Mike Dembek

About me: 5'8" and 145 pounds. Aggressive skier. Riding the 196 mounted at +1.5 from recommended. Have the tips detuned (highly advise this).

Quick sidenote:don't buy these unless you go fast. They are pretty dead feeling at slow and moderate speeds.

The stiff tails have saved me on some off-balance landings that I could never have recovered from on my hellbents. They bust through chop like there's no tomorrow if you're willing to charge, and you will be. The edge hold is shockingly good on firm snow but breaks free predictably.

A couple of notes on the specs:backcountry (and Moment, for that matter) has the dimesions listed as 150-116-123. My skis are labeled 150-118-128. I find that odd. I'd also debate the "rockered tail." I disagree with that description but maybe that's more of an issue with my definition of rocker than anything else.

TL;DR:Want to charge and don't ride switch? These will treat you well.

I have two pairs of these, one with a low/flat light lens (sensor mirror) and the other with a brighter condition lens (red solex). Between these I rarely find myself without a goggle well-suited to current conditions. They fit my face very well and the field of view is such that I've rarely noticed it. They work well with my helmet.

Highly recommended.

The fit is great, it works well with my phenoms, the audio kit is easy to install and use, and it protected me well when I took a header into a tree. The vents are pretty easy to use, even with gloves on, and I've rarely been uncomfortable cold or warm as a result.

Good product.

I love this pairing. The pockets on the kishtwar are high enough to not be obstructed when wearing a pack with a hipbelt, and the zipper pulls are pretty easy to find and use with gloves on. I wish the collar was a bit higher, but I intentionally bought the jacket a bit small as I like a close fit. The hood is far too small to wear over my helmet, so I'd suggest trying that feature out prior to purchasing if that is a feature you consider important.

This jacket fits me the way I want it to, is very comfortable, and doesn't include a ton of features I don't want. It has treated me very well skiing this year and I have every confidence that it will also be great for hiking and backpacking this spring. Good product.

This pack felt great at the store but it took me a while to figure out how to adjust it so that it wears comfortably throughout my ski day. I'd definitely advise playing around with the straps, there is a lot of adjust-ability. As a result, some of the straps are really long and can be irritating if you don't tuck them away somewhere. The avy gear pocket stows my equipment nicely while still having some space in the center inner pocket for a first aid/tuning kit. Goggle pocket is a bit thin and hangs in the larger pocket closest to my back. I'm a bit concerned that my goggles could get bent if I had a lot of stuff in the main compartment. The main compartment is reasonably spacious but doesn't accommodate oddly-shaped things especially well, it's perfect for layers and some snacks but I can feel my thermos in it, particularly when carrying skis. I really like the hipbelt pockets, they are a great size for a facemask on one side and some granola bars in the other. Insulated water sleeve works pretty well as long as you drink from it semi-regularly but will freeze if it gets really cold. Tube is diffucult to insert/remove from the sleeve with gloves on.

I've had it a couple of months now and the hip-belt buckle has cracked (this is probably my fault as opposed to a design/manufacturing flaw) but it still works for now and looks to be easily replaced.

I like it overall. Play with it a lot to get the best fit, you'll be much happier when hauling your skis.

I'm extremely pleased with this beacon. The switch from transmit to search mode(and back)is very easy without being prone to an accidental switch. The flagging system for multiple burials is very simple and works well. As others have stated, the pinpoint search is excellent, I have been able to hit "victims" on the first try regularly. It is, however, important to move slowly in pinpoint search.

Battery life is great, I lack the lack of frills. Only complaint is that the harness tends to move around on me, but I've taken to clipping it to a belt loop and pocketing it. Great product.