Skiing isn鈥檛 just a pastime for you, it鈥檚 your way of life. When September turns to October, it鈥檚 time to bust out the and . You might not be racing anymore, but old habits die hard, and you鈥檒l be damned if your carvers aren鈥檛 in race-ready shape on opening day. After all, nothing beats laying down clean railroad tracks on the 鈥檙oy. Let the yahoos cut up the snow off-piste鈥攜ou stick to the groomers where conditions are ideal to master technique. Your mission in life: . With that in mind, you鈥檙e on the hunt for the latest equipment to help you maximize your skiing potential.

This list of this season鈥檚 best high-performance ski gear should get you started.

The Best Ski Gear for Carving Up Groomers

St枚ckli WRT Laser Pro ($1,449)

A serious corduroy crusher like you needs a ski that knows no speed limit and rails on edge, no matter how bulletproof the conditions. The St枚ckli WRT Laser Pro is the scalpel of skis, another example of Swiss precision. Hard snow, soft snow鈥攖his carving ski isn鈥檛 picky, it delivers no matter the conditions. All it demands is a skilled driver. If that鈥檚 you, read on.

Fischer RC4 Pro MV ($1,100)

You finally (and reluctantly) ditched your plug boots to let your poor, battered feet heal, but you鈥檙e not ready to give up on high-performance ski boots all together. You still want a stiff boot that will deliver the kind of energy transfer you鈥檙e accustomed to from your race boots. Enter the new Fischer RC4 Pro MV. Don鈥檛 be deterred by the BOA lacing system鈥攜our feet will thank you for it. As for performance: this boot is a real 140 flex and comes with a ZipFit liner. Need we say more?

Strafe Hayden Jacket ($519)

You hit the hill no matter the weather, so you need a jacket that will keep you warm and protect you from the elements on cold chair rides. Featuring a waterproof polyester outer shell and PrimaLoft Silver P.U.R.E. recycled insulation (60 grams in the sleeves and hood and 100 grams in the body), the Strafe Hayden is a great option for skiers like you who stay inbounds and might need a little extra insulation. Compare it with our other favorite jackets here.

Patagonia Storm Shift Pants ($400)

Long rides on wet chairlift seats are brutal when you鈥檙e wearing pants that aren鈥檛 actually waterproof鈥攜ou learned that the hard way years ago. Now, you invest in a quality pair of ski pants that are weatherproof, durable, and fit right. The Storm Shift Pants are those pants. They鈥檙e waterproof, lined, and eco-friendly to boot. Check them out here.

Uvex Ultra MIPS ($225)

You don鈥檛 fall, but you know the slopes are crowded these days, and you鈥檙e not willing to take any chances. A helmet with top-of-the-line protection is an essential item on your kit list. But it should also be comfortable. Equipped with MIPS and ample padding for a secure and cozy fit, the Uvex Ultra MIPS is your best line of defense in a crash. Read more here.

Glade Adapt 2 ($149)

Good visibility is a must when you鈥檙e skiing on piste, where you can鈥檛 always rely on trees to help with definition. But you hate having to swap out goggle lenses on the go, no matter how seamless the lens-change system. In that case, the Glade Adapt 2, featuring an all-conditions, light-adapting lens, is the perfect choice for you. Check it out here.

More From the 2024 Winter Gear Guide

The Best All-Mountain Skis of 2024
The Best Alpine Ski Boots of the Year
The Best Ski Gloves and Mittens

The post If You Live for Carving Up the 鈥橰oy, This New Gear Was Made for You appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

In early January I flew out to Alta Ski Area outside Salt Lake City to test new ski jackets with Flylow, a Tahoe-based outdoor apparel brand. It was absolutely hammering snow and the chairlifts were rocking in high winds. We skied groomers, steeps, and a couple of Alta鈥檚 famous traverses and inbounds hikes in order to work up a sweat. In other words, it was the perfect day to test ski shells.

The brand鈥檚 co-founder Dan Abrams was on the trip, and if there鈥檚 anyone who knows ski shells, it鈥檚 him. He鈥檚 been obsessing about ski jacket design and materials for the past 15 years while growing and refining the company. I took the opportunity to find out how he advises people on which jacket to select. Surprisingly, he told me that the first question he often asks is, 鈥淎re you hard on your gear?鈥� After that, he said that 鈥淲here do you ski?鈥� and, 鈥淲hat type of skiing do you prefer?鈥� are also important parts of the equation.

As an 国产吃瓜黑料 contributor for 10 years, I鈥檝e had the privilege of testing around 150 shells, and I鈥檝e been thinking a lot about Abram鈥檚 approach. I believe that by asking those three principal questions, most people should be able to find exactly what they need. Using this formula, I sorted my favorite shells into three categories.

Go Burly or Go Home

You gear thrashers know who you are. You鈥檙e the people who like to ski the trees with abandon and then smash your jacket under your boots in the back of your Outback. For you, a jacket like the ($550) is a worthy investment. It will put up with rocks, tree branches, ski edges, and general abuse for longer than you think. It breathes well enough to wear in a warmer place like California and the DWR and membrane will also shrug off the wettest snow you can find. I鈥檝e packed it into a backcountry bag before, but it doesn鈥檛 fold down as well as some other jackets so think of it more like an inbounds jacket that can play in the backcountry when needed.

Other bomber ski shells include the ($750) and the ($730). Both come with strong face fabrics and are designed specifically for skiers, with hoods that fit over your helmet, cuts that move with you while you hike or turn but aren鈥檛 baggy, and built-in snow skirts. I鈥檝e spent many days skiing in both and they, too, will put up with the most hard-charging skiers who are terrible caretakers. Both those shells cost more than $700, but because of their build quality will last you a decade, if not longer.

If you鈥檙e willing to wait for Fall 2023, the Mammut Eiger Free Pro HS hooded jacket will also be a favorite in this category. Like the Arc鈥檛eryx Rush, it鈥檚 made from Gore-Tex Pro, which is about as durable a fabric as you can find anywhere in the ski-shell market. I had the chance to ski in a sample of the Eiger and felt like I was wrapped in some sort of protective shield. At $850, it鈥檚 an astoundingly expensive jacket, but will pay itself off over time.

The Middle Ground

There鈥檚 no such thing as a Goldilocks ski shell, but there are a couple that sit squarely in the middle of the durability, breathability, and inbounds versus backcountry trifecta. My two favorites are the ($379) and ($400). I call them the middle ground because both are totally waterproof but also designed to vent exceptionally well (with highly breathable membranes and giant pit zips) so you can use them inbounds and in the sidecountry.

These shells also occupy a middle ground when it comes to durability. They鈥檙e less rugged than a jacket like the Flylow Lab but still have a middle-weight outer fabric that will last for many years. As a bonus, both come with built-in stretch that creates comfort, which many people will choose over top-shelf durability.

I often grab one of these shells when I鈥檓 skiing with my kids or on uphill ski days at my local resort. The stretch is great for bending to help a kid get skis on, and being able to dump heat when I鈥檓 carrying a four-year-old around is also great. For snowy uphill ski days I especially appreciate the pit zips and the added range of motion from the stretch while I鈥檓 breaking the skin trail.

Light as a Feather

My two favorite ultra-lightweight shells鈥攖he ($475) and ($589)鈥攁re both as windproof and waterproof as the others I listed, so they鈥檒l keep you protected on the chair or in a blizzard in the backcountry. But they are not, by any means, made to put up with the kind of abuse that a hard-charging freeride skier will dish out over a long season.

Who are these jackets designed for? I know several people who principally ski inbounds but still choose a lighter jacket like these because they like the unrestricted feel of a lighter shell and know how to take care of their gear. Abrams is one of those people, and he actually used the Kane at Alta instead of something like the Lab. Abrams was the best skier in our bunch, by far, so I asked why he chose the least burly jacket even though he rips the hardest.

鈥淲hen I founded Flylow after college I absolutely destroyed gear,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hich is why we started with pieces like the with reinforced knees, and now have jackets like the Lab Coat. But over time I鈥檝e gotten less hard on my gear so I don鈥檛 need something like the Lab. I prefer the feel of the Kane, and can finesse my way through any terrain鈥攖rees, rocky steeps鈥� so I don鈥檛 worry about hurting the fabric.鈥�

These lightweight shells are also the type of jackets that I and many people prefer for the backcountry. The Kane doesn鈥檛 breathe any better than the Lab, according to Flylow. But it and the Lyngen are slightly lighter than the burly or middle-ground options, and feel much more comfortable for long skin tracks and high-angle kick turns. And these lightweight shells also pack down much better than any of the other jackets I named, so they take up far less room in your already overstuffed backcountry bag.

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