Editor’s Picks: Julia Tellman's Head to Toe
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We’ll work through several of our reviewer’s kits, head to toe, diving into the gear we love and why. And we chose this timeframe intentionally: the new year is truly here, which means new skis are dropping left and right. As we brave the onslaught of new information about gear that won’t be available for purchase until next fall, here’s the gear that we love that’s available now.
You can check out Cy Whitling's picks here.
Julia Tellman’s Picks
Skier Profile
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 135 lbs
Style: Equally addicted to going uphill and jumping off small features
Inbounds/Touring Bias: 20/80
Location: The Tetons
Headwear
I have a Pret Lyric X Helmet that I use inbounds. Apparently that model has now been replaced with the Lyric X2, and yes, that’s probably a sign that I am long overdue for a new inbounds helmet. I have a normal shaped head and most of my requirements for a ski helmet are aesthetic: it can’t be a primary color, or black, and certainly not orange, which as we all know is the ugliest color. Also it must be matte, not glossy.
I spent a lot more time shopping for my new touring helmet before finally landing on the Scott Couloir Tour. It weighs very little, doesn’t look too skimo-dorky, and fits well with a baseball hat underneath. It is not dual-certified and doesn’t have any kind of extra safety features like MIPS, so I would never wear this helmet while riding lifts.
For optics I haven’t found anything better than Smith. I love the massive and not too expensive Squad XL Goggle that comes with some of the best lenses in the game. While I know that I should be cool like everyone else and tour in Wildcats, I actually far prefer the Reverbs, which fit my face better, vent really well, and have easily swappable lenses. Plus they look so fast.
Outerwear
Inbounds outerwear is all so good these days that I get a little overwhelmed with options and usually just reach for my old tried and Trew–the Chariot Bib and Stella Jacket in matching coral pink, so that my friends can identify me from a mile away on the slopes.
Backcountry outerwear seems like it’s finally catching up. Patagonia’s SnowDrifter Bib is by far the best touring bib I’ve tried so far. It’s a stretchy hardshell that feels like a softshell, has a simple but useful set of features, and fits very nicely (but it runs large so I had to size down).
I haven’t yet found a jacket that I prefer for touring over my very old Black Diamond Liquid Point Shell. It has almost zero features, weighs practically nothing, packs down small, fits perfectly, and breathes well. If I were concerned about other forms of precipitation falling from the sky besides light fluffy snowflakes, I’d reach for the 686 Gore-Tex Paclite Jacket, which is similar to the Liquid Point but is more waterproof and not as soft to the touch (i.e. not eight years old).
For big days in the sun I love the Dynafit Mezzalama Jacket and the Sweet Protection Supernaut Softshell Pant, which sadly is no longer in production. When the time comes to replace my old Supernauts, I don’t know who’s making a true softshell ski pant for women with vents, decent pockets, and cuffs wide enough to fit boots. Probably Dynafit or Black Diamond, I guess.
I always carry the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Hoody on tours because it’s an incredibly light, packable, and warm emergency layer, and I usually wear it under a shell inbounds unless temps are around or above freezing. If it’s going to be crazy cold or I expect to spend the day standing around a lot, I’ll pack the La Sportiva Supercouloir 1000 Down Jacket (full review coming) because it has a truly wild heat to weight ratio.
For baselayers, I just grab whatever’s clean*, as long as it’s merino. (*By clean I actually mean: has been worn for eight days or less, because of merino’s magic anti-stink properties.) Ditto with socks, although I get really sad when my socks wear out quickly. I have a pair of Icebreaker medium weight socks that I’ve used constantly for two winters that are showing almost no rubbed-thin spots yet. I talk more about my layering strategies here.
Packs
I am so picky about packs. I want a comfortable, lightweight pack that carries A-frame skis well and has a separate avy tool pocket, back panel access, exactly the right pocket layout, and a good helmet sling (a feature that doesn’t actually seem to exist). After spending the first eight or so years of my backcountry career unsuccessfully trying to find this unicorn, I’ve been touring for several seasons in the Dynafit Free 32 Pack, which ticks all those boxes (except for its helmet sling, which is only mediocre) and also has a removable back insert, an external stretchy pocket that I can jam my skins into, and a separate waterproof compartment on the base, accessible from the front, where I stash my water bottle.
My hot take is that brands should stop focusing all their resources on making “women’s specific” skis and boots and put just a couple of those R&D dollars toward women’s packs or at least size-specific packs. Some brands will give you a choice in torso length and there are even a few models, like Deuter’s Slim Line packs, that actually acknowledge that some people have narrower shoulders, but for the most part folks with inconvenient body characteristics like short torsos, narrow shoulders, and boobs just have to compromise on their ski packs.
Dynafit is one of the brands making women’s packs but since you don’t see full lineups of Euro brands in ski shops in the US very often, I haven’t had the opportunity to compare a women’s and unisex pack side by side to see if the difference is just the back panel length or if the women’s pack has narrower shoulder straps. Regardless, the Free 32 has been almost the perfect pack for me.
Gloves
This season I’m using the decadent 686 Gore-Tex Smarty 3-in-1 Gauntlet Mitt for inbounds skiing. These mittens have everything: wrist leashes, multiple points of adjustment, merino liner gloves, zipped pockets for hand warmers, very soft fuzzy lining, and super long cuffs. They’re total overkill for most conditions but I love them so much.
I am particular about my skinning gloves because I want dexterity, durability, some weather proofing, and affordability. I’ve found that cycling gloves for cool weather (not insulated but with a windshell panel or DWR treatment) like the Bontrager Circuit or Fox Ranger Water are the best option for me. I’m way less particular about what I wear on the downhill–I have an old pair of fleece mittens that I always throw on over my skinning gloves that make my hands very happy. A lot of brands sell cheap fleece mittens–you can buy them at Target or at a gas station–and if you want to be extra fancy you can get a convertible pair for better dexterity and speedy transitions. I also always carry my more robust inbounds mittens as backup in case I’m bootpacking or get really cold.
Boots
Fortunately when it comes to boots, I am the exact opposite of gear editor Cy Whitling. My feet are the definition of normal, I never have trouble finding my size, and I often don’t even need to do any boot work in order to have a happy day skiing whatever I’m in.
I’ve had a long love affair with La Sportiva backcountry boots and am always curious why these aren’t more common in the states. My preferred touring boot right now is the Skorpius CR II, which is light, powerful, and very easy to transition.
I skied in Full Tilts for a long time before eventually giving those up in exchange for a walk mode and grippier soles. Modern hybrid boots seem better than ever, and the Atomic Ultra XTD 115 BOA W GW has been treating me very well at the ski hill.
Bindings
I like inbounds bindings with tool free adjustment so that I can spontaneously swap skis with my friends. I have Salomon Wardens and they’re fine, although they tend to make some noise when interfacing with hybrid boot soles. I’ll probably switch to Strives at some point, as they are supposed to be quieter.
For touring, I was peer pressured into removing the brakes on all my bindings and now I can never go back. On my powder setup I have Moment Voyagers and on my go-really-fast-uphill set-up I have ATK Trofeos, which, despite being so streamlined, still have three walk modes, ski well enough, and weigh 145 grams (!!!).
Skis
If I had to choose only one ski to tour on (and yes, I know, it’s very privileged to have a quiver of backcountry skis, but I decided a couple of years ago that if I was going to spend so much time touring, why not have more than one tool for the job?) I would definitely pick the Moment Wildcat Tour 116. Not only is it phenomenal in powder, but it’s also just such an easy, predictable ski. When the snow is weird, my delicate knee ligaments feel much safer on the Wildcat than on my lighter, narrower skis. And I’ve already shouted about this a lot, but WOMEN SHOULD BUY FAT POWDER SKIS.
Because I do have quiver privilege, my second pair of touring skis are for scampering uphill and skiing down in snow that is not quite as soft. When I started looking at the specs for the Commencal Clash (yes, Commencal, the bike brand, also makes skis) I was hooked. The previous generation of the Clash in my size weighed 1400 grams, had a rocker profile that agreed with me (similar to the old Atomic Backland FR), and cost $350. Seriously. Commencal has since changed the ski to be heavier and more expensive, which is unfortunate, so I’m holding on to my old ones because they’re light, they’re bright purple, they behave like normal skis instead of skimo toothpicks, and when mountain bikers see the brand name they do a double take.
As for an inbounds ski, I hate to echo what Cy said but the Moment Deathwish is also my ride or die. It’s not the lightest, most playful, fastest, or most superlative inspiring ski out there, but after days spent on the hill trying to suss out and articulate the personality of review skis, it’s a huge relief to come home to a ski like the Deathwish that I feel like I know and love so well.
