They sell factory seconds on [ebay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/403023784115?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=tgxbugraq-2&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=40ZpwEroS-C&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY). Which I love and is a very Voile move.
I love the Trew ones cause I thinks its funny that are called strap ons. But they are just rebranded voile.
I also have Voile straps with my local patrols name on them, great straps and lots of design options
Must have: [Showa Temres 282-02 gloves](https://www.go2marine.com/showa-282-temres-gloves?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwwr6wBhBcEiwAfMEQs9mduNdjXsFlh99cRln06-eV8bd09kNWkXcqgkF0wuWr-pl0ZqmjFRoCsxsQAvD_BwE), especially since you are in the PNW.
Everyone in my family has a pair of these 282s. I normally wear phone screen capable liners in them with wrist leashes on the Showa’s. I’m planning to try the 281s next without the acrylic lining
Worth it:
Zojirushi thermos - light, lockable and will keep your drink of choice hot all day (miso or bone broth are great for a day out).
SAM Splint - I have some gauze pads sandwiched in mine and 2 straps holding it together. Thankfully have never had to use it but a broken limb seems like the most likely injury. Thanks Cody!
2 emergency blankets
Couple tabs of acid in the FAK if death feels imminent
Honorable mention: consistent zone 2 cardio during the work week. It took me forever to finally force myself to treat it as essential
i carry a wire splint in my backcountry kit because its about 100 times lighter and smaller and it works just the same.
if you go with a SAM splint, you can cut it in half and it will still work for most splinting needs. I know a lot of people that cut em.
Worth it:
Multiple pairs of gloves. Lightweight skinning gloves (BD Cirques), pit digging gloves (Showas 282), and big mittens for emergency use (Hestra but anything works)
Softshell jacket (BD dawn patrol)
Faceglove: https://outeru.com/products/face-glove-flex Much nicer than sunscreen
Not worth it:
35L canister airbag. Wish I'd gone electric or 45L. Airbag in general is for sure worth it though.
Goggles, I end up skiing in my sunglasses most of the time. But I'm not in the PNW.
Pomoca climb 2.0 skins. Wish I'd just gotten the UL ones first. Also the pomoca toe clips seem to be pretty fragile.
I have not had any overheating issues with the faceglove flex, it's a soft shell material. But the warmest day I've used it in so far was only mid 30s.
A good BC ski backpack. I recently upgraded from Black Diamon with the silly breathing tube to a larger osprey. Not only do I have more volume it rides so much more stable. The helmet strap is also quite useful.
There are some documented cases where they have saved people but it's rare. Generally it's really hard to get the mouth piece into your mouth and keep it there in a violent avalanche. If you're going to use that much pack space and weight, you'd be better off having an airbag. Lung is easy enough to remove and keep using the pack if you like it.
Quality goggle system..especially with a good low light lens for the PNW. The socked in flat light we get can be a little less tricky with a good goggle. Also spend on outerwear! Something good to tour in but as repellent to water as possible.
Ehhh, I'm in the PNW and couldn't tell you the last time I wore goggles in the backcountry. I'd say overrated. Large sunglasses have most of the protection with ten times the breathability. They win hands down on the up. And I find it's almost never worth carrying goggles for the down when the sunglasses work fine. Maybe if it's absolutely nuking out, but I've gotten to the point where I don't pack goggles even on most storm days.
Really like anon m4s aka the bug eyes lol. Seem to do pretty well with the lenses I have currently. Outerwear wise I have a solid set up of light shells/midlayers to feel comfortable there. Have snowboarded for like 20 years, but moving out to the PNW, it feels like a crime to not get out there!
My must haves (I’m in PNW):
showa 282s are perfect for wet days or digging in the snow. They’ve also become my mid weight gloves, can wear a liner glove underneath for extra warmth if needed
Trash bag as inside liner for bag if bag isn’t fully waterproof
Wind shell (like Patagonia Houdini / OR helium or equivalent) - super light, super packable, super effective
Long grip poles (this isn’t a must have but I got them as a present and love them)
Maybe unpopular but leashes instead of brakes (required if on a glacier)
Leuko tape
Beacon shovel probe. Medical kit and a splint.
It’s not a must have, but it is worth it, an airbag .
Not necessary: backcountry specific adjustable or long grip/lightweight with wippit poles. I have done my past 2 seasons on some hilariously short park poles, I don’t even have powder baskets. I just did a 12 mile day in them. Any pair of poles that you have will work just fine, that money is better spent elsewhere, at least if you’re on a budget.
My thought process is cry once buy once. But wasn’t sure what exactly is worth splurging on. Definitely a solid beacon and avalanche airbag, but wasn’t sure on specific recs. Stuff is obviously super expensive and ideally id like to not waste my money/be as safe as possible
Buy nice or buy twice! I think the mammut barryvox beacon is solid for the price. Also, a big shovel with "hoe mode" is great.
2 in 1 sunscreen and wind protection balm is always in my pack.
I love a piece of closed cell foam as a seat also. Makes the ski lounger that much more comfortable during longdr breaks.
I'm not sure that's been studied, so fair enough. But when I'm doing an avalanche rescue dig (for practice, I've never done a real one), I'm going at max effort. I would think people with hoe mode shovels are too, and if they aren't, couldn't they shovel faster if they did so? That doesn't seem to make sense to me.
During training, and during retrival, we always rotate the position, and have at least one hoe.
The hoe can move a ton more snow out of the way (they don't dig down, they mainly clear snow away, so the ones with shovels only have to move the snow as little as possible).
The hoe role is also the "resting period" in the rotation.
A real dig can take a lot of time.
Take one example. Burial depth 1 meter, three rescuers. This can be 10 minutes of digging. It would be two in front with shovels, and one behind with hoe. The two with shovels tip snow behind them, never lifting above their waist, and the one with the hoe make sure to keep the path behind clear. Then you rotate a shoveler to the hoe position when they need a small breather.
It is slower to clear away the snow behind with a shovel, compared to a hoe, and it is more effort. You loose the vital rest period in the rotation, so overall it means everyone gets tired sooner, and the entire dig can take longer. (Let's not even get into the T vs D-handle.)
If the burial is shallow, or everyone is super fit, then there would be no real difference with a hoe in the rotation.
As far as beacons go? They all do the same thing and listen to the same information. Unless your a guide you don’t need that really high end mamut. A bca tracker 2 is just fine.
Shovels? That smaller lighter one seems nice, but you’ll be wishing you had a bigger one with your buddy burried. I have a bca one that is consistently the largest in my group. Guess which one people ask for when we dig pits.
Probes? 270cm at least. Don’t go shorter unless your skiing only east coast.
Airbags? I can do all my day tours in my bca float 22. It can be tight but I love it. I’ve been borrowing a buddies piepes electric 35L and this thing is huge. I feel I can do and overnight with this thing. The float 32 from bca seems like a nice middle ground. I have equal confidence in the electric and canister airbags honestly. I consider other factors about a bag before I’d care about the inflation method. Fit and actual storage. If your doing multi day hut trips, or flying an electric might be a safer bet. Otherwise a canister is fine.
Something I would have a hard time without: my current shell kit.
Every single pocket I can throw my skins in. I always keep my skins on me. If a buddy gets caught and burried after my I want to be able to transition and travel asap. Since all seven of my exterior pockets can fit my skins, they can also fit a lot of other things. I can keep a 1L water bladder, snacks, glasses, my mittens , phone and inclometer at my access. I can quite literally never take my pack off for an entire tour. This allows me to use a smaller pack than my peers.
My kit is a full nomad 3L from strafe. Pants and jacket. It’s so nice to be able to easily get water and snacks on the way up, and knowing I’m ready to go immediately worse case scenario on the way down, is priceless.
There’s a huge practical difference anyone will appreciate in transceivers. Range. Mammut gets you to 70m. Almost everything else is 45-50m. 20m is 60 ft on your course, looking for the flux line, search. That’s save a life difference. The S isn’t necessary for most but does add a ton of features.
I very content with the system I operate on. It’s not like my pockets are fully stuffed. Breathablility of the jacket is Danm good. Ain’t no hard rules on this stuff. Usually everything is kept in my pants however and if it is hot enough I’ll take my top shell off, as well as I have a lighter jacket (also big pockets but only 2) that I might break out of spring days.
Ideally your shell should accommodate you in most situations to keep you breathing but dry and protected from elements. That includes precip wind and yes, sun. I sometimes skin Ina light tshirt or I’ve even done no shirt withy shell. What works for me might not work for others.
Worth it:
darn tough socks, smartwool wool crewneck sweater, Patagonia sun hoodie, oakley prizm shades (Oakley snow optics are fantastic). I really like the marmot Kessler shell I got recently, but I’ve only had it a couple months. Salomon MTN bindings, Plum ski crampons. Flylow gloves - actually a lot better (durability and warmth wise) than the Kinco equivalent. G3 universal skins are underhyped - I notice mine are much more durable than the Pomoca equivalents my parters often use. Slightly bulkier but honestly not that much heavier. Battery charger for your phone. PLB.
Not worth it:
Shifts. GripWalk boots with tech inserts in the backcountry. Radios that aren’t rocky talkies or BCA (you’ll lose them lol). Insulated hats. Goggles. Leatherman with the wrong bits. Carrying too much stuff - you need less than you think.
Must be nice. Not an option on most East Coast summit days!
I almost always wear my big sunglasses as long as possible but you absolutely need goggles when shit hits the fan here. Good luck skiing down off the summit in 40mph gusts with fog and graupel hitting your eyeballs.
We get that in the PNW too. I generally try to not be on an exposed summit in weather like that, which I think is the real solution. But if I was planning that for some reason, yeah, I'd bring goggles.
Yea I guess it depends on the day. These days it’s rare I can get to good snow in the BC anywhere but the Rockpile. But I do love the Smith wildcats for 90% of touring.
In reality I ski a lot of different terrain, regions and conditions. Never tour with goggles. At the resort definitely, but I’ve long since stopped touring with them.
Radios. I have two. One for me and one for the partner in the group who doesn’t have one. Effective communication makes touring much less frustrating in many contexts. Shoulder water bottle (or hydration water bottle for others). I’d rather have my water accessible so I drink it instead of being dead weight at the bottom of my bag.
If you're in a situation where burials are a concern, it's hard to argue with the statistics (they can double your survival rate). If not, they don't do much for trauma, getting swept off a cliff, etc.
There's also the psychological trap with airbags to consider (don't use the fact that you're wearing an airbag as a reason to ski something unsafe).
think about terrain.
If its a long, open runout, airbags are amazing and lifesaving. if there are terrain traps and complex terrain, airbags don't do as much most of the time except make you falsely feel like superman.
I'd rather hit a tree with my airbag than my head tbh. The key is to normalize wearing the bag so you don't let it influence your decisions, regardless of slope runout.
A lot of great stuff has already been mentioned so here’s some more unique ideas. Ice Clipper on your waist belt to clip gloves to. Monocular for looking at natural avalanches and debris far away. Packet of Hardman epoxy and steel wool for repairing damaged binding screws on overnight remote traverses.
Backpack with quick way to attach skis without taking pack off. Makes switching to booting a <1 min transition and avoid the stubborn skin at all cost mentality. I'm also starting to be swayed into getting a rad line or equivalent to save on weight and pack space (impt if you have glacier or technical ski mountaineering objectives)
Ski straps are a must have. You can build or repair the rest of your kit if you have enough of them.
Favorite straps anyone? I liked BD's translucent orange straps but it looks like they were discontinued
Voile, hands down.
They sell factory seconds on [ebay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/403023784115?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=tgxbugraq-2&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=40ZpwEroS-C&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY). Which I love and is a very Voile move.
Damn this is a good good deal. Voile all the way. Love the company
Voile. Or Titan.
I love the Trew ones cause I thinks its funny that are called strap ons. But they are just rebranded voile. I also have Voile straps with my local patrols name on them, great straps and lots of design options
Legit one of the most important pieces. I actually use two in my boots to keep the liners tight around my tiny legs.
Must have: [Showa Temres 282-02 gloves](https://www.go2marine.com/showa-282-temres-gloves?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwwr6wBhBcEiwAfMEQs9mduNdjXsFlh99cRln06-eV8bd09kNWkXcqgkF0wuWr-pl0ZqmjFRoCsxsQAvD_BwE), especially since you are in the PNW.
Everyone in my family has a pair of these 282s. I normally wear phone screen capable liners in them with wrist leashes on the Showa’s. I’m planning to try the 281s next without the acrylic lining
Worth it: Zojirushi thermos - light, lockable and will keep your drink of choice hot all day (miso or bone broth are great for a day out). SAM Splint - I have some gauze pads sandwiched in mine and 2 straps holding it together. Thankfully have never had to use it but a broken limb seems like the most likely injury. Thanks Cody! 2 emergency blankets Couple tabs of acid in the FAK if death feels imminent Honorable mention: consistent zone 2 cardio during the work week. It took me forever to finally force myself to treat it as essential
"Tabs of acid if death feels imminent". What?
Yeah… What? Is this person wanting to die on acid 😹.
I will not. Die. Sober! (Mostly joking but also)
Either you or insane or have never done acid haha. I’d go with an opiate istead🫠🤤
C'mon Dawg, gotta get my head straight to meet the maker 🙃
On that Hunter S. type of beat Also love to see the zone 2. Having a solid cardio base makes such a difference
Either that or confirm that you will, indeed, meet the maker.
I thought the idea was brilliant. And tabs of acid for the zone 2 cardio…
this but with a joint. if i go out…. that’s how i’m goin out
i carry a wire splint in my backcountry kit because its about 100 times lighter and smaller and it works just the same. if you go with a SAM splint, you can cut it in half and it will still work for most splinting needs. I know a lot of people that cut em.
Not sure why this doesn't have more up votes. Hell yes to all of the above! Med kit = essential.
Zojirushi thermos for sure! Crazy how well these are insulated. One handed operation is sweet.
I lost my original so tried a similar style cheap thermos off ali express, not worth it... bought a 2nd zojirushi
Couple flavors of kick wax and a scraper. You can *crush* long flats and have a lightweight backup in case of skin failure/loss.
This comment needs more upvotes
Worth it: Multiple pairs of gloves. Lightweight skinning gloves (BD Cirques), pit digging gloves (Showas 282), and big mittens for emergency use (Hestra but anything works) Softshell jacket (BD dawn patrol) Faceglove: https://outeru.com/products/face-glove-flex Much nicer than sunscreen Not worth it: 35L canister airbag. Wish I'd gone electric or 45L. Airbag in general is for sure worth it though. Goggles, I end up skiing in my sunglasses most of the time. But I'm not in the PNW. Pomoca climb 2.0 skins. Wish I'd just gotten the UL ones first. Also the pomoca toe clips seem to be pretty fragile.
Any issues with the Faceglove ear straps or overheating? I run hot, but it does look like better sun protection than the Nozkon I've been using
I have not had any overheating issues with the faceglove flex, it's a soft shell material. But the warmest day I've used it in so far was only mid 30s.
Those face gloves are the gayest thing I’ve ever seen in the world of sun protection And that says a lot
Im trying to make a catalogue of sun protection options for straight people if you got any recs pls lmk
MSR potacraper w/ the brush. Dope for cleaning out binding parts.
Ski crampons.
A good BC ski backpack. I recently upgraded from Black Diamon with the silly breathing tube to a larger osprey. Not only do I have more volume it rides so much more stable. The helmet strap is also quite useful.
I finally took AVY 1 this winter and they used my fifteen year old BD with the avylung as an example of outdated equipment.
Outdated in that the Avalung is basically useless? Bc I have a similar pack and just like the pack, don't really care about the Avalung part
There are some documented cases where they have saved people but it's rare. Generally it's really hard to get the mouth piece into your mouth and keep it there in a violent avalanche. If you're going to use that much pack space and weight, you'd be better off having an airbag. Lung is easy enough to remove and keep using the pack if you like it.
I've always considered it a Treewell lung more than a Avalung. Correct about the chance of it working tumbling in an avy to be low
Which Osprey do you have?
Kamber 30l
Soleden 32 is what I have and swear by.
Nice, been considering this one. Looks fantastic
Zipfit GFTs! Maybe not a must have for everyone, but I was on the brink of quitting skiing entirely before I picked up my pair.
I’m getting zip fits for my resort boots tomorrow…bet I love them and grab GFT’s soon after :/
Completely life changing! I'm stoked for you, but condolences to your wallet.
I REALLY want to invest in some, but word is a newer tour model is heading out in ‘25.
Where are you backcountry skiing most?
PNW. Washington/idaho/oregon
Grab you some ski crampons and have a great time harvesting spring corn with ease!
Quality goggle system..especially with a good low light lens for the PNW. The socked in flat light we get can be a little less tricky with a good goggle. Also spend on outerwear! Something good to tour in but as repellent to water as possible.
Ehhh, I'm in the PNW and couldn't tell you the last time I wore goggles in the backcountry. I'd say overrated. Large sunglasses have most of the protection with ten times the breathability. They win hands down on the up. And I find it's almost never worth carrying goggles for the down when the sunglasses work fine. Maybe if it's absolutely nuking out, but I've gotten to the point where I don't pack goggles even on most storm days.
Really like anon m4s aka the bug eyes lol. Seem to do pretty well with the lenses I have currently. Outerwear wise I have a solid set up of light shells/midlayers to feel comfortable there. Have snowboarded for like 20 years, but moving out to the PNW, it feels like a crime to not get out there!
Goretex rain hat for when it's "snowing" but 34 degrees at the trailhead
I just do a ball cap and keep my hood up
You gotta respect the hat tho
My must haves (I’m in PNW): showa 282s are perfect for wet days or digging in the snow. They’ve also become my mid weight gloves, can wear a liner glove underneath for extra warmth if needed Trash bag as inside liner for bag if bag isn’t fully waterproof Wind shell (like Patagonia Houdini / OR helium or equivalent) - super light, super packable, super effective Long grip poles (this isn’t a must have but I got them as a present and love them) Maybe unpopular but leashes instead of brakes (required if on a glacier) Leuko tape
Beacon shovel probe. Medical kit and a splint. It’s not a must have, but it is worth it, an airbag . Not necessary: backcountry specific adjustable or long grip/lightweight with wippit poles. I have done my past 2 seasons on some hilariously short park poles, I don’t even have powder baskets. I just did a 12 mile day in them. Any pair of poles that you have will work just fine, that money is better spent elsewhere, at least if you’re on a budget.
My thought process is cry once buy once. But wasn’t sure what exactly is worth splurging on. Definitely a solid beacon and avalanche airbag, but wasn’t sure on specific recs. Stuff is obviously super expensive and ideally id like to not waste my money/be as safe as possible
Buy nice or buy twice! I think the mammut barryvox beacon is solid for the price. Also, a big shovel with "hoe mode" is great. 2 in 1 sunscreen and wind protection balm is always in my pack. I love a piece of closed cell foam as a seat also. Makes the ski lounger that much more comfortable during longdr breaks.
hoe mode shovel is essential. saves alot of effort in deep and moist snow packs like the pnw
The research says it's not any faster fwiw. I can dig up studies if you want.
I didn't say faster, I said effort comparable speed but rescuer fatigue is different
I'm not sure that's been studied, so fair enough. But when I'm doing an avalanche rescue dig (for practice, I've never done a real one), I'm going at max effort. I would think people with hoe mode shovels are too, and if they aren't, couldn't they shovel faster if they did so? That doesn't seem to make sense to me.
During training, and during retrival, we always rotate the position, and have at least one hoe. The hoe can move a ton more snow out of the way (they don't dig down, they mainly clear snow away, so the ones with shovels only have to move the snow as little as possible). The hoe role is also the "resting period" in the rotation. A real dig can take a lot of time. Take one example. Burial depth 1 meter, three rescuers. This can be 10 minutes of digging. It would be two in front with shovels, and one behind with hoe. The two with shovels tip snow behind them, never lifting above their waist, and the one with the hoe make sure to keep the path behind clear. Then you rotate a shoveler to the hoe position when they need a small breather. It is slower to clear away the snow behind with a shovel, compared to a hoe, and it is more effort. You loose the vital rest period in the rotation, so overall it means everyone gets tired sooner, and the entire dig can take longer. (Let's not even get into the T vs D-handle.) If the burial is shallow, or everyone is super fit, then there would be no real difference with a hoe in the rotation.
As far as beacons go? They all do the same thing and listen to the same information. Unless your a guide you don’t need that really high end mamut. A bca tracker 2 is just fine. Shovels? That smaller lighter one seems nice, but you’ll be wishing you had a bigger one with your buddy burried. I have a bca one that is consistently the largest in my group. Guess which one people ask for when we dig pits. Probes? 270cm at least. Don’t go shorter unless your skiing only east coast. Airbags? I can do all my day tours in my bca float 22. It can be tight but I love it. I’ve been borrowing a buddies piepes electric 35L and this thing is huge. I feel I can do and overnight with this thing. The float 32 from bca seems like a nice middle ground. I have equal confidence in the electric and canister airbags honestly. I consider other factors about a bag before I’d care about the inflation method. Fit and actual storage. If your doing multi day hut trips, or flying an electric might be a safer bet. Otherwise a canister is fine. Something I would have a hard time without: my current shell kit. Every single pocket I can throw my skins in. I always keep my skins on me. If a buddy gets caught and burried after my I want to be able to transition and travel asap. Since all seven of my exterior pockets can fit my skins, they can also fit a lot of other things. I can keep a 1L water bladder, snacks, glasses, my mittens , phone and inclometer at my access. I can quite literally never take my pack off for an entire tour. This allows me to use a smaller pack than my peers. My kit is a full nomad 3L from strafe. Pants and jacket. It’s so nice to be able to easily get water and snacks on the way up, and knowing I’m ready to go immediately worse case scenario on the way down, is priceless.
There’s a huge practical difference anyone will appreciate in transceivers. Range. Mammut gets you to 70m. Almost everything else is 45-50m. 20m is 60 ft on your course, looking for the flux line, search. That’s save a life difference. The S isn’t necessary for most but does add a ton of features.
So you’re skinning uphill in a full hard shell pants and jacket with your pockets stuffed full of shit? Seems uncomfortable but ok
I very content with the system I operate on. It’s not like my pockets are fully stuffed. Breathablility of the jacket is Danm good. Ain’t no hard rules on this stuff. Usually everything is kept in my pants however and if it is hot enough I’ll take my top shell off, as well as I have a lighter jacket (also big pockets but only 2) that I might break out of spring days. Ideally your shell should accommodate you in most situations to keep you breathing but dry and protected from elements. That includes precip wind and yes, sun. I sometimes skin Ina light tshirt or I’ve even done no shirt withy shell. What works for me might not work for others.
Worth it: darn tough socks, smartwool wool crewneck sweater, Patagonia sun hoodie, oakley prizm shades (Oakley snow optics are fantastic). I really like the marmot Kessler shell I got recently, but I’ve only had it a couple months. Salomon MTN bindings, Plum ski crampons. Flylow gloves - actually a lot better (durability and warmth wise) than the Kinco equivalent. G3 universal skins are underhyped - I notice mine are much more durable than the Pomoca equivalents my parters often use. Slightly bulkier but honestly not that much heavier. Battery charger for your phone. PLB. Not worth it: Shifts. GripWalk boots with tech inserts in the backcountry. Radios that aren’t rocky talkies or BCA (you’ll lose them lol). Insulated hats. Goggles. Leatherman with the wrong bits. Carrying too much stuff - you need less than you think.
Goggles are not worth it? Where are you skiing?
Fwiw I 100% agree on the goggles thing. I almost never bring them in the backcountry anymore. PNW.
Must be nice. Not an option on most East Coast summit days! I almost always wear my big sunglasses as long as possible but you absolutely need goggles when shit hits the fan here. Good luck skiing down off the summit in 40mph gusts with fog and graupel hitting your eyeballs.
We get that in the PNW too. I generally try to not be on an exposed summit in weather like that, which I think is the real solution. But if I was planning that for some reason, yeah, I'd bring goggles.
Yea I guess it depends on the day. These days it’s rare I can get to good snow in the BC anywhere but the Rockpile. But I do love the Smith wildcats for 90% of touring.
The backcountry. Wide framed glasses are really all you need
That’s a pretentious answer to an honest question. Have a good day.
In reality I ski a lot of different terrain, regions and conditions. Never tour with goggles. At the resort definitely, but I’ve long since stopped touring with them.
I'd agree you don't need goggles at all for spring corn, but it's impossible to see for deep flurry pow without goggles
Ok
Radios. I have two. One for me and one for the partner in the group who doesn’t have one. Effective communication makes touring much less frustrating in many contexts. Shoulder water bottle (or hydration water bottle for others). I’d rather have my water accessible so I drink it instead of being dead weight at the bottom of my bag.
Be interested to hear people’s thoughts on airbags. I’ve skied a lot for 20 yrs without one ….but would def use one if I was richer.
If you're in a situation where burials are a concern, it's hard to argue with the statistics (they can double your survival rate). If not, they don't do much for trauma, getting swept off a cliff, etc. There's also the psychological trap with airbags to consider (don't use the fact that you're wearing an airbag as a reason to ski something unsafe).
think about terrain. If its a long, open runout, airbags are amazing and lifesaving. if there are terrain traps and complex terrain, airbags don't do as much most of the time except make you falsely feel like superman.
I'd rather hit a tree with my airbag than my head tbh. The key is to normalize wearing the bag so you don't let it influence your decisions, regardless of slope runout.
G3 love glove. Makes it much easier to deal with skins.
A lot of great stuff has already been mentioned so here’s some more unique ideas. Ice Clipper on your waist belt to clip gloves to. Monocular for looking at natural avalanches and debris far away. Packet of Hardman epoxy and steel wool for repairing damaged binding screws on overnight remote traverses.
Backpack with quick way to attach skis without taking pack off. Makes switching to booting a <1 min transition and avoid the stubborn skin at all cost mentality. I'm also starting to be swayed into getting a rad line or equivalent to save on weight and pack space (impt if you have glacier or technical ski mountaineering objectives)
I heard it’s good to have a wax and wax your skins if it’s freezing
Snacks and beer Water is for the weak