Award-Winning Gear from the 2024 Winter Gear Guide

Published November 6, 2023 04:29PM

Some years, there just isn’t that much big, exciting news to report in the world of gear. This, however, is not one of those years.

From ski boots with the new BOA H+i1 lacing system to innovative avalanche safety tech to new skis touted by pros like Cody Townsend and Bode Miller, brands gave us a lot of exciting new gear to consider for our annual Winter Gear Guide. When all was said and done, we tested more than 800 products in 2023 to determine which ones were worth writing home about. Of those 800-plus products, 20 stood out during months of field testing to earn our prestigious Editor’s Choice award.

What merits an Editor’s Choice award? Performance, first and foremost. To receive this award, products have to demonstrate best-in-class performance over months of rigorous testing, besting the competition in their respective categories. Items that showcase innovative new technology or significant moves towards sustainability also get brownie points. But it’s not just the newest and shiniest toys that are considered for an Editor’s Choice award. Sometimes, products that have been around for a while continue to outperform in their field. Items like the Tracksmith Bislett pants and Salomon QST Blank get an Editor’s Choice nod because, after years of being on shelves, they’re still the best.

If top-of-the-line gear is what you’re after this season, then you’ve come to the right place.

The Best Winter Gear of 2024

DB/Safeback Snow Pro Vest 8L with Safeback SBX ($699)

While avalanche airbags aim to keep users on top of the snow, the Snow Pro Vest, developed with the Norwegian Armed Forces and School of Winter Warfare, is designed to keep athletes from asphyxiating when buried underneath the snow—the cause of 75 percent of avalanche deaths. After pulling a T-shaped handle, the Safeback SBX’s lithium battery-powered electric fan provides breathing assistance under the snow by pumping clean, oxygenated air through mesh tubes from the back of the vest to the air pocket around the victim’s face, all while pushing out exhaled carbon dioxide—no mouthpiece required. The brand alleges that this process extends the survival window from 15 minutes to up to 90 minutes in temperatures as cold as negative 22 degrees Fahrenheit. Read our tester’s take here.

Salomon Brigade MIPS helmet ($200)

In an age when some products are overcomplicated and overdesigned, the Salomon Brigade MIPS helmet won over testers for its understated minimalism. Some helmets come with an attached plastic clip on the back to hold your goggles in place, but they tend to break or fall off. Salomon solved that problem with an integrated rubber strap that’s not going anywhere. The chin buckle is old-school but easy to use. The Brigade comes in a MIPS and non-MIPS version (which is $70 less). The MIPS one has an extra layer between the foam and the liner to help divert rotational impacts to the brain in case of a fall. Compare it with our other favorite helmets of the year.

Sweet Protection Connor Rig goggles ($220)

In order to increase the field of vision, goggles these days have gotten massively oversized. But the new Sweet Protection Connor Rig offers a large field of vision without dramatically increasing the span of the goggle. These sleek frameless goggles do that thanks to a toric sculpted lens that gives you an understated feel with ample side vision. Read more here.

Rab Conduit Crew base layer ($75)

In spite of the widely different range of tester expectations, sports, and geography—the Conduit was a unanimous tester favorite thanks to its extreme comfort and wide usable temperature range. Testers unanimously agreed that there must be some form of alchemy in the 92-percent recycled polyester eight-percent elastane weave that manifested in a lightly gridded fleece backer. It received top marks all along the temperature range—it was called “comfortable” by testers in temps around the tens in sideways snow in central Oregon under some layers all the way up to a 40-degree overcast long-run on its own in the Ashland, OR watershed. See how it stacks up against other base layers here.

Lib Tech Apex Golden Orca snowboard ($1,299)

This year’s crop of boards was arguably the best submitted in the history of our snowboard test, yet awarding our Editor’s Choice honors was easier than ever. Why? Well, the Gnarwinian evolution of Travis Rice’s ever-popular Orca series has surely peaked with the debut of this year’s supercharged Apex Golden Orca. Six of nine testers gave this futuristic directional deck perfect scores—nearly 15 percent of the perfect scores awarded at this year’s test. This telling data sums up an airtime-annihilating, confidence-inspiring ride that approaches terrain like a killer whale toying with a blubbery seal before making it a meal. Read more here.

Jones Stratos splitboard ($950)

Whether you’re buying your first split or upgrading your main squeeze, you’ll make the most of your days on the skintrack with a board that’s fun in dreamy conditions and capable in nightmarish ones. The Jones Stratos Splitboard, now available in both men’s and women’s sizes, hits that sweet spot. It’s a heavenly blend of trustworthiness, capability, and fun. From hut trips and glacial camping expeditions to sidecountry laps and dawn patrol powder days, the Stratos is ready for the task at hand. Read more here.

Rome Katana bindings ($400)

If you like to tweak your bindings as much as you tweak your grabs, peep the Rome Katana. This high-performance binding is ultra-adjustable thanks to Rome’s PivotMounts—modifiable ankle strap mounting hardware that enables riders to swap between eight ankle strap positions per side, yielding a total of 64 possible configurations. Raising the ankle strap provides more rapid-fire responsiveness, while lowering the strap position translates to increased range of motion and a surfier ride. Additional adjustability comes courtesy of composite highbacks that pivot and cant for a more ergonomic, fine-tuned fit. Read more here.

Stöckli Laser WRT Pro carving ski ($1,499)

If the Stöckli Laser WRT Pro were college bound, it’d be an Ivy League contender. This hard-charging model scored top marks in all testing categories, solidifying its spot as the No. 1 unisex carving ski in this year’s test, including near-perfect scores for stability at speed and hard-snow integrity. Read the full review here.

Elan Wildcat 86 C Black Edition frontside ski ($1,150 with bindings)

A frontside friend with benefits, the Elan Wildcat 86 C Black Edition earned the highest marks of all women’s frontside skis for nearly all traits, including near-perfect tens for carving and responsiveness. The Black Edition adds a higher level of performance to the Wildcat line (plus a layer of carbon), and testers appreciated the combination of characteristics that allows for aggressive skiing—without needing Mikaela Shiffrin’s thighs or precision. Read the extended review here.

Blizzard Sheeva 9 all-mountain ski ($750)

Last year, the Blizzard Sheeva 9 won best in test. This year, it repeats the feat, but while boasting a complete redesign that hones its strengths and eliminates its weaknesses—“favorite ski of the day” was our testers’ refrain. Read the full review here.

Nordica Enforcer 104 Free all-mountain wide ski ($850)

The Nordica Enforcer lineup is no stranger to the upper ranks of the SKI Test, and the Enforcer 104 Free carries on that tradition by claiming the top step on the unisex all-mountain wide podium for 2023-24. This model combines a wood core, carbon, and two sheets of metal sandwiched into Nordica’s Powder Rocker Profile to build a stout ski that earned top scores for stability at speed, flotation, and versatility. Read more here.

Salomon QST Blank powder ski ($800)

Except for new graphics, nothing has changed about the highly popular Salomon QST Blank for 2023-’24 season, and that includes how much skiers of all stripes love it. Proof: For the third year in a row, this unisex ski won the highest scores in the powder ski category from both male and female testers. What we loved most about this ski is how quick and playful it is. The QST Blank features a full poplar wood core and no metal, which keeps it feeling light underfoot (2,220 grams per ski) and makes it extraordinarily nimble. Read the extended review here.

Salomon QST Echo 106 backcountry ski ($800)

Known for their energy, playfulness, and solid feel in variable conditions, the QST skis have an uncanny ability to please pros like Cody Townsend as well as us mere mortals. The brand-new QST Echo 106 shares the shape and profile of the all-mountain QST 106, with a slimmed-down construction (the Echo shaves off 200 grams per ski) that’s spry on the skintrack while maintaining an impressively quiet feel through variable snow in the backcountry. Read more here.

Fischer RC4 Pro alpine boot ($1,100)

So often in the hardgoods market, a brand will roll out a redesign that’s little more than a fresh decal. But with the RC4 Pro MV, Fischer tore up the foundation and started from scratch. This thing is a legitimate work of art, and it comes with a Sotheby’s-level price tag to prove it. Built to bring the brand’s heritage race last to the consumer market, the new RC4 Pro MV was developed from the ground up with a new mold to include the BOA H+i1 alpine lace system and a full ZipFit liner. Read our testers’ take here.

Dynafit Tigard 130 hybrid boot ($899)

Dynafit’s Tigard 130 is the most impressive hybrid boot we’ve ever tried. In a category defined by compromise, this model seems to operate in a different plane of reality. The Tigard 130 is the hardest-skiing boot with a walk mode we’ve ever had the pleasure of stepping into. Check it out here.

Mammut Haldigrat HS Hooded Jacket ($629)

With a freeride cut, light and durable Bluesign-certified recycled fabric, and tasteful color hits, testers couldn’t clock enough ski days in this jacket. It’s the perfect freeride jacket for anyone looking to do front, side, and backcountry. If you can’t make up your mind about what you want to do for the day, this is the jacket for you. Read more here.

Strafe Cham Jacket ($589)

With a name like the Cham Jacket, there’s no surprise that this shell was one of our favorites for long days in the high alpine. The three-layer design constructed with Schoeller Aerobrane fabric boasted a ton of air permeability and an impressively soft and supple handfeel, staying on during long climbs with the occasional deployment of pit zips. Check it out here.

Stio Figment Bib ($479)

Usually, the first time wearing a bib pant involves a few stops to make adjustments. Not with the Figment. Adjusting the fit required just a quick tighten or release of the Velcro tabs on the suspenders and a pull on the waist belt. Done! Whether sitting, carving, or picking his way down the steeps off of Whistler’s Peak Chair, category manager Ryan Stuart didn’t notice the pants again. “They felt like a custom fit,” he said. Read more here.

Nike Ultrafly trail shoe ($250)

The Ultrafly borrows the successful energy-saving, speed-enhancing tech from Nike’s speedster Alphafly and Vaporfly road shoes, with some smart tweaks to make it excel on trails. A super-responsive midsole of Pebax ZoomX foam (the same foam found in Nike’s road supershoes) is encased in a textile wrap, which slightly limits its squishy tippiness and harnesses its energy, creating a controlled rebound effect. Read more here.

Tracksmith Bislett pants ($198)

Lead running apparel tester Scott Douglas bought the Bisletts when they first came out in 2014, and they’ve been his main winter running bottoms since. He’s tried dozens of other pants and tights since then, he says, but none are better. Read more here.

We Tested More Than 800 Winter Gear Items. These 20 Products Were Best in Test.