I was super excited to get this pack based on all the positive reviews here. Many nice features including the retractrable wire diagonal ski carry (with reinforced fabric where ski edges would dig into pack), fleece goggle pocket, avy gear zippered pocket, full-zip back-access panel, hydration-compatible, etc, etc. Plus, despite what the description says, you CAN carry skis A-frame as there are two compression straps on either side of the pack.

So why am I bummed? Simply, the pack is uncomfortable for me. The shoulder straps dig in with even a modest load in the pack. The back panel is also uncomfortable, perhaps because they tried to create a horizonal snowboard carry with it. One other nit-picky point: why no helmet carry? You're left with trying to jam your bulky helmet into the pack or have it dangling and bouncing around as you skin or climb. Gets annoying very quickly. Mammut, Osprey, and others have incorporated simple but helpful exterior helmet mesh into their packs. It'd be nice for Dakine to do the same.

All in all, lots of nice features, but an uncomfortable (for me) carry. I strongly recommend you try it on in a store with some weight in it before you commit. I'm sending mine back.

Very lightweight, comfortable and supportive. The G-fit liners are much more comfortable after heat-molding them. Very comfortable while skinning, and impressively stiff on the downhill for an AT boot, especially being this lightweight. There are two ski settings, "fwd" and neutral; the "fwd" setting feels unnatural to me, but neutral setting has been great in deep snow. Other people may have different experiences in the two settings. The cant adjustment is great if you have bow-legs like I do. Overall, a lightweight, durable, warm, comfortable, moderately stiff AT boot that serves well for those who ski more BC than resort.

Absolutely bomber, stiff, reliable, responsive binding. A bit heavier than some of the others out there, but you can throw these on some true fat alpine skis and control them as though you're on a dedicated alpine binding. Some postings mention the Diamir pivot point not being ideal for a natural foot swing. I haven't tried any other brands of AT bindings and can't comment, other than saying these skin much smoother than my old tele setup. They have never "auto-teled" on the descent either. A highly recommended AT binding for anything except multi-day long hauls with little vertical. But what's the fun in that?

I got a couple of days in VT this spring on these boys. Uber-light, super-stiff on still-frozen corn snow. Very skiable, holds a good edge on hard pack and very easy to do jump turns. They perform reasonably well in pow, but don't get them in the manky stuff; they have very little dampening to help you cut through it. Overall a very light ski for super-long days, hard/steep snow, and touring.