Richard Possin

I'm pretty happy with my solution, it's a really solid splitboard.

Advances, particularly in binding tech, have seen spitboards come a long way recently. Pair the solution with some karakorams (or sparks) and you've got a setup that rides almost as well as a solid board. The clips are also from karakoram and are much better than the old "chinese hooks" on most boards, although they can jiggle around a little outside the edge of the board in tour mode, so you wanna be careful not to bend them traversing close to the bottom of a rock or something.

My deck seems to have been cut pretty well, The two halves fit together very flush with no gaps down the entire length of the board.

If I had one gripe it would be that the base is "slow", it just doesn't feel as smooth as my other boards (e.g. burton malolo) which I have found makes me a bit slow on flat runouts compared to other boards. Maybe after a wax or two it will smooth out a bit.

I haven't ridden it in much less than bottomless powder (you gotta love japan!) and for this I definitely recommend using the rear most binding stance. I did negotiate some icy ridgelines though and it handles boilerplate just fine too, it's quite stiff.

Firstly, the avalung feature. Statistically speaking, they say the "average" avalanche burial rescue takes 20 minutes. Also statistically, the chances of you surviving are pretty close to 100% (assuming you're just "buried", no blunt force trauma etc) up to 15 minutes and start to taper off rapidly after that. This thing supposedly gives you close to an hour breathing time under the snow, hopefully more than enough time for your buddies to dig you out. I like that. The question then becomes, Do you have the avalung in your mouth when the avalanche hits? Are you able to keep it in your mouth as you are ragdolled by the avalanche? If you're not wearing it, are you able to get it in your mouth (ah i'm guessing "no" if you don't have it unzipped at the very least)? If so, will it then be full of snow and therefore blocked by the time you get it in? These are all variables that we can't necessarily control, so just because you have this don't let it replace good, conservative judgement in avalanche terrain. 'Nuff said about that!

Secondly, the pack is a very good design for the backcountry touring daytripper and about the only one in the black diamond avalung range that has a snowboard carry. 2 plankers can A-frame.

It's got 2 main compartments, 1 for your avalanche tools and 1 for other gear.

The avalanche tool pocket naturally has room for your probe and shovel plus any other stuff like a snowsaw, rutchblock cord etc. Conveniently this pocket has a little drain hole so when you stuff your shovel back in after digging a pit any melted snow drains out rather than making your gear all wet, cool huh?

The main pocket is also accessible via a zip flap not just from the top of the pack, but the back as well, fantastic if you like to carry an SLR as you can leave the waist straps done up, undo the shoulder straps, swivel the pack round to your front, unzip the back and get your camera out to snap your buddy hucking that cliff - all without your precious gear getting buried in the 2 foot of fresh!

There's a goggle pocket at the top that fits large goggles (i have airbrakes and they fit ok).

The waist straps also have a pocket on each strap, unfortunately just a little small for all but the smallest compact camera, so I just keep a leatherman and board tool in there.

It's also got a room for a hydration bladder and there's an insulated cover for the tube that helps slow down the tube from freezing although I don't really use a camelbak at all. It looks like it only takes quite a small camelbak, so if are gonna use this feature it's worth checking what size will fit in there.

The board carry is good and has rubber lining so your edges don't cut your pack. It's also nice and contoured to your back shape thanks to a back-shaped wire frame. For inbounds days when you aren't carrying the kitchen sink, it will cinch up really nicely if you tighten the straps, really low profile if you don't have much gear. The straps hide away nicely and, unlike some packs (e.g. burton AK), there aren't 50 million loose straps flapping in the breeze just waiting to string you up as you exit a chair. Poles attach nicely to the sides.

The shoulder and waist straps have multiple adjustments to get the right balance and fit.

The only minor design flaw I have found is the top cinch straps on the side (the ones with the clip) tend to pull unevenly if you have them tightened when the pack isn't full (i.e. not packed out at the top) putting stress on one side of where the straps are anchored and possibly tearing them over time. I don't tend to have these top straps tightened for this reason when the pack is mostly empty, but it's not really a big deal.

Some people have mentioned in reviews that they find the avalung "box" in the left shoulder strap digs in as it has quite sharp sides, but I haven't found this at all, that is "yes, the sides of the box are sharpish", but "no they don't dig in and annoy me".

The avalung can be a bit fiddly to get back in to its zip when not required, certainly with thick gloves on. If you are heli-skiing and can't be bothered to stow the avalung before every pickup (I can't!), make sure you clear the snow out before you drop as it tends to fill with snow in this situation.

The zips seem to be good quality and I've haven't had them ice up on me.

I've got 31 days up this season and I have worn this pack every single one of those days - it's great for every day-to-day situation - inbounds, sidecountry, backcountry, heli. For a full day split touring scenario I had no problems getting in an SLR, handheld video camera, big lunch + bottle of water, emergency down layer + stripped off layers for the skin up, small first aid kit, half a dozen voile straps, small emergency bivvy, balaclava, spare beanie, skins/poles/split crampons + avy gear.

All-in-all a top backpack for backcountry snowboarding (or 2 planking if you really must!) with a little safety feature thrown in!

I love this hat! It's got two modes, which I call "Russian" and "Canadian".

In Russian mode the ear flaps are clipped up to the top and it looks like someone frisbee'd a road kill onto your head... In a good way though!

In Canadian mode the flaps are down (and can be secured by the strap if it's cold and windy) and it looks like someone frisbee'd and then glued a slightly larger road kill onto your head!

Of course it's mega-warm.I was walking around one windy night at -25C with a buddy and he had a beanie on and was rather chilly, whilst I was quite toasty thank you. The coyote fur is soft and wind/snow proof. The hat is also down lined. I think it looks awesome (some of my friends disagree!) and I've had randoms come up and take photos of it.

Gotta say I'm pretty happy with this helmet. Ridden it for about 25 days this (northern) winter.

The venting is great. It's got two separately adjustable areas, one front and one back. Open 'em all up and it's great for dumping heat on a short bootpack or all the time on a warmer day. Speaking of warm days, the ear pieces are removable too. A minor problem is that it's not overly easy to adjust the vents and goggle strap with gloves on (depending on how thick your gloves are).

When the weather gets Alaskan, loosen the boa at the back of your skull and slip a balaclava over your noggin.

The liners and ear pieces are washable to reduce the clunk factor.

Fits nicely with oakley crowbars.

It's saved me once already as I clipped a tree root just out of sight below the snow and had a minor altercation with a heavily wooded item (ah, I hit a tree and it won!).

It's nice 'n' light too.

I wouldn't say this helmet was cheap, essentially the technology (as far as protecting your head anyway) is no more advanced than a cheap bicycle helmet, but it certainly offers more protection than a beanie!

I can't imagine why anyone would buy one of these. What a waste of money. Any avalanche beacon does exactly what this does. Anytime you are heading out in the backcountry, everyones beacon should be checked that it both transmits AND receives before you head out.

I've gotta give these pants a pretty good rap, though they're not perfect. I've had mine now for almost 3 years. This year alone they've done 29 days snowboarding which included a fair bit of backcountry workouts, tree runs getting snagged on branches etc. I am pretty hard on my gear and it's only now these are starting to wear. They have a lifetime warranty and I am happy to say that even though the seams on the bum started to come apart, burton replaced them with a new pair (unfortunately in the ugly neon camo getup). I have had issues with warranties with burton in the past, but with these even though they had some wear burton were pretty good. I expect this if i am paying over 300 clams for a pair of pants though.

In terms of setup, I would say they are verging on the baggy side (but not overly so), they have 6 pockets, 2 back (why bother?), 2 hand (light fleece lined, 1 has a key clip - quite useful) and 2 thigh (good for a beanie). The butt and knees are also fleece lined, but I wouldn't say "padded" (fine with me). They have a clip on the bottom of the leg for holding the outside liner up for walking thru a muddy carpark, but could do with 2 as they only hold 1 side up. They have 2 sets of vents, 1 pair on the inner thighs and 1 on the upper hips (the upper hip ones could be slightly longer). There is a useful velcro waist adjustment on the inner side of the belt. The boot liners hook nicely onto your bootlaces.

The goretex seems to be pretty good, i've never got wet.

They zip and clip into the powder skirt on burton jackets.

I can't agree with the other review about being "tight in the crotchal area" unless they have changed the cut or my package is very small (!) or you get the wrong size.

I've got the 166 and this is a big f#&kin bag.

I went on a 3 week road trip to japan last january/febuary with 2 decks and this thing will send you broke with excess baggage fees before you pack it out. I'm not so sure if you would get a 166 in there though, I had a 162 and it seemed close to being a tight fit. You might just wanna check that before you buy, though it didn't bother me.

On the bottom you've got a separate board section, I had no probs sliding 2 decks in there. the main compartment has a really big, really heavy duty zip. Inside the main compartment you've got 2 removable zip bags that either clip in or float. I use 1 to store my shell, pants, gloves, thermals etc, it's my "this is the only bag i need to get open to go snowboarding on the 1st day without unpacking everything" bag. In the top of the bag (the lid) there's 3 really stretchy mesh zip up compartments that you can really stretch and pack out if necessary, great for separating the "clunky" stuff or putting charger cords etc so you know where they are. It also comes with a velcro attachable goggle pocket and small multi pocket bag (great for your multi tool, ics screws, small fiddly crap etc) that velcros to the lid. The externally accessed pocket is great for a jacket, beanie and gloves as I live in the southern hemisphere and when I embark on my annual northern hemisphere trek it is inevitably 35+ celsius in the shade and hopping off the jet in hokkaido it is -10C so it's handy not to have to carry that stuff on the plane but still have it easily gettable then you land without opening the whole bag.

The build quality (sometimes suspect with burton gear) is superb. I've dragged it around that many airports, train and subway stations and escalators, dragged it, thrown it, hung it, sat on it and i am sure the airline baggage handlers have given it 3 times worse than what I have. The zips are top quality, particularly the main compartment one is massive. Mine spat a wheel in transit last year and I didn't notice for 3 days, some of the rubber just buffed off where it dragged but otherwise no harm done. Burton replaced the wheel when I got home (easily done with an allen key), no receipts no questions asked (a total contrast to some other problematic warranty claims I have had with them!). I remove the shoulder strap when I check it in and lock it in the external compartment. You will need 3 (TSA if you don't want 'em cut in the US) locks, 1 for the board compartment, 1 for the main compartment and 1 for the external. The main compartment is also accessible from the external compartment for whatever reason.

The telescopic handle locks in and out and is great for those long airport terminal transfer walks.

It's well padded which makes it quite heavy compared to other bags. Burton seem to love bright tartan colours for their bags which makes them easy to identify at the oversize baggage collection, but also mean my friends give me heaps of sh@t about having a gay golf bag.

On paper these gloves are great. Grippy liners. Nice soft goggle wipe. Mini zip pocket for lift pass. Easy to remove, just pull 2 straps with 2 fingers. What lets them down is the construction quality. I had a pair and after around 10-15 days of riding the seams started coming undone. I got them replaced under warranty, nowhere near the "W48" promise btw. By the time I next used the replacement pair just over a year had passed since I bought the original pair and the same thing happened, the seams around the fingers and thumbs started unravelling. Burton refused to replace or fix them saying it was "over a year since I bought the original pair". Very poor customer service. Why not just admit you have made some sh#t gloves and repair or replace them. I will never buy burton gloves again. The design is great, the build quality is piss poor.

I have the 2009 version of this pack so my review is based on that, but looking at the photos there's really not much different.

The short version is that this is a great backcountry large capacity SLR pack with plenty of pockets for all your gear, including a probe and shovel.

The long version...

In terms of storage there's no end of internal and external pockets for all your gear. In fact, as an amateur, it's almost too big for all my gear.

For storing your SLR there's a pull out (2 pull straps + 1 adjustable shoulder strap) internal SLR fully customisable (with numerous velcro bendy panels) camera storage bag that anyone with an SLR backpack will be familiar with. It will easily take a body + 70-200mm f2.8 and heavy hitters could even rock a 300mm f2.8, not sure if you'd get away with a 400 f2.8. You can pack quite a few accessories and/or lenses (I also pack an HD video camera). There's 2 ways to access the internal camera bag. The most common way is through the back panel (padded) and you obviously need to take the pack off and put it down for this. This access panel (The lining of the access flap on the main back pack has some clear plastic zip pockets that are good for flat stuff like filters and the like) unzips around 3 sides and you remove the whole internal camera bag. Normally in the snow I don't remove the internal bag, I just slide it part way out (you need to do this to be able to open the internal bag zipper), get what I need out and then put the internal bag back and CLOSE (unless you want snow inside your pack!) the outside zip while you click away. There's also quick access via the big zip pocket on top of the pack which has an internal zipper on the bottom of the compartment that lets you access the top of the internal camera bag. I am a rider 1st, photographer 2nd so I like to have the camera right at the bottom of the pack to keep the centre of gravity low which make accessing the camera from the top a bit harder unless you have the internals of the inner bag setup just right. I generally only have a camera with one lens (18-200mm) in the BC so I have a bit of space in the innner bag, although am looking at a 70-300 5.6 or 70-200mm 2.8 lens too. Changing lenses in the snow is something I just haven't been brave enought to do yet!

In terms of other storage, there is the main zip pocket on top of the pack which has quite a large volume and will easily take a big pair of goggles and sunglasses plus some food or other items. The entire inside of the flap access and the opposite side of the pocket is mesh lined with a zipper that is great for storing memory cards. There's custom holder for at least 10 compact flash or SD cards. There's another 2 pockets at the top, 1 is fleece lined on one side for goggles but is a bit small for my oakely crowbars and the other is a small waterproof one (maybe for your car beeper). On one side of the pack there's a long wide zip up pocket that is j-u-s-t large enough for a pair of carefully folded skins. On the other side is a mesh pocket with an elastic pull tight cord, but I don't use this, it might be ok for a small water bottle.
On both sides underneath these pockets are 2 more pockets, but running almost the height of the pack with a small velcro seal at the top. I use these for my probe and shovel handle or a small tripod, ski poles etc, just be sure to secure these thru the board carry straps (or otherwise) because if you take a fall they could slide out.

The other main pocket on front of the pack can take a laptop or an Ipad, in the BC I put my shovel head in here.

There's a 2 strap vertical board carry. You can do horizontal board for a snowmobile by putting the board behind the backstraps (works for any pack really).

There's also 4 rubber bungy cords (2 on each side of the front) useful for either a light tripod/monopod, ski poles, probe etc.

On the waist straps there's a small slideable zip pocket for a compact camera useful for those "moment" shots when the situation just doesn't alow for putting the pack down, getting the camera out etc. The waist straps have a tendency to kink. It also has a chest strap.

There's no provision for a water bladder. The 2 shoulder straps can be tightened at the top to stop the pack sagging.

I also used it on a 3 day BC touring trip (had to carry 3 days food, sleeping bag etc) without the inner SLR bag carrying all kinds of paraphernalia (usual BC safety gear + crampons, ice axe) and it worked really well.

This is quite a large pack and it definitely affects your balance. It protrudes out quite bit and I feel a bit less comfortable in tight trees than with a normal pack, but that's the price you pay if you wanna rock an SLR in the BC.

It's also got a wire frame to hold it's shape.

I use it as my carry on luggage on a snow trip.

I certainly don't wear this every day on the hill, it gets a go on a bluebird powder day (good high contrast light). On snowy, crappy vis days I use a small pack just for a video camera, compact camera + probe and shovel.

It's probably slightly large for my needs, but the smaller SLR packs I have seen (e.g. Clik Elite) just don't seem to have the external board carry, shovel pockets and ski pole / shovel handle storage you need for the BC. The Burton zoom is slightly smaller and I probably would/should have bought it, but wasn't around when I bought this one.

This photo is Cody Bowl, Jackson Hole backcountry.

For a base layer, you can't go past natural fibres, just ask sheep. I have an old polyester base layer top and after 3 seconds of sweating it clunks like a truck stop toilet. I wore this 200 base layer top for 3 days straight (including sleeping!) of backcountry touring and when i took it off it didn't smell at all (ok, subjective judgement!). The temperature was well above freezing (about 8 or 9 celsius) and when hiking or skinning in the sun it was the only layer I wore. When in the shade or boarding, I just threw on a shell. It dries pretty quick and still provides warmth when wet.

Think about how you want to layer for certain conditions and don't just get the warmest one, it might be too warm.

Whilst I am skeptical of the quality of some of burtons softgoods (most notably gloves - I have returned 2 pairs, grrrr - never again), this certainly doens't extend to the driver X boots. They are the BC boot of choice for me. I have the 2009 version and have chalked up about 50-60 days on these boots and I have to say the build quality is really good. Most recently they survived a 3 day trip in the Mt Cook backcountry (NZ) which involved not just riding, skinning and bootpacking, but a fair bit of rock hopping, gravel tracks and roads. The soles are that hard rubber vibram stuff and they offer quite good grip when bootpacking in icy conditions. The grip extends up on the toes and makes it easier to kick in steps when it's steeper and firmer.

Compared to my previous boots (32 prospects) they are much more moulded to my foot shape, in particular they mould the tops of my feet better and I get a much better response on a heelside turn as I tilt my feet up.

Obviously they are really stiff and offer a great response, but they are a little on the heavy side. They don't seem to have loosened up over time much.

My friend has a pair and complains the liners are fiddly to re-insert, but it's just a matter of taking your time and loosening up the boot properly. The speed lacing is great, I will never go back to laces. Although I guess it's a bummer if you snap one and you are not near a repair shop. They have some L shaped velcro inserts on the outside of the liners if you have problems with heel lift, but I have never needed them.

If you are a freerider who loves the bc and splittin you will be tossing up between these and the Salomon Malamutes.

The description is a pretty good indicator of the conditions that this board is suited to. It's not a full blown powder axe, but it eats fresh, deep powder for breakfast.

Let's face it, unless you are jumping out of helicopter or hiking for all your turns in the backcountry, there's not many days out on any hill when you aren't going to need to negotiate some gnarly traverse or a shitty gully runout or a wind-blown icy face to get to the goods and this is where this board has it over a fish. Also, if you go switch, you won't die. For me, it is a great compromise between a fish and an all mountain or freeride board. I was riding this board in japan for the last 3 weeks just about everyday, with lots of fresh snow (some nights we were getting 70cm of fresh) and I've gotta say this board was great, a big fat shovel nose to keep that nose up is really good.

Only slight negative is the fact they've changed the ICS screw mounts for the 2011 boards. I have a 2010 supermodel X and a 2009 love which have the old screws and now this board with the new ones and 2009 cartels which means I have to carry 8 screws/plates instead of 4.

I hired this board, the '09 version, last year at Jackson hole for a day. Burton puts it in the "all Mountain board" category. I would say it's more of a park board. Don't get me wrong. I hiked cody bowl in this thing and dropped "no shadows" with no problems, just wish I had taken more of a freeride board that day. When we got to the bottom of the hobacks, I thought that's it, let's hit the park and some jumps which is where I really enjoyed this board, much more than the backcountry. It felt the same switch as natural. It's real skatey with nice flex.

I have since bought a burton love, and I think these boards are very similar despite burton saying the joystick as an "all-mountain board" and the joystick is a park board.

Not sure how the 2010 differs from the '09 but if you are looking for a board more the "park" end of freeride than "backcountry" this maybe for you. If you want more freeride then I would lean towards the burton custom. I have the '08 version and it is a solid all-mountain board.

This is a really good small pack for the backcountry snowboarder. I have this pack and a BIG mother burton focus camera pack to carry my SLR around for when I want to take bitchin photos in the backcountry. I didn't find the burton website particularly helpful with the features so I will try and fill in the gaps.

Firstly and obviously, yes you can fit a probe and shovel in the pack. The shovel handle attaches quite nicely and externally via two purpose clips. It doesn't really protrude outside your body frame, which I find important when i am smashing up those tree runs. The shovel blade goes inside the main compartment of the pack. I have a backcountry DTS Tour Shovel. Your probe will also have to go inside the main compartment of the pack (on the AK 23L you can have it on the outside). You can put a hydration pack in the main compartment (separated by some elastic mesh from the rest of the compartment). A hydration pack isn't included so if you want this, buy it seperately. The hydration tube feeds out a purpose built hole (quite well designed to keep snow out) and runs down the length of either shoulder strap as the clip to attach it to the strap is removable.

The board carry is vertical with two straps, if you are on a snowmobile regularly, get the AK 23L pack as it has a horizontal and vertical board carry.

It also has a small external pocket in on the back of the pack (basically under the large black patch) which is advertised as good for stashing your goggles when you are hiking, but is probably better for a compact camera and a balaclava and a beanie (that's what I keep in there), that way if you use the shovel (hopefully to build a kicker not dig your buddy out of a slide) you won't get your things you want to keep dry all wet. I have oakley crowbars and find they are too big to put in the "goggle" pocket when you have a board in the board carry (exactly the time you want to put your goggles in there!). They will fit, it's just that they stick out quite a bit. Better to hang them off your belt or the side of the board carry straps or something. There is also a zip-up mesh pocket inside the "goggle" pocket, which is probably useful for about four muesli bars.

For those days when you are using lifts to access the sidecountry, you won't need to take this off on a chairlift.

There are two adjustable loops on the bottom of the pack that could be useful for attaching collapsible ski stocks, although I haven't tried this. They are visible on the 2010 "radiator" coloured pack as the blue straps on the bottom.

If you think you need a little bit more space than this offers then get the AK 23L pack, as it's not a lot bulkier (a friend of mine has one, so I've compared mine to his).

It also has a stiff piece of flat plastic inside to help keep the shape of the pack.

Lastly, get it in a bright colour not the ubiquitous burton true black or stupid camo. If I am in trouble in the middle of nowhere I want to be as visible as possible (mine is the 2009 version and bright orange!).

if you go backcountry, you need these 3 items. Simple as that.

The beacon is easy to use (never used it in anger). Read the instructions and practise, practise, practise.

The shovel collapses into 2 pieces, is ok for building kickers and is nice and lightweight. If you are using it all the time maybe consider a higher spec model.

The probe is lightweight and folds up well. I had it on the outside of my pack and over time the spike on the probe cut a hole in the bag. Just something to be aware of rather than a criticism.

Great Goggles, in fact shit hot.

I have a big head and the crowbars fit me really well. If you have a small head, I would consider the A-Frames. Good vents, so when you're moving they get lots of air flow through them which prevents condensation. I got the terje haakonsen ones with the pink iridium lens, which i use as my low light / cloudy / foggy / snowing day lens. I also bought a black iridium polarised (cuts reflected light) lens for bluebird days. Once you have decided on a goggle frame (personally i couldn't give a stuff what they look like), the most important consideration is the lenses. The oakley website is fantastic as it allows to you compare how different lenses are to look through. If you wear a helmet (please see the jerry seinfeld gag about motorcycle helmets if you don't) make sure you try the goggles on with your helmet. I am pretty hard on my lenses, they are always getting scratched from tree branches, just part of life i guess. You should have at least one set of polarised lenses as the majority of light in snow environments is reflected. Get familiar with changing the lenses, it's not hard but takes a bit of practice.

Goggles are the 2nd most problematic purchase (imho) after boots. if you buy any good goggles and follow these golden rules, you won't have any problems:

1. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever wipe the inside of your goggles when they are wet, even with a lens cloth. If you get snow in there, hold them upside and tap the snow out. Resist the temptation to touch the insides at all costs. Even if there is moisture inside, it will clear once you get some airflow. If it's really unbearable and you can get to a bathroom, hold them under a hand-dryer for a minute.
2. See rule 1.
3. Wear them on your eyes, not the top of your head. Firstly, they aren't protecting your eyes and secondly they tend to fog up more on the top of your head, usally because when you put them there you are standing around doing nothing. Get moving!
4. Remove your goggles when hiking.