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arc'teryx women's sentinel pant right pocket and vent
Arc’teryx Women’s Sentinel Pant – First Impressions

Arc’teryx Women’s Sentinel Pant – First Impressions

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Arc’teryx makes some of the finest gear in the business, and today we’ll find out if the Women’s Sentinel Gore-Tex Pants live up to that reputation. The Sentinel Pant isn’t aimed specifically at the backcountry crowd but are meant to be multi-purpose. They’re suitable for riding at the resort or for long touring days, so owning multiple pairs of ski pants isn’t a necessity. Arc’teryx also has one of the best warranties in the business on their gear so even…

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contour hybrid mix skins
First Look: Contour Hybrid Mix Climbing Skins

First Look: Contour Hybrid Mix Climbing Skins

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The other day I got a nice surprise on my doorstep when I got home – a box from Camp USA with my new Contour Hybrid Mix climbing skins! There were also some sweet stickers in there, but that’s probably not why you’re here. Update: check out our Full Review of these skins I’m going to do a long-term test of these this winter, but in the meantime I thought I would snap a few photos of the skins themselves…

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woman hiking backcountry mountain
5 Essential Pieces of Gear for Backcountry Skiing

5 Essential Pieces of Gear for Backcountry Skiing

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If you’ve read my backcountry gear for beginners article, you know that you need a beacon (transceiver), shovel, and probe, along with some touring skis/bindings, climbing skins and a pack as the absolute bare minimum to get out in the backcountry. There is obviously a bit more to it, but those are the basics. This article is about a few pieces of essential gear for the backcountry that you might not have thought about and that can come in handy to keep…

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full tilt ascendant touring boots 2019
Best Freeride Touring Boots 2018/2019

Best Freeride Touring Boots 2018/2019

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A growing segment of the touring boot market, ‘freeride’ touring boots are light enough that you don’t kill yourself on the way up but are still stiff enough to ski hard on the way down. Tech fittings are becoming pretty much standard. These aren’t ultra-light touring boots, but rather boots that are more suited for a 50/50 touring/resort season or for people that tour and like to ski hard. That’s not to say you couldn’t use these exclusively for touring. You definitely…

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salomon mtn s/lab touring boot and marker jester 16 id binding
Alpine Bindings for Touring Boots

Alpine Bindings for Touring Boots

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Updated Feb 8, 2022 to include the Look Pivot GW One of the problems with having only one pair of boots for both touring and resort skiing is binding compatibility. The best touring boots have fully rockered rubber soles that don’t work in most alpine bindings. The best alpine boots are heavy as bricks and tour like crap. To further complicate things, there are all kinds of different boot sole standards and they aren’t all interchangeable. You may not know…

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tech bindings vs frame bindings
Tech Bindings vs Frame Bindings

Tech Bindings vs Frame Bindings

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When you’re ready to buy your first backcountry skiing setup, you might be wondering whether you should you get tech bindings or frame bindings. Each style has its pros and cons and is better suited for different skiers with different needs. We’ll go through each and help you decide which is right for you. When you’ve finished this, you should read our article that breaks down the best touring bindings on the market – it covers both tech and frame…

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ski boot photo
Top Reasons to Get Alpine Touring Boots

Top Reasons to Get Alpine Touring Boots

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A question that many skiers ask at some point is ‘Should I get touring boots or use my alpine boots for backcountry skiing?’ I know when I first started exploring the backcountry I asked myself this question. I used my alpine boots (which were freaking heavy) for the first 5-10 days of backcountry skiing. Once I got a pair of touring boots (the original Tecnica Cochise in my case – check out my review of the new one), I never…

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salomon shift best touring bindings
The Best Alpine Touring Bindings in 2018

The Best Alpine Touring Bindings in 2018

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Update: check out the updated 2019 versions of the best bindings for backcountry skiing: The Best Bindings for Alpine Touring in 2019 Part 1 – 50/50 Bindings Part 2 – Tech (Pin) Bindings As the backcountry skiing industry keeps heating up, more and more manufacturers are making high quality touring bindings. The number of choices of bindings for backcountry skiing is a bit overwhelming. Hopefully this guide to the best alpine touring bindings will answer some of the questions you…

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2018/2019 Backcountry Skiing Gear Preview Highlights

2018/2019 Backcountry Skiing Gear Preview Highlights

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Is anyone else starting to drool over all of the new gear that’s coming out this year? I know I sure am. It seems like every year there is at least one new piece of gear that is unlike anything that came before it. This year there are at least 3 that fit that category! Boots and bindings seem to be where most of the innovation is happening these days, so that’s the theme for this 2019 gear preview. Here…

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Osprey Kresta 30 Women’s Pack Review

Osprey Kresta 30 Women’s Pack Review

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Last season Mrs. HikeForPow got a new pack for Christmas to replace her aging Arc’teryx Silo 30. The Silo 30 was a good pack, but it was a bit too long in the torso for her. It also had a bit of an odd shape. It narrowed at the bottom, so fully packing it was an interesting challenge. Anyway, enough about the old pack and on to the new. She’s been pretty thrilled with her new pack, so read on…

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