Indice dei contenuti per Fall - Winter 2016 in Outside

a. Blizzard Bonafide $840 BEST FOR: Your Colorado one-ski quiver. THE TEST: Our testers aren’t engineers. They’re skiers. But one bit of engineering they universally adore: when a manufacturer strips excess ounces from the tip and tail, reducing swing weight and making a demanding ski stupid easy to slough in and out of turns. To one degree or another, all the skis we selected for this category fit that description, but the Bonafide stands out. Blizzard took a proven rockered shape and damp wood core, then added carbon fiber at the tip and tail. That upgrade makes the ski more accessible without sacrificing the brand’s characteristic power. We took this new balanced, predictable iteration offtrail from opening bell and never looked back. THE VERDICT: Bottomless powder days are few and…

a. Elan Ripstick 94 W $700 Head’s Total Joy is a frontside ripper, the Salomon Stella is a big-mountain tool–and the Ripstick falls right in between. It may be the most precise carver on this page, staying positively glued to the snow when laying down everything from short-radius slalom moves to sweeping super-G tracks. It did best in soft snow and bumps, nimbly leaping from turn to turn. “Comfortable, effortless, and powerful,” raved one tester. “For chargers who want a ski with spark, spunk, and personality,” said another. The only caveat: you’ll have to rein it in on steep, icy slopes, where it tended to feel outmatched. Experts desired a bit more heft and stiffness on treacherous lines. 134/94/109 b. Head Total Joy $875 Two seasons ago, Head launched what…

a. Amplid LoveLife $520 BEST FOR: Aggressive Riders Amplid got the memo that not all women crave soft flex and graphics that look like Disney-princess wallpaper. Despite the unfortunate name, expert testers endorsed the LoveLife for its tip-to-tail stiffness, created by a low-density poplar core and a carbon stringer that runs along the vertical axis. The design delivers energetic flex and snappy ollies without preventing playful turning. “It threw butters left and right,” said one tester. Multiple contact points afforded by the slightly set-back camber profile gave riders confidence in no-fall zones. b. K2 Wildheart $549 BEST FOR: Surf-Inspired Cruising The Wildheart earned an unofficial accolade from our testers–Funnest Board Tested. With a wide, old-school surfboard shape, it’s designed for smooth carving on groomers and should be sized five or…

a. DPS Tour1 Wailer 112RP2 skis $1,050 BEST FOR: Earning deep powder laps. THE TEST: Over the past five years, the banana-shaped Wailer 112–with heavy rocker and a tapered fore and aft–has become the ski of choice for backcountry devotees when snow totals measure in the feet. The new Tour1 takes that icon and makes it 15 percent lighter, pairing a balsa-wood core with carbon fiber. That build involves some sacrifices in the power department (we prefer the old model for throwing down on firm snow), but the weight-topowder-pleasure ratio is unmatched. THE VERDICT: DPS’s lightest core perfectly completes this classic. 141/112/128; 6.7 lbs b. The M Equipment Meidjo bindings $679 BEST FOR: Telemark skiers who tour. THE TEST: While the NTN platform offers a whole slew of performance features–including…

a. Lange XT Freetour 130 $950 Lange brought its World Cup pedigree to the new XT Freetour. The boot got some uphillfriendly upgrades, such as tech inserts and a rockered sole so grippy it wouldn’t be out of place on a running shoe. But it relishes driving big sticks through crud. Our only gripe: with all those backcountry details, its walk mode should have a wider range. 7.8 lbs b. Salomon QST Pro 120 $725 This boot focuses on fast descending, with an oversize ankle pivot and burly shell. But with a 40-degree walk mode, it’s happy on short tours, too. While the tight tongue (borrowed from Salomon’s runners) caused some chafing, testers liked the customizable shell, which expands to accommodate last widths from 100 to 106 millimeters. 7 lbs…

IF YOU BUILD IT... We determine what a ski can do based on its shape and materials. We haven’t been restricted by cost. Our mission is to build the ultimate ski. Price points are an afterthought. COPY WHAT WORKS About seven years ago, I was skiing low-angle powder on a cat-ski trip outside Aspen. We wanted a ski that could generate more speed across the fall line. Powder shares more similarities with water than it does with packed snow, so we looked at boats, water skis, and surfboards, think ing about how crafts float while moving at an angle. That’s how we came up with the Spoon. EMBRACE MISTAKES You make a lot of crappy stuff on your way to something good. I almost killed myself testing that first Spoon,…

a. Avex Freeflow Autoseal Stainless water bottle $30 Brew tea in this 24-ounce bottle, stay out for ten hours, and rest assured it will still be piping hot when you return. b. Buff Savva hat $32 Combining the charm of a cap knitted by your granny with modern touches like wicking acrylic and a fleece band, the Savva is comfort food for your head. c. Pladra Peregrine shirt $119 The wild child of cotton flannels, this wardrobe staple has a spirit animal (in this case, a wolf) peeking out from its cuff, yoke, and collar. d. Steger Mukluks Kodiak boots $300 Inspired by Inuit boots she found while traveling through the Arctic, Patti Steger designed these moose-hide mukluks to be snug in temps trending toward minus 20. e. United by…

a. Fjällräven Singi Down $600 With a thick layer of traceable down stuffed into bomber, old-school waxed canvas, this four-pound (!) jacket will keep you toasty on frigid days walking around Vail or snowshoeing through the forest. Note: no varmints were harmed in the making of the removable synthetic-fur hood lining. b. Smartwool Double Corbet 120 $220 The Double Corbet emphasizes comfort and breathability without giving an inch in performance. It pieces together warm, woolinsulated body panels with merino sleeves and side panels that facilitate movement and regulate sweat and stink. c. Burton AK BK Down Insulator $260 Hitting the sweet spot between light-andpackable and warm-and-puffy, the AK BK is stuffed with 800-fill down that makes it more than adequate for midwinter hot laps at the resort. And the clean…

PAIN IS THE BEST MOTIVATION What drives me? Wanting to suffer less in the mountains. WASTE NOT German designer Dieter Rams has ten rules of good design. One of them is “Good design is as little design as possible.” That’s something we incorporate in everything we do. If you look at our products that have lasted through the decades, they’re simple and elegant. The less junk there is, the less there is to go wrong. YOU CAN’T WIN ’EM ALL There’s this pressure to continually make a new and better product. But constant innovation is challenging. Sometimes the creativity is there, sometimes it isn’t. THIN TO WIN The more construction a piece has, the heavier it is. So how do you make a jacket that’s functional, durable, and breathable while…

Thule Upslope 20L $120 BEST FOR: Fast access to your gear. THE TEST: The main-compartment zipper goes around the outside but then extends onto the waist belt. The benefit: you can open it at your hip and reach back into the bottom of the pack to grab stuff while on the move. The pack also slings to the side if you want to dig deeper. All this on-body access saved one tester tons of time during a spring tour when the weather was constantly changing. “Everyone else had to take off their pack, but I could get my beanie and gloves in and out without stopping,” he said. We also like the diagonal ski carry (vertical or horizontal for snowboards) that adapts to planks of different sizes, plus the insulated…

GEAR OF THE YEAR K2 Diversion $159 The one thing that can’t be overemphasized when buying a helmet? Fit. A lid might be loaded with slick features and look cool as hell, but it can’t protect you if it’s sliding all over your head, and you’ll hate it if it’s tight as a vise. Also, make sure it plays nice with your goggles, unless you want to be plagued by gaper gap. For those reasons, we recommend you always try before you buy. And it helps to know where to start. We tested a dozen helmets this season, and the following seven stood out for their breathability, customizability, and style. At the very top of the pile sits the new Diversion. It’s a lowprofile shape with a clever 360degree fit…

a. Mammut Carbon 240 Light probe $80 When there’s trouble, you need a probe that snaps together fast. The seven-foot-ten Mammut Carbon 240 assembles in under three seconds and weighs just 6.5 ounces, allowing it to fulfill its other most important duty—disappearing when not in use. b. Black Diamond Razor Carbon Pro ski poles $120 You shouldn’t wear normal pole straps in the backcountry. If you’re caught in a slide or take a fall in deep pow, they can anchor you facedown in the snow. Black Diamond’s solution is a breakaway strap that gives you power when you need it but also keeps you safe when things go awry. The adjustable fl ick locks and low swing weight are bonuses. c. BCA Shaxe Tech shovel $180 There aren’t many instances…

a. Fimbulvetr Hikr $270 BEST FOR: Deep Snow Breaking trail in winter is just about the most difficult workout you can do. But that Herculean endeavor is made a bit easier with a platform like the Norwegian Hikr strapped to your foot. The lightweight plastic honeycomb frame helped it float better in powder than any other snowshoe on this page. Plus, it’s 100 percent recyclable. 4.7 lbs b. L.L.Bean Green Mountain $329 BEST FOR: Keeping Forever Snowshoes have been around for at least 4,000 years. And the original ones looked a lot like the Green Mountain. Sure, it’s a bit unwieldy, but the girth makes it ideal for moving across deep snow in open terrain. Of course, the rugged good looks helped win us over, too, with rawhide decking and…

GET DIRTY Before Hoka, I designed shoes for Teva. I had no experience making sandals for kayaking, so I went to raft-guide school to learn the nuances. I hauled rafts, I rowed. I couldn’t legitimately approach a water shoe without attempting to paddle a kayak. I had to experience it. TRICKLE DOWN Just like a race car doesn’t work for a family going on holiday, you can’t build products for professional athletes and expect everyone to enjoy them. Often you take inspiration from these individuals and create stuff the rest of us can use. If you’re not aware of general market needs, you’re just building something pretty. It’s what we call dying in beauty. YOU ARE YOUR BEST CUSTOMER I’ve always been passionate about making gear I want to use.…

a. Rossignol Soul 7 HD $850 BEST FOR: Steep trees and back bowls. THE TEST: One skishop employee said of the Soul 7 HD: “Anyone who demos this ski will buy it.” That sums up why Rossignol’s madly successful 7 series boards have sold so well. They’re incredibly appealing to a wide range of skiers and extremely high performance. With a lightweight honeycomb tip and tail, plus ample rockering, the 106millimeter Soul 7 is arguably the best inboundstreeskiing ride of all time. You can whip it around in a pivot turn, slash through an alley, and float up and out of the wettest mank with barely a grunt. At speed, the HD version is more energetic and stable on open slopes than its predecessor because of the same openweave carbon…

a. Reef Rover Hi $120 Reef took its popular, summery Rover line and updated it for winter commutes. This new iteration has a waxed-leather upper that fends off light snow. (Spray it with a waterproofing treatment if you’ll be in really wet conditions.) The fleecy lining paired with a springy midsole makes it downright slipper-esque. b. Sanuk Beer Runner $70 It’s all in the name. We loved the classic jogger look of the Beer Runner for six-pack shuffles to the corner store. A herringbone-patterned rubber sole gave enough traction, while the cotton and hemp upper kept things airy and light. c. Industry of All Nations Jefe $50 For a shoe that means “boss” in Spanish, the Jefe was pleasantly lenient with our tired dogs after they got worked on the…

Gear of the Year Voilé Supercharger $695 This season our team of more than four dozen tested 210 skis, 53 boots, and 13 bindings–and crunched the numbers on 1,400 review forms–to come up with this: the best backcountry gear of the year. The 25 products featured on the following six pages continue the trend toward lightweight performance. The skis all have at least some carbon (although you wouldn’t know it from how they rip), the boots come in well under eight pounds, and only one of the bindings has a frame. So yeah, a lot of brands are making great stuff, but there was one clear winner: the crazily adept Supercharger. Salt Lake City-based Voilé makes boards for perfectionists, running each design through a bunch of iterations in its U.S.…

a. Black Crows Anima Freebird skis $850 BEST FOR: Surfy, playful powder turns. THE TEST: Chamonix-based Black Crows gutted last season’s popular big-mountain-ripping Anima, replacing its core with a lighter paulownia-poplar blend. The profile’s exactly the same; the ski just weighs 2.6 pounds less per pair. The result is a backcountry-first plank that testers described as both slidey and slarvey and that relished blasting through mank at speed. Up to a point: some of our crew noted that the Anima Freebird’s tip and tail chattered loosely when taken off soft snow. THE VERDICT: A nimble, poppy option for soft, untracked runs. 143/115/128; 7.9 lbs b. Dynafit Beast 14 bindings $750 BEST FOR: Bringing alpine security to the backcountry. THE TEST: Yeah, it’s aptly named. The Beast 14 ranked in the…

a. Bridgedale Vertige Light socks $25 The merino Vertiges mix polypropylene to wick moisture and Lycra for a snug fit. Subtle padding at the ball of the foot gives you exactly what you need for hours of glide. b. Salomon Condition-Specific S-Lab skate skis $700 The new S-Lab line offers a range of highly specialized weaponry, with variations in stiffness, base hardness, camber profile, and finish for specific snow types and temperatures. Pick the one that best matches your track. Just be sure to get the wax right. c. Swix Triac 2.5 poles $499 When skate skiing, you expend about half your energy poling. The new Triac 2.5 is the stiffest, lightest, most durable model we’ve tried. d. Julbo Aero sunglasses $130 Good bike glasses work just as well on…

GEAR OF THE YEAR Patagonia Stretch Nano Storm $449 In 2014, Patagonia sparked an arms race with the Nano-Air puffy, a versatile insulator that won our Gear of the Year award. The following winter, just about every outdoor brand had a version. Now Patagonia does it again with the Stretch Nano Storm. Think of it as a Nano-Air on steroids: a proprietary stretchy, waterproof-breathable fabric wraps the synthetic fill, while the interior is made from the same plush liner as the original. Add pit zips and you have a bombproof jacket that wears and breathes like a sweatshirt. It’s light enough (1.2 pounds) for the backcountry, warm enough for ice climbing, and weatherproof enough for storm days. Of course, some will still prefer to pair a midlayer with a hard…

a. Toad&Co Kodiak Quilted $130 Pull on the Kodiak and you feel like you’re wrapped in a supersoft blanket. The material makes you feel good in other ways, too: it blends recycled cotton with polyester from reclaimed plastic bottles, and the tag encourages buyers to “wear more, wash less, wear it out or pass it on.” b. Edgevale North Coast $199 This fleece-lined classic marries a stylish polyester-wool outer with soft-shell technology. Result? It buffers against wind and water, warms, and stretches while also being breathable and office appropriate. It’s the epitome of the utilitarian shacket. c. The North Face Lost Coast Thermoball $149 This is a high-performance midlayer disguised as bar wear. It weighs a feathery 13.5 ounces, mainly due to 100 percent nylon ripstop face fabric and airy…

Icebreaker Helix Long-Sleeve Zip jacket $250 If you need a do-it-all midlayer this winter, go with the Helix. Despite the svelte profile, it’s warmer than any other top on this page, thanks to its wool insulation and windblocking poly exterior. That face fabric also shrugs off light snow. We happily wore it skiing, hiking, running, and sledding all season. Trew Lightweight NuYarn Merino bottoms $89 These aren’t your granny’s woolen knickers. Trew partnered with NuYarn, which developed a way to spin natural fibers over a nylon core without twisting the plushness out of the merino. The result: a loftier base layer that feels softer, stretches farther, and breathes better than any other we tried. Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man fleece $160 This jacket is nearly a quarter-inch thick and feels like…

a. Canon PowerShot SX620 HS $279 Don’t let the low price fool you: the Power-Shot SX620 is packed with goodies. A clever stabilization system removes shake and supports an impressive 25x zoom, while Smart Auto mode selects aperture and shutter speed based on light conditions. It snaps off detailed 20.2-megapixel stills that can be shared through built-in Wi-Fi. b. Leica Q $4,250 Picky shooters need look no further than Leica’s Q. The German brand nestled a 24.2-megapixel full-frame sensor behind a Summilux 28-millimeter lens. That supersharp glass also allows for stunning depth of field at speeds up to ten frames per second, while manual settings afford total control. c. Olympus Pen-F $1,200 The Pen-F has many of the features (pocketability, customizable controls) that made the 1963 original so popular. But…

Black Diamond Cirque 45 $220 BEST FOR: Whatever you need. THE TEST: There’s nothing this pack can’t do. One tester used it for a multi-day backcountry cabin trip by cramming food, clothing, and gear into every inch of the 45 liters of main cargo space and the outside storage pockets. On ski tours, the light but cushy padding supported the load well, while swiveling back straps ensured the pack moved with wearers’ bodies and didn’t cause any chafing. It was equally adept for bootpacking couloirs with skis riding A-frame, a rope stashed on the roof, and an ice ax holstered in a hipbelt gear loop. But what really impressed testers was how the pack felt with nothing but avalanche gear. “I cinched it snug and it disappeared on my back,”…

LOVE THE PUZZLE With engineering and design, there are no textbooks. You take your experience, work with other people, and solve something that’s unknown and soteric. That’s fun. CUSTOMER KNOWS BEST We start by figuring out what the problem is we’re trying to solve. You could come up with some crazy, amazing thing, but if nobody wants to use it, it’s not going to sell. That customer need is the driving force. BE REAL At the end of the day, we’re limited by reality. Cost, available resources, timeline—you have to consider those things. Then there’s simple physics. Everyone wants better performance in a smaller, cheaper, faster package. At some point, you have to make trade-offs and sacrifices. LET IT GO There comes a time when you need to take a…

a. AlpineAire Guacamole $9 Thanks to the geniuses at Alpine-Aire, guac is no longer a luxury reserved for glamping with a wellstocked cooler—it’s a trail-ready hors d’oeuvre you’ve earned after hiking miles in the backcountry. Just add water to the 1.4-ounce package, filled with freeze-dried avocado, onion, and serrano pepper. Don’t forget the chips. b. I Heart Keenwah Sweet Chili Quinoa Puffs $3.50 Sure, you can cook quinoa while backpacking. The seed is easy to prepare and protein-rich, but it’s also bland on its own. That’s why we like these snackable puffs, infused with zesty jalapeño and habanero fl avor. c. 33Shake Chia Energy Gel $27.50 for ten Chia seeds—packed with carbs, protein, omega-3’s, and antioxidants—are tiny performance enhancers for endurance athletes. We slipped a few of these 21-gram packets…

a. Spire $130 The Spire won’t measure heart rate or really anything beyond the number of steps you’ve taken. But it will analyze your breathing, providing a constant record of your stress levels. When the pebble-size sensor notices you’ve gone awhile without taking a deep breath, it vibrates and prompts you to open the app. From there, it walks you through either a breathing or meditation exercise. b. Polar M600 $330 The M600 is a souped-up Apple Watch for athletes. It’s got built-in GPS, can put together training plans, and, because it runs on Android Wear, will work with more than 4,000 apps, including Strava and Runtastic. And it boasts productivity enhancers like calendar notifications and call handling. c. Fitbit Charge 2 $150 A smartwatch and fitness-tracker hybrid, the Charge…

a. Atomic Vantage X 83 CTI $899 BEST FOR: Everything from groomers to bumps to chalky steeps. THE TEST: Our testers called the brandnew Vantage X 83 CTI “the most versatile ski in the category, by a long shot.” It railed arced racer turns on groomed snow nearly as well as the Völkl RTM and Blizzard Quattro, but it’s both lighter and more nimble offpiste. Much of the credit lies with Atomic’s proven Carbon Tank Mesh. The openweave fiber boosts the ski’s stability and smooths out the ride without adding excess weight. A smartly placed titanium backbone further cuts chatter and adds to the dynamic rebound of the ski as you exit turns. The CTI can also crank out everything from short swing turns in the fall line to sweeping…

The holy grail of the ski world? A comfortable boot that doesn’t sacrifice power for roominess. Gear designers have wrestled with this problem for years, but we’ve seen some significant gains this season with three major developments. First, companies are offering stiffer, speedhungry models in medium and wide widths. Behold the best-in-test Rossignol Allspeed Pro 120 (100 millimeters; $750), which let our broad-footed testers enjoy race-car speed and precision. Full Tilt, a cult-favorite brand championed by Seth Morrison, introduced the wider Descendant (102 millimeters; $750) to let big dogs enjoy the shin-cushioning benefit of three-piece construction. Next, custom fitting, which started with heat-moldable liners, has progressed to shells. The Tecnica Cochise Pro 130 (left, 98 millimeters; $840) accommodates bulging ankles and metatarsals. Need further tweaking? The shell’s dimpled plastic can…

a. Völkl VTA 88 Lite skis $1,065 BEST FOR: Going up and down really fast. THE TEST: The folks at Völkl have a genius for building skis that are both playful and stable. The catch? They’re usually heavy, which makes them better for the resort than the backcountry. Enter the VTA 88 Lite–the lightest ski here. By wrapping a wood core in carbon, Völkl was able to ditch all the metal, shedding half a pound per ski in the process. And the unique three-dimensional topsheet shrugs off snow on the way up, cutting even more weight. THE VERDICT: A backcountry board that wants to play at the resort but still flies uphill. 127/88/106; 4.6 lbs b. Hagan ZR bindings $650 BEST FOR: Winning ski-mountaineering races. THE TEST: The only thing…

a. Dynafit Meteorite skis $699 It’s not a women-specific ski, but testers preferred it to the Sphinx–the Meteorite’s softer, lighter sister. One of Dynafit’s new freeride offerings, it has an ash and poplar core overlaid with carbon at the rockered tip and tail for added float and lower swing weight. 125.5/97/115.9; 8 lbs b. Salomon MTN Explore boots $725 Last year, Salomon introduced the 120-flex, unisex MTN Lab. Now women get another option: the 90-flex, two-buckle MTN Explore. With a shorter cuff, lighter liner, and 63-degree walk mode, it’s designed for the backcountry but packs plenty of downhill punch. 5.6 lbs c. Dynafit Radical TLT ST 2.0 bindings $550 Dynafit updated the classic Radical with a noteworthy new feature: improved safety. A rotating toe absorbs impact and reduces the risk…

a. Voormi AN/FO pants $499 Backcountry skiers, meet your new outerwear. Made from thick, four-way-stretch wool that’s reinforced with nylon thread and lined with a waterproof membrane, the AN/FO’s breathe signifi cantly better than your typical synthetic waterproof ski pants. Durability isn’t an issue: they were none the worse for wear after a season’s worth of encounters with ski edges, trees, and rocks. b. Cotopaxi Kusa blanket $90 Cotopaxi stuffed llama-poly insulation inside a DWR-coated ripstop-nylon wrapper to create this utilitarian blanket. We kept it in the trunk all season long, pulling it out for chilly après parking-lot parties or as an extra layer when crashing in the car before a powder day. Come summer, it works just as well for music festivals and picnics. c. Filson Mackinaw cap $75…

a. Outdoor Research Capstone Heated $500 Why spend five bills on electric gloves? To play longer when the mercury drops. A heating surface covers 70 percent of the Capstone (twice the area of most other models), and the lithium-ion batteries deliver up to eight hours of cook time on low. When the juice runs out and it’s above freezing, the softshell material is all you need. b. Give’r 4-Season $99 Think ski-patrol glove straight from DARPA. Originally tested by crews deicing planes at the Jackson Hole airport, the Give’r lets you do everything from grab a burning log to handle dry ice. The burly leather will endure an absolute beating, while Thinsulate insulation and a 100 percent waterproof membrane keep fingers warm and dry during long days in the gnarliest…

a. Tissot T-Touch Expert Solar $1,150 Here’s something new under the sun: the first solar-powered touchscreen watch. The Expert Solar’s spare, Euro-cool design and titanium case conceal a wealth of useful digital gadgetry behind its analog face, like an altimeter, a weather monitor, and a compass that swings into action with one touch. b. CT Scuderia Fibra di Carbonio 10131 $1,495 Scuderia is known in Europe for its Italiandesigned, racing-inspired timepieces. This model is all about its namesake carbon fiber, which lends eye-catching texture to the face as well as lightness. But what stand out most are the pushers along the top edge of the case, à la classic stopwatches. c. Reactor Meltdown 2 $300 The Reactor is what the Red Bull set want on their wrists—a basic, burly watch…

GEAR OF THE YEAR New Balance Fresh Foam Gobi $95 Take these pages as proof that we’re in the midst of a running-shoe renaissance. They feature not only the best of our extensive test, but also some of the most creative designs we’ve seen in years. Like what? Try a midcut hiking boot that doubles as a legit trail runner. Or a roadie with a knit sock for an upper. Or the do-itall maestro of the season, the Gear of the Year– winning Gobi. It’s a fast, energetic road-trail combo that delivers speedy responsiveness and quick turnover on pavement, as well as a solidly secure fit and light protection (16 millimeters of foam in the heel) on gravel roads and rolling hills. One day it logged 11 miles in the…

a. Under Armour Clackamas 200 $130 BEST FOR: Deep Snow If you tramp through half a foot of fresh every morning to get to your car, take note. The 10.5-inch-tall Clackamas rises above the snow, while its water-resistant rubber-andcanvas upper laughs off precipitation. Inside, your feet will be warm and happy, nestled above a memory-foam footbed. b. Saucony Razor Ice+ $180 BEST FOR: Runners Who Love the Cold Based on Saucony’s popular Peregrine, the Razor Ice+ is basically a running shoe that loves winter. It’s got the same midsole as the Peregrine, but Saucony added a burlier Vibram outsole with two winter-specificrubbers in the lugs—one grips slick surfaces like a crampon, and the other gets stickier as temperatures drop. c. Icebug Now3 Bugweb RB9X $165 BEST FOR: Getting After It…