decide if I want the XT 27.5 or the RS 28.5 -- or give up and wait until I can shop in Tahoe.
Rental could work for a couple more days, especially for resort uphill. The Dynafit radical setup at Buttermilk was $70/day, and worked fine for the uphill, though I didn't enjoy skiing down on the too-short skiis and chattery pin bindings. While one Tahoe outfitter will rent a "full" backcountry package (with safety gear) for $130/day, this seems more like a way to get gear for a safe intro class, not a way to actually take an avalanche class and brave the backcountry.
The Jetforce Pro electric inflation airbag was a bit of a safety splurge, as I would feel really really dumb being caught in an avalanche without one because I wanted to save money (I can afford it). And one of my friends *only* backcountry skis in powder conditions (which means avalanche danger). The gas canister models are a little cheaper, but only if they are reusable canisters. Disposable canisters cost money and must be discarded periodically or when you fly. I also like the idea of being able to practice inflation and test the gear without worrying about canisters. Getting a good deal on this made it an easier decision.
If one is focused on resort-uphill at a place that allows it during normal hours (or on no snow days), going without an airbag is no more risky than downhill skiing the same resort.
I began my research, and whoa there is both a ton to learn, and a *ton* of equipment out there for backcountry. In addition to specialized skis and boots and bindings, skiing outside the safety of ski patrol (even on day laps) requires a kit of safety equipment. After pouring over tons and tons of gear reviews, and shopping for online bargains to keep the prices down, I assembled my kit.
Alpine Touring has been around for a while, but it wasn't until around 2015 that bindings achived TUV certified DIN safety release settings, and a couple AT bindings came out with alpine-style lateral safety release at the toe, and alpine style pressure heel retention. (I'm speaking here of the Fritchi Tecton, and Solomon Shift). While there is no perfectly safe binding, these newer bindings seemed closer to something I'd take a chance on, especially Salomon Shift, which converts into a full Alpine style binding for the downhill.
I ordered absolutely everything online. I feel a little bad not supporting local retail, but they make it really hard. First, San Francisco is not a ski town, so the selection of back-country gear is pretty poor, and requires driving around to different stores. Even when they had something I want, they didn't have it in my size. Tahoe/Truckee has a backcountry store with great selection, but when I travel to snow, I want to ski, not spend my time shopping or waiting for binding mounting. Second, the prices at retail are hugely inflated. The Jetforce AVA backpack is priced at $1400+tax at retail. I got it for $910 shipped from France, saving $590. That's over 40% savings (or 64% local markup). That's more than the cost of my skis or bindings. Plus, I find it easier to research online reviews at my computer, make lists at my computer, and order at my computer.
The most obvious thing to buy in a local store was the boots, but mid-season shopping for a touring boot was really tough. I visited 3 different San Francisco area stores, and even a backcountry store in Aspen, CO, and I didn't find any boots I wanted. I measure a 27.5, but I have a mid-high instep. The Zero G Pro Tour 28.5 bit into my instep and my heel swam. I couldn't get my foot into the HAWX XTD 130 27.5 (though the clerk never suggested to try it in walk mode). A 28.5 Hoji Pro Tour fit decently but doesn't work with the Shift binding. The Lupo Air 27.5 fit okay but had pretty localized shin pressure and i couldn't find any decent reviews. The Cochise 120 fit but is too heavy for what I wanted. The most comfortable boot I found was a Maestrale XT in 28.5/29, but it seemed too roomy. I decided to take a chance and order the Maestrale RS 27.5/28 on Amazon (free returns), as this is a very-popular boot and has the same lower as the XT. If I don't like it I can use it to decide if I want the XT 27.5 or the RS 28.5 -- or give up and wait until I can shop in Tahoe.
The Gear List
The grand total (minus the Garmin I already owned) came to $3457, which is quite a chunk of cash to invest in something new. However, this is around the price of a high end full suspension mountain bike, and most of the safety kit gear will last a very long time. Plus, I think by shopping around online, I saved at least $1000 off retail.Rental could work for a couple more days, especially for resort uphill. The Dynafit radical setup at Buttermilk was $70/day, and worked fine for the uphill, though I didn't enjoy skiing down on the too-short skiis and chattery pin bindings. While one Tahoe outfitter will rent a "full" backcountry package (with safety gear) for $130/day, this seems more like a way to get gear for a safe intro class, not a way to actually take an avalanche class and brave the backcountry.
The Jetforce Pro electric inflation airbag was a bit of a safety splurge, as I would feel really really dumb being caught in an avalanche without one because I wanted to save money (I can afford it). And one of my friends *only* backcountry skis in powder conditions (which means avalanche danger). The gas canister models are a little cheaper, but only if they are reusable canisters. Disposable canisters cost money and must be discarded periodically or when you fly. I also like the idea of being able to practice inflation and test the gear without worrying about canisters. Getting a good deal on this made it an easier decision.
If one is focused on resort-uphill at a place that allows it during normal hours (or on no snow days), going without an airbag is no more risky than downhill skiing the same resort.
* All prices are in USD, and include any tax and shipping to San Francisco, CA.
| Skis | 2019 Line Vision 98 - 179cm | 1500g ea | $440 from Snowcountry.eu | A playful touring ski (mounted -6cm from center). |
| Boots | 2019 Maestrale RS 27.5 | 1400g ea | $648 from Amazon.com | Midseason it was hard to find touring boots in my size in the bay area. ** more below |
| Binding | 2020 Solomon Shift 90mm(Black on Black) | 860g ea | $468 from snowcountry.eu | I ordered the Armada black/black, but they ran out and sent me a 2020 Solomon in the new black colorway |
| Poles | BCA Scepter Carbon Aluminum | 240g ea | $100 from Snowcountry.eu | i like the unique snow scraper, and the strap safety release |
| Skins | Pomoco Glide-S Skins 140mm x 180cm | 340g ea | $208 from skimo.com | Highly rated skins. |
| Light | Suptig Diving Light | 120g | $22 on Amazon | Fits a gopro helmet mount, accepts a gopro on top. Light required for morning resort uphill. |
| Ski Finder | Find--me tracer | 100g ea | $50 from find---me.com | innovative ski and rider tracer |
| Ava Backpack | Black Diamond Jetforce Pro Pack 25L | 3000g | $910 from Telemark Pyrenees | A bit of a splurge, but it's for safety, so worth it. |
| Beacon | Mammut Barryvox S | 200g | $406 from backcountry.com | Highly rated. Clear display. |
| Probe | BCA Stealth 300 Probe | 320g | $70 from Amazon.com | |
| SatComs | Garmin Inreach Explorer+ | 215g | $405 from Amazon.com | I already owned this for mountain biking. |
| CB Radio | BaoFeng BF-888S | 200g | $30 for 2 radios and 4 batteries on Amazon | seems better than $180 for bclink radio. I programmed standard bc-link frequencies. |
| Water Bladder | Osprey Hydraulics LT Reservoir 2.5L | 170g | $35 from Amazon.com | much more leakproof design |
| Saw | Fiskars 7-inch Folding Saw | 141g | $15 from Amazon | for snow cuts or utility, only 17cm blade, ill see if I need longer. |
| MultiTool | Polelane Multitool Pliers and bit set | 220g | $12 on Amazon | cheap collision safe compact multi-tool with screwdriver |
| Safe Scissors | Roxon Folding Pocket Knife & Scissors | 141g | $25 on amazon | collision-safe scissors and knife, for first aid |
| First Aid Kit | M2 Basics 150 First Aid | - | $16 on Amazon | will remove scissors, as it's a collision puncture hazard |
| utility straps | Reusable zipties | -- | $9 on amazon | voile straps equivalent, for fixit |
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