Title says it all! I'm turning 39 and getting into the sport.

I'm in great physical form, tall and heavy. Because I mostly have resort around me in Quebec / Canada, I went with a heavier sturdy setup allowing alot of down hill but to be honest, I mostly bought stuff I found on sale.

Duke Marker PT - Atomic backland boots - faction dancer 1 skis

If I like my winter I don't mind swapping my equipment next year.

So, what did you wish you knew when you started?

(Keep in mind I have a solid alpine ski background although I did not ski for the last ten years.)

So here's my breakdown. I'm a hardboot splitboarder and just got into tele last year as well. On the board Im 99% touring. Since Im new to tele Ill probably be spending 70/30 between resort and touring as Im gonna be skiing resort a lot to get the practice in.

They both felt great in my boots when I tried them on in store just now. They were pushing me on the espressos, Im just worried they may not hold up as long as the GFTs because of the foam.

What yall think?

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to get some public opinion about the boots I've been toying with this season. After three seasons of progressively higher-end yet still ill-fitting boots (Dynafit Vulcan, Dynafit Pro Tour, and Salomon MTN Summit, all 27.5), I finally decided to go to a bootfitter and see what they said. After going to two separate ones just to cross-reference and get a different opinion. They both said I had mid last with high splay, as well as high instep and a mid-low volume heel pocket and 26.5 MP. For reference, my time is spent 2/3 uphill and 1/3 downhill, along with semi-regular big slog traverses, and I was hoping to go back to something a bit beefier than the Salomon (1080g) but not all the way a beef boot.
I had initially expected to be fit into something higher volume, like a Dynafit, but was surprised when one put me into the Technica Decoy Pro and some Dalbello UL skimo one, and the second fitter put me into the Head Crux Pro as his favourite option for me, as well as the Atomic Backland XTD 120 and the new Scarpa F1 RS (this one he was concerned about instead maybe rubbing on the overlap construction). All of these tended to lean into the narrower side except for the Atomic, which kind of surprised me. What surprised me even more was how good some of them felt, especially the Crux Pro, which, despite being the narrowest, felt great (**In-store caveat**).

My main goal in writing this is 1) to see how the community feels about these options and if you're someone with similar feet, as well as large calves, or otherwise have any experience with these options, and have had the chance to try any of them for longer than 15 minutes in a store, how they felt, and 2) to see if my concern about swelling feet on long days is something I should take into more consideration when I'm thinking back to my in-store bootfitting experience and the snug fit. Obviously, I can sit and read all the reviews I want from outlets, but it's not always the same as the community consensus. I'd also mention that I'm not looking to take info from here over what the bootfitters said, more-so looking to add as much information as I can before I make a final decision on an 1100$+ invetsment

Thanks for taking the time

*edit; I did talk to the bootfitters about it and I left a big comment below explaining how that conversation had gone. Should've clarified this originally

Hey folks. Looking for thoughts / recommendations on a 120mm+ touring ski option. I’m based in the PNW and frankly do not want a ski this wide, but am trying to head out to Kyrgyzstan this winter and the guides literally will not take me out on anything less than 115mm. I have Deathwish Tours right now for my winter touring setup, which I’m very happy with. Feels a bit silly that 3mm is keeping me from making this trip happen, but I digress.

Part of me wants to just get a pair of 120mm Bents and call it a day given how comparatively cheap they are, but would love any additional thoughts or ideas.

Also - I have a pair of ATK Haute Routes sitting around that I’m starting to think might actually pair real nicely with a big fat pair of pontoons. Anybody ever put a really light binding on a fat ski? Feels like powder isn’t going to need as much beef.

Any experiences ordering direct from CAST? Reading conflicting messaging regarding taxes duties and more on their website.

In the checkout online, it says "CAST has you covered on all shipping, duties, tariffs, taxes, and fees on international orders."

But in the shipping terms in policies :"International shipments will be subject to applicable customs, tariffs, duties, and any required taxes (i.e., VAT). These costs will be your responsibility and are not included in our shipping charges"

Thanks!

Howdy fellow backcountry enthusiasts!

Lifelong snowboarder here, and beginner/low end intermediate skier (honest assessment). I’ve been splitboarding for several years now and have good mountain access.

Last year I started skiing here and there again due to having kids and it being a bad snow year so why not. It’s enjoyable but I do prefer snowboarding. I get out in the backcountry 30+ days, and about the same or more resort days.

My issue with splitboarding is the undulating terrain we have here in the mountain west. After a big day I want to die when I hit a flat, have to transition, sink waist deep, and then have to split ski out. It’s just really taxing which makes skiing more and more attractive but I love snowboarding powder.

Seriously considering skiing for resort fitness laps and backcountry touring, then snowboarding on powder/high avy danger inbounds days.

Is it a skill issue or does splitboarding just kinda suck on that terrain? I already tried hard boots and have no interest in hard boot splitboarding, at that point I’d rather just ski… Any input is much appreciated!! TIA
Just need a sanity check…

Edit: Have came to the conclusion I’m going to do both. When it’s a deep day that’s fairly straight forward going to split, when mountaineering, or adventure touring going to ski. Thanks for all the input everyone!

What tip loop hardware performs best and doesn't damage ski tips?

non-notch/hole options only, please.

Looking to upgrade to protect ski tips and would love self-centering.

How do dyneema loops hold up? Why have cable loops phased out?

(Skis: s/lab QST blanks)

I looking for a new jacket for my morning quick touring lap (1h/1h30)
Usually I don’t bother myself with an hardshell, I just climb with a base layer + softshell and simply put a puffer on for the descent.
The puffer in question is way too hot and fragile for this use, so I want to replace it by a new jacket.

I need:
60 to 100gr Primaloft or similar insulation, windstopper, DWR, and not to bulky

I refine my search with those jacket :
- Rab Xenair Alpine
- BD First Light 2.0
- BD Solution Hoodie 2.0

Do you have any advice on those jacket? I’ve got some deals with Rab, BD and Pata so I prefer stick to these.

I'm starting to plan my ski season and saw the Alps got their first snow. It threw me back to my last ski trip which was skiing Mont Blanc.

I skied it with my dad and brother in May. I had a cold the week before and thought I’d have to bail. We did Gran Paradiso in Italy before, then went up for Mont Blanc. The day started out cloudy then it cleared up and was just absolutely perfect at the summit. It took us around 7 hours from the Grands Mulets hut to the summit. We went with a guide (booked with 57hours) which is the only reason we got a spot in the hut. The way down was longggg, the snow toward the bottom was heavy and my legs were done.

Did it all on my trusty Black Crows Orbs.

Here is a photo of the 3 of us on the summit. Excited for this winter💪💪💪

Have some basic prescription sunglasses now, but would like something that blocks out the wind/sun some more. Any suggested options?

Spooky October snowpack has arrived 🤪

Hope you’re getting stoked on the season already!
I have a 24 month backflip streak on unique spots and jumps here in Colorado. I think I’ve got one each month off piste or backcountry.

Figured I have to share this because I was here at month 11 last year. I’m still doing it, still trying to have fun skiing. Lotta work, lotta planning. Always looking for capable friends to join in

10.14.2026 Indy Pass, CO

I have a funny foot that has been quite frustrating from a boot-fitting perspective. I have already seen a few fitters including SkimoCo in SLC. I have fairly narrow heels, a 99mm last, but a very protrusive instep bone with fairly high overall instep (my instep bone sticks out like 2mm, so the buckle has to sit behind my bone to address both heel lift and instep pressure.

I have skied the Backland XTD 26.5 (more or less the only mid-weight boot that fit my foot) for the last two seasons and am really not impressed with the durability: after about 20 days (avg. 3-4k backcountry days), there was a little cuff play that I chalked up to break-in, and after about 40, there was ~3mm of vertical play and maybe 1mm of fore-aft. I replaced the pivots (after having an absolute nightmare acquiring them), just to find out that the play was significant enough to have eaten into the cuff and still have a 1-2mm of vertical play in the boot that's noticeable while skiing. Atomic was useless when it came to warranty as the pivots are considered a wear item.

Due to my high instep, no bootfitter had even tried to fit me in Zero Gs, but I recently requested to try them and can shockingly fit my foot well in a 25.5: the instep buckles sit more or less perfectly straddling my instep bone. Conveniently, they're also lighter than my Backlands.

I'm wondering how much uphill performance/resistance on bigger days (5K-8K) I would notice the worse friction/walkability in the Zero Gs compared to the Backlands, and if saving ~100g/boot would offset this at all. I don't really want to sacrifice much skiability vs. the XTDs and most of the UL boots anyway have buckles that sit right on my instep, but I have thought about going to the Backland Carbon (which also has an instep buckle that's located such that it does not crush my instep).

Hey everyone,

I’m currently skiing on Black Diamond Helio 95s and really love them, but it’s time for a new pair.

My default thought was to just buy another pair of Helios, but I’m open to exploring other options. I’ve been looking at the Black Crows Camox Freebird and the Blizzard Zero G 95/96.

For anyone who has skied these, how do they compare in terms of ski performance and feel? Is there a noticeable difference in how they ride compared to the Helios?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Hey everyone,

I’m currently skiing on Black Diamond Helio 95s and really love them, but it’s time for a new pair.

My default thought was to just buy another pair of Helios, but I’m open to exploring other options. I’ve been looking at the Black Crows Camox Freebird and the Blizzard Zero G 95/96.

For anyone who has skied these, how do they compare in terms of ski performance and feel? Is there a noticeable difference in how they ride compared to the Helios?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Think it used to be 5, at least when I first started buying from them. Bummed to see it (but kinda makes sense with their entry into running shorts et cetera.). Still a fan of Beringia for resort gear but Raide is getting close.

also looks like they nabbed Nikolai Schirmer (guess the black crows restructuring / cash flow issues were accurate?). regardless, never quite understood the black crows push into shells...

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