The Best Quotes from Ski Testing

Somehow, our team here at Backcountry is already working on the third issue of the year. And despite our Gear Guide going to print just a couple of days ago, the process of writing that issue feels like ages ago. Thatâs partly because it was ages ago and partly because Iâm definitely not super ADHD.
But one part of the Gear Guide has stuck with me. Itâs actually a page we didnât publish called âShit Testers Say.â Because, well, some of our gear testers say crazy shit. So instead, hereâs a few of our favorite unhinged quotes from our Gear Test (that also seem appropriate-ish):
âCertainly wonât turn your panties into a moist towelette, but they achieve the do-it-all touring board that covers most of the resort and BC with a single checkbox.â âCookie
âBest for someone who remembers Deep Throat the Movie.â âBecca
âA ski that didnât really care about me as a person.â âEthan
âFelt like trying to turn a Ram truck into a compact spot,â âEva
âSkis like an actual ski (not some lifeless lightweight bullshit people in skintight aerodynamic tights that show off their strangely well-shaped butt ski).â âChris
âThis felt like it belonged on a bluebird day in Chamonix while walking up a hill, cigarette in hand, talking about your free healthcare.â âZander
If you want to read more quotes like this, paired with critical thinking, subscribe by September 30 to get the Gear Guide as your first issue of the year.
âLiam
YOUR SEASON STARTS HERE


The testing is done. The reviews are in. The files have shipped. Now weâre printing the 2027 Backcountry Gear Guide.
Subscribe by September 30 to get the Gear Guide with your annual subscription to Backcountry!
Gear
-

How the 2027 Gear Guide sausage gets made 🌭
A peek into Gear Test Week. Wherever your home mountain lies, weâre of the firm belief that the season is what you make of it. Having the right gear certainly helps, too. Thatâs why the 2027 Gear Guide is designed to be the best possible resource for skiers and riders looking to build, expand or…
-

The 2026 Dynafit Mezzalama: Reviewed
The updated Dynafit Mezzalama is a comfy, full-featured lightweight boot that speeds up the skintrack and cranks turns after transitions.
-

Gearbox: 2026 Goggles
The best ski goggles of 2026, per our editors and testers.
-

Gearbox: 2026 Helmets
The editors review a range of helmets on the market. Find the right one for your head and your objective.
MORE GEAR
-
Gearbox: 2026 Packs
Backcountry ski packs come in all shapes and sizes. Our editors review their favorites from this year.
-
2026 Editors’ Choice Apparel Reviews
Our 2026 Editors’ Choice apparel reviews span the gamut, from kits and hardshells to puffies, midlayers and baselayers.
-
2026 Editors’ Choice Splitboard Reviews
The best splitboards of 2026, from mountaineering-ready decks to slashable powder boards.
-
2026 Editors’ Choice Splitboard Boot and Binding Reviews
Editors’ Choice splitboard boots and bindings for both hard- and soft-boot setups.

The Backcountry Podcast
From legendary athletes to iconic product designers, activists to guides, our world is filled with new views, wisdom, determination and crustiness.
Latest Podcast Episodes

From playing NCAA soccer to a successful modeling and acting career to being the top polar explorer of his time, Doug Stoup is an enigma. Host Adam Howard recently journeyed to Antarctica with Stoup and their conversation ranges from Dougâs personal training of A-list Hollywood actors to near death experiences; adventures with Doug Coombs; and taking novice skiers to the South Pole.

Tele Mike Russell: Turns for All
Tele Mike Russell grew up as a sharecropperâs son in Delaware before attending college and becoming an executive in the pharmaceutical industry. Then he watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center and decided heâd better follow another path, this one to skiing in Colorado, where heâd go on to find a family in the National Brotherhood of Skiers and help found its backcountry program.

Eric Blehmâs roots in snowboarding run deep. He started riding during the sportâs infancy, and after college became an editor at Transworld SNOWboarding Magazine. Years later, he was in a lift line when a fellow rider saw the âCraig Kelly is my Co-Pilotâ sticker on his board, and asked Blehm: âWho is Craig Kelly?â He was floored by the notion that there were snowboarders out there who didnât know who Craig was. And this inspired him to write The Darkest White.

Never Miss an Issue
Five fat issues a winter featuring the best writers, photographers and gear testers in the world. Travel to the far reaches of your imagination. Subscribe by 9/30 to get the 2027 Gear Guide!
Mountain Skills

Resort Skinning Policies
Weâve compiled a database of U.S. resorts with a little about each individual policyâwhere and when skinning is allowed, whether or not itâs free during operating hours and the link directly to the resortâs guidelines.










