So far I am not sure about these pants... The fit is very odd. I usually wear medium ski pants but in this case, the smalls are even a little too big and extra small wasn't offered. After bringing the pants home and wearing them with my ski and snowboard boots they don't seem too long, but still quite baggy... The material they are made out of however, is RUGGED. This was a major selling point, as I tend to be rough on my outerwear. It basically looks and feels like a pair of carhartts, this being said, I wonder if snow will stick to them? The other selling points were that these pants have some venting, which the other pants I was looking into did not. And for the price, it's hard to beat. I've never felt that Columbia had anything to offer me until I saw/felt these pants. I'm just hoping that they are as waterproof as the tags say and do their job. Say tuned.

*I have last years model*

This is a light weight and reasonably comfy helmet. The adjustment system works well, the helmet stays nice and snug all day. The ventilation works great too. I bought mine off the outlet site for a killer deal, so that helps with my satisfaction :)

This is my first soft shell jacket. I put in a lot of research to find a great one. I really wanted on with a hood. And a nice thin lining. Powder skirt? Would be to have a removable one. Pit zips? Could be helpful while ski touring. But I bought this one because I found it was a good balance of features/function and price. I got it in a medium (Tahoe Blue, totally love the color), and I'm thinking I should have gotten the small. I really like its cut and a small might hinder layering. The sleeves are plenty long (maybe too long) and never expose my wrist no matter how hard I stretch. And so far, I've forgot about it's lack of venting, it was 50 degrees out on the ski hill today and the jacket was breathing real well.
The only really down falls I've had are the the zippers. The main zipper is a little hard to initiate due to the double zipper. And my hand zippers have bound up on me once each.

I love having a pair of grippy liners around, but I keep losing them... They are great for cold days around town or warm spring skiing. It was 50 in Park City today, I wore these skiing and it was prefect. Why spend more when all you need is some fleece liners with a grippy palm?

I needed to get some of my own gear because I no longer had my great gear friend to borrow off of...
So I looked into putting my own package of essentials together. The only way I could come close to the same price was by picking up a lesser harness... So I asked myself, "self, is it worth all this trouble for a "better" atc, and maybe a "cooler" biner?" NO. This package is out-of-the-box ready to go and awesome. And the biner it comes with is great. You really can't ever go wrong with BD quality. Well, the chalk bag it came with is a little "loud" for my tastes and isn't very easily clip-able to your harness via cheapy biner. But that's not a big deal.

Being a split boarder, I took my time when searching for a good pack. I needed something that could carry my board when its together, and carry my "skis" when it's split. This pack has many options for carrying your planks. BD definitely thought a few things out. Like the two main straps/clips. They can be used "a-frame" and standard vertical snowboard carry style; both of which I have used. The vertical snowboard carry isn't the best, and it leaves strapping poles to the outside of the pack difficult/impossible. Speaking of strapping poles to it, there are a few different options for that too when its time to descend.
I opted for the smaller size (I wanted a day pack) and couldn't be happier. The front compartment holds my shovel and probe with much room to spare, and the main compartment stores my skins, an extra layer, goggles, and snacks just fine, without over-stuffing.
If you are a splitter, its a great pack. Even if the vertical board carry isn't as awesome as some snowboard specific packs.

This is a great light weight probe, with a good length. I would have rather had all the markings be white, as the orange doesn't really stand out as well. The quickie system works great, but the thin cable loop and sinching stuff sack is not as awesome as the BD velcro "pull the thick plastic sheethed loop and tear the probe out" quick draw system.

I consider myself a hands-on type of person. And I really liked the idea of having a custom made split board. So I got myself a Burton Fish, filleted it and started boring all sorts of holes in it. And I have to say it was all worth it. It is not a job for the faint of heart. It takes some skill and some time, but if you play your cards right you'll have a split at less than half the cost.
Also! Most definitely t-bolt the pucks to the board. I had a friend rip all 16 screws out of his deck using the supplied wood screws...

They have riveted, pre curved tips! That takes all the hassel out of fitting skins to a split. Spend 2 minutes on trimming and "voile" you have skins. Skins with bomber tip loops.

3 stars, adequate for the job.
I love it all, very light weight. BUT, the shovel is not extend-able, as it is described... And the tour shovel is made for little people in its non-extend-able version (that I didn't even know existed...) And I'm short. Backcountry apologized and refunded me a small amount of cash which was cool, but I'm still stuck with a mini shovel...
Nonetheless, the probe is awesome and the tracker is unbeatable in its user friendliness.

Keep it simple, stupid. While it is easy to use, reading the manual and practicing with your friends or at one Utahs awesome beacon training parks is very important.
(I would have given it 5 stars but BCA now has the tracker 2 with 3 antennas. That just makes a little more sense.)