The Essential Ski-Mountaineering Gear

Train In This

I wore these insanely comfortable duds on every training mission. The Black Diamond Dawn Patrol Ski Touring Pants [$199; backcountry.com] deal with heavy aerobic output in any temp without feeling clammy or too light. Roomy thigh pockets hold snacks, skins, and sunscreen, and the cut is perfect: neither euro-slim nor freeride baggy. The Black Diamond CoEfficient Hoody [$159; backcountry.com] is trim and cozy, with a hood that fits under my helmet on cold days and long sleeves that fully sheathe my simian arms.

Race In This

Skin suits are the part of ski-mo everyone likes to bash, but when you’re busting your ass you sure don’t want to be hauling piles of fashionable freeride fabric around — pride be damned. Hende wore the Dynafit DNA Racing Suit one-piece suit and loved the comfy flat-lock seams; tons of convenient front storage pockets to hold skins, food, water, transceiver, and extra goodies; and the fact that he could have been mistaken for the Green Lantern. [$198; backcountry.com]

Poles that Make A Difference

Check out this adjustable version of the pole Hende uses: The Dynafit Carbonio Ski Touring Pole. It’s lightweight and rigid, and more versatile than Hende’s thanks to telescoping halves and a slick snap-lock mechanism. Three different grip zones, a quick-adjust strap, and a self-adjusting basket help it adapt to any terrain or situation. [$230; dynafit.com]

The Right Skis & Bindings

Hende skied this setup during the Power of Four race, and he looked like he was having a lot of fun. Developed with endurance god Kilian Jornet to tackle the world’s most challenging peaks, the all-new Salomon S/Lab X-Alp Ski [$700; backcountry.com] has tip, waist, and tail dimensions of 113, 79, and 99 millimeters respectively, so it’s bigger and more capable on the downhills than a typical super-light ski-mo race ski. It’s not much heavier, though, thanks to a featherlight Karuba wood core. It pairs well with Salomon’s new MTN Binding [$625, or $575 without brake; salomon.com], the brand’s first foray into lightweight touring. With three heel-riser angles, the leverage of a wide screw pattern, and a 390-gram weight, it has an awesome blend of uphill and downhill abilities. 

Cover Your Bases

Helly Hansen practically invented the base-layer game and these two stars of its recent collection kept us warm during the chilly race start, and dry after we heated up. The HH Active Flow Pant [$50; amazon.com] wicks well and fits comfortably with no baggy spots, and the HH Warm Flow High Neck 1/2 Zip [$43; moosejaw.com] combines a wicking synthetic layer with a merino-wool layer for added warmth.

Stay Warm While You Hammer

When you rip skins at the top of a climb, the last thing you want to worry about is whether they’ll fall out of a partly zipped pocket or jacket hem. The La Sportiva Syborg Jacket is built to accommodate frantic race behavior, swallowing up skins (and keeping them warm, close to your body), food, water bottles, and avalanche transceiver — and holding them all securely so you can focus. It’s just enough to keep you warm while you hammer and because it’s not a full suit, so you can still wear your favorite hot pants. [$89; backcountry.com]

Layer Right

This quickly became one of my favorite cold-weather running and ski-touring layers, due mainly to its cozy, easy fit. Whether I was cruising or charging in frigid or balmy conditions, the Voormi ACCESS NXT PULLOVER kept me at a comfortable temperature — a quality the company attributes to its wool, which is sourced entirely from the Rocky Mountain West and grown on the backs of sheep conditioned to handle that region’s huge temperature swings. Though it’s very breathable, it repels water droplets well thanks to a DWR treatment. [$199; voormi.com]

Check Off the Cross-Trainers

They aren’t exactly ski-mo gear, but running shoes are the MVP of any cross-training arsenal. I’m a bit of a lumberer, so I was lucky to find HOKA’s high-cushion kicks when they first hit the market — just when the minimalist-shoe trend had nearly forced me away from running altogether. The original Bondi helped me enjoy running again, and the HOKA One One Bondi 5 has the same near-perfect blend of cushion and spring in a sleeker package. [$150; zappos.com]

Bank the Boots

The La Sportiva Syborg Boot was designed precisely for the kind of ski-mo racer I am: an avid amateur who wants a competition-ready, light-and-fast boot that won’t break the bank (unlike the $3,000 World Cup models). Close the clever two-in-one buckle, and the cuff locks and tightens for descending; open it to enjoy unparalleled movement freedom while skinning and hiking. [$749; backcountry.com] 

Without Good Socks, It'll Suck

I once saw these socks being made in Smartwool’s Tennessee factory, and I came away convinced sock-making was every bit as complex as building an iPhone. The comfort, warmth, and durability of the Smartwool PhD Ski Light Elite Pattern Socks belie the complexity of the weaving process, which artfully surrounds a durable nylon skeleton and stretchy elastane with warm merino. I prefer this ultra-thin model because it doesn’t get in the way of my foot’s relationship with my boot during the descent, and it reduces the chance of blisters while I’m touring. [$24; smartwool.com] 

Sport Good Shades

The POC DO Flow is a tough, multi-purpose sunglass with earpieces that fit easily over or inside a hat or buff. I’ve had the same pair for five years, but re-upped with fresh pairs for me and Hende just before the race. Vented lenses stay clear during strenuous, heat-generating climbs, and provide nice terrain definition during touch-and-go descents. I also wear them running and biking year round. [From $139; amazon.com] 

Quench Your Thirst

If you’re not racing in absolutely frigid conditions, a hydration bladder like the two-liter Big Zip LP [$36; amazon.com] is a goo bet. Still, you’ll need to be proactive in order to prevent freezing while you’re racing. Fill the bladder with hot fluid, use a Bite Valve & Drink Tube Insulator [$20; moosejaw.com], and keep the tube against your warm body at all times. Additionally, carrying a lightweight, packable, one-liter Soft Bottle [$5; amazon.com] or two allows you to bring different drink blends. All Platypus hydration products are taste-free as well as BPA-, BPS-, and phthalate-free. 

Keep It Lit

You’ll need a good headlamp for night-time and pre-dawn missions, and the Petzl REACTIK+ [$110; amazon.com] checks all the boxes. It’s compact and rechargeable and connects to a smartphone app, allowing you to monitor remaining battery life, as well as adapt brightness, beam width, and battery mode to your activity. You can even type a Morse Code message into the app and the lamp will flash it out. 

One Dope Supplement

Hende introduced me to botanical supplement brand Hanah and it’s marquee product Hanah One, which has devotees like snow-sports heroes like Jimmy Chin and Jeremy Jones. The nutritional supplement is a blend of 30 herbs and “superfruits” in a base of honey, ghee, and sesame oil, and is meant to be taken once daily. Hende says he likes the boost he gets when he eats it by the spoonful; I prefer the slow and steady burn I get taking it with my morning coffee, using the Hanah Super Brew recipe: 12 to 16 ounces of organic coffee, one tablespoon of Hanah One, one teaspoon of coconut oil, and one teaspoon of grass-fed butter or ghee, blended until frothy and smooth. Bonus: According to the brand, it’s handcrafted in India in a way that helps preserve local traditions, jobs, and the community. [$55 for jar, $49 for 12 Go-Packs; hanahlife.com]

A Do-It-All Head Wrap

The endlessly versatile fabric of the BUFF UV BUFF not only blocks rays, it functions as a neck and face warmer, a hat, a sweat rag, a goggle bag, a lens cloth — you name it. I wore one or two every time I skied, ran, or biked, and I would place it squarely in the never-leave-home-without-it category of essential gear. [$15; amazon.com]

Carry It All

The superlight, stripped-down CAMP Rapid Racing Pack has all the essentials, including two quick-deploy ski-carry options, hydration-bladder compatibility, a side-entry pocket for crampons or water bottles, and a clever towing tether for when your partner needs a boost. Pair it with CAMP’s Crest avalanche shovel and Carbon Fiber Probe to meet race safety requirements. [$90; backcountrygear.com]

Invest in the Life-Savers

The ingenious CAMP Flash Competition Anorak [$200; camp-usa.com] has a tiny waist-belt pack ready for immediate deployment when chilly winds picks up, and its open back allows you to don or remove it without taking off your pack. 

As great for cold-weather running and biking as they are for ski-mo, the CAMP G Comp Warm Gloves [$54; backcountrygear.com] cleverly hide a toasty Primaloft Gold–insulated overmitt in a wrist pocket for when it’s frosty, and soft terry thumb panels deal admirably with runny noses. 

CYA Basics

Most ski-mo competitions, except for short, inbounds-only races, require basic avalanche gear: transceiver, probe, and shovel. And ski-mo being a gateway drug to backcountry skiing, you’ll need an effective, easy-to-use transceiver soon anyway, so best to get the Ortovox 3+ transceiver now [$399; backcountry.com]. Should you be buried in an avalanche, searchers will find you quickly thanks to the long transmission range of the three internal antennae, while audio and visual cues and only two buttons make the 3+ intuitive to use if you’re the panicked searcher. 

It Ain't Skimo Without Skins

Swiss brand Pomoca color-codes its climbing skins by use, and pink means fast and light for racing. The Pomoca Race Pro 2.0 Climbing Skins are designed to provide optimal speed and glide, and internal company testing shows that the 2.0’s stride length increases up to 20 millimeters beyond that of conventional skins. Though they’re designed to perform at any temperature, it’s always a good idea to bring a piece of glide wax or anti-glop spray in case the snow gets sticky. [From $124; backcountry.com]

Prove You Did It

I’ve always prided myself on being a rather low-tech guy, but I’ve come to embrace the benefits of using a data-tracking device during training and racing; the 2.58-ounce Suunto Spartan Ultra Copper Special Edition sets the bar among multisport watches for functionality and ease of use. It boasts a sapphire crystal color touch screen, up to 26 hours of battery life (higher-accuracy GPS settings drain more battery power), 80 programmed sport modes (you can also create custom modes), 100-meter water resistance, and seamless integration with Suunto’s proprietary social data platform, Movescount. It’ll even download and display routes and training plans, though I have to admit I haven’t used those features — yet. [$970; suunto.com]