Gearing Up for Backcountry Skiing is Not as Overwhelming as it May Seem
Gearing up for backcountry skiing can appear to be complicated when juxtaposed with the humongous retail offering of backcountry travel gear. However, answering the basic question of how much time will your new setup realistically be used in the backcountry can greatly help direct your purchases of skis, boots, and bindings.
There are a lot of decisions to be made when gearing up. As you begin making purchasing decisions for skis and boots to assemble your backcountry quiver, one thing to consider is how exclusively you’ll be using the setup for backcountry travel and how aggressively you’ll plan on skiing? A 50/50 setup means that you’ll probably use the setup 50% in bounds at the ski resort and 50% out of bounds in the backcountry. This setup will be heavier with heavier skis that can be skied more aggressively and heavier bindings that are din certified for heel/toe release. This is also a setup that might be considered if you plan to charge hard in the backcountry and want reliable release.
An exclusive backcountry setup is going to incorporate lighter weight skis and lighter weight tech bindings. Remember, in the backcountry most of your time will be spent touring. Having a lighter weight setup will allow you to tour more comfortably and for longer distances. The tradeoff is associated with downhill performance. Lightweight touring skis can’t be charged quite as hard. They can have more tendency to become deflected when skiing through variable conditions. They may require more skier input and more physical demand on tired legs. Heel/toe release on lightweight tech bindings can be reliable, just possibly not din certified or guaranteed.
Subsequently, the downhill ride on a lightweight setup is usually done more cautiously. Your on tired legs and possibly in iffy terrain. You’re trying to make it off the mountain in one piece, not trying to land an elusive 1080 backside rodeo grab risking a garage sale landing and becoming injured or stranded miles into the isolated backcountry.
Essentially, a lightweight backcountry setup is a tradeoff between touring comfort and all mountain versatility. Are you wanting to charge hard and take bigger risks in the backcountry with a heavier setup? Or, are you wanting to tour more comfortably and cautiously in the backcountry and save that 1080 backside rodeo grab for the terrain park inside the ski resort?
You may need to consult an expert at the local ski shop to gain insight on what type of setup will be best suited to fit your custom needs.
Get Fitted
Once you’ve selected skis/splitboard and boots to pair with them, I highly recommend getting your boots custom fitted. The ski shop should help you custom fit your boot liners when buying new. If buying used gear, you can still custom fit your liners and there are many youtube videos that demonstrate how this can be done.
Even if your boot liners have been custom fitted, I highly recommend taking your new setup on a long cross country tour to subsequently identify hotspots and pressure points in your boot. Hot spots and pressure points can become agonizing on long tours and they can develop large blisters that take forever to heal. A local boot fitter can help resolve some of these issues by providing custom insoles or by punching out the boot where needed.
Get a beacon, read the entire manual, learn how to use it. Practice using the beacon by having a partner burying or hiding a beacon in transceiver mode and then have you go find it with a separate beacon in receive mode.
Familiarize yourself on how to use your new gear. Take your new setup on a few tours on the uphill travel routes at your local ski resort to become familiar with the functionality of your setup. Become adept at all of the different features and settings on all of your gear. Practice assembling your shovel and probe. The locking mechanism on probes can be a little tricky–not something you’d want to fumble with in an emergency situation.
Acquiring a backcountry setup can be a significant financial commitment. However, there is also a huge knowledge investment that must be made as well. There are risks associated with backcountry travel in avalanche terrain that you absolutely must become familiar with. You need to know how to mitigate avalanche risk and how to make safe decisions in the backcountry.