5 Purchases to Make for Ski Season

Summer is a great time to relax, enjoy the sun, and think ahead to ski season! Jokes aside, summer is a great time to take inventory of your gear, fix and patch up your equipment, and also make some purchases to level up your tools for the winter.

The equipment I use in the backcountry is often changing and evolving, but these 5 items have become staple favorites of mine over the last few years.

Walkie Talkie + Microphone

Communicating in the backcountry is critical to safety and efficiency in the mountains, especially when skiing. I started using walkie talkies two seasons ago and they haven’t left my pack since. I like using the Rocky Talkie with a microphone mounted on my shoulder strap. It lasts all day, is seamless to use, and allows me to know where my partners are at all times.

Photochromic Sunglasses

Ski touring in the winter can involve all different lighting conditions, from full bluebird to ping pong ball storms. I like using photochromic lenses that adapt to UV light; they allow me to have one sunglass that can perform well in adjusting visibility.

I’ve been using the Julbo Fury REACTIV Link to the Julbo Fury REACTIV 0-3 lens (read a pro review!) for almost two seasons now. They’re durable, lightweight, and adjust well to all but the brightest light. If it’s going to be full blue I’ll bring my Julbo Shield REACTIV 0-4 (read a pro review!) for a little additional darkness. 

Durable Backpack

Until this past year I’ve struggled to find the right backpack for ski touring, at least for myself. I’ve used a handful of packs, from the Camp Ski Raptor to the Rab . Each had their own issues, whether it was durability or certain features. 

This past year, Kyle Siegler launched Raide, a start-up manufacturer of ski-mountaineering specific equipment. Their first product, the LF 40L, was a slam dunk. I bought it last fall in the first run of 100 packs they made and I can truly say the thing is a workhorse. It has every feature I want: diagonal carry, durable dyneema/gridstop outer, lightweight frame/support, gear loops, hip belts, etc. It’s pricy but it’s worth the investment, in my opinion. If you spend significant time in the backcountry, a solid pack is one of the most valuable pieces of gear to invest in.

Lightweight Water Bottle

In the summertime I’m mostly a trail runner, so Hydrapak soft flasks are a must for me. I like their 500mL flasks that fit snugly into the chest pockets of most trail running vests. They often come included when you purchase a Salomon ADV vest or most others. 

For the wintertime, I like using the Hydrapak Stash soft bottle, which I realize they no longer make. Bummer! But an equivalent model like the Flux is also great too. I like that they are lightweight and pack down small. I know that climbers like using the Hydrapak Mountain Stow, as they can be clipped to your harness.

Mapping Software

My inner nerd comes out here…the most valuable piece of equipment you can take with you into the backcountry is a high-quality mapping software that you are familiar with. That last piece is key so I’ll repeat it: that you are familiar with.

I am a die-hard Caltopo fan and will always recommend Caltopo over Gaia, OnX, formerly Fatmap. Caltopo is such a powerful tool, I feel like there’s always some new feature to learn and use. I have found the mobile app to be seamless, although I’ll admit it’s taken some effort from Caltopo over the years to make it what it is today.

I pay for Caltopo Pro every year and find it’s the best investment I make in regards to outdoor equipment. You get powerful offline maps, satellite imagery layers like Sentinel, and fire activity layers come summertime (sadly relevant). 

Read a great article written by Evan Watts about Caltopo.

Check Your Gear Closet and Make Improvements

Aside from these 5 items, there’s always improvements you can make to your equipment. Whether it’s buying a new piece of gear, touching up and repairing your old gear, or learning how to use your equipment better…level up for next season!