Contributions by Nick Devore (0)

What can I say, I am a mitten man. The Patrol mitt keeps my hands warm and dry on the coldest days. They last forever and are surprisingly dexterous. I use the backcountry.com goat liner glove for touring and then put on the warm mitts for skiing and hangin.

The Pro Tech hip pads keep me warm and protected from rocks or hard snow. They provide a great cushion for riding chairs on snowy days and protect the bum from the classic tele butt check. I sowed a back brace onto them for the ultimate set up.

The kilowatts are my all round ski of choice, they are stiff and responsive and can handle high speeds as well as tight trees or moguls, they kill it in the deep pow and on ice or groomers. They proved worthy on Denali’s Messner Couloir! Light enough for touring and burly enough for tearing apart the resort.

Knee pads are crucial, I forget them a few times a season and feel so naked and cant even really ski well. Not only do they protect my knees from lurking rocks and stumps but they keep my knees dry and warm for enhanced performance and comfort, they have become part of my body. Essential!!

Durable and light the Carbon Fiber Flip Lock ski pole is really quick and easy to change lengths. I like to tele with super short poles but then I need them long for touring so I bottom out the pole for skiing and then quickly extend them for more power while touring. For an adjustable pole they have held up remarkably well while ripping around resorts and hucking cliffs. Killer baskets aw well.

Integrating the Avalung into packs makes things so much easier and safer. Although the Avalung can’t save you from being caught in an avalanche it increases chances of survival once buried, why not have one? I no longer have to take off everything just to shed a layer. Aside form the Avalung, the covert pack is awesome, the outer compartment holds my shovel and probe and keeps them separate from my lunch and other stuff. It holds skis really well for booting and fits snug to my back for shredding and jumping off stuff.

I love skins, you can just climb up anything and then ski down, what a brilliant invention. The Black Diamond Ascension Nylon STS Skins are the best I have used. They are light and durable and very quick and easy to use. The STS clip allows for super easy use and can easily accommodate a variety of sizes and shapes without much hassle.

The 01 is not only the best touring binding providing a stable foundation and zero resistance allowing me to make longer strides using less energy and making more turns, but it is also the beefiest and stiffest binding for lapping the resort. I use the ridiculously stiff cartridges which are strategically placed underfoot and out of the way, and the performance is unbeatable, going up and down. They have taken me up and down Denali a few times, up and down 24 of Colorado’s 14ers, through big mountain comps, and off cliffs and I have yet to have any problems.