Best Snowboard and Ski Backpacks
A ski or snowboard pack is not essential kit the way skis, boots and poles are, but on the right day it is the difference between going home at noon and staying out. That argument has not changed. What to look for has.
Carry system first. Diagonal carry is lighter and fine for a short bootpack; A-frame spreads the weight better and is what you want for anything long. Snowboarders want a vertical or horizontal board carry that you can rig without taking the pack off, because you will be doing it in a wind.
Size honestly. Around 18 to 25 litres for lift-served days with a shovel and a spare layer. 30 to 35 for touring, where skins, a flask and lunch have to fit. Anything bigger is for overnights and rides badly on a chairlift.
Avalanche gear goes in a dedicated pocket. A separate, front-access tool compartment that takes a shovel blade and a probe is the single feature worth paying for. Digging through your lunch for a shovel is the scenario the design exists to prevent.
What changed since this was written. Airbag packs moved from exotic to mainstream, and the canister systems have largely given way to battery-and-fan units you can fly with and practise deploying. If you ride off-piste regularly, that is where the money now goes, ahead of any feature on this list.
And one product note: the Black Diamond AvaLung packs this post originally sat alongside are gone. The line was discontinued, and several of those models were recalled in January 2011 over air-intake tubing that could crack in the cold. A beacon, shovel, probe and the training to use them remain the actual answer.
Part of the guide to ski and snowboard.