The Ideal Backcountry Skiing Kit

Ski season is vastly approaching and it’s time to gather the gear that makes a solid kit to tackle the backcountry. Jason Shumaker, a Liberty Mountain employee and avid skier, lays out his kit in front of us for a quick close-up.

Jason is an advanced skier that primarily skis the backcountry with occasional resort days. Standing as tall as 5’ 10’’, he rocks 177cm skis and prefers telemark bindings.

“I’m a working dad so I have to squeeze in my touring time when I can. Most of my tours are a couple hours before work in the morning and sub four hours on the weekends.”

The Kit:

1 - Skis: Movement Buzz 177cm

“The Movement Buzz is a responsive ski which is perfect for the Wasatch backcountry fluff. They turn effortlessly across varying terrain and save me energy on longer runs.”

2 - Tool: Brooks Range Ski Binding Tool

“A compact essential that has saved the day many times. Binding specific bits with a ratcheting or fixed setting makes the palm grip very efficient in the backcountry.”

3 - Beacon: Pieps DSP Pro

“The Pieps DSP Pro is a solid performer with the nice scan feature for multiple burials and an actual search range of 60 meters. The DSP Pro also has an impressive battery life of 400 hours of transmitting time.”

4 - Shovel: Voile Telepro Shovel

“Burly, D grip and moves a lot of snow. Best shovels on the market.”

5 - Gloves: Outdoor Designs XCountry

“Light and breathable glove with a nice leather palm. Great for aerobic winter activities.”

6 - Pack: Vaude Updraft 18

“For being a stripped down touring backpack, the Vaude Updraft carries all the safety gear and essentials I need for dawn-patrols and weekend adventures in the backcountry. I’m even a fan of the diagonal ski carrying system.”

7 - Gloves: Outdoor Designs Diablo

“This is the cold weather glove that I keep dry for those super cold mornings. The Diablo is the classic Outdoor Designs glove that has never let me down.”

8 - Probe: Black Diamond Quickdraw Probe

“Easily deployed and available in a carbon version for us lightweight nerds.”

9 - Headlamp: Petzl Tikka RXP

“Super bright and has reactive lighting which is nice for dawn patrols. Rechargeable too!”

10 - Energy: PRO BAR Superfruit Slam

“This is my favorite bar on the market and it almost has 400 calories in a single bar. Organic and tasty!”

11 - First Aid Kit: Adventure Medial Kits Day Tripper First Aid Kit

“I like the Day Tripper for my outings because it is still light but packs in all the essentials for the unexpected.”

12 - Sunblock: Dermatone SPF 30

“Dermatone is known all over the world and the standard for outdoor sports.”

13 - Hydration: Camelbak Antidote Bladder 70oz

“The leader in hydration bladders, Camelback has improved screw caps and cleaning tools that makes their system easy and funk free.”