Our Top 7 picks for off piste gear Spending time between Chamonix, Cortina, and Jackson has us thrashing our gear on some of the truly greatest terrain on earth. This is the setup we are running this year for off piste/backcountry/slack country/whatever moniker floats your boat these days. 1. Black Diamond Sharp End Shell When Black Diamond entered the outerwear game (again) expectations were set high. The Sharp End Shell does not disappoint and has us reaching for it again and again over old favorites in the gear closet. 2. Black Crows Sevun ii We can’t get enough of Chamonix based Black Crows. The latest incarnation of the Sevun just makes us want to run wide open from powder stacked bowls to chopped steeps. Its big and fast, responds to an aggressive hand yet is incredibly confidence inspiring in the steeps. 3. PIEPS DSP PRO AVALANCHE BEACON We’ve used Pieps for ages and they just keep getting better and better. There is a reason that most guides from Chamonix to Jackson are believers. 4. POC Backcountry MIPS The Receptor Backcountry helmet, ups the safety ante through and through with its multi shell technology. Aimed squarely at the rotational forces present in high speed crashes, it’s our number one choice. 5. Arc’teryx Atom LT Vest We hate sweating and it’s all about regulating that core temp. As expected the fit and finish of the Atom are top notch. The perfect mid layer piece. 6. Black Diamond Factor MX One of our favorite free ride boots thats capable of charging hard in bound and handling off piste ascents with confidence. Capable of driving a burly ski. 7. Aether Apex Pant We tend to wear mountain pants into the ground and when it was time for a new pair the options became a bit overwhelming. Aether nails it with the cut of their Apex pant and the range of motion present. Design features are well thought out (as you’d expect from these guys) and the pants actually look good enough to hit the pear Schnapps after hours in Zurs.