Icelantic is starting to make more and more 'ski' sized skis. Known for ultra-short touring skis (and sick graphics), Icelantic has built up some more versatile fat skis in bigger sizes. I skied the Nomad for a day at Snowbasin and loved how nimble it was in aspen groves, narrow chutes, and the lower elevation scrubby trees. The Nomad is nice and light, but built incredibly well (they're all made in the Neversummer factory and sport the same 2 year warranty) with solid ptex sidewalls and tough bases. The available lengths, moderate flex, and solid build definitely leads me to believe that the Icelantic Nomad is purpose built to be a glade skiing tool. It also sports one of the slickest graphics out there, a real attention getter.

All right, what we've got here is a close fitting and low profile impact short. The fit is like that of spandex bike shorts, really snug to your hips and legs which keeps all the padding right where it's supposed to be. You'll never see these under your ski/ride pants. The tailbone area is protected by the VPD material, which feels kind of like Playdoh. It's not a stiff or uncomfortable cap style pad and that is much appreciated while sitting on lifts and bikes. The rest of the padding is just a dense foam that sits on all the right places, but isn't very hi-tech. I've grabbed these for skiing, but have only used them for DH biking so far. A couple of good crashes and I'm still un-bruised so they've passed that test. My only gripes are no fly (why would you ever make a dude-anything without a fly?) and the white mesh can be a little fragile. I need to patch up a tear on mine, although I should mention that I have a rep sample (prototype?) and the image above has a weave in the mesh that looks tougher than the construction of mine. The gasket leg is a little snug and left some redness, but nothing serious. All in all, I strongly recommend these since they do fit under your clothing so well and protect where they're supposed to protect.

The Alpha 2 is a super fun park and surprisingly good all-mountain ski. It has a snappy flex and is really quick edge to edge all while being almost weightless underfoot. The early rise tips and tails are awesome in off-trail, chunky snow. I was really impressed by how well this ski handled all over the mountain. It was fun to bomb off cliffs and park jumps all day long. It's base requires less effort to maintain than the 1 version, which is a nice touch. Super easy to butter too, by the way.

Nothing fancy here. Just a big ski for going fast in all conditions. One of the few Big Mountain Skis without any rocker on it. If you already miss the old Gotama, this will cheer you up. Nice and stiff, super stable, and the bases are tough to beat up.

Hard to believe the skiboard heritage of Line when you're skiing on these. The Mothership is a big, heavy, stiff, charger of a ski. Perfect for big lines and big speed. There's enough sidecut that they aren't an unmanageable plank, but trust me when I say that they don't chatter much when you're hauling.

One of the best skis for tight forests that I've ever seen. I want to take a pair to Jay Peak! The Prophet 90 turns so super quick, yet the metal keeps it stable and predictable. Not the best for big mountain shredding or straightlines, it's got a fairly tight turn radius. But perfect for stealthy pow-stash sessions.

The Royale is solid. It's stiffer and heavier than your average rockered pow surfer. I'm thinking it's purpose built for inbounds crud skiing. It's a very stable, yet fluid and nimble ride in 2 o'clock pow (hammered crud), rides forward or switch with ease, and is a stomp platform when it's time to air. I loved it at the Bird and hike-to stuff at Jackson, but hated skating out of Granite Canyon. It's got some beef to it...

The Royale is solid. It's stiffer and heavier than your average rockered pow surfer. I'm thinking it's purpose built for inbounds crud skiing. It's a very stable, yet fluid and nimble ride in 2 o'clock pow (hammered crud), rides forward or switch with ease, and is a stomp platform when it's time to air. I loved it at the Bird and hike-to stuff at Jackson, but hated skating out of Granite Canyon. It's got some beef to it...

Other than the HUGE amount of camber, this ski is near perfect for how I like to ski. It reminds me of the old, all black Gotamas. A little narrower than the old Got, but a similar flex and all day, every day versatility have made this one of my favorite skis to grab in the mornings. I've used these all summer. They're very light (I'm sorry I don't have specific numbers), so they aren't too bad to pack up into the mountains on those long approaches to old, dirty snow. They came with me to Chile for a week. I had room for only one pair of skis and I knew these would handle whatever snow I ran into. I just wish they were a flat-camber ski. The HUGE amount of camber makes them a bit grabby on groomed snow and the pop you get from these is a little erratic. Other than that, it would be a 5 star shred stick.

I hope this ski stays around for a long time. Salomon has a killer design going on here. Lots of skis, including this, have rocker style noses and twin tips this year. But Salomon's use of a bamboo and basalt core is pretty unique. The Shogun offers a real rigid, snappy feel and really grips hard snow and ice. It's not super fat (101mm), so it remains very nimble in tight areas while being floaty and quick to turn in deep snow, especially with the rockered front. Bamboo is pretty light weight stuff too, so even the big versions are very easy to ski. This is a great all-everything ski for intermediate through expert level skiers. Much like the Pocket Rocket was used for pow, park, touring, rentals, all-mountain etc...this ski may very well fill that role for Salomon for the next few years. A total winner!

Yeah after year, this is one of my favorite skis to get onto at the ski demos. Rock solid and stable, you can charge even the crappiest snow on these. It's not as surfy and soft as a lot of rocker style skies, but that helps to make it extra stable at speed and really fun to cruise around on when you hit the groomers. They're a little hefty, but still super nimble when you need them to be. The 186cm is the money length.

This thing is a cinch to use. Buy a couple (like your shaver, it dulls slightly with each use) and have your buddies pay you to cut their skins. Perfect results with no practice. It's sized to leave your base edge plus just a few millimeters of ptex showing so edging and side-hilling are no problem-o. Mine came with my G3 Alpinist skins. I used it to cut mine and then cleaned up my roomies BD Ascensions. Still sharp enough for another job, but I'm looking to grab another just to be on the safe side.

I've never been stoked on a pair of shoes before. But these are incredible! Zero, I mean ZERO, break-in time needed. They are comfy right out of the box. The soles are super sticky and will scramble up and down sketchy scree and boulder fields with ease. Pretty good against 'soakers' when you punch through ice into the gooey mud and water below. I think I'll reinforce them with some Nikwax just so they'll be bomb proof. I wear an 8 shoe and picked up the 41. No complaints. The toe box is just barely roomy so my toes aren't getting stuffed when coming down off peaks while my ankle is locked in. The only fit issue is a really minor one; they are a little too roomy above the base of my toes, under the 2nd and 3rd X on your laces. Same fit applies to my Scarpa Technos. While I'd rather have a more precise fit, it's hardly a worry. As for the stink factor, I've put nearly 100 miles and 3 summits under these shoes in about 10 days and they are still allowed in my bedroom. Great stuff!

Way tasty! A total treat if you've been grinding through a long day in the woods. Not spicy at all so throw in some hot sauce to really get the bears' attention. Let stand in water a bit longer than recommended for better results. A warning: this stuff WILL rumble back to life the next day. My brother and I ate this on our last night in the woods, respecting the inevitable.

These seemed to be a little smaller than I expected, but I still put them to good use. The smalls were perfect for keeping my base layers, socks, bandanas, and socks organized (in one) and my stove, fuel, lighter, etc in another. Water resistant enough for a pack but I wouldn't leave them out on a rainy night.

I used these during a week of camping and climbing in Montana. They are a bit smaller than their MSR counterparts and fit seamlessly with my MSR Pocket Rocket stove. Despite the cold, wet, and windy conditions above 9000 feet this fuel lit up with just a spark of a lighter. Used to prepare oatmeal with coffee in the morning and freeze dried dinners at night. I never burned through the first canister. Well done.

Nice, tough materials and easy to cram gear into. They are bigger than I thought, despite referencing the Tech Specs. The medium was way too much for my sleeping bag and ended up swallowing my Nemo 2-man tent and reducing it to the size of lightweight summer sleeping bag. True they are not specifically waterproof, merely water resistant, but I wouldn't be real concerned about that. I was caught hiking for a few hours through a pretty impressive t-storm complete with hail; between my plain ol Gregory pack and this compression sack, nothing got even close to wet.

I agree that these pants can be a bit flimsy. I use mine mostly for wet-weather hiking and as a shield against mosquitoes. If a rough day is on the way, these stay in the pack until the temps cool. They are quite light and dry really fast, so they do see plenty of use. I opt to not wear them as shorts since the cut is a little, ummm, short. I readily recommend these pants for rainy hikes, cool desert nights, and summertime high alpine skiing adventures. Slot canyons, climbing, or big tech scrambles might beat these to pieces. Have fun!

I felt pretty cool cruising on a Friday night in my new Kerouac sandal thingys. Well, my feet were pretty hot actually. Not sure yet how much play these will get this summer. Some hot girls thought my feet looked cool...this is getting confusing. Buy some. Please, do not wear socks with them because that will totally detract from the radness.

Dude, cruisin to the water cooler has never been more comfy or eco-friendly. Beach ready, but work fine on the fast streets of Salt Lake City. Stoked to do the white boy 2-step in these at some outdoor concerts this year.

Pretty good camp grub, but could use a bit of a pick-me-up. Throw in some pepper, hot sauce, or whatever you brought to liven up the dish a bit. Also, let it soak a bit longer than recommended for best results. Oh, and a quick tip: even though you can prepare this grub in the package, I always pack stuff in small zip-lock bags to cut down on the amount of garbage in my pack for the walk back to the car. The packages are pretty big. Plus, I can re-use the zip-locks on the next trip. Just throwing it out there.

Yeah mix this up with some freeze-dried veggies and presto! Dank eats. Salty is good on a long camping trip. So are starchy potato carbs. Eat up!

Reminded me of the gift shop at the Air and Space Museum in DC. Real live astronaut ice cream in my backpack? Awesome. The chocolate is good enough, the vanilla is super tasty, and you better win the arm wrestling match if you want the strawberry. It rules.

Are you kidding? These are the bomb! I imagine if you rehydrate this it will be a mess. Just eat it up. You should probably get a few as they are going to be a hit around the camp stove/fire!

Killer breakfast before a big day. Stir often while it sets up or it will get clumpy. Two peeps had to work to finish it off but we were not hungry again for hours despite the rough and tumble day squeezing through and clambering around in some killer slot canyons!

Good and filling after a long day. As mentioned previously, best if you let stand a little longer than the instructions recommend. I went on a 30 min sunset hike while this soaked and it was pretty tasty, although still a bit too soupy. Add in some pepper and a dash of hot sauce if you carry it. They will help to liven up the dish a bit.

Yeah, chicken and rice. Hard to goof these two up. Reminded me a bit of those Soup-in-a-Cup meals only way bigger and more filling. It was the best meal of our three day trip. I cheated a bit though, through in some Cholula hot sauce. Let it stand a bit longer than recommended for best results!

Do I wear necklaces? No, cuz of my dude-ness. I wear these on my head or around my neck instead. Now people can get a little whiff of the rad music on my iPod while I cruise around looking cool.

Work sucks way less with these things jammed in your ears.

These do exactly what you need them to do and don't cost much. Food cleans easy, water boils quick, and you can stuff your whole backcountry kitchen in them for traveling. I easily stored the included Talon pot grabber, my MSR Pocket Rocket (CAS0368), Fuel Bottle (CAS0375), BC.com SPORKS (BCC0131), lighter, cleaning cloth, and a few freezedried meals in the 2.5L pot before stuffing the whole kit deep into my pack. Because these are made of aluminum, they cool quickly so you don't end up burning your hands in your excitement to get into that freeze dried Beef Stroganoff (MHS0003). The only thing I wish it had was some super teched out rubber band or something to help keep the whole kit together.

Maybe I'm weird. I usually hike in real thin flips/sandals or minimalistic approach shoes. I think that most footwear wears out my ankles and feet thanks to stiff soles and too much support. For cryin out loud, humans walked barefoot for tens of thousands of years so I carry the opinion that most footwear goes a little overboard. Oh, unless you are WAY up in the mountains and/or dealing with snow and ice. To me, these felt kind of clunky and clod-hoppery (word?). The soles are really thick! I wanted an amphibious piece for slot canyons and such but ended up mostly barefooting around as these lacked grip on sandstone walls, clumped up with mud in the treads real easy, and generally made my feet sore. The tan lines totally helped me fit in at the food co-op though, so at least that went well...

Yup, it's a SPORK. Sloppy, soupy camp food made it all the way to my mouth and the tines made sure I could stab the crap out of anyone who came near that last bite. Mine. The fact that it is made of titanium makes me think of the Space Shuttle, which also has a bunch of titanium in it. Space age backcountry silverwear. Awesome.

Dude for a couple of bucks you are getting a simple (read: not gonna break some unnecessary feature) and strong light for those little tasks that everyone needs to do around the ol campsite. Re-adjusting the rain fly, not stepping on cacti on the way to/from the late night sand watering, destroying man eating insects inside the tent, etc. You could probably easily hike around the woods all night with this pup, but that's what the moon and stars are for.

I managed to get stormed on out in the desert which led to 36 hours of amphibious tent living before I could get on with my life. This bag was a trooper! The wet nights got pretty cold but I stayed toasty warm despite the conditions. Once the sun broke, the bag dried out in roughly half and hour while laid out over some sagebrush looking plants. Good thing too because the next burst of weather was on its way. The bag stuffs down to the size of fat, stumpy loaf of bread in the provided sack and I am willing to bet that you could crush it down further in a suitable compression sack. I consider the weight to be a non factor in my pack and would recommend this bag to anyone looking for a 3 season mountain/desert fart sack.

Just as it sounds: lightweight, disappears into your cooking pot, boils enough water for two peeps to eat a hot meal or two for a few days. No problem. Plenty wide at the bottom to help support a 2L pot of water/food on your stove. Definitely grabbing the 8oz version for weeklong trips if hanging with someone. This would probably do the trick if I was just feeding myself for that long.

This thing is tiny! I love it! Lights easy with a moderate breeze kicking around, boils water super quick, weighs nothing...awesome! There are lots of options for stoves out there, but the simple design and ease of use of the Pocket Rocket makes it perfect for pretty much any trip to the woods.

Super simple to use. Pair it up with a National Geographic topo map (http://www.backcountry.com/store/NGO0018/Trails-Illustrated-Trails-Illustrated-Intermountain-West-Maps.html) and you'll be able to keep yourself pretty straight out there with just a little practice. Throw it in the top of your pack and it'll be there if/when you need it.

I finally burned out my original 5.10 shoes and searched carefully for a replacement. I wanted a shoe that was going to be comfy for long stretches of time since my goal this year is to cross into the long trad game from the shorter, sportier crag climbing. These are super comfy right from the get-go! I love the tongue and the neat strappy things (tech term) under your ankle that snug the fit without squeezing the crap out of your foot. There is enough stiffness in the sole and rubber across the toe that I feel good in my clumsy attempts at crack climbing. I was surprised at my lack of faith in the rubber at first. Probably just new-gear-nervousness because these shoes stick like glue to anything they touch. Oh, and they look way cooler in person too. In case you dig that kind of a thing.

I spent my summers off from ski-bumming working and traveling around the West and have picked up an NGS Trails map for each of the spots that I knew I'd be staying for awhile. Glacier, Teton, Yellowstone, Escalante, Zion, Canyonlands, etc. Super accurate topo and vegetation outlines make it easy to sort out where to hike and where to sleep. You can use your compass or even a GPS to navigate with these, no problemo. Lat-long info, compass directions (showing declination), and different grid projections are all printed in an uncluttered way. The maps are made of a tough plastic material that won't tear or get goofed up by rain/coffee/whiskey. I have used them to route-find off the main trails and spent hours and hours staring into them getting stoked for new adventures. These things are addictive!

These are so slick! I've got the clear frame/red lens combo and can't stop wearing them. Yeah, yeah, yeah the lens quality is tops and all that, but the important thing is that these are so dope looking. From beanies to bandanas, longboarding to long hikes; you can't go wrong with these.

Yup, these look pretty cool when you first get 'em. Then you wear them around for a few days to the grocery store or outdoor music fest and the hemp cloth kind of just melts off. They're flips, so no biggie. But they looked so cool! Oh well.

Pair these with your favorite bandanna and get ready to dominate the softball scene. You'll watch as the opposing fielders become intimidated by your tough-guy visage and beer breath, but they won't be able to see through your darkened Gunmetal/Gray Serpicos as you stare down the slow kid in right field. Base hit here we come! Oh, if a lens pops out when you're sliding in to second (cuz your face got crushed at Metal Gods a few nights ago) you'll have no problem popping your totally unscratched piece back in. These glasses will take a beating for sure. I guess I should mention the killer clarity and UV protection that these shades offer when you're hiking a big couloir, but c'mon, that isn't why you want these.

The extrem-o energy blast you get from these carbo bombs will throttle you towards the outer limits of gnar. Wash a few down with a Red Bull for breakfast and experience what it feels like to be the Incredible Hulk. Aaaagggghhhh!!! No challenge is too tough, no goal too far. The first flavor tsunami that crushes your mouth tastes like a child's favorite candy treat...and then the adrenaline hits! Domination commences!

This ski has become my favorite ski to pop around on this season. I originally wanted one for park and groomer days, but I've ended up taking it all over the resort as well as nearby slack country. It's super light for how wide it is, making it a breeze to lug up any bootpack. The mellow sidecut makes it perfect for variable snow and it's a cinch to ski switch. I've been loving it in the spring snow, especially in steep treed terrain where there's lots of turns to be made and the snow changes rapidly from shaded areas to sunny spots with every turn. We do have a bit of a bummer though. These things have a ridiculous amount of camber. Cross country skiers would look at these and say, "Damn, that's a lot of camber!". I find that your outside, pinky edge will catch a lot which makes you need to pay attention more than you normally would on the groomed stuff. I'm also not yet comfy taking big park airs with these for the same reason. I don't want to deal with any hiccups while going that fast. Landing airs in natural snow is no sweat though, so that's cool. Another issue with the super-camber is that I lose a lot of edge contact on steep, icy snow. While waiting my turn to drop into a slick 40 degree chute, my tips and tails were on the snow while a long section of ski under my foot wasn't making any contact at all. I'm 135lbs and have the 180cm and I couldn't de-camber it with my weight. I'm sure that these will break in as the core softens up, but your first few weeks may feel a bit funny until you get used to it. All in all these are a super fun, light weight, bouncy ski from an up and coming player in the industry.

That 'ka-CHUNK' you hear when stepping into these binders is the sound of commitment. You will be staying in them until you manually remove them at the end of the day. Drink your milk and send it!