5 Gifts for the Ski Tourer in Your Life

Ski touring is a gear-heavy sport! It requires a lot of upfront big investments: skis, bindings, boots, backpack, airbag — the list goes on! That being said, there are still plenty of small purchases that could support the ski tourer in your life.

Below are some favorite purchases that aren’t ‘big-ticket’ items. I find that these items aren’t in everyone’s pack but are a great complement to other core gear items.

Rescue Tarp/Bivy/Tarp

It’s easy to forget how exposed many of us can be out in the backcountry while we’re skiing! If someone gets injured, inclement weather sets in, or we’re involved in an avalanche incident, it’s critical to have the ability to hunker down and stay shielded from the elements.

• I recently purchased this multi-purpose tarp / rescue sled / bivy from Gavin Hess at Apocalypse Equipment. Gavin is a guide and gear tinkerer who creates highly thoughtful gear that can serve multiple purposes.
• For years, I’d carried a SOL emergency blanket with me, then had upgraded to the SOL Escape Light bivy. However, neither of these were as functional or multi-purpose as this one from Gavin. 

Scraper

Without fail, I use my scraper on every single ski tour. A small scraper is incredibly useful for scraping ice off the bases of your skis, removing glue that has deposited on your ski bases from your skins, or clearing snow/ice from the ski/walk mechanism in your touring boots.

• I have a small, homemade scraper that was made from some leftover plastic, but a small scraper would make for a great stocking stuffer!

Organization Sacks

A ski touring backpack can become a mess of clutter, with snacks, water bottles, a repair kit, etc. I like to have at least some organization in my main compartment, and I achieve that through small organization sacks.

• I like these 9” x 5” nylon sacks from Ultralite Sacks, but it all depends on what you’re trying to organize! There are loads of options, from small wallet-sized sacks to compression sacks to roll-top dry bags.

GORE Windstopper Gloves

Moving uphill can be a hot and sweaty endeavor, especially here in the Pacific Northwest, where temperatures are often hovering right around freezing. I find that when I’m moving uphill, I prefer to have lightweight gloves that don’t soak up all the sweat I may generate.

• This year, I’ve loved a pair of Arc’teryx Venta gloves that have GORE Windstopper. Windstopper is a softshell material that doesn’t have much insulation but cuts the biting wind that we sometimes experience while out in the backcountry.
• These gloves are awesome but there’s plenty of other options out there for softshell, Windstopper-like material like the Outdoor Research Stormtracker Sensor glove. 

High-Carb Drink Mix

Ski touring is a metabolically taxing activity that can be hard to fuel for. It can be hard to regularly stop for snacks, hydration bladder hoses can freeze up, and we are carrying everything we have uphill, so weight is a consideration. Challenging!

I really like to load up the water I bring with a high-carb drink mix to add in calories and make some higher-density fuel sources. Plus, adding in the sugary mixture helps the water freeze at a colder temperature!

I make my own high-carb mix at home but the following all make great high carb mixes! Try some out and see which one is your favorite.

• Maurten
• Precision Hydration
• Tailwind
• Skratch Labs
• Gnarly

It’s All About What You Use Regularly

I try to think about gear in a light of ‘the best gear is the gear you use, regularly’. Find what you like, tinker, test it out, and find what works for you. If you don’t like your gear, you won’t use it! And then it’ll just sit and collect dust and that’s no good for anyone. So try a few of these out as gifts to the adventurer in your life, and see if they stick!