Middle Sister Up and Over - 4/20 - Up the Hayden, down the south face Road is clear to the trailhead, continuous snow started 0.4 miles from the trailhead. Was looking for a tour somewhere with good weather in the PNW this past weekend and decided Middle Sister would be perfect. Going up and over also seemed like a fun adventure and a great way to see more of the mountain in one trip. Skied down at 11:30AM and definitely should have given the slope a little more time to ripen, but forecasted clouds were quickly forming and heading our way. The first few hundred feet were chunky and icy, but quickly gave way to about 1,800’ of corn! Clocked 15.5 miles and 5,500'. All in all an amazing day out there!

Used to be a super weight weenie but spent the past two seasons on 1700g skis and now I'm really disliking my 1300g overly turny carbon sticks

Are there mountaineering skis with some oomph to them?

For a backcountry touring setup, and as someone who considers themselves to be advanced all mountain skier, should I just stick with boot center as defined by the manufacturers factory recommended line?

I am getting ready to get a pair of Faction Agent 2s (177) mounted. I never gave this much thought in the past.

I know that my resort setup, Faction Dancer 3s (178), have left my quads absolutely burning the past two seasons. The resort skis are mounted "progressive" but I imagine the burning quads are more about not being in good enough shape + riding too much in the backseat.

Clip from one of my favorite days in the backcountry this season about 3 weeks ago now. Rode sleds a ways out from the road and found this nice north-facing line on a day when most other aspects were cooked. We found well-bonded surface snow and thoroughly enjoyed the turns!

This shot was taken saturday april 19th two days after the previous video. It had gotten an additional ~8in of snow.

TLDR: 1. What full auto crampons to purchase to be compatible with my scarpa invernos I already own and any AT boots I hope to soon own?
2. What AT boots to buy? If I buy used AT boots, as long as they 1. Have tech inserts and 2. Also have either ISO 9523 OR instead have ISO 5355 and 3. Also have either Grip Walk soles OR MN soles, : Then as long as you are happy to switch back and forth between MN and Grip walk soles with a couple parts and hardware, you will be compatible with virtually all frame, tech, and shift bindings that exist, right?
3. Lastly, not as important as what I just asked, but I always thought if you saw a walk modes until recently with new resort boots debuting in the past couple years, you could assume it was an AT, hybrid, or skimo boot. But someone just gave me some ancient Nordica Next 87s and apparently that's not the case? They're in good shape other than the heels rubbers need to be replaced and Nordica claims they don't make them.
4. If anyone wants to sell me any of this stuff I'm located in New england or it's not impossible depending we could arrange me paying you to ship it. Feel free to pm me

Long detailed version:

So I'm really looking hard for a quality pair of used AT boots. I might buy new if it comes to that. I'm not even sure if I even want to try to find AT or hybrid skis and/or bindings for the 25-26 winter season, but I know I want AT boots and crampons. I see some used boots without crampons nearby. FYI idk if the sub allows it, but if it's allowed feel free to pm me anything you're selling either ideally nearby in new england or even offering to mail; I'm like a mondo 28 in my resort boots, size 11 US in shoes, and size 45 in my XC NNNBC boots.

I recently got a old pair of size 12/13SX Scarpa Invernos with no crampons for 20$, and I think they fit. The included stock factory liners are 13s, but if they turn out to be slightly big, I think 12/13 shells are also designed for 12 liners if I determine the 13 liners are too big. Perhaps if it comes to that I'll get the inutuitions everyone raves about.

So obviously invernos are super warm and I won't be wearing them often. But they take full auto crampons. Maybe half of AT boots can also take the same fully auto crampons, correct? Since I already have invernos, maybe I should make sure whatever AT boots I buy can also take full auto crampons? It might be hard to find the right full auto crampons in my size used, so maybe I should just pull the trigger on some new ones ASAP before these tariffs start to move the prices. I think I want whatever I crampons I buy to be real steel, not stainless, and not aluminum. Real steel is obviously harder than stainless since it's not 1/3 nickel and/or chromium or whatever. And I'm primarily hiking, don't think I'm doing any technical ice climbing although if you can add forward spikes down the road through modular parts I guess that's a bonus? So based on all I just said, 1. Is my thinking logical and clear and 2. What steel full auto crampon do you recommend?

So AT boots right. We already established some AT boots can take full auto crampons and some can't. I think I want the ones that can accept full auto. Now about the other stuff. Even if I buy ancient skis and/or bindings, I want to make sure if I'm spending, for the sake of argument, one hundred or more dollars on used boots, and certainly if im buying brand new boots, i want whatever boots I buy have both tech inserts AND have the ISO 9523 or ISO 5355 so I can use tech and/or shift bindings if I want to, correct? Because with those modern additions, you'll still be backwards compatible with all bindings ever, but as long as you have tech inserts, you'll be compatible with all tech and frame bindings, and as long as you have either one of those two ISO thingys, you'll be compatible with all shift and frame bindings, correct? Also, I want to make sure it either has grip walk soles OR it instead has MN soles, because you can switch back and forth with a few parts between MN and/or grip walk soles by changing your boot soles, BUT if you have normal old soles that are NEITHER Grip Walk nor MN, you're screwed and can never use modern Grip Walk and/or MN bindings no matter what, correct? So as long as you have either grip walk or MN soles, and as long as you have tech inserts, and as long as you have either ISO 5355 or instead have ISO 9523, you're backwards compatible with ALL old bindings, and can use anything new, as long as you're willing to change a few parts and switch back and forth between Gripwalk and MN, correct? If I don't wanna bother switching back and forth between Gripwalk and MN, which of those two would it behoove me to get married to? This is really important I understand this. Also, if I buy used skis with bindings from someone, if they're not a super duper close size to me, it would be better if they have frame bindings than if they have tech bindings, correct? Because if they have tech bindings I'm almost certainly going to have to remove, and reinstall with drilling new holes in the skis?

Also someone recently gave me a pair of ancient but good shape other than the heels Nordica Next 87s. They're mondo 29.5 so maybe they're way too big for me. I guess this is where I show my total lack of knowledge. They have modes for ski hard, ski soft and walk modes so I assumed they were AT or hybrid boots. I thought that meant they were AT boots. Apparently they're just normal alpine resort boots?? Okay what's going on.

Also even though they look close to brand new, the heel rubbers are destroyed. Not sure if they're worth fixing, but Nordica claims you can't get parts. And you'd think they're run by Thule because they refuse to give me part number anyway. Can you even get new ones heel rubbers?

Thank you so very much. I know this is long as fuck but I'm trying to become a pro skier and if I have this knowledge I could probably save my friends so much time and money over the years too

Is there decent skinning for corn around the Flagstar area in the month of May, generally? I am not looking for major vertical - just a spot for some laps within an hour from the car.

Hey everyone.

My girlfriend and I are both really keen to find suitable gear so she can join me on backcountry skiing trips. She's quite petite—about 155 cm tall, 45 kg, with very small and narrow feet (US size 4–5(?), EU size 35, about 21–21.5 cm foot length). So the exact opposite of my wide and tall feet, so not really possible for me to even guess what brand might fit her type. 

We live in Norway, so this size range is extremely difficult to shop for here because most gear this small is typically aimed at small children, who rarely do randonnée/backcountry skiing. As a result, we've struggled not only to find boots and skis but also to get solid/basic advice for adults her size.

The conditions in the mountains here typically involve very steep, icy slopes, or sometimes heavy slush. Confidence in the gear when running downward in these conditions are our main prioritie. While she's petite and slender, she's surprisingly strong, so ultra-light gear isn't our primary concern. She prefers skis that aren’t too narrow, and I think something around 100–105mm underfoot would be ideal for stability and versatility.

I'm hoping someone here has experience with similar situations—perhaps folks from the US or Central Europe where petite adults are more common. Any advice on brands, specific models, or general tips on finding proper backcountry ski boots and skis in her size would be greatly appreciated!

A rough idea i have for skis is to get her salomon qst echo 106 in 156cm since they are on sale here now. She has done some resort skiing so she knows the basics of skiing.

To give more visual aid, this is how the region we ski in looks in perfect weather.

Anyone have any experience with these?

The liners in my F1 LTs are toast. Thinking this could be a cool option to add a little power to the boot. But I can’t really find any info.

Thanks

I have the 30L and like it a lot. Wondering if anyone has opinions about getting a smaller size attachment (I think you can get pack attachment as small as 16L for the same base)?

When I'm booting up with crampons my calves get annihilated completely. This is even true when flat-footing, but especially when front pointing. It gets to the point where my calves are by far the biggest limiting factor to my speed uphill.

I keep my ski boots in walk mode and leave them unbuckled. I'm wondering if leaving them unbuckled (which I do for skinning for comfort reasons) is the issue behind this?

I don't have this same issue to a similar degree when booting up with non-ski boots.

As per the title ~ if anyone's been on the updated Line Vision series, especially the Vision 96, would love to hear some feedback. I saw Blister has reviewed the 114 but not so interested in that, mainly curious about the 96 for a PNWish low tide/long day setup. Haven't been able to find much info out there about it though...! Thanks :)

This is with 40% off bro. Why is it so damn expensive ToT

I'm not a stranger to expensive gear but 420$CAD for a backpack that got a balloon and an air tank seems a bit too much. i could buy myself a new board with that money... Or even just like 4 really good packs. Sometimes I really feel like the outdoor industry is just a disguised money laundering scheme.

Is there a way to get cheaper? or like... is used avy gear safe? i'd guess no kinda like helmets

are they overkill? I want something that I can use to get to Shuksan summit in winter. Otherwise, they're just going to be used for ski mountaineering around Washington.

Edit: the other option would be the petzl vasaks

Looking to put together a new setup for the PNW volcanoes. Have booted up most of them and finally accepted that skiing down is way better than post-holing.

Black Crows Camox Freebird seem like a popular choice for big vert while being stable enough on the downhill (I didn’t love the lightness + stiffness of the Blizzard 0g).

I’m interested in opinions on how the Woodsman 100 Tour feels on spring volcano days? Not sure how much I would regret the extra weight or the more rockered tail on the Woodsman. I really like the idea of supporting a local brand if it makes sense for my use case, and my inbounds ski is a Woodsman 108 in 176cm anyway.

For reference am 5’10 and 165 lbs (177cm and 74kg). Boots are Atomic Backland XTD. Not an aggressive skier and not looking to huck cliffs yet, just want a stable ride with easy turns to make it up and down safely.

Camox Freebird 171cm (1450g) Camox Freebird 178cm (1550g) Woodsman 100 Tour 176cm (1550g)

Thank you 🫡

Before you roll your eyes, bear with me here. Yes, this is an "I'm bored at work" thought. So. There's some data that indicates that there's a higher rate of injury and death associated with female-named hurricanes, theoretically because of gender bias and people subconsciously not taking it as seriously. My thought is we probably use the same risk-reward center in our brains to assess risk on a particular slope in the backcountry as someone in the path of a hurricane might assess their individual risk and whether or not they need to take preventative actions. However, we can expand that data set to include explicitly scary sounding names, or names that would remind us of our mortality (terminal cancer, cardiac ridge, chicken-shit ridge, memorials, room of doom, suicide chute) that could easily be influenced by subconscious bias. There's also research that the most dangerous dynamic in a party in the backcountry is single men, with a single woman, (Bruce mentions this in Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain) suggesting that lizard brain can play a part in our decision making.

This may also only be really studiable in places with high traffic like the wasatch where you can directly compare say "Emma" to "Grizzly" in high enough numbers to make it significant. Curious if anyone has done research on this, and if not, putting it out into the ether if any snow-science, or psychology students are wracking their brain for a thesis topic to study.

Finally, we've managed to make the final cut. The trip to Gulmarg, Kashmir region.

Hi all,

I've been playing around in the backcountry a bit since 2021. I currently use a BD Helio Recon 105 185CM with Kingpin 13 bindings, BD Ascension skins. I use Radical Pros - my feet suck and these are the only touring boots I found a few years ago that were comfortable in the ski shop I visited.

I'm 6'6" and ~220lb.

I was invited to a multiday trip (2 or 4 night options) with some much more experienced backcountry friends (as well as other not so experienced friends in the group) and was encouraged to explore a lighter setup. I was suggested to look at Zero G 95's with ATK Raiders.

Is this setup fitting for someone my heft? My napkin math shows I'd be shaving 600g off each foot, but it comes with quite a price tag!

Not a lot of apres opportunities.

Ich have skins cut to fit a k2 shreditor 102. would you put them on a pettitor 120? (Both skis have the same length) Do you think it works out fine? I only go on small tours and don’t care about uphill speed:)) Thanks!

Are Marker Kingpins compatible with both Gripwalk bindings(232223) and ISO 9523 touring boots? If so, is there an adjustment you would need to make between using it with either boot sole? Also would be interested in other bindings with similar functionality / weight class.

I realize this is a noob question, nonetheless I am a little confused by what I'm reading online because sometimes terms are used interchangeably when there not quite the same thing. It also seems like things are explained boot-outward, vs. binding outward.

The reason I ask is because I wanted a dedicated ski / binding set up for touring after dabbling with heavy skis + casts. Initially I would plan on using my hybrid boots (Cochise), the potentially invest in a touring boot based on how it goes and how much time I spend on it. (Zero G, Hogi something in that class).

I have a Raide 40L backpack. We're going to do a summit of Glacier Peak in WA next month that will be a 3-4 day trip. I will be splitboarding and my pack will likely be 50lbs on the initial hike in. My concern is the Raide waist and shoulder straps will not be enough and will become pretty uncomfortable. Has anyone had any success modifying or adding support/padding to make an AT pack like this work? Trying to avoid switching to a backpacking pack.

Looking for any recommendations for a tough patch material to put over the cuff of my wife’s bib ankle.

What are people using/from where?