Gear Review: Fritschi Tecton backcountry ski binding

As someone who has torn her ACL three times, the safety of the bindings I ski on is of utmost importance to me. I need a binding that will stay on through steep and technical terrain, which I can trust will stay on my feet when I need it most. But, at the same time, I also need the binding to release when it should to save potential knee injuries. I have never liked the thought of skiing a tech binding in “locked mode” for fear that it won’t release when I actually need it to. The Tecton provides a perfect blend of reliability and releaseablility by integrating a host of features.

Read more

Review: La Sportiva Shadow – Women’s Backcountry Ski Boot

I’m very picky about my backcountry ski boots. Not only do I need a boot designed and engineered around a women’s foot, but I also need one that performs well on technical descents, yet is light enough and comfortable enough for long (12+ hour) tours. That combination alone severely limits the backcountry boots available to me. Typically, I lean toward a stiffer, slightly heavier, freeride-style backcountry ski boot. After demoing previous models of La Sportiva ski boots, my feedback was always, “It’s a nice boot… for someone else. I still want stiffer.” But, the release of the La Sportiva Shadow backcountry ski boot (the women’s version of the La Sportiva Synchro) finally brought a smile to my face. “Now this is a four-buckle touring boot I think I will really like,” I said. And I was right.

Read more

My 3 Favorite Women’s Skis at SIA/OR 2018

Anyone who knows me as a skier knows I’ve had very few good things to say about women’s skis in the past. Typically, I have found that women’s dedicated ski models are too soft, not torsionally rigid enough, and inhibit rather than help my skiing. But, I’m not the only one who has felt that way and the ski manufacturers are listening. Finally, I can honestly say I have found some women’s skis that I don’t want to just throw in the trash. In fact, I actually love them. These three skis will allow women to charge hard.

Read more

Gear Review: Corbeaux Baselayers

Frank and I agree on a lot of things. But, baselayers is one of the areas where we differ. That’s why we haven’t sought a sponsorship with a baselayer company in years past. Due to Frank’s eczema, he prefers synthetic baselayers. I, on the otherhand, have not been able to find a synthetic baselayer that performs as well as wool for me in the backcountry – too often synthetic layers don’t dry fast enough, leaving me chilled to the bone on a winter day. But then we tried Corbeaux Clothing, and my views of synthetic baselayers have been forever changed.

Read more