The Mercurial Role of Skiing
From time to time, I think that it’s important to ask: What does skiing mean to you? For me, it is something that changes season by season and day by day. In many ways, it comes down to another question: What do I need skiing to be? Last year, I was deep in a training cycle for a trip to the …
BC Ski Shootout: Which Scale-based Ski Is Right For You
Today we’re getting fishy and breaking down the differences in performance characteristics between the UltraVector BC, V6 BC, and Objective BC. If this is your first time looking into a Scale-based ski you probably have a lot of questions about how, when, and where to use them. You can find the answers to all of these questions in one of …
Embracing the Fear: A Tribute to Steep Skiing
All Photos Courtesy of Aidan Goldie-Ahumada What is it about steep skiing that has enthralled so many? As the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda said, “Someday, somewhere – anywhere, unfailingly, you’ll find yourself, and that, and only that, can be the happiest or bitterest hour of your life.” Both the happiest and bitterest moments in my life, the ones where I …
Finding The Right Avalanche Shovel For You
Often overlooked, the avalanche shovel is an essential piece of gear that can hold much more utility than just scooping snow. Each avalanche shovel comes with its own unique size, weight, grip, and special features (such as air-guitar-ability). To help distill this information, we’re going to break it all down to help you decide which is the right avalanche shovel …
A Field Guide To Repairing Your Gear
Photo Courtesy of Aidan Goldie-Ahumada We’ve all been there; one minute you’re excitedly pulling your favorite puffy jacket on, ready to run out the door for a day of skiing, the next you’re staring in shock and frustration at the zipper, split wide open as cold air billows through the jacket. Outdoor gear, like everything, has a lifespan and suffers …
Camber Shootout: Early-Rise vs. Hybrid Rocker vs. Hybrid 2.0
Look, we know what you’re thinking…”Didn’t we already have this conversation in an older blog post?”. And the answer is yes. But, back then, we had not yet developed our award-winning Manti Ski and with its introduction to our lineup, we think it might be worth re-visiting the topic. The last time we did this we looked specifically towards our …
What Makes Voile Hyper Skis Different
Here at Voile, we make skis for the backcountry. Keeping it simple, solid, and lightweight are top priorities for everything we build. This formula is proven to work well for almost all backcountry users. But then there are those who want to take weight savings and uphill performance to the next level. This is the reason behind our Hyper series …
An Ode To Low-Angle Terrain
SKIING LOW-ANGLE TERRAIN IS STILL SKIING, AND SKIING IS THE BEST. PERIOD. Many avalanche classes and backcountry riding communities stress that “the decision to not go is never wrong,” or some other such quip that values the ability to ski another day over the risk of life or serious injury in the event of an avalanche. In a world where …
2022 Wandering Trails Scholarship Recipients
It’s always difficult to select winners from among so many incredible applicants, but we’re proud to announce Devin Gaan (Grand Prize) and Song Seto (Runner-Up) as the recipients of the Wandering Trails Scholarship for Women in the Backcountry. We’re giving a round of applause to the brave athletes who shared their stories with us. Thank you for trusting us to …
Everything You Need To Know About Climbing Skins
Having a good set of climbing skins and knowing how to use them can be the difference between an epic day of riding and a complete suffer-fest. We’ll be running you through their history, installation, maintenance, and everything in-between. Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Climbing Skins. The History of Climbing Skins Climbing skins have been around for a …
