Avalanche/Backcountry
Black Diamond Agent AvaLung Pack
A snorkel-like breathing tube on the Agent AvaLung Pack helps a skier buried in an avalanche breathe when submerged in packed snow. That’s the promise from Black Diamond, which makes a line of AvaLung-equipped packs for skiers and boarders. The Agent is a lightweight model with 20 liters of carrying capacity. It has a diagonal ski-carry cable for fast and secure attachment of skis on the pack. There’s a tuck-away helmet-carrying sling and a dedicated avalanche-tool organizer pocket. $199.95, www.blackdiamondequipment.com. – SR
Black Diamond Bandit AvaLung Day Pack
The Bandit is a minimalist day pack designed to carry basic avalanche tools incorporating the AvaLung, which has previously been sold as a separate item. If you’re buried by an avalanche, this unique device vents carbon dioxide from your breath behind you. By preventing build-up of a suffocating ice mask over your face, it provides up to 45 minutes survival time. $170, www.blackdiamondequipment.com – P.S.
Ortovox S1 Triple Antenna Avalanche Beacon
Backcountry beacon designs have made much progress in recent years. Most notable is Ortovox’s S1 triple antenna receiver, the only beacon that scans for multiple victims and displays them simultaneously on its LCD display. It provides the positions and distances to the buried victims. $530, www.ortovox.com – P.S.
ColdAvenger Expedition
Designed by a physician – and worn by high-altitude mountaineers including Ed Viesturs – the ColdAvenger Expedition Balaclava might be the warmest head covering ever made. It protects you from cold, sun and wind. The unique ventilator, a filter made of “medical-grade” plastic, fits over your mouth to mix inhaled cold air with exhaled warm air, keeping your body better regulated, the company says. $79.95, www.coldavenger.com. –S.R.
Backcountry Access Float 30
Pull the rip-cord on this backpack and a single–chamber, 150–liter airbag inflates instantly to help prevent burial and protect the head, neck and upper body in an avalanche. The Access Float 30 system, which is reusable, is integrated into a ski-specific pack that weighs about 7.5 pounds when empty. In the worst-case scenario, a braided steel cable with a plastic trigger handle serves as an emergency rip-cord to inflate the bag – and potentially save your life. $499, www.backcountryaccess.com. – S.R.
Ride Contraband Bindings
Say goodbye to double-strap snowboard bindings that mean twice the work. The Contraband combines Ride’s new V-Strap single ratchet design with a new lightweight chassis to provide both ease and quickness. In addition, the design holds the big toe tight to the boot, giving added precision and control. $220, www.ride.com – P.S.
La Sportiva Baruntse Boots
Kick some mountaineering butt with the double-booted Baruntse which were made for high altitudes and big peaks. It works for glacier travel and ice climbing, too, or for slogging to big heights on expeditions from Denali to the Himalaya. The inner boot, which has a thermo-molded EVA foam shell, slips out of the outer boot and is made to be worn alone. $600,
www.sportiva.com – S.R.
Kelty Gunnison Pro Tent
An affordable four-season shelter, the two-person Gunnison Pro was built to withstand winter conditions. It has a stitch-free fly and floor to increase durability and water resistance. Multiple guyout points let you tie down the tent to keep it solid in a storm. The tent has two doors and two vestibules, and it weighs a lean 4 pounds, 4 ounces when packed away. $249,
www.kelty.com. – S.R.
Alpine
Sierra Designs Drizone Down Bootie
Recently updated, the Drizone Down booties are stuffed with down and made for use in a tent or mountain hut after a long day outdoors. Made of recycled polyester, and with a waterproof/breathable face fabric and nylon sole, the boots keep toes warm with 650-fill goose down. Men’s and women’s versions available for $69, www.sierradesigns.com – S.R.
Osprey Kode 30
Touted as “the ultimate packs made for all snow-play activities,” Osprey’s Kode series of backpacks offer versatile features like ski and snowboard carrying straps, an insulated hydration-reservoir sleeve, and wet and dry organizational pockets. The Kode 30, the middle size pack in the line, has 1,800 cubic inches (30 liters) of capacity – good for day-long adventures in the snow. $139, www.ospreypacks.com. – S.R.
Peter Schroeder is the editor of Western SnowSports, a sister publication of Outdoors NW. Stephen Regenold writes about outdoors gear at www.gearjunkie.com. |
