When heading out of bounds for a day tour, you can pack the bare essentials to tag your line or bring some of your favorite creature comforts like an extra mug of coffee or a hopped up IPA for the summit. With decades of experience touring and guiding, our internationally recognized and certified guides came up with the ultimate backcountry skiing packing list to make sure you are setup to have a fun and safe tour.
Backcountry Skiing Equipment
Alpine Touring Boots - AT boots were made for walking, and like any footwear you spend an entire day walking in, a proper fit makes this the most essential part of an AT setup. Our bootfitters advice- forget specific features and focus on the correct fit.
Touring Skis - With hundreds of models and lengths to choose from, choosing the correct ski can be a daunting task. Keep your selection simple and purpose driven. For every day touring and all mountain conditions, 90-105mm is a great width range for most people to explore all conditions and snow types.
Bindings - Alpine touring bindings come in all shapes, sizes and weights. They're an essential part of moving uphill and recently have seen more technology advancements than most other pieces of gear. From the lightest race bindings to the heaviest alpine hybrid bindings, selecting the right binding is important, as is being realistic on how you'll use them. Bigger does not always mean better!
Skins - Skins enable us to walk uphill and are the bike tires of skiing- they'll last 80 or so days before being replaced or re-glued. Most skins are typically made of nylon, mohair, or a combination of the both. Nylon grips well and glides okay. Mohair glides well and grips okay. Our most popular skins typically are made from a combination of the two- capitalizing on the best of both worlds.
Poles - Don't sleep on touring specific poles. Repeat- adjustable touring poles are important. It's good to have long poles for power going uphill, and short poles for maneuverability downhill. Adjustable touring poles accomplish both, and most options offer either carbon or aluminum versions.
Touring Skis - With hundreds of models and lengths to choose from, choosing the correct ski can be a daunting task. Keep your selection simple and purpose driven. For every day touring and all mountain conditions, 90-105mm is a great width range for most people to explore all conditions and snow types.
Bindings - Alpine touring bindings come in all shapes, sizes and weights. They're an essential part of moving uphill and recently have seen more technology advancements than most other pieces of gear. From the lightest race bindings to the heaviest alpine hybrid bindings, selecting the right binding is important, as is being realistic on how you'll use them. Bigger does not always mean better!
Skins - Skins enable us to walk uphill and are the bike tires of skiing- they'll last 80 or so days before being replaced or re-glued. Most skins are typically made of nylon, mohair, or a combination of the both. Nylon grips well and glides okay. Mohair glides well and grips okay. Our most popular skins typically are made from a combination of the two- capitalizing on the best of both worlds.
Poles - Don't sleep on touring specific poles. Repeat- adjustable touring poles are important. It's good to have long poles for power going uphill, and short poles for maneuverability downhill. Adjustable touring poles accomplish both, and most options offer either carbon or aluminum versions.
Avalanche Safety Equipment
Whenever you are heading out of bounds, a full avalanche safety kit is a no questions asked essential.
Beacon - The piece of technology that could save your or your buddies life. While all beacons operate on the same modern frequency, beacons tend to have different features across the brands. Avalanche instructors and guides will all say the same thing, though- the best beacon is the one you are familiar with and use regularly.
Shovel - Your backcountry partner will appreciate you digging them out with a high quality shovel. While they come in a variety of sizes, many choose to go on the bigger side for faster snow removal in an emergency.
Probe - Probes pinpoint a buried victim in an avalanche. They fold up like a tentpole but are designed to release to full length quickly in a singular motion. Probes come in either aluminum or carbon and at varying lengths. If you live in a place with a deep mid-winter snowpack (WA, OR, CA), you'll most likely go a bit longer (over 300cm) in length. For those in CO or UT, many will be fine with a 240cm length probe.
Backpack - A durable, uphill specific pack makes life exponentially easier than using a regular backpack. Touring specific packs offer unique feature sets that are specific to ski touring, racing, or airbags for avalanche terrain.
Beacon - The piece of technology that could save your or your buddies life. While all beacons operate on the same modern frequency, beacons tend to have different features across the brands. Avalanche instructors and guides will all say the same thing, though- the best beacon is the one you are familiar with and use regularly.
Shovel - Your backcountry partner will appreciate you digging them out with a high quality shovel. While they come in a variety of sizes, many choose to go on the bigger side for faster snow removal in an emergency.
Probe - Probes pinpoint a buried victim in an avalanche. They fold up like a tentpole but are designed to release to full length quickly in a singular motion. Probes come in either aluminum or carbon and at varying lengths. If you live in a place with a deep mid-winter snowpack (WA, OR, CA), you'll most likely go a bit longer (over 300cm) in length. For those in CO or UT, many will be fine with a 240cm length probe.
Backpack - A durable, uphill specific pack makes life exponentially easier than using a regular backpack. Touring specific packs offer unique feature sets that are specific to ski touring, racing, or airbags for avalanche terrain.
Alpine Touring Apparel
Layering is an art, and we're here to help you select the ideal system to ensure warmth and comfort for a day outside.
Ski Socks- Ski socks can make or break a day. A new boot deserves new socks, as this they are important for both warmth and fit of a touring boot. Note: Thicker is not always more warm or comfortable. A snug fitting or compression sock will also help prevent blisters.
Brimmed Hat- Brimmed hats are becoming more and more popular for ski touring as they help keep the sun out of your face and offer some warmth when it's not quite cold enough for a winter hat. 8 hours in the sun can be a lot- even with sunscreen - and a brimmed hat is a backcountry essential.
Warm Hat- Keep your noggin' warm on the up and the down, depending on conditions. Need we say more? Long hair or not, winter is cold!
Helmet- Helmets are standard these days, and light is still safe. Helmets for downhill skiing are heavy and don't breathe- so choose a lightweight, breathable, touring specific helmet.
Base Layer Bottom- Keep your legs warm and dry with long underwear that breathes well and gives warm. Wool- more comfortable, doesn't smell after use, keeps you warm when wet. Synthetic- lighter, more breathable, and less expensive (on average)
Base Layer Top- Often we sweat the most on our upper bodies while ski touring and it's important to mitigate heat and moisture. Wool and synthetic both have advantages, but make sure you're using one of them. Cotton kills!
Mid-weight / breathable insulating layer- Take the edge off of wind or maybe just a tiny bit of extra warmth is needed. Sometimes a down jacket is too much, and just a bit of insulation is needed. Ideally this layer is synthetic for good breathability.
Hardshell or softshell ski/snowboard pants- Softshell vs Hardshell comes down to personal preference, depending on where you live. PNW folks often will want the most waterproof hardshell, whereas Colorado skiers will be using either/or depending on conditions. Breathability is key, and vents are key on layers with non-breathable fabrics.
Hardshell (waterproof + breathable) jacket- As with shell pants, a ski touring specific hardshell jacket is an important layer to block wind and water, while also letting out moisture. Breathability is as important as waterproofness, as we generate heat while ski touring normally.
Larger weight (i.e. 800 fill) 'security' puffy (down or synthetic)- From November to March, a puffy jacket not only will be brought, but used on day tours. Remember- if you're warm and even a little sweaty from going uphill, it takes only minutes to cool to an uncomfortable temperature.
Gloves- Ski touring gloves (or mittens) should have good dexterity, and match to regulate temp Most experienced ski tourers have a few different pairs they will select from, depending on the day. Example: Glove liners for a warm spring day in march, heavier gloves or mittens for a cold January day.
Mittens (aka "Oh Shit Mitts")- A staple of any ski tourers kit, "Oh Shit Mitts" should be light and ready for emergencies. On the days you just can't get warm- down mittens are great. Compact-able and extremely warm, it's not a burden to have these live in your backpack.
Ski Socks- Ski socks can make or break a day. A new boot deserves new socks, as this they are important for both warmth and fit of a touring boot. Note: Thicker is not always more warm or comfortable. A snug fitting or compression sock will also help prevent blisters.
Brimmed Hat- Brimmed hats are becoming more and more popular for ski touring as they help keep the sun out of your face and offer some warmth when it's not quite cold enough for a winter hat. 8 hours in the sun can be a lot- even with sunscreen - and a brimmed hat is a backcountry essential.
Warm Hat- Keep your noggin' warm on the up and the down, depending on conditions. Need we say more? Long hair or not, winter is cold!
Helmet- Helmets are standard these days, and light is still safe. Helmets for downhill skiing are heavy and don't breathe- so choose a lightweight, breathable, touring specific helmet.
Base Layer Bottom- Keep your legs warm and dry with long underwear that breathes well and gives warm. Wool- more comfortable, doesn't smell after use, keeps you warm when wet. Synthetic- lighter, more breathable, and less expensive (on average)
Base Layer Top- Often we sweat the most on our upper bodies while ski touring and it's important to mitigate heat and moisture. Wool and synthetic both have advantages, but make sure you're using one of them. Cotton kills!
Mid-weight / breathable insulating layer- Take the edge off of wind or maybe just a tiny bit of extra warmth is needed. Sometimes a down jacket is too much, and just a bit of insulation is needed. Ideally this layer is synthetic for good breathability.
Hardshell or softshell ski/snowboard pants- Softshell vs Hardshell comes down to personal preference, depending on where you live. PNW folks often will want the most waterproof hardshell, whereas Colorado skiers will be using either/or depending on conditions. Breathability is key, and vents are key on layers with non-breathable fabrics.
Hardshell (waterproof + breathable) jacket- As with shell pants, a ski touring specific hardshell jacket is an important layer to block wind and water, while also letting out moisture. Breathability is as important as waterproofness, as we generate heat while ski touring normally.
Larger weight (i.e. 800 fill) 'security' puffy (down or synthetic)- From November to March, a puffy jacket not only will be brought, but used on day tours. Remember- if you're warm and even a little sweaty from going uphill, it takes only minutes to cool to an uncomfortable temperature.
Gloves- Ski touring gloves (or mittens) should have good dexterity, and match to regulate temp Most experienced ski tourers have a few different pairs they will select from, depending on the day. Example: Glove liners for a warm spring day in march, heavier gloves or mittens for a cold January day.
Mittens (aka "Oh Shit Mitts")- A staple of any ski tourers kit, "Oh Shit Mitts" should be light and ready for emergencies. On the days you just can't get warm- down mittens are great. Compact-able and extremely warm, it's not a burden to have these live in your backpack.
Backcountry Skiing Day Tour Accessories
Like all sports, the nuts and bolts of ski touring can often be overlooked. From tools to sunglasses, we've come up with an essential list of accessories
Sunglasses- Snow blindness is real. Sunglasses are great for both uphill and downhill skiing when conditions don't require goggles.
Goggles- Bad weather, cold weather, you name it- Goggles are in any skiers kit! Lenses that react to changes in light, or goggles with multiple lenses (low light and high light) are required.
Sunscreen- 3 words- skin cancer prevention
Water bottle- You can't hydrate enough during exercise, and humans typically tend to under-hydrate in the cold. Bladders with hoses are a NO GO system. Even with "insulation" on the hoses, they still freeze.
Ski Straps- The most useful pieces of gear in repair kits. 3 straps are recommended, with at least one being 15 inches. Common uses for everyday use are strapping skis together and attaching skis/poles to carry on backpack. Common uses for repair include broken buckles/straps on boots, broken bindings (attaching the boot to the ski), and keeping skins on skis due to skin glue failure or skin tail breakages.
GPS- More and more skiers are carrying GPS devices for emergencies. Cell phones, as always, don't typically have service in many backcountry zones.
Ski scraper/crystal card- Efficiently scrape snow off your skis. On long tours with temperate changes, snow has a habit of sticking and weighing your skis down. Crystal cards for snow science also work great as a scraper as well.
Lunch/Snack Food- You can't have enough. Better to be prepared with a well balanced snack plan.
Camera/Phone- Savor the moment! Note: Phones should not be relied as a means of emergency contact.
Med Kit- Always be prepared with some basic essentials. Over time it's good to replace and or supplement different pieces of the kit.
Repair Kit- Our Grand Traverse repair kit carries some key repair essentials, and should be supplemented with ski straps (previously listed) among some other things. Some folks carry backup binding/boot parts that are specific to their gear.
Neck Gaiter- An essential for blocking wind or sun, and adding breathable warm to the face and neck.
Sunglasses- Snow blindness is real. Sunglasses are great for both uphill and downhill skiing when conditions don't require goggles.
Goggles- Bad weather, cold weather, you name it- Goggles are in any skiers kit! Lenses that react to changes in light, or goggles with multiple lenses (low light and high light) are required.
Sunscreen- 3 words- skin cancer prevention
Water bottle- You can't hydrate enough during exercise, and humans typically tend to under-hydrate in the cold. Bladders with hoses are a NO GO system. Even with "insulation" on the hoses, they still freeze.
Ski Straps- The most useful pieces of gear in repair kits. 3 straps are recommended, with at least one being 15 inches. Common uses for everyday use are strapping skis together and attaching skis/poles to carry on backpack. Common uses for repair include broken buckles/straps on boots, broken bindings (attaching the boot to the ski), and keeping skins on skis due to skin glue failure or skin tail breakages.
GPS- More and more skiers are carrying GPS devices for emergencies. Cell phones, as always, don't typically have service in many backcountry zones.
Ski scraper/crystal card- Efficiently scrape snow off your skis. On long tours with temperate changes, snow has a habit of sticking and weighing your skis down. Crystal cards for snow science also work great as a scraper as well.
Lunch/Snack Food- You can't have enough. Better to be prepared with a well balanced snack plan.
Camera/Phone- Savor the moment! Note: Phones should not be relied as a means of emergency contact.
Med Kit- Always be prepared with some basic essentials. Over time it's good to replace and or supplement different pieces of the kit.
Repair Kit- Our Grand Traverse repair kit carries some key repair essentials, and should be supplemented with ski straps (previously listed) among some other things. Some folks carry backup binding/boot parts that are specific to their gear.
Neck Gaiter- An essential for blocking wind or sun, and adding breathable warm to the face and neck.
Essential Items from a Backcountry Nerd
Slater Alpin is a gear nerd living in Colorado. He enjoys low-angle powder, steep-angle powder, and everything in between. Here's the gear he always has in his pack on a day out.
- 500 mL Soft Flask: I like using a soft flask for water because it packs down when empty. My touring pack also has an insulated sleeve on the shoulder strap, so I can sip water while touring rather than gulp water at breaks. I highly recommend a pack with this feature or an auxiliary soft flask holder.
- Salomon MTN Lab Ski Helmet: This is the lightest CE 1077 certified (tested for alpine skiing impact) ski helmet that actually feels like a downhill ski helmet. It has a secure sense of full coverage, a great quick-adjust mechanism, and a removable liner. I take out the liner because I like to ski with a hat underneath my helmet instead of the liner. Goggles also fit this helmet a lot better than other lightweight ski helmet options because of its flat brim.
- Pomoca Free Pro 2.0 Climbing Skins: These are the lightest skins made by Pomoca. Lightweight skins are an effective and often overlooked way to save weight on the uphill. It's important to keep in mind that the Free Pro skin is lighter because it's thinner and thus less durable.
- Fix Kit: This zippered nylon pouch includes a small multitool with appropriate bits for my bindings, a pole basket, skin and ski wax, long voile straps, duct tape, stainless steel wire, and an extra USB-chargeable battery with appropriate charging cables. I'd love to hear what people have in their repair kit, as mine is an on-going project of cutting extraneous materials and including new, thoughtful additions.
- First Aid Kit: I find it appropriate to carry as many first aid supplies as you are trained to use. I'll leave this interesting bullet point for another blog post. Here's a great first aid supply list that I often reference.
- Mammut Baryvox S Beacon: The Baryvox S has the largest search range and the highest level of functionality of any beacon on the market. For me, range and processing power are the second and third most important features in a beacon with the first being my level of familiarity and practice with it. Regardless of the beacon you choose, make a point to practice using it frequently throughout each season.
- Avalanche Shovel and Probe: If you are going to travel in avalanche terrain, a sturdy aluminum shovel and an easy-to-deploy 270 cm aluminum probe are mandatory pieces of companion rescue equipment. The length of the probe and construction of the shovel vary depending on the application, but I find durability is a solid attribute to guide these kind of gear choices.
- Backcountry Radio: In the backcountry, radios are an essential piece of safety gear. You can avoid false safe zones, greatly improve communication, and make sweet call-names for yourself and your ski partners if you carry these while backcountry skiing. The BCA radio is easy to use and weather-resistant.
- Softshell Touring Gloves: I look for a glove that I can keep on throughout the course of the day, both uphill and downhill. Something that has good dexterity for when I rummage in my pack for a snack, and preferably with a leather palm to better grip ski poles. The TNF Softshell gloves have fit all of these criteria for me, while remaining quite durable.
- Puffy Mittens: These are almost a part of my first aid kit. If the temp drops or our party is stationary for a while, the puffy mittens are a great insurance policy against cold extremities. The cold hands [and even feet] of my partners and myself have all warmed up in these goose-down sanctuaries. The CAMP Hotmitt'n mittens are packable while having an extremely high warmth to weight ratio.
- Puffy Jacket: Same as above in terms of first aid kit inclusion. I don't typically wear a puffy coat while skiing unless it's frigid out. But I might put one on while eating a snack or soaking in views before a downhill ski. I like to take my puffy jacket and mittens out of their stuff sack every so often and fluff them up as to not lose their insulative loft. A down jacket like the TNF option linked above has a higher warmth to weight ratio and is more packable than a synthetic insulation equivalent layer. The downside to down is that it's rendered ineffective at keeping you warm once wet.
- Julbo Aerospeed Sunglasses, Sunhat, and Buff: The Julbo Reactiv Performance photochromic lenses adjust from a CAT 0-3 and are the best sunglasses I've ever owned. I wear these from dark pre-dawn to bluebird afternoon without noticing an adjustment is vision. The minimalist frame provides an unobstructed field of vision, and the coverage is so good that I typically ski down with them on (no goggles needed). The sunhat and buff are great protection from sun, wind, and other mixed weather.
Want help picking out the right gear?
We are stoked help you dial in your full ski touring setup from head to toe so you have exactly what you need. Our appointments allows you to work one on one with a backcountry gear expert, ensuring you get the answers to all your questions and all the right gear to have a great ski tour.