Most soft-case聽ski bags are terrible. Even if they have wheels, they鈥檙e just shapeless oversized sacks. Dragging them through airports and train stations is like towing a lethargic gator by the tail. Your model doesn鈥檛 have wheels? Good luck with that.
The ($249) solves all these problems.聽(More on that name below.) Dreamed up聽by legendary Scandinavian pro skier Jon Olsson and聽designer Truls Brataas, it took聽two years of R&D and countless conversations with other skiers and baggage handlers to get right. The end result is聽a bag that鈥檚 adjustable length-wise聽so your skis are always cinched tight, creating a rigid towing platform without any extra material to drag on the ground. The top of the bag folds down聽like a roll-top backpack and it will accommodate skis as long as聽205 centimeters. If聽you鈥檙e hauling shorter skis,聽just roll the bag 'till it hits the tips, then secure it with the聽daisy chain and hook system.聽
The bag's also聽wider near the wheels, meaning it stays stable and planted聽no matter how much聽gear and clothing you stuff into it. It鈥檚 large enough to fit two pairs of skis (one pair laid side by side along the bottom and the other, separated,聽along the walls), and, at 150 liters,聽voluminous enough to stow every other piece of gear you鈥檇 need for a ski trip (think: helmet, outerwear, gloves, base layers). When you鈥檙e not using the bag,聽it rolls down to the size of a watermelon.
The 8.4-pound Snowroller is exceptionally聽well made,聽with double stitching, burly Velcro closures, heavy-duty Cordura, and thick, supple fabric around the zippers, where I've seen lots of other聽ski bags eventually blow out. There are ribs every foot or so to protect your boards, and if the bag is well organized,聽you shouldn鈥檛 have to add any extra padding. (I have one impetuous friend who frequently tosses hers down train station stairways, and she鈥檚 yet to snap any skis.)聽
The聽Snowroller, which聽was released last year, is now available with聽the Hookup system鈥攂asically a separate聽daypack聽that piggybacks via hooks to the ski bag's daisy聽chains. We like the Hugger 30L ($159), which fits in an overhead bin, has a laptop sleeve and pack straps, and can easily swallow a聽pair of ski boots and some extra clothing. There are also 15-聽($129) and 60-liter ($179) units available.
As for the name, apparently it was submitted for a naming contest, and perhaps, addled by too much Norweigan death metal, it won. For the puritanical American market, they鈥檙e rebranding simply as DB.聽