Line Prophet 100
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I’ve always been a fan of the Line Prophet skis. I’ve had a few pairs of the 100s which as the name suggests are 100mm under foot. Line has won many awards for this ski and for good reason. It can handle anything you throw at it and I have shredded lines in Alaska, Japan , Canada and New Zealand on these skis. They have enough sidecut that you can rip the pistes on the non-powder days. But also enough width to deal with powder up to about 20cm of fresh. Above that sort of depth I do start wishing for something a bit wider which is why I picked up a pair of Prophet 115s this year too!
Line Prophet 115
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A new ski in Line’s lineup for 2011 season, the 115 takes all the good stuff from the 100, like the metal matrix and adds 115mm of width under foot and an early rise to the nose. I have yet to put enough time on these ones to truly comment but they are solidly built ski and the design as awesome as ever.
POW Gloves
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The POW Transfilmer glove (pictured left) is designed for photographers and filmers who spend their time in the cold, just like me! The mitten flips back to reveal your fingers and your trigger finger is open to do it’s job. They don’t work on their own as ski gloves, but I keep them in my pack for when I’m shooting. For ski gloves I use a range of POW gloves from their awesome goat leather Stealth gloves to the weatherproof Tourmenta Mitts.
Sweet Protection Trooper HC
The Trooper HC from Sweet Protection has a carbon fiber reinforced to shell to keep the weight down. It comes with great extra padding to help you customize the fit to your head. The ratchet fitting system at the back draws the padding in to fit snugly at the rear of your head. If you don’t wear a helmet what’s wrong with you?? You only have one head, don’t smash it. This is a great helmet , though not the cheapest out there is should last you a while. Build quality is great and it’s available in a range of colors.
Oakley goggles
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Oakley goggles are the most comfortable I have ever used. They also offer amazing protection. I once took a huge fall onto rocks, breaking my ribs and wrist. My Oakley goggles too the full force of the fall right between my eyes with a rock but the lenses did not crack. I hate to think what would have happened should they have cracked…
I have a couple of pairs right now, Crowbars and Splices but I’ve had A-Frames in the past and they are just as good.
Dakine rolling ski bag
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Dakine makes great luggage for the travelers out there. In particular their larger rolling ski bags are great for people that want to carry skis, boot, poles, and in my case tripods and lightstands all in one bag. The airlines hate me though! The bags offer separate compartments for your wet smelly ski boots and the material inside is nice and durable to withstand the ski edges. I also like the big chunky wheels that they use, great for dragging on rough terrain and even the odd snowy footpath. These guys always come up with some cool and colorful designs each year too so check out Backcountry.com for the latest versions.
Salomon ski wear
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Arcteryx Outerwear
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Arcteryx gear is top of the line outerwear but admittedly the price can put it out of reach for a lot of people. I don’t have a full setup, just a mid layer jacket that I wear under my ski jacket. You get what you pay for though. The quality is second to none.
Mons Royale merino wool underwear
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Straight out of Wanaka in New Zealand, this stuff is the ultimate long underwear. Stylish enough that you can wear it to the bar after a day on the hill, but warm enough to keep you comfortable in the mountains. For extra comfort check out their awesome mens boxers too. Merino wool is like magic, you can wear this day in day out without needing to wash it constantly too so it’s perfect for a trip abroad as you don’t need to fill your bag with lots of underwear. My personal favorites are the short sleeve T’s , the long johns and the boxers but you can’t go wrong with any of it. My girlfriend wears it too as their Women’s selection is just as good.
G3 skins
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Ortovox Professional ALU II shovel
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Ortovox Probe
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Ortovox X1 Transceiver
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