So I’m putting together my first setup capable of touring. I still want it to be hybrid because frankly I don’t have much experience touring. I’m big (over 200 lbs) and an ex-racer that tends to punish the ski. I worry a lot about downhill safety with a touring binding because frankly I’ve blown out the toe of an alpine binding near max din in heavy, moist snow. Im torn between a few options, the obvious ones being shift2 13 and tecton 13.

Do I really need the full alpine toe of the shift? I’ve heard lots of negatives about weight and lack of heel height for uphill. Hoping to use this setup 50/50 but who knows. Thanks!

Looking to buy first backpack four touring/backcountry. Looking to go 35-40L for comfortable full day tours. Would a bag this big be usable in resort? If so, should i get something in the middle or bite the bullet and get two bags?

Looking to buy some ski / mountain prints. Would love to support a standalone ski photographer if anyone has any recs?

Hi! looking for a little bit of help here what would be the optimal setup to bring over from Europe going on a 5wk trip to visit friends in JH and SLC, to finish my trip off i will head up to WA too.

i am currently on a 95mm Black Crows Camox freebird setup, would people prefer to go wider or keep it as it is?

any other recs please shoot i am all ears!

We’re looking for 2 certified ski instructors to join our small retreat team in Myoko this winter! Strong/expert skiers welcome too!

📍 Myoko, Niigata, Japan
📅 January – February 2027
accommodation available
Season pass provided
Daily breakfast included
Some dinners included
¥3000 per hour

We run small ski & snowboard retreats in Myoko with groups of max 8-10 guests, and we’re looking for two people who are great on the mountain but also happy to be part of the overall experience.

The role is a mix of skiing with our guests on mountain days and helping with some of the day-to-day retreat operation — morning breakfast setup/cleanup, getting gear ready, rotating help with dinners, and our weekly house changeover.

You’ll have Sundays completely off, plus rotating additional time off during the week to get out and ride for yourself.

We’d love to find two friends or a couple who want to spend the winter together, but individual applicants are absolutely welcome too.

Ideally you’d be a certified ski instructor, confident on all off-piste terrain, comfortable working with guests, speak conversational English, and the ability to have legal authorization to work in Japan for the season ie-working holiday visa.

Would be a plus if you know the Myoko area and if you like to cook or have some experience.

If this sounds like your kind of winter, send me a DM with a little about yourself, your ski certification/experience, and your Japan visa/work status! ❄️

中古でZED１２購入、ブレーキなしにしようと思いますが、かかと部のアップ部品はどこで手に入りますか？

Trying to get into more ambitious tours

What would recommend as the essentials to start staying the night out back?

I recently bought a set of volkl snow wolf touring skis and i was wanting to find either the skins or the plastic tip peice for the skins that i can attach to the skins i just bought. I can’t even find old pictures on the internet anywhere to make them myself.
Does anyone have information about them or pictures?

Lost my testie in the skiing accident this spring. That was one of the day that you shouldn't go to the mountains because your gut is telling you this...Anyway end up with tomahawking in the steep couloir and barely escaping death. I was devastated at first but looks like I recovered physically and mentally... of course I won't that happen again as I now don't have the spare one...

My urologist recommended to use protective cup if I want to go back on the snow, but I did some research ( mainly AI generated so not that trustworthy) and there was some considerations that wearing a cup might not be such a good idea as if you fall and it will move it will crush your ball instead of protect it (gillotine effect that works on my imagination pretty bad:)).

AI recommendation was to use compressive underwear and crash pants like LEATT 3DF 5.0. I understand how that could make me more safe but also not looks like perfect solution ...

So looking for someone's opinion (being the same situation as me) what are you actually using for protection while freeriding ( also would like to go back to bikeparks but that seems to me more risky). While I totally understand that you can't eliminate the risk I'm curious of the possibilities how to limit it.

So far I went back to basketball and for that I'm using Diamond MMA protective cup. It is quite OK i terms of comfort (not ideal but still it is not limiting me much). However basketball is totally different type of activity , basketball court is flat and there are no rocks as you can imagine :)

Peace and have a great day everybody :)

Random question but not sure where to post this – are any folks here part of the CSGA program, and might have tips or advice for me? I'm hoping to apply for the level 1 this year and looking for advice on specifically how to format the ski resume portion or any other tips you might have.

Cheers!

Hey guys, been saving up for a couple years to take the up coming winter off and head out on a road trip (start at ski big three then the powder highway)

Got a winter under my belt split boarding (have been skiing/boarding for 29 years - 36 now)

Looking for some info on which guide books and trail maps that I could pick up. I’ve seen a north and south Rogers pass book but looking to pick up as much as possible for that huge area. Also any ski in and ski out hut info.

Did my avy course in Canmore and was thinking of calling them for all the hut info

Honestly anything would be useful and super appreciated for adding to the trip between resort visits (just looking to make the most outa the time I get to be out there)

Thanks

I hope someone likes this article

Hi all,

This question must get asked here a lot and seems like most people recommend to get separate setups for alpine/ touring but I feel my case is a bit different.

I grew up skiing, switched to snowboarding a couple of years ago and love it. Last season I bought a cheap splitboard and it is honestly a pain especially with transitions. I could get a super nice split board, but they seem to be even more expensive than nice ski touring setups. On top of this, I want to be able to resort ski because a mountian near me (Mad River Glen) seems to have something against snowboarders.

So I am thinking it would be great to get a hybrid ski setup that I could use at Mad River and go back country. People talk about the Shift bindings not being super good but I have a friend that recommend them and I feel that having a "tricky" transition will not be that noticeable to me because a splitboard transition is much more tricky haha.

Let me know what you guys suggest, do you think I should go for the shifts? They are fairly common to find on Fb marketplace it seems.

weather can turn a normal trip into a completely different experience pretty quickly. rain is one thing, but strong wind, sudden temperature drops, heavy snow or poor visibility can make even familiar terrain feel very different.

i’m curious about the trips where the weather forced you to change your plans

what happened, and what did you learn from it?

I’m currently in SLC but am sick of the crowds and am looking to move somewhere with similar levels of access but less road traffic and less busy backcountry. Other than that, my only criteria are really Amazon prime availability and proximity to an airport. If you were me, where would you move?

I'm an intermediate skier, but I'm new to the touring world (I've only tried it once), and I just bought a brand-new pair of Salomon MTN Summit Pro boots. I'm not sure if they fit properly or if I should size up.

I got a size 28/28.5. I had my feet measured at a ski shop a few weeks ago (while wearing regular thin socks — my right foot was 28 Mondo and my left was 27.5.) I just received the boots.

I know they're pretty stiff and tight when brand new, but I'm not sure if I should keep them or size up. The width feels good (tight, but not painful), but I'm not sure about the length. In ski mode, the length feels good, but I can feel the boot pressing against the inner side of my big toe (as shown in the picture with red colour), and it's the same on both feet.

But when in walk mode, I can feel the end of the boot slightly.

I suppose that if these were regular boots just for going downhill, it would be fine, but I'm not sure if the fit should be the same for touring boots, since I'll be spending much more time walking and going uphill.

Thanks a lot!

Hey everyone, I’m considering picking up a used pair of QST Blanks to put atk raiders on as a freeride touring ski. Has anyone else done this?

I’m moving from the backland 109 with Shift2 so weight would be nearly the same, but looking for a more capable ski now that I have lighter bindings. I’ll probably hold onto the backland’s to put a lighter binding on as well for longer vert days.

Also welcoming other freeride touring ski suggestions, ideally I would get a wildcat 108 tour but impossible to find in my budget.

Thanks!

Edit:

I’m 5’8, 165lbs, expert skier, boots are atomic hawx xtd 130, ski primarily in Utah, but moving to PNW next year

Does anyone have experience with the mountain hardwear absolute zero mitts. I used to use Outdoor Research one but was not as impressed when the temps really dipped (<-10F). For reference this is in interior Alaska.

Hello!

I'm looking for recommendations for skis to use touring in Scotland.

Most touring Skis are fatter underfoot but most of what I've skied in Scotland is a mixture of ice, rock and heather. Occasionally we'll get perfect powder but I don't know what the right balance is. Any advice/recs please let me know!

Cheers!