Table of contents for 2019 Winter Buyer's Guide in Outside

Good, Better, Best, Bestest Here at Outside, we evaluate gear for a living, so it takes a lot to impress us. Having a discerning eye and the ability to tell when something is legit or mere marketing hype comes in handy in our line of work. There’s plenty of new gear every year, and my eyes roll when something is lauded for its “new colorways!” or “fabric that evaporates sweat 0.17629 percent faster than the competition!” Progress for the sake of progress is often not progress at all. A journalist friend recently asked me, “When do you think we’ll reach peak gear?” Is there really still room for meaningful innovation? I waffled, and my answer was boilerplate along the lines of, “It’s hard to pick out the truly game-changing products,…

SKIS Völkl M5 Mantra $825 How do you freshen up a ski you’ve been making for 12 years and already redesigned four times? You blow it up entirely. That’s what Völkl’s German engineers did with the brand-new M5. Their goal: keep one of the most versatile all-mountain skis in history relevant. Not only did they succeed, but they created the best ski of the year. How? By bringing back underfoot camber for better glide and rebound, decreasing the width (from 100 to 96 millimeters at the waist) for easier edging, and deepening the sidecut for a more dynamic ride on hard snow. But what sets the M5 Mantra apart is its groundbreaking construction. Völkl’s skis are justifiably famous for their sturdy wood cores sandwiched between two sheets of titanium alloy,…

ALPINE TOURING BINDINGS a. Dynafit ST Rotation 10 $600 Several years ago, the brand that launched the tech revolution in the eighties introduced a turntable heel to prevent pre-release. The new Rotation improves upon that model, with a centering function at the toe that makes lining up the back of your boot with the heelpiece more precise. 2.2 lbs b. Salomon Shift MNC $650 The Shift, developed in collaboration with Atomic, is like no other binding ever made. It has an alpine-inspired step-in heel and a tech toe for climbing that, with the flip of a lever, morphs into a traditional alpine toe for the ride down. Testers deemed it the most confidence-inspiring tech binding available. 3.8 lbs c. Marker Alpinist 12 $449 A certain confidence comes with clicking into…

JACKETS Eddie Bauer BC EverTherm Down $499 If you’re a cold-weather backcountry adventurer, you need a fail-safe layer stashed in your pack—the lighter the better. Warm enough for an emergency alpine bivy and waterproof enough to handle drizzly conditions, Eddie Bauer’s BC EverTherm is your superlight safety kit. At just 1.2 pounds, it has the best warmth-to-weight ratio of any waterproof puffy we tested. The secret is Eddie Bauer’s proprietary Thindown insulation, which debuted last year and is made of ultralight down clusters that are pressed into a continuous sheet rather than blown loose into baffles. That means the jacket isn’t perforated by thousands of stitches that allow heat to escape, so you stay warmer. The seam-taped 15-denier waterproof shell keeps the down dry and offers additional wind protection for…

PACKS Ortovox Haute Route 40 $190 The best packs sit comfortably on your back without a lot of organizational maneuvering beforehand. That’s the Haute Route in a nutshell. Named for the classic ski tour in France and Switzerland, it handles a heavy load without feeling bulky, lopsided, or misshapen. The 40-liter capacity was plenty for carting overnight gear on a hut trip—including the requisite bottle of Scotch. Gear enters the main compartment through the top or (our preference) a zippered back panel. “The rear entry and light-colored interior made it easy to grab what I needed, regardless of how poorly I packed,” said one tester, who also appreciated the dedicated front avalanche-tool pocket. “I love keeping that stuff separate from everything else.” Yet, while there’s a ton of capacity, the…

GET IT The new Step On® system comes in six different boot and binding bundles, three for men, two for women, and one for youth. Packages start at $549 for men and women and $329 for youth. THE BACKSTORY Jake Burton rounded up all his top product designers and gave them a daunting task: create the world’s quickest and most intuitive snowboard boot to binding interface. More than four years of research and prototyping resulted in Step On®, a strapless system that doesn’t compromise comfort or performance.…

GOGGLES Atomic Count 360¡ HD $200 Dual-lens goggles have been the standard in winter sports since the 1960s. Just like with thermal windows, the air between the first and second lens has an insulating effect, reducing fog. But flaws inherent in that construction (refraction, image mirroring) have dogged designers. Despite advances, the view through a single lens is just better. Atomic solves this conundrum with the revolutionary Count 360° HD, which features two lenses fused together, with no gap in between. The benefit is immediately apparent. The optics are tack sharp, with (to our eyes) zero refraction or mirroring. And the advantages don’t end there. Atomic's goggles give you a massive field of view—wide enough to see skiers coming up alongside you without turning your head—and the lenses are coated…

GLOVES a. Oyuki Haika $150 This Japanese import has two features we always look for in a touring glove: a removable liner, and external seams on the fingers for maximum dexterity. The Haika’s liner is made from highly breathable Lycra and has durable goatskin leather in the palm. A suppler goatskin makes up the glove’s shell, with comfy tricot inside. b. The North Face Etip Grip $55 This light single-layer glove is perfect for cool-weather cycling, nordic skiing, or simply having in your pack when the weather turns foul. It’s knit from stretchy fleece, and the palms and fingertips are coated in a tacky elastic that dutifully grips cold, slick surfaces like a phone or water bottle. c. Hestra Army Leather Patrol Three-Finger $130 Many skiers shy away from mittens,…

Over the past few years, the fat-bike market has seen a veritable blizzard of new models. But now that the initial wave of interest has tapered off, it’s mostly the stalwart companies pushing the envelope. And offerings are increasingly sophisticated, led by the Salsa Beargrease ($5,600 as tested). The third generation has geometry that’s lower and longer than the previous iteration, paired with a shorter stem and 750-millimeter bars for better handling and a stabler ride. It’s light at 26.5 pounds, courtesy of some careful sculpting in the frame, the 1x12 SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain, and the house-brand carbon cockpit parts. The geometry made the Beargrease confident on everything from iced-up sled tracks to sandy, drought-parched arroyos. Salsa wisely outfitted 27.5-inch Whisky No.9 carbon rims with 3.8-inch Maxxis Minion tires,…

SNOWSHOES a. Louis Garneau Course Boa Arc $250 Louis Garneau is primarily a cycling company, but it sure makes some impressive snowshoes. The lightest and fastest is the unisex Course Boa Arc. Weighing just 14 ounces. it’s hardly noticeable on a racecourse, and the narrow frame and tapered tail don’t alter your stride. Crampons beneath the toe and heel offer just enough traction to keep you upright, and the simple Boa binding tightens evenly across you foot and won’t come loose no matter how many miles you log. b. L.L.Bean Trailblazer $170 Keep your gloves on. Close your eyes if you dare. Then insert your foot into the binding and turn the Boa dial. That’s how simple it is to put on the 21inch Trailblazer (women’s pictured). The binding accommodates…

WEARABLE TECH a. Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR $280 Finally, Suunto gives the people what they want at a price they can afford. This is a full-featured triathlon watch, but it also tracks some sports the others don’t, like ice hockey. The Trainer Wrist HR crams in an optical heart-rate monitor, some decent smartwatch features (like call and message notification), and compatibility with power meters and other third-party sensors. There’s nothing on the market that even comes close, featurewise, for under $300. b. Polar OH1 $80 Chest straps are uncomfortable and inconvenient, while wrist-based heart-rate monitors compromise on accuracy. The Polar OH1 achieves a happy medium between usability and wearability. It’s designed to be worn on the upper arm, and we found it to be nearly as precise as a…

By the Numbers Putting together a product-heavy tome like the winter Buyer’s Guide is fraught with logistics. No one knows that better than assistant managing editor Jeremy Rellosa, who was in charge of calling in all the samples, factchecking every last shred of copy, and generally making sure we stayed on schedule and didn’t lose our minds. Here, he presents the data behind the issue. 615 PRODUCTS CALLED IN 24,864 WORDS IN THE ISSUE (BY OUR BEST COUNT), ALL FACT-CHECKED 4,800 E-MAIL MESSAGES SENT AND RECEIVED (ROUNDING DOWN) one hundred and forty-one CUPS OF COFFEE CONSUMED 27 LAPS RUN AROUND THE OFFICE DROPPING OFF PAGE PROOFS…

ALPINE SKI BOOTS BEST FOR ALL-MOUNTAIN RACING Nordica Promachine 130 $849 The Promachine’s anatomically shaped liner and shell, which seamlessly blends plastics of varying thickness, improve feel without compromising capability. This helps translate the subtlest movements from your feet to the ski, making it our favorite for tight trees. BEST FOR GRAM COUNTERS K2 Recon 120 $650 Just 3.6 pounds but hardly wimpy, the Recon is one of the lightest inbounds boots on the market. It drops weight by thinning the shell where strength isn’t crucial, like the sides and toe, but still comes through on steep, committing runs. BEST FOR FREESKIING Lange RX Superleggera $950 The 120-flex Superleggera merges Lange’s race pedigree with an ultralight liner and sturdy Grilamid shell. The result is power made playful: Testers could punctuate…

ALPINE TOURING SKI BOOTS a. Scott Celeste III $750 The latest edition of the women’s Celeste is roomier in the lower portion of the shell and in the cuff, making it a tester favorite. Scott kept the smooth forward flex from its previous design, so the Celeste performs more like a ski-mountaineering boot than a four-buckle powerhouse. With 60 degrees of motion, it climbed just as well. 2.7 lbs b. Salomon S/Lab MTN $975 Updated with Salomon’s Custom Shell HD technology, the new S/Lab MTN is heat moldable, so it accommodates a greater variety of feet than its narrow predecessor the MTN Lab. That made it popular with our testers, who felt that—with its Pebax cuff and stability-boosting carbon spine—it skied like a boot with twice the buckles. 3.5 lbs…

SPLITBOARDING a. G3 Alpinist Plus Glide skins $184 G3 tweaked the mohair-to-nylon ratio in its Alpinist skins to suit a variety of conditions and terrain. Our favorite: the 70 percent mohair, 30 percent nylon Glide. It’s downright zippy on low-angle tours. b. Arc’teryx Beta SL jacket $299 A quality shell is a must on any backcountry mission, even if it mostly lives in your pack. Arc’teryx’s Beta SL tips the scales at less than 11 ounces. And with its cinchable hood, slim fit, and two-layer Gore-Tex, we were more than happy to bust it out when necessary. c. Salomon Pillow Talk splitboard $800 Terrible name, killer deck. Salomon took its women’s all-mountain Pillow Talk, cut it in half, and gave it a new core. The flex is on the soft…

WINTER TRAVEL a. Bioscarf $39 Tired of catching airplane bugs? The Bio scarf looks like any old neck warmer, but there’s a filter hidden in the fabric that blocks germs, pollen, and air pollution. b. Gregory Praxus 65 pack $170 This clever pack is padded, to safeguard electronics, and has separate compartments for clean and dirty gear. The back straps are made of comfy closed-cell foam, and the Praxus (and women’s Proxy) fits in an overhead bin. Made of 420-denier nylon, it’ll also hold up fine if you need to check it. c. Superfeet Crane shoes $110 Make the Crane (or women’s Addy) part of all your travel outfits. It has a Supercork premium insole for support, so you can make your connecting flight without wrecking your dogs. d. Skyroam…

WINTER CAMPING a. Black Diamond GlideLite 147 skis $469 Don’t try using these for downhilling. The GlideLites have bindings that work with most winter hiking boots, combining the convenience of snowshoeing with the efficiency of cross-country planks. b. Sierra Designs Mountain Guide tarp $350 Redesigned for 2018, this shelter has ample room to sleep four and hold all their gear. Guy lines self-equalize to maintain tension and keep the tarp erect. c. Klymit Insulated V Ultralite SL sleeping pad $120 Weighing in at just under a pound, this pad has a high 4.4 R-value (a measure of insulation), and Klymit’s V-shaped baffles offer enough structure for you to sleep on your side without bottoming out. d. The North Face Immaculator parka $349 Testers loved the Immaculator for frosty belays in…

RUNNING SHOES Brooks Bedlam $150 Supportive road shoes can feel stiff and bullying, lacking that peppy, cushioned ride neutral runners with good form get from their footwear. Now there’s the Bedlam, the perfect marriage of a stable platform with soft, energetic cushioning. What struck a chord with testers was the shoe’s ability to guide overpronators (and neutral runners who pronate when tired) softly into correction without the need for a medial post or other stifling structural features. Heel to toe, the support feels natural, never overbearing. The secret is a thin film of thermoplastic that encapsulates the polyurethane midsole to keep it from squishing too much and bottoming out. That simple ingredient gives the Bedlam a surprising amount of energy with every step. We love how the one-piece knit upper…

WINTER HIKERS a. Oboz Juniper 8" Insulated $165 For big days in the mountains, the high-cut, waterproof women’s Juniper 8" Insulated is the boot we reach for. With Thinsulate in the upper, it kept our feet toasty and still fit nicely in snowshoe bindings, while the winterized outsole gripped well on snow and ice. A leather slop guard reduces wear and tear, and when the snow is deep enough for gaiters, there’s a handy D ring near the toe. b. The North Face Yukonia Ankle Boot $145 Inside, the North Face Yukonia has Prima-Loft insulation and a springy midsole that’s stable and comfortable even when sprinting for the bus. The leather upper is fully waterproof, the baffles around the ankle are water-resistant, and the outsole kept us from slipping and…

APRÈS SHOES a. Timberland Bardstown Plain Toe Oxford $285 Weather be damned, some situations call for a dress shoe. When the occasion obliges, we reach for the Bardstown, which has a just-right lugged-rubber outsole to prevent a neck-breaking fall on black ice. As far as we’re concerned, it’s the only oxford appropriate for winter. b. Sanuk Puff N Chill $80 Based on a popular summertime staple—Sanuk’s Sidewalk Surfer—the Puff N Chill is beefed up for winter wear with a faux-shearling liner, a puffy-like upper, and midtop height. The sawtooth outsole was stable enough, but we recommend taking these beyond the lodge bar only in tame weather and on brief errands. c. Vans UltraRange Hi Dz Zpr $130 Vans could easily rest on the laurels of its classic shoe designs, but…

SNOWBOARDS Weston Japow $599 It’s no secret that snowboarders take inspiration from surfers. In everything from carving technique and aerial style to lingo and board shape, we’re closely aligned with our salty cousins. At Outside’s annual snowboard test at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado, more than 30 riders put 86 decks to the test in variable spring conditions, and the consensus was that, now more than ever, designers are encouraging a surfy approach to snowboarding. Case in point: the surf-inspired Weston Japow was our top-rated board this year, which is remarkable since we never got the chance to ride it in the deep fluff it’s designed for. Instead, testers made do with corduroy groomers, leftover stashes, and slush, and still the retro wide swallowtail “railed responsive turns like an…

NORDIC SKIING a. Craft PrimaLoft Stow Light jacket $160 With 60-gram synthetic fill, this lightweight puffy is loose and breathable enough to keep you warm without overheating. Stuff it into its pocket when the mercury rises. b. Fischer Twin Skin X-Lite EF skis $349 If kick waxing gets you down, invest in these skis with wee climbing skins in the bases. The X-Lite EFs aren’t as fast or light as race sticks, but they’re great for a mellow tour. c. Start Ultra Gel wax $28 Unlike typical rub-on glide waxes, Start’s easy-to-apply Ultra Gel penetrates deep, lasts longer than a few miles, and won’t dry out your bases. It keeps you gliding when you don’t have time for a full hot wax. d. Bliz Matrix sunglasses $75 The Grilamid-nylon frames…

The ski industry’s super-pass arms race is still heating up. And that’s great news for you. At least as far as multi-resort packages are concerned, competition means lower prices, access to more resorts, and better perks, such as buddy passes, lodging discounts, and bonus days at international ski areas. So stop buying pricey day tickets (you’re not still doing that, are you?) and commit to a season pass instead. You’ll save money, ski more days at more places, and have an excuse to check off some bucket-list resorts. Which pass should you get? Between the ever popular Epic Pass, the new-this-season Ikon Pass, and the still golden Mountain Collective Pass—plus other standbys like the Max Pass and the Powder Alliance—it’s harder than ever to know which one is right for…

BASE AND MIDLAYERS a. Direct Alpine Mountain Series Bora jacket $230 We appreciate an athletically cut jacket that doesn’t bind up. No wonder the Bora (women’s pictured) is at the top of our list—the waist flares and the arms moved with us as we swung our ski poles. Supple Polartec Alpha Direct on the interior wicked moisture and kept us warm on the slopes. b. Corbeaux 3/4 Centennial leggings $89 Layered under ski pants, the polyester-spandex Centennial (men’s pictured) kicks ass. “Felt great against my skin, and excellent temperature regulation kept it from getting too hot,” one tester said. On top of that, the three-quarter-length leg and wide waistband didn’t bunch. c. Saxx Black Sheep Merino tights $96 These soft, flat-seamed bottoms for men feature Saxx’s much loved BallPark pouch,…

SKI HELMETS Sweet Protection Switcher MIPS $249 After more than a dozen testers placed the Switcher on their noggins, all agreed that it was the most comfortable helmet they’d worn. It accommodated a wide range of head sizes (pressure points were nonexistent) and handled temperature swings with aplomb. We’re talking 50-degree corn-harvesting days at Snowbird and ten-degree bone chillers with 60-mile-per-hour winds on the summit of Oregon’s Mount McLoughlin. Credit the abundance of vents—18 on top and two at the front—all of which can be micro-adjusted using a single knob. “Even with gloves on, this helmet can easily be changed from the warmest on the planet to something a cyclist would wear,” one tester said. The Switcher ticked all the important boxes for a stalwart lid—including MIPS construction, to help…

WINTER HATS a. Icebreaker Chase beanie $25 Don’t let falling temperatures keep you from getting your sweat on. Thin merino wool, like the kind used in Icebreaker’s Chase beanie, is ideal for arduous winter activities, wicking moisture to help you stay dry and warm. Bonus: it doesn’t trap stink. b. Carhartt Ear-Flap cap $25 This hat is for people who live life headfirst. Whether you need to check under the hood when the wind’s blowing hard or schlep to the subway in a blizzard, the insulated polyester flaps shield your ears from the worst of winter’s chill and fold up and out of the way when you don’t need them. c. Toad&Co Flurrie beanie $39 The Flurrie is made from a well-spun blend of plush lambswool and sturdy nylon for…

SNOW SAFETY a. BCA Float 32 Avalanche Airbag 2.0 pack $550 The Float 2.0 sticks with traditional scuba-like compressed-air technology—though the cartridge is now 30 percent smaller—to lift a skier to the surface in a slide. Plenty of pockets and a helmet holder make this a workhorse of an avy pack. b. BCA BC Link 2.0 radio $180 The BC Link 2.0 takes a consumer-band FRS radio (no FCC license required), wraps it in sturdy weather sealing, and adds a lapel microphone with all the controls on it for an easy out-of-the-box solution for backcountry skiers who want solid group communication beyond cell range. c. Pieps iProbe Two probe $155 When every second counts, you don’t want to be probing blindly. The ten-foot-long iProbe Two has a built-in receiver that…

MEN’S RUNNING a. Arc’teryx Atom SL vest $149 This versatile nylon vest is ideal for layering; fleece side panels promote venting, while thin synthetic fill traps heat. b. Brooks Notch Thermal beanie $25 Thanks to the lightweight, ribbed design, this fleece hat provides warmth without the bulk. Reflective strips add visibility on night runs. c. Seirus SolarSphere Ace gloves $35 Proprietary spherical fill in these insulated gloves traps infrared heat from the sun. Touchscreen compatibility is a nice perk. d. Tracksmith Bislett pants $148 These water-repellent running pants combine details both retro (stirrups!) and modern (smartphone pocket!). Calf zips make for easy removal once you’re warmed up. e. Adidas Sport Eyewear Pacyr sunglasses $169 Winter days may be shorter, but you still need a good pair of shades. We recommend…

Shred Stomp Noweight $200 That name may involve a technical impossibility, but the lack of heft does make an immediate impression, especially in a design that doesn’t seem particularly minimal. The look is sharp and streetworthy, belying the fact that the Stomp is also extremely sportworthy. We were amazed by the gray-tint polarized lenses when confronted with killer sun on singletrack. The deep-tone, high-contrast optics do a great job of deflecting glare from snow, too—not surprising, since Shred is the brainchild of Olympic alpine skier Ted Ligety. SUNGLASSES a. Adidas Tempest $133 These women’s cat-eye shades are as cute as they are capable. The design works especially well for runners, what with the low weight, the extra security afforded by the stay-on springy frames, and plenty of sticky rubber at…

STREETWEAR a. Helly Hansen Reykjavik 3-in-1 $375 The Reykjavik (men’s pictured) is one of the better travel jackets you’ll find. The waterproof polyester exterior is reminiscent of a wool city coat, the easy-to-unzip PrimaLoft-insulated interior pops out when you need something thinner, and the two merge to create a warm, weather-beating combo. b. Obermeyer Dusty Down $159 The throwback design of the Dusty Down is so convincing, you might mistake it for vintage. But modern features make it as dependable as it is eye-catching: the polyester shell has a DWR coating to seal out moisture, and a wind guard fends off gusts. Lined with 550-fill down, the Dusty (women’s pictured) is eminently practical. c. Burton Evergreen Down Collar Insulator $225 Designed to be warm in frigid conditions without overheating once…