10/1/2026 2026/27 Season Preview

Ah, October. With the first white flakes hitting the highest peaks across North America, it is time again for our season preview. Last season’s tale of two winters brought high and dry conditions to the western US, while much of the Northeast saw a banner snow year. In Utah, we are especially eager to get after it following an unusually long snowless period. While we wait impatiently, here is our short list of things to get excited about.

Olympic Aftershocks - It turns out watching ski mountaineering athletes pin their heart rates is very entertaining! We were blown away watching USA athletes Cam Smith and Anna Gibson win the World Cup qualifier at nearby Solitude, nabbing North America’s only spot in the Olympics. Finishing a strong 4th in Italy was icing on the cake. It was exciting enough that the IOC officially announced inclusion and expansion for the sport in France 2030. Brands like Ski Trab used the event as a proving ground for new race ski and binding designs, with refinements that also make them more approachable for newcomers. The hype is real; we've seen an influx of cross-country skiers, trail runners, and other endurance junkies looking to make the leap into skimo racing. Fingers crossed for Utah 2034!

Tagged products: Ski Trab Gara Titan 2.0, Ski Trab Gara Pro Ski, Pomoca Race Pro Skins, SCARPA Alien 5.0 Boot

Twist and Shh - Dial-based fit systems continue to make inroads on our touring boot wall. This season, they are also making inroads on the boots themselves! While BOA was once reserved for lower shells, SCARPA has now driven a micro-adjustable closure system up the cuff of the F1 RS. This just adds to the plethora of mechanisms for holding your foot in place. With all the twisting potential, there is little reason to shout about an imprecise fit. On the flip side, those that prefer race-inspired efficiency will appreciate Atomic bringing an Alien-style ski-walk mech to the Backland Carbon UL. As always, the best boot is the one that fits your foot, so please reach out for an individualized recommendation!

Tagged products: SCARPA F1 RS, F1 RS Women, Atomic Backland UL, Fischer Travers Carbon Pro, Dynafit Ridge Pro

Will it Float? - Staying on top is the top topic when things get deep, and specialized flotation devices keep getting better. Arva's Plume 30 UL airbag pack has snuck onto the back of the biggest weight-weenie on our staff. It’s been a long wait for this technology to finally get light enough for such folk to consider adding the extra margin of safety. Combined with a carbon canister, the total system weighs just 1658g and, perhaps more importantly, rides really well with optimized weight distribution. And for those who hope to actually deploy their floaties, we now have multiple powder shoes from Europe joining a scene hogged by Washington Uplands and SLC Verts. Auftriib Saucers and Cramplifiers allow you to boot more better and work less harder in waist-deep fluff. Don’t forget your 100% carbon Slovenian shovel for this pow-fest!

Tagged products: Arva Plume 30 UL Airbag, Auftriib Saucer, PurePeak Avy Shovel

Heavy is the Feet - We've come to recognize that lightness is most special with heavy contrast. As such, in recent years we’ve allowed our ski, boot, and binding walls to scope-creep just a skosh. There is a time, place, and person for which extra grams are meaningful. This year, we’re excited to creep just heavy enough to work with Moment skis, which have long spent their Nevada construction weight well. We’ve mounted a ton of them over the years, always noticing the high smiles-to-grams ratio. Pairing those with ATK's (new) Newmark binding might be the ultimate tele-setup. There is no substitute for Italian boots, but the Decoy is a game changer for crossover boot tour-ability. Not all of us will wait for you in transition, but you probably won’t care while enjoying a plush Cadillac on the way down. In all seriousness, these setups can be perfect for those in places with near-constant variable snow or who want one setup for both touring and resort skiing.

Tagged products: Tecnica Zero G Decoy Pro, Moment Deathwish Tour 104, Atomic Shift 16 Bent, ATK Newmark

Room To Breathe - Speaking of scope-creep, we’ve long shied away from hard-shell clothing. Despite all the marketing hype, commonly available technical fabrics simply don’t breathe well enough to keep up with high-output ski touring. The pivotal decision in the desert of Utah is whether a hard shell is even worth carrying during the few, especially wet-powder hours (never full days). Well, it finally happened. With specialty ski-mountaineering brands like Raide and Strafe pushing the envelope, hard-shell jackets are getting airier, and we're getting more interested. We recommend Raide’s TourTech line, Strafe's Cham, and Patagonia’s Stormstride Shell for those in wetter climates and even keeping Utahn’s dry and warm on all those banked powder days we are owed from last season. Giddy up!

Tagged products: Raide TourTech Shell, Patagonia Stormstride Men, Patagonia Stormstride Women, Strafe Cham Jacket

The Hy That Binds - The above wishy-washy stance on weight is perfectly summed up by Hybrid bindings. The ill-defined category ties together the desire for resort-like freeride performance with backcountry-like weight and touring performance. ATK is going all-in on their Hy series, leveraging Ferrari-valley anodization with a plethora of new colors on the lightweight crossover binding launched last season. Atomic and Salomon are pushing heavier, offering a beefed-up Shift 2 that can be cranked to 16. We have a surprising new option from Tahoe USA, wishing nothing but success for the guys and gals at AlpenFlow. Please don’t forget Ski Trab in this conversation; the relatively unheralded TR-1 has been quietly impressing in this category with a great blend of safety, usability, and performance. Once again, we're blessed with choice, which makes it even more meaningful that we decided to put our name on the decidedly non-hybrid Haute Route 12. Light is still right, after all.

Tagged products: ATK Haute Route 12 Skimo Co, ATK HY Free 13, Trab TR-1, AlpenFlow 89

That’s enough gear talk for now. We hope you are equally excited for another amazing season! Thanks for checking out our preview, and we wish you a safe, snowy winter. Stop by, call, or email us if you need help with boots, bindings, or skis. We look forward to hearing from you, our friends.