Updated Nov 2025 for the 2025-2026 winter season.

Our best piece of ski touring equipment advice is a simple one: when it comes to ski touring kit, it’s worth remembering the old adage that every extra kilo on your back knocks 10% off your enjoyment of the descents. Getting hold of the best and lightest kit available is generally always worth it. Here is our take on the seasons best new kit.

If you need advice on choosing the ideal ski, boot and binding combo for you needs – take a look at our choosing a backcountry ski setup advice article.

Below we highlight features to look for and a number of recommended products for most main items of kit – with a big thanks to the staff at Backcountry UK, our thoroughly recommended Ski Touring Equipment retailer, for helping me keep this article up to date each season.

AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVERS

For many years we’ve been recommending the Mammut Baryvox and Baryvox S units and likewise we’ve been impressed with Peips Pro IPS, so any of these would be a good choice.  We’ve been using the Mammut units on our chamonix ski touring courses and have been very happy with their performance and usability.

All modern transceivers use the 3 antenna digital technology – the more advanced models use additional technologies, which allow for extra features and may also speed up search times. It must be stressed however, that the most important thing is to practice and train extensively with the transceiver that you actually own.

Transceiver, Shovel, Probe Sets – if you need to buy an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe all at the same time, then there are various 3 in 1 packages available – the Mammut Barryvox Package Light is a good option for ski touring.  Or if you want to choose separate items, then this is the setup I recommend for most people our our guided touring trips: Mammut Barryvox 2 Transceiver, Ortovox Pro Light Shovel, Black Diamond Quickdraw Pro Probe 240 – see below for more shovel and probe options.

SKI TOURING BINDINGS

The vast majority of ski tourers and freeriders now use lightweight pin bindings or hybrid freeride bindings, rather than older style frame touring bindings (we now insist on modern, lightweight bindings on all of our dedicated touring trips).  There are a number of things you need to know about how these bindings work though and the different types available, in order to choose an appropriate model – so please read our comments carefully and seek some expert advice.

Lightweight Pin Bindings
All lightweight ski touring bindings use a pin system to attach to the boot. This design has been around for 40 years now – a version of the original Dynafit Low Tech binding is still being made and is used by thousands of ski tourers around the world. The main advantage of pin bindings is a considerable weight saving, as they are up to 1.5kg lighter than frame touring binding designs.  Since the original Dynafit patent expired a number of years ago, several new designs building on the original have now been developed – many of these are lighter, easier to use, or have improved safety release capabilities.

Hybrid Freeride Bindings
Most recently, a number of hybrid pin binding designs have been developed, which offer lighter weight options for freeriders and those seeking one binding for mixed resort and touring use.  Lightweight freeride bindings share features of both pin bindings and alpine downhill bindings; they are not as light as 100% touring pin bindings, but they are more strongly built, offer improved downhill performance and greater convenience for freeriders and mixed use setups.

Safety Release and TUV Certification

One of the key safety features all ski bindings have is a lateral release function, so that the ski can come off sideways during a twisting fall, or sideways impact etc.  On alpine downhill bindings and traditional frame design touring bindings, the lateral release function is at the toe – whereas on most pin bindings and some hybrid freeride bindings the lateral release function is at the heel (on Salomon Shift, ATK Hy Free, Fritschi Tecton and Vipec bindings, the lateral release is at the toe).

There is no strong evidence about which system offers the best release capability, as there are numerous different ways you can fall and there is currently no comparative data available for injury rates on different bindings.  However, all binding manufacturers are continually looking to improve safety and a number of the latest pin and hybrid binding designs  that offer improved lateral release function have been tested and awarded TUV safety certification, so this is a good thing to look out for if you want to prioritise safety release capability in your bindings.

This is especially true if you are the kind of skier who takes regular falls in difficult snow conditions – therefore we don’t recommend buying the very lightest pin bindings, which generally have less sophisticated release mechanisms, unless you are already a proficient and experienced ski tourer (level 3 minimum, preferably level 4-5 on our ski ability levels).

Please note, there are many bindings with enhanced safety release features that for various reasons have not been put through TUV certification – in particular, the ATK EVO and Hy Free models – but these are still highly recommended options and are in no way ‘less safe’ than models that do have TUV certification.

NB We’ve seen many bindings incorrectly set up, or not functioning properly for a whole host of reasons: eg lack of maintenance, changing boots, long term storage, shop servicing(!) etc etc, so binding setup and release function are important things to check before each season and ski trip.

Finally, it’s important to understand that no binding can guarantee to prevent injury in every possible fall and skiing situation, so although injuries are thankfully rare, they can still happen on any binding.  Therefore, it’s important to make sure that your bindings are compatible with your boots, correctly set up, set at an appropriate release value for your weight/height/age and ability and properly serviced with the release mechanisms functioning correctly before each trip.

Boot Compatibility
In order to use pin bindings, you need a pair of compatible ski boots with the appropriate metal pin tech inserts moulded into the toe and heel (you cannot retro fit these to older boots). All new touring and freeride boots come with these fitted as standard, but if you have a particularly old pair of boots (ie 20+ years old!), then you may have to upgrade these as well, in order to use pin bindings.

Below we give our opinions on various well established and newer pin binding models currently (or recently) on the market.  NB Due to brakes now being required on skimo race bindings in competition, a lot of new superlight race bindings have been launched recently that have ski brakes – we haven’t included any of these models in the lists below, as we concentrate on bindings intended for recreational use, but they may be worth considering if you want a superlight setup.

ATK Hy 13 Free Binding (1.3Kg)  New out this year, with a revolutionary design and all metal construction, this new hybrid freeride binding from ATK is making a splash, as a lightweight, high end offering.   The binding offers similar functionality to the Salomon Shift below, with pins for the ascent and an alpine style clip in system for the descent, but at a significantly lower weight.  Time will tell how it survives in the wild, but the binding has been extensively tested and developed over a number of years.

Salomon Shift 2 Binding (1.8kg) TUV certified.  The new Mark 2 version of this popular hybrid freeride binding, designed for mixed resort and backcountry use.  A pin toe piece arrangement allows skinning on the ascent; then at the summit, flipping a couple of levers transforms the binding into a regular ‘clip in and ski’ alpine downhill binding for the descent.  A number of niggles with the original binding have now been sorted out and the binding is ‘multi norm compatible’, so it fits a wide range of boots and at 1.8kg, it is lighter than older bar/rail style freeride bindings that offer the convenience and feel of an alpine downhill binding on the descent.

The Shift 10 and 13 models are suitable for a wide range of skiers, so if you are in the market for a lightweight freeride binding that you can use for resort skiing in alpine boots one week and a La Grave off piste ski holiday the next, then these are a great option for many people.  They are also light enough for occasional ski touring days too, but they are not really designed for longer tours, where a lighter binding would be preferable (on all of our 100% human powered touring weeks, we insist on lightweight pin bindings rather than Salomon Shifts).  You will also find this binding badged up as the Atomic Shift – it’s the same binding!

Marker Kingpin M-Werks  (1,24kg).  TUV certified.  Markers’ updated Kingpin binding combines the lightweight toepiece from their Alpinist binding, with an updated version of the Kingpin heel unit. The result is a 300g weight saving over the original Kingpin, whilst maintaining the same features and performance, plus a few upgrades.

Weighing in at 1240g a pair, the Kingpin M-Werks is a strong competitor against the Frischi Vipec/Tecton and Dynafit Rotation models (details below), for skiers wanting a fully featured lightweight freeride/touring binding with good downhill performance and enhanced safety release.

Fritschi Vipec Evo (1.1kg) Along with it’s big brother the Tecton (see below) this binding has lateral safety release at the toe. TUV certified, the design allows good power transfer during turns, changing from ski to walk mode without removing the ski, ski flex compensation and it has a ‘high din’ lockout mode at the toe (so the ski stays on whilst skinning, but will still release if you get caught in an avalanche whilst skinning) – these are all useful features in a touring binding.  See boot compatibility notes below.

Fritschi Tecton (1.26kg)  Also TUV certified, this is a freeride pin binding with an alpine style heel piece, which offers good performance on the descents.  The latest version uses carbon reinforced composite construction similar to that used in the Marker bindings.  See boot compatibility notes below.

NB Fritschi Vipec and Tecton bindings are not compatible with all touring boots, so check the Tecton compatibility chart and Vipec compatibility chart to see if they will work with your boots.  The boot must also pass a 4 point compatibility check with the binding, so because of these careful setup requirements we only recommend buying Fritschi pin bindings from a physical shop – ie we don’t recommend  buying them online as part of a mounted ski plus binding package.

Fritschi Toepiece Servicing – In our experience, the toe unit on Fritschi pin bindings does need re greasing from time to time, in order to maintain good lateral release function.  You can either do this yourself, or get a shop to do it for you when they service your skis – clearly, you need to take them to a shop who are familiar with this type of binding though!

Marker Alpinist (0.67kg with brakes) A reliable and easy to live with binding, the Alpinist is light, well designed and has a lot of advanced features for it’s weight; they are also very competitively priced (read our review here).  NB They come in 3 versions (8, 9 and 12) with different release ranges – horizontal release is fully adjustable, but vertical release is fixed (you can swap to a softer or harder vertical release by swapping out the u shaped heel pin bar – best done by a shop).

Marker Alpinist Free 11 and 13 (0.79kg with brakes)  This is a beefed up version on the Alpinist, with a wider base area designed to give increased force transmission and better ski performance.  If you are looking for reliability and strong downhill performance at a decently light weight, then this could be a good choice.

Dynafit Ridge (0.82kg with brakes)  The Ridge is Dynafit’s take on an ‘increased performance, but still pretty lightweight and convenient to use’ touring binding.  With a number of new features, including much easier heel rotation, it’s certainly innovative and we are keen to try out a pair to see how they stack up in the real world.

Dynafit Blacklight+ (0.37kg) Lightweight, ergonomic binding from Dynafit, with adjustable safety release tension and brakes (0.56kg incl brakes).  Horizontal release is fully adjustable and vertical release is fixed.

Dynafit Superlight (150+, 175+) (0.30 – 0.35kg) One of the lightest pin bindings available with adjustable safety release tension and brakes (0.47 – 0.52kg incl brakes).  If weight saving is your absolute priority, then these are an obvious choice – we’ve used the Superlights a lot for hut to hut ski touring and they’ve proven reliable and a good choice.  Like the Marker Alpinist above, horizontal release is fully adjustable and vertical release is varied by changing the heel pin u bar.

ATK Raider EVO 11,13,15 (0.74kg with brakes) New version of the already excellent Raider bindings, with a wide mounting pattern to allow them to be used on 100mm+ skis.  These have a number of unique new features, including adjustable clamping strength at the toe piece to match the heel release tension.  This is a real game changer, as it makes the binding release characteristics much more consistent – ie a lot safer – across a wide range of different skier weights.  The brakes have also been improved, as well as a modified toepiece to prevent icing.

NB Although ATK have not put this binding through TUV certification, we would strongly recommend the Raider EVO if release safety is a high priority in your binding choice.

ATK RT10 EVO (0.56kg with brakes) Fully featured, lightweight ski touring bindings from the Italian masters of superlight racing kit. NB ATK bindings have a patented cam system on the heel pins, which allows fully adjustable vertical release settings and makes them much easier to step into than similar lightweight pin bindings.  These have a narrower mounting pattern and are designed to be used on dedicated touring skis, up to 100mm width underfoot. We have been super impressed with the open, easily clearable toepiece and great new AP brake design, making the RT 10 EVO our favourite lightweight touring option.

ATK Crest 8 and 10 (0.59kg with brakes) New out this year, 2025 version of the Crest has an improved toe piece, double magnetic heel risers and an automatic locking ski brake – making it now a fully featured top end ski touring binding at a superb price point.

Dynafit ST Rotation (1.25kg) TUV certified. Beefier, more user friendly all-round touring version of the original Dynafit pin binding design.  These have a swivel toe piece to improve the release behaviour, which is now TUV safety certified and they come with brakes.   These bindings are also available in a lower release range version, which makes them suitable for lighter skiers – both my kids skied on them whilst they were young and I was very impressed with the smooth and reliable release function they offer at this lower range.

Dynafit Radical (1.07kg) Still going by popular demand! – the reliable Radical binding continues, with some weight saving updates.  A good choice if you liked the predecessor model, which I certainly did.

Frame Design Touring Bindings

Frame design touring/freeride bindings work in a similar way to alpine bindings, with the obvious addition of a walk mode, plus various adaptations to make them compatible with freeride and ski mountaineering boots. Once very popular, these bindings have now largely been replaced by lighter weight pin bindings – but many second hand ski touring setups still feature them and they are therefore a good option for starting out in ski touring, which is why we continue to list them below.  All of these bindings come with full alpine safety release capabilities. Fritschi are probably the leading brand and have an excellent reputation for reliability.  Although they weigh more than pin bindings, these designs are easier to step into and you can use them with alpine downhill boots too, so they are still a good option for resort use, where convenience and compatibility may be a bigger consideration than absolute weight.

All weights are quoted for a pair of bindings with brakes (if available).

Fritschi Eagle and Scout (2.0/1.8kg)  The best selling touring binding on the market for years and with good reason – they work extremely well and are very reliable. Use ski brakes too as a matter of course. NB For for lighter skiers, the Scout 11 model goes down to a release values of 3.

Fritschi Freeride Pro (2.2kg) Freeride binding – ie a beefed up version of the above, designed to take abuse from a lot of lift based off piste skiing too. These ski really well, are easy to use and very reliable – a good choice if you do mainly resort skiing, with just a bit of touring.  Brakes are included in the package.

Marker Duke and Baron (~2.8kg) these are freeride bindings designed for skinning short distances, rather than dedicated ski touring bindings. They are great to ski down on, but not really designed for out and out touring, where the extra weight and design features make them slower and more awkward to use than dedicated touring bindings.

Scott/Salomon Guardian (~2.7kg) a good freeride binding, better designed and more practical for touring on than the Markers. An alternative to Fritschi Freerides if you want a binding primarily for off piste and day touring, that you can also do the odd longer tour on as well. NB These also come badged up as the Atomic Tracker binding.

Marker Tour TR (~2.2Kg) this is a lightened up version of the Duke and Baron, with the same design features. For this reason, we don’t think it makes a good dedicated touring binding, so we’d choose the Fritschi Eagle or Scout instead.

BACKCOUNTRY SKI BOOTS

We make no apology for erring to the performance end of the market here – as good, fully custom fitted boots will improve your skiing and enjoyment more than anything else. To start with, go for a full thermofit liner and a custom made footbed straight away – it will always be worth it. After that, foot volume, individual fit and boot weight may well decide your final choice – but we give notes on various favourite models below:

Performance Touring Boots
Ski Touring/Ski Mountaineering boots traditionally have a vibram rubber sole unit with a rocker shape to aid walking and climbing in, as well as skiing in – consequently they are the most popular choice for multiday ski touring. At the performance end of the spectrum, the line between freeride boots and touring boots is becoming more blurred, with a number of high end, lightweight freeride-touring boots now entering the market – we’ve put these boots in the category below for the time being!

We concentrate here on supportive 3 and 4 buckle boots, which are most appropriate for the majority of British Ski Tourers – the good news is that these boots have become considerably lighter in recent years (many now dipping below 3kg a pair, as opposed to 3.6-3.8kg just a few years ago) without any compromise in either fit or ski performance. Walk modes have also improved massively in recent years, thanks to technology from ski mountaineering race boots.

Scarpa Quattro Pro, XT and SL (3.0kg) – Scarpa’s genre defying freeride/touring boots.  The Pro model is a full spec 130+ flex, pro level freeride boot that builds on the hugely successful XT and SL models.  All of the Quattro boots have a Gripwalk sole unit, meaning they can be used with modern alpine downhill bindings.  However, they are also pin binding compatible, weigh only 3kg and have an excellent walk mode on a par with the best touring boots, making them suitable for longer tours as well. The Quattro models have a relatively low volume fit, so suit skiers with medium to low volume feet. The Quattro XT is more suitable for most skiers than the super stiff Pro model and the SL is a slightly softer Pebax version of the same and also a good choice for a wide range of skiers.  This combination of downhill performance, alpine and pin binding compatibility, coupled with a brilliant walk mode make Quattro boots a real step forward in versatility.

Dynafit Radical Pro (2.76kg) – Dynafit performance ski touring boot.  Based on the Hoji Free, but made in a higher volume fit, these boots come equipped with Dynafit’s Hoji Lock system for convenience and freeride boot performance.

Scarpa Maestrale (2.8kg) – Latest version of Scarpa’s top all rounder, with improved fit and walk mode etc.  This model has a relatively low volume fit. The Maestrale RS is a stiffer version of the Maestrale and a very popular choice for a wide range of skiers.  The Maestrales offer a noticeably wider range of walk motion than other similar boots, so make a good choice for dedicated tourers who do a lot of skinning.

Scott Cosmos Tour (2.8kg) – the Cosmos Tour is another excellent 4 buckle boot, with a broader 103.5mm last than the Maestrale.

Lange XT3 Tour Pro (3.06kg) – Lange have produced their first ‘touring weight’ freeride boot. With a full rubber sole unit, low volume fit, 130 flex and 2 piece construction, these offer ‘alpine downhill boot’ levels of performance in a touring weight boot.

Scott Cosmos (2.9kg) – same shell shape as the Cosmos Tour but made of Pebax, makes the boot slightly softer – but a lot easier on your wallet.

Tecnica Zero G Tour Scout (2.7kg) – even lighter version of the previous Zero G Guide boot.  Smooth 120 flex, medium last boot at a much reduced touring weight.

Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro (2.64kg) – top of the range, powerful 130 flex boot, with a medium last and impressively low weight.

Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD120 and XTD130 (3.2kg) – two excellent lightweight versions of the Hawx Ultra freeride boot.  With these models, Atomic are finally getting the hang of touring boots –  producing a mid volume boot, with a highly customisable fit.

Atomic Hawx Prime XTD110 and XTD130 (2.9kg) – extending their range, Atomic now offer the Hawx XTD in a wider fit called the Prime –  producing a medium/high volume boot with a highly customisable fit.  The 110 model has a softer, more forgiving flex than the 130.

K2 Dispatch LT (2.9kg) – excellent mid to high volume touring boots from K2, with a 120 flex and a good walk range. They also feature a handy BOA laced liner for a more precise fit.  The Pro model has a slightly stiffer 130 flex.

Regarding inners – foam injection inners are known for giving a precise fit, but they are too cold for ski touring. Instead, go for Scarpa Intuition inners which are the best thermo fit inners on the market at the moment.

Lightweight Touring Boots
Race derived superlight touring boots have now entered the mainstream to cater for keen, good standard ski tourers who want to save as much weight as possible. In general you only get 2 buckles instead of 4, but if you are a good skier, then these boots can perform extremely well and save considerable effort on the climbs. Other useful features gained from their race heritage are excellent walk modes and quick lockdown systems for changing over from walk to ski mode..

The other important thing to note about this type of boot concerns fitting and making boot modifications. Because they are derived from race boots, many have a lower volume fit and all are made of lightweight materials. This means that shops are sometimes unable (or unwilling) to stretch the shells as much as on regular ski boots – so you need to make sure they fit your feet pretty well out of the box, without requiring extensive stretching or modification to get them to fit.  Below we’ve selected boots with enough support for multiday touring whilst carrying a heavier pack, as this sort of boot is perfect for a big trip like the Bernese Oberland ski tour, or a week of ski touring in Val Maira and anything in between.  They are also Ok for the odd day’s off piste skiing in resort as well, but clearly they are not designed for large amounts of resort based skiing. NB Even lighter boots are available than the ones below; these are great for day touring, but lack support for skiing with heavier packs on longer tours.

Dynafit Ridge Pro (2.5kg) – new out this year, the ridge Pro is Dynafit’s take on a lightweight 2+ buckle boot, with good downhill performance.  Featuring BOA adjustment, a new patented ‘floating tongue’ construction and Dynafit’s Hoji locking system, these are one to look at if you have a medium volume foot.

Atomic Backland XTD Carbon 120 (2.7kg) – The latest addition to Atomic’s lightweight Backland ski touring boot range are the most supportive and ski focussed model in the range, bridging the gap between their superlight boots and heavier 4 buckle boots.  This is a medium volume boot with a brilliant walk mode, great fit out of the box and a shell design that allows for stretching in some key areas, making it a good option for a wide range of skiers.

Scarpa F1 EVO (2.5kg) – The most popular lightweight boot on the market,  the F1 EVO gives good support and all day comfort. The shell does allow for limited stretching in some areas (eg across the ball of the foot) but not everywhere.  Personally, I think they are great with up to mid 90’s skis, but wider than 100mm underfoot and they reach their limit.

Scarpa F1 XT (2.3kg) – Guides choice! Scarpa’s Alien race boot shell, beefed up for fast and light ski mountaineering.  Lower volume fit, but limited shell modifications possible.  It has an amazing walk mode, allows quick transitions and is very easy to put on and adjust.  These are one of the lightest touring boots around that provide enough support to be a good option on longer, multiday tours.  I also use them happily on wider skis, for working in deep snow venues such as Georgia, Kyrgyzstan etc.

Dalbello Quantum Free 110 and 130 (2.5kg) – High performance lightweight touring boots from Dalbello.  With a 65 degree range of motion, the boots tour very well and also perform on the descents. The stiffer 130 version lends itself towards heavier and more aggressive skiers and the 110 version toward longer tours and/or lighter skiers.

Important Note: Most of the lightweight boots above only work with tech bindings that have a standard 2 pin attachment system at the heel (only the Atomic Backland XTD Carbon 120 can be used with older frame design bindings, or with the Marker Kingpin and Salomon Shift bindings).

Freeride Ski Boots
Freeride boots with Gripwalk sole units offer great support for off piste skiing, but are only really designed for lift assisted and day touring use. They are not so comfortable for walking and skinning long distances in (ie we’ve seen lots of blistered feet coming out of freeride boots on longer multiday hut tours – if you plan on using the boot for multiday tours, then you may be better looking at a dedicated ski mountaineering boot instead). This is an expanding market, with numerous new models available – a few good ones to look at are:

• Dynafit Tigard 130
• Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD Boa
• Salomon Shift Alpha 110, 120 and 130
• Technica Cochise 120 and 130
• Lange XT Tour Hybrid
• Dalbello Lupo AX 120
• K2 Mindbender 130 LV

In addition, the Scarpa 4-Quattro Pro, XT and SL boots listed in the performance touring boot category above, are fully fledged freeride boots that can be used with alpine downhill bindings, as well as freeride bindings like the Atomic/Salomon Shift and also lightweight pin bindings.

Our advice is visit a shop with a good range of boots and go for the model that gives you the best fit. Of the ones above – the Lange XT Tour Hybrid gives a low volume fit, the Scarpa Quattro and Dynafit Tigard give a low/mid volume fit and the Salomon Shift Alpha, Dalbello Lupo and K2 Mindbender give a higher volume fit.

WOMEN’S BACKCOUNTRY SKI BOOTS

Nowadays there’s pretty much the same choice in women’s backcountry ski boots as men’s, with all of the major manufacturers producing female specific versions of their popular backcountry models.  However, finding a shop that stocks a good range for you to try on is often more of a challenge…

NB You’ll be glad to know that the days of  ‘shrink it and pink it’ (ie just making smaller versions of men’s gear) are now long gone.  The women’s boots are moulded on separately shaped lasts and generally have softer flex properties to cater for lighter weight skiers, but still come with the same features as the men’s boots. Below we’ve highlighted a number of good ones to look at, together with the men’s model that they are equivalent to.

Scarpa 4-Quattro XT WMN (2.7kg) – Excellent freeride touring boots, that can also be used on Gripwalk compatible alpine downhill bindings.  Same construction and performance characteristics as the men’s Quattro boots above.

Scarpa Gea  + Gea RS (2.6kg) – Good quality ski mountaineering boots specifically moulded for women’s feet. Same construction and performance characteristics as the men’s Maestrale + Maestrale RS boots – see notes above.

Scott Celeste Tour (2.7kg) – High performance women’s ski mountaineering boot in a medium/wide fit – women’s version of the Cosmos Tour – see notes above.

Dynafit Radical Pro W (2.6kg) – women’s version of the Radical Pro.

Scarpa F1 WMN (2.0kg) – women’s version of the F1.

Atomic Backland XTD Carbon 115 W (2.6kg) – women’s version of the Backland XTD Carbon.

Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 115 Boa W (2.7kg) – women’s freeride boot. Essentially this is a comfortable, supportive downhill boot with a good walk mode.

Atomic Hawx Prime XTD 115 W – wider fit version of the Ultra XTD 115 above.

Salomon Shift Alpha 110 W AT – women’s version of the Shift Alpha 130.

Lange XT3 110 LV W – women’s version of the Lange XT3 130 freeride boot.

Dalbello Lupo AX 105 W (2.4kg) – women’s version of the Lupo AX 120.

SKI TOURING CLOTHING

Just like for other equipment – the best ski touring equipment advice for clothing is to keep the weight down.  Light, warm and versatile are the key words to bear in mind when choosing touring clothing – as an average week sees you alternate between carrying clothes in your rucsac on climbs and warm afternoons, to wearing absolutely everything when the weather closes in.

This is a subject in it’s own right, so we’ve written a specific Ski Touring Clothing Advice article for you to look at ski touring clothing choices in more depth.

SKI TOURING CRAMPONS

Very light, alloy framed crampons are available for ski touring which are a great weight saver and suitable for most ‘ski focussed’ tours (eg the Silvretta ski tour). The Camp XLC 390 are a good option, due to their low weight and packability.  With any superlight alloy crampon, don’t go buying a pair intending them to be your only set of crampons if you also do technical ski mountaineering – as they were only ever designed for stomping up steep snow.

For more technical ski mountaineering trips (eg the Bernina ski tour) that may involve climbing on icy ground and snowed up rock, then you still need to use good steel crampons. Currently we reckon that Petzl Charlet Vasak’s (842g) are the best all round mountaineering crampons, so these would be a good choice.  Currently, the lightest full steel crampons available are the Camp Tour Nanotech’s, so these are also worth a look for a ski mountaineering focussed option.

The final option is to go for a hybrid steel/alloy crampon, which offers some of the benefits of both – ie a light weight alloy rear half and strong steel front points to deal with occasional rock and ice. The Grivel Haute Route (560g) is a good model to look at in this category – unless you are doing a lot of technical ski mountaineering with specific climbing objectives, these will be suitable for the vast majority of ski tours you are likely to do.

CREVASSE RESCUE KIT

If you are joining a guided trip or course, then 2 prussik loops and a 120cm sling with screwgate carabiner is sufficient.
However, a guide would probably be carrying the following:

• belay device
• 5 screwgate carabiners
• 120cm sling
• spare quickdraw
• 2 ice screws
• 2 prussik loops
• Micro or Nano Triaxion
• Lightweight pulley or DMM Revolver carabiner.

Petzl RAD System
To Quote Petzl: “Complete, ultra-light and compact, the RAD SYSTEM (Rescue And Descent) kit allows skiers on mountain terrain to always have the equipment necessary for crevasse rescue, rappelling, or roping up on skis to traverse a crevasse zone. This kit contains a storage bag, 30 meters of RAD LINE 6 mm specific cordage, carabiners, ascenders and a sling.”

Basically it’s a small bag that weighs just 1 kilo and contains everything you need to either rope up on a glacier, or pull someone out of a crevasse. The haul kit is set up and ready to use inside the bag, so you can just pull it out, attach it to a ski belay and start the rescue immediately. The idea is to have at least 2 kits in a team and ski with them clipped onto your harness constantly at the ready. Costing over 200 Euros each, they aren’t cheap – but are pretty good value when you add up the cost of buying all the individual parts.

SKI TOURING HARNESSES

Light and simple are the watchwords here. If you already have a climbing harness, then you can also use it for ski touring too.

However, if you want to save some weight, then there are 2 options:

Buy a lightweight climbing harness (eg. Petzl Whisper Harness) or a specific ski touring harness, such as the Blue Ice Choucas and Choucas Pro, Black Diamond Couloir, Petzl Tour and Petzl Altitude – these are all popular choices.

SKI TOURING ICE AXES

There are a number of extremely light ski touring/ski mountaineering axes on the market  – just make sure you go for one with a steel head and avoid the very lightest alloy headed ones (which don’t work very well when you actually swing the tool).

The Blue Ice Falk (282g) is a good option and we also like various Petzl lightweight axes: the Petzl Glacier Literide (320g) is a popular choice, the Petzl Ride (240g) is even lighter and the Petzl Gully (280g) is pricy, but great for steep descents and use as a second ice tool.

All of these models are 45cm long, allowing them to be stowed safely inside a pack on descents.

For a good quality lightweight Uk made axe, check out the DMM Spire Tech, which is available in 45, 50 and 55cm lengths and weighs 320-350g.

SKI POLES

Ideally, buy a pair of ski touring specific poles with extra grip down the top half for traversing – but failing that, any pair of normal fixed length ski poles are fine for ski touring, so long as you put some wider baskets on.  Alloy poles are more resistant to breakage than carbon ones, so I’d always recommend alloy (I’ve found out the hard way, having broken 3 sets of carbon poles!) – and fixed length poles are always stronger and more reliable than telescopic ones. Currently, our favourite backcountry ski poles are the Black Crows Oxus and Black Diamond Vapour (or Vapour Carbon – it looks strong for a carbon pole!) If you want telescopic poles, take a look at the Black Diamond Expedition 2.

NB Whatever poles you buy, make sure you have reasonable sized baskets (5cm plus in diameter) for the softer conditions.

AVALANCHE PROBES

230-260cm is a good working length and although carbon fibre models are lightest, they are more flexible than alloy ones and therefore not as easy to use, so I’d recommend an alloy probe for most people. The Mammut Avalanche Probe 240 Short (245g) and Black Diamond Quickdraw Pro Probe 240 (243g) are both good and well priced models, with a robust and easy to use locking mechanism – we use both of these models ourselves.

SKI TOURING ROPES

It’s common to carry two 30m long, 8mm dynamic ropes in the party – one with the leader and another at the back (in case the leader skis into a crevasse!) Beal market a specific rope of this type called the Randonee, which comes in 30m and 48m lengths. Having said that, many variations occur depending on the type of tour and the obstacles expected – you may see guides carrying everything from 40m of 7mm static cord, to a full weight, full length rope.

SKI TOURING RUCSACS

A 35-40l pack with a u shaped zip opening rather than a lid is the classic touring pack. Other useful features are a close, body hugging fit, ability to carry skis together on the back (like you would carry a snowboard) and as few excess features as possible (though it’s difficult to achieve this without taking a knife to most sacs!)

Day Touring Packs

The Rab Khroma 30L weighs 1.2kg and is extremely robust and well designed – this is definitely a day touring pack, so you’d struggle to fit everything in it for a multi-day glacier hut to hut tour like the Haute Route for instance.

Our other favourite day touring packs are the Deuter Freerider 30 (1000g),  Ortovox Ascent 32 and 30S – these are the same pack, in long and short back lengths.  At 1170g they are still light, but well designed with everything in just the right place – with careful packing, you may also be able to use the 32 litre version for European multiday hut touring as well.  Another good crossover day touring/mountaineering pack is the Ortovox Peak Light 32 (30S in shorter back length).

Multiday Touring Packs

For multiday hut to hut ski tours in the European Alps you’ll need a slightly bigger pack, but it’s important not to carry too large a pack, as inevitably you end up taking extra ‘non essential’ stuff that weighs you down all week…

35-40l is about right and you can either to go for a dedicated touring pack, or a crossover mountaineering pack that you can also carry skis on.

A few good dedicated touring packs in this size range are the Rab Khroma 38L, Blue Ice Kume 38L, Deuter Freerider Pro 32+ 10 (30+ 10 womens’), Ortovox Haute Route 40 (38 S womens’), Mammut Nirvana 35 and Arc’teryx Micon 37.  Three good lightweight mountaineering packs that work well for ski touring are the Rab Latok 38L, Ortovox Trad 35, and Mammut Trion Light 38. All these packs are well designed and big enough for multi-day hut tours – each offering slightly different features depending on what range of activities you plan to use the sac for.

ELECTRIC AVALANCHE AIRBAG RUCSACS

Avalanche airbag rucsacs have become much more popular in recent years, especially amongst off piste and freeride skiers. More ski tourers are now using them too, but the uptake in this group has been slower – not least because they add extra weight to your pack. The latest designs are getting lighter though, with a number of touring sized packs now available in the 2.0-2.5kg weight range.

Electric Powered systems are the preferred choice if you travel to go skiing.  The newest electric systems are now similar in weight to gas powered systems and offer a number of significant advantages – the most important being:

• multiple deployments (ie no hesitation whether to ‘pull the trigger’)
• easier recharging after deployment
• no problems flying with them

If you live in the mountains and do all of your skiing locally, then a gas powered system may still be an option – but if you fly to go skiing, or ski in remote areas, then an electric powered system is the way to go, so here we concentrate on electric powered systems.

There are a number of different electric powered systems available now, which are fitted into a wide range of packs from different manufactures – so it’s important to know a bit about each system, as their features and ‘real world usability’ are all quite different.

Below we give our opinions on three different electric powered airbag systems, based on real world testing, feedback and an evaluation by our Guides during a recent pre season training day.

Alpride E2 System – the Alpride system uses super capacitors to store charge and is lighter than the original E1 system.  It’s available in a range of packs from brands including Scott, BCA and Black Diamond.

Pros

• modular system (ie can be switched between packs)
• charges with a USB C cable – ie possible to recharge in huts
• charge tops up with 2x AA batteries.

Cons

• unintuitive ON/OFF system

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Black Diamond/PEIPS Jetforce System – new system is lighter than the original, features automatic deflation to create and air pocket and has Bluetooth connectivity for software updates.

Pros

• modular system
• ON/OFF switch on handle – much more intuitive

Cons

• quite heavy
• laptop style ‘block’ charger (but charge lasts ‘weeks’)

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Arcteryx/Ortovox Litric System – newest system on the market, also uses super capacitors plus an internal battery.  Available in Ortovox and Arcteryx packs.

Pros

• smaller system – good internal pack space
• intuitive ON/OFF switch
• easy to check status – green flashing light
• USBC charge lead
• very easy to re pack

Cons

• none noted

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Conclusions

From our testing of the above systems, the new Arcteryx/Ortovox LiTRIC system is currently our favourite design for a number of reasons – weight, size, intuitive use, ease of repacking etc.

Below we describe some electric powered airbag packs suitable for day touring use and multiday touring.

Day Touring Electric Avalanche Airbag Packs

Each of the following packs are big enough for day touring:

Scott Patrol E2 30 –  2.7Kg   A nice, relatively light pack using the Alpride System.  Quite small, but it’s big enough for day touring.

Black Diamond Jetforce Tour 26 – 2.6kg  Also uses the Alpride system, but it’s slightly lighter than the Scott pack above – it’s a similar size and looks a bit better designed.

Ortovox Avabag Litric Tour 30 – 2.4kg Light, well designed pack with good internal space.  Modular system, so you can zip on different sized packs.  Shorter back length model is called the 28S.

Ortovox Avabag Litric Zero 27 – 2.0Kg  Very light, well designed pack using the Litric System.  Big enough to carry all the essentials for day touring.

Arcteryx Micon Litric 32 – 2.14Kg.  Very well built, durable materials and excellent Arcteryx design.   NB In Arcteryx packs, the Litric system is integrated and cannot be switched between different pack models – this is a key point of difference to the Ortovox Litric packs, which are based on a modular design.

Multiday Electric Avalanche Airbag Packs

Each of the following packs are big enough for multi day touring:

Scott Patrol E1 40 –  2.83Kg Uses the original E1 Alpride system.  Good weight, similar design to the 30l pack, but has significantly more internal space.

Black Diamond Jetforce Pro 35 – 3.0kg Uses the BD/Peips system.  Modular design, so you can zip on a smaller 25l or 10l backpack unit for shorter trips. A well designed pack with enough space for European multiday hut tours.

BCA Float E2-35 – 2.8kg  Uses the Alpride E2 system.  Good pack features and space, modular system.

Ortovox Avabag Litric Tour 40 – 2.46kg Excellent weight for a larger pack with enough internal space for multiday hut touring.  Modular system, so you can zip on different sized packs.  Shorter back length model is called the 36S.

Arcteryx Micon Litric 42 – 2.14Kg.  Very well built, durable materials and excellent Arcteryx design.   NB In Arcteryx packs, the Litric system is integrated and cannot be switched between different pack models – this is a key point of difference to the Ortovox Litric packs, which are based on a modular design.

SNOW SHOVELS

We only recommend metal bladed shovels, as when digging in real life in hard avalanche debris, plastic blades flex so much that they and are totally ineffective.

The Mammut Alugator Light (482g) is a great metal shovel with a telescopic handle, the Ortovox Pro Light is similar and slightly lighter (440g).  We use both of these shovels regularly on our trips and courses and are very happy with them.

The latest Mammut Alugator Ultra (395g) shovel is currently the lightest all metal model on the market.  There are various carbon blade and full carbon models on the market (eg Pure Peak superlight – 305g), but a metal cutting edge on the shovel is essential and durability may be an issue.

SKI TOURING SKINS

Ski touring skins are an essential piece of kit, so it’s worth buying a good pair. Black Diamond, Colltex and Kohla are all good, reliable choices – as well as our current favourite, Pomoca skins.

For European conditions, go for mixed fibre skins – pure mohair skins only glide a little better at non racing speeds, but they wear out 3-4 times faster…
Skins are either sold pre-cut to a particular model of ski, or more commonly they come with a cut-to-fit device.

SKI TOURING HELMETS

Courtesy of Petzl, we now have a safety standard for ski touring helmets. Two of their lightweight mountaineering helmets have this certification, making them suitable (marketable?) for ski touring – the Petzl Meteor (240g) and Petzl Sirocco (170g) both have improved side impact protection, thus making them suitable for ski touring as well as climbing and mountaineering.  We use both of these helmets regularly for ski touring – the Meteor has a more durable and adjustable design, the Sirocco is lighter and more minimalist – take your pick.

Please note however, that these helmets do not pass the safety test for resort skiing helmets – so if you want a lightweight helmet you can use for resort skiing too, then look at one of the following:

The Salomom MTN Patrol Helmet is designed specifically for backcountry skiing and passes both the climbing helmet, ski touring helmet and resort skiing helmet safety tests – it’s light at 340g and has two different liners – a winter one with ear flaps incorporated and a summer one without.  We’ve used this helmet a lot for skiing and like it, but like all specialist helmets it’s at the upper end of the price scale – you get what you pay for!

The Alpina Snow Tour Helmet at 330g is very light, passes all 3 tests for resort skiing, ski touring and mountaineering and has excellent ventilation.  It also comes with a beanie that can be incorporated into the helmet, or worn separately for colder conditions.

The Dynafit TLT Helmet is also very light at 300g and is triple rated, passing the safety tests for skiing, climbing and mountain biking, which makes it a very versatile option.

SKIS – RESORT AND TOURING

A minefield this one! Here we aim to flag up a few of the best ‘light all mountain skis’ or ‘robust touring skis’ around that deliver good on and off piste performance, without being too heavy for touring – ie for Brits wanting one ski for everything.  The great news is that there are now numerous excellent skis in this category for both men and women, so plenty of choice – here are our recommendations:

Elan Ripstick 88 (3.2kg, 130-88-105, 17m radius), Elan Ripstick 96 (3.3kg, 134-96-113, 16m radius), Elan Ripstick 102 (3.4kg, 138-102-118. 18m radius) and Elan Ripstick 88 W (2.9kg, 130-88-105, 15m radius) There’s a Ripstick for everyone!  We’ve been super impressed with Elan’s Ripsticks, which have different camber and rocker profiles on their inside and outside edge to improve performance. This makes the skis Left-Right specific, but results in brilliant performance both in resort and out and they are great value too – add that to very respectable weights and you have superb all rounders for resort and touring use. The Ripstick Tour 94 model adds yet another option into the mix.  These are ideal skis for a mix of off piste and ski touring in the Alps and Norway etc – eg trips like our Senja Island ski touring week and our La Grave off piste skiing holidays.

Black Crows Orb Freebird – (2.93kg* at 178cm, 125-90-112, 15m radius) The new version of this award winning ski is a very different beast from the original – the tip rocker, shorter radius and softer flex making it far easier to ski for a wide range of skiers and therefore a very good allrounder.

Volkl Blaze 94 – (3.2kg at 172cm, 133-94-118, 18m radius) Volkl’s latest version of the Blaze – a super accessible ski for resort on and off piste use, that’s also built light enough for crossover touring use.  This is a great ski to access any terrain in and out of resort and enjoy every descent to the max.

Faction Agent 2 – (2.85kg, 127-96-117, 18m radius)  The Faction Agent 2s are a 96mm wide lightweight ski touring / all mountain ski which can be used anywhere from lift served runs on and off the piste to remote powder tours.

SKIS – LIGHTWEIGHT TOURING

If saving weight is a consideration, then this is the way to go – again the market is huge, but we’ve flagged up a few of the best mid width touring skis that are suitable for all round European Alpine conditions.

A quick note on useage: although these skis are designed for ski touring, we’ve for the most part selected models here that in many conditions ski just as well as resort skis and have a strong and reliable construction, so as long as you’re not totally ragging them, they’re ok for a bit of resort use too – ie fine as a one ski setup with a strong focus on touring.

Starting in the mid 80-90mm range, with my own lightweight pick – the Volkl Rise Above 88 (2.54kg at 177cm, 131-88-111) features Volkl’s versatile 3 radius sidecut and performs brilliantly in a wide range of conditions, making it ideal for long, multi day tours and ski mountaineering trips like the Haute Route Ski Tour.

In a similar vein, the Black Diamond Helio 88 (2.6Kg, 120-88-111, 18m radius) is another great option that offers excellent performance as a ‘second ski’ setup for long day tours and dedicated touring weeks.

The new Salomon MTN 86 Carbon (2.3kg at 172cm, 120-86-106, 18m radius) is a versatile lightweight touring ski that’s suitable for a wide variety of conditions, including longer multiday hut tours such as the Silvretta ski tour.  It’s also available in a womens’ version at shorter lengths too.

Finally, the Elan Ripstick Tour 88 (2.5Kg at 170, 128-88-107, 17m radius) has the same innovative sidecut and rocker profile at the regular Ripsticks, making it very easy to turn and fun to ski, whilst still being very light for longer tours.

In terms of dedicated womens’ touring skis, in addition to the Salomon MTN Carbon 86 W womens’ model, the Volkl Rise Above 88 Ws (2.24kg, 131-88-111, 14m radius) and K2 Wayback 89 W (121-89-107, 2.3kg, 16m radius) are both womens’ specific versions of the equivalent men’s models – they are incredibly light on the ascents and offer good performance on the descents, making them excellent dedicated touring skis.

Moving up to the 90-100mm width range – the following lightweight touring skis offer more float in softer conditions (or for bigger skiers!), but still keep the weight down:

The excellent Black Crows Camox Freebird (2.9kg at 178cm, 136-95-114) is the most popular model in the Black Crows touring skis line.  It has proved to be a very versatile lightweight powder touring ski and a good allrounder – these are an great choice for a wide range of skiers.  If in doubt, its best to size up, due to the long tip rocker.

Black Diamond Helio 95 (2.8kg, 129-95-113, 19m radius).  Winner of many awards and very popular, the Helio 95 offers durability with excellent all round performance in a wide range of conditions.

Salomon MTN 96 Carbon (2.78Kg at 174, 129-96-115, 18m radius) big brother of the 86 Carbon, this new ski balances uphill and downhill performance equally well.  Recommended in numerous tests this year.

Blizzard Zero G 96 (2.62Kg at 178, 127-96-11, 20m radius)  New out this year and building on the highly successful 95 version, this is an excellent choice for high mountain and longer touring use.

Dynastar M-Tour 100 (2.8kg at 178, 134-100-124,17m) Developed from the classic, award winning M-Tour 99s, the M-Tour 100s feature Dynastar’s new Hybrid Core 2.0 layup with more stability at speed, improved edge grip and they just love powder.  A great choice for strong, experienced skiers.

NB – Superlight Skis. There are many different models of very light skis available nowadays, but you need to choose extremely carefully in this category, as quite a few are either difficult to ski on and/or not so strongly built (ie thinner edges, bases and sidewalls – these are the most vulnerable parts of the ski).
Depending on materials used and quality of construction, there is definitely a limit to weight saving where both ski performance and strength drop off markedly. We’ve tested, rejected and/or broken numerous superlight skis for one or other of the above reasons. This contrasts markedly with top end off piste and resort skis, which are pretty much all good skis nowadays!

SKIS – WIDE BODIED TOURING

The following are a selection of lightweight, wide bodied touring and freeride skis designed for human powered adventures – eg powder touring, steeps etc.

NB Please note that all of the skis listed in the two categories above are also wide enough to enjoy a great days powder skiing whilst out ski touring in Europe (it’s not that long ago that 90mm underfoot was considered a super specialist powder ski) – ie you don’t need 100mm+ skis all of the time, but you may want to have a pair of wider skis, in order to have as much fun as possible on fresh snow days.

With that in mind then, here are a few of the best lightweight wider bodied touring skis on the market at the moment – in order to convince yourself that you really do need a pair!

Black Diamond Helio 102 (2.9kg, 128-102-116, 22m radius) The brilliant, wider bodied Helio 102 makes an ideal powder touring tool – being both light on the ascents and great fun on the descents.  If you regularly visit super deep snowpacks, we also recommend the Helio 108s.

Volkl Blaze 104 (3.45kg, 143-104-128, 16m radius)  Very light, crossover resort and powder touring ski with an excellent rocker-camber-rocker profile, gives the Blaze 104 great soft snow performance and it’s a friendly, manoeuvrable ski.

Atomic Backland 109 (3.1kg, 135-109-124, 19m radius)  Excellent, solid backcountry powder touring ski  – this model is an update on the original Backland 107 with an enhanced rocker profile, improving the versatility of this friendly and accessible ski.

Faction Agent 3 (3.6Kg , 134-106-124, 19m radius) The Agent 3.0 are a fully fledged freeride ski designed to deliver on the descent, whilst still being light enough to push up hill.

Black Crows Corvus Freebird (3.65kg at 176cm, 139-109-122) – New version of the Corvus; yes they are bright pink, yes they are 109mm wide and yes they are awesome! – a top backcountry soft snow ski.

Elan Ripstick Tour 104 (3.1kg at 180cm, 128-104-122, 23m radius) The award winning Riptick Tour 104 is a superb freeride touring ski that’s still very light on the ascents.