Ski touring might be evolving, but jumping off things is always fun.
Ever-evolving ski touring boots, bindings, skis, avalanches, commentary
2010-2020 was a decade for tech bindings. Featherweight boots. Carbon everything. Le spandex. Airbag packs.
Backcountry skiing has boomed far beyond what Lou might have anticipated when he started ‘the backcountry ski blog’. Avalanche courses now fill faster than organizers can offer them. Skin tracks might be getting more crowded but lighter gear lets us go farther to escape the crowds. ‘Skimo’ is officially a sport (despite Doug’s fervent disdain of the word) and may see its place at the Olympics before long. One could say ski touring is coming into its own in the U.S. in ways it has long thrived in Europe.
As we close the latest decade, here are the top twenty articles that got you readers going. Whether you loved these articles or hated them, you certainly had something to say about them. Some of this stuff is outdated (alas, the issue with Marker Kingpin toe pins did not get fixed) but compiled together, the list gives an overview of where the sport has come from, and insight into where it’s heading (more on that from Lou this week).
And if all this glimpsing to the past makes you nostalgic for ski touring gear of yore, just tap a term in the search bar and see what comes up. With more than 4000 articles in the WildSnow archives, you’re bound to find what you’re looking for.
Top 20 commented articles, organized by year
2009
Backcountry Skiing News Roundup — Stephen Koch & Colorado
K2 Coomback Backcountry Ski Review
2010
Quiver Killer Binding Mount Inserts
Onyx Final Production Binding — Parts One and Two (Pre-Release prevention, Brakes, More)
2011
Dynafit Radical ST Backcountry Skiing Binding – Review
Dynafit 2011/12 — The new Ski Touring Bindings
2012
Scott (Garmont) Cosmos — More Details
Dynafit Announces New Boots for 2012/13
2013
Encore: The Problem with Snowsports Helmets — Progress Made
Site Visit — Sheep Creek Avalanche near Loveland Pass
2014
Ripping Ligaments & Snapping Bones — Tech Binding Release Testing
Avalanche Airbag Backpack Overview
2015
Problem with Marker Kingpin Toe Pins Loosening — Fixed
Dynastar Mythic — Ski Review
2016
Avalanche Airbag Backpack – Use One or Not?
Blizzard Zero G 85 & 95 Side-by-Side Comparo
2017
Top Best Ski Shops of the World — Vote!
Fritschi Tecton Ski Touring Binding — Mounted and Tested
2018
On the Importance of Comms when Solo Ski Touring
Bench Racing the Salomon Atomic SHIFT Ski Binding
2019
Resort Uphill Skiing — A Right or Privilege?
10 Tips to Prevent Tech Binding Pre-Release
Now that you’ve made it to the end, let us know in the comments: what’s your favorite stuff to read on WildSnow and what do you want more of?
2 comments
I know gear gets the clicks – but I really appreciate location reports…..by this, I mean, I’d like info on places to go touring….not specifically the snow conditions in a particular spot – but more like tips on where to go, for skiing, for eats, everything. I’ve found great places to go through this website, and I return again and again.
I also really appreciate the more literary content that centers around personal experiences surrounding our sport and our lifestyle – philosophy even. I’d fully get behind Lou writing ski-touring haiku.
Hi Wookie, thanks for the feedback. You are such a valued reader, I’ve so appreciated getting to know you over the years, your help in Europe, etc. Your wants with our content are exactly where Manasseh and Doug want to go with WildSnow. The gear won’t go away, because it indeed “gets the clicks,” but look for plentiful narrative content as we move along. My long range plan is to segue from gear writing to almost entirely to essay, narrative, etc., and stick with some specific gear areas, probably bindings and electronics. In other words, gear will continue, but it’ll be specific, curated, and we hope mix in well with a ton of narrative. And more poetry. https://www.wildsnow.com/16703/time-of-wild-snow-poem/