Scott Tharler December 5, 2007

 

Must-have extras for hitting the slopes

According to your Suunto S6 Ski Chronograph, it's just past 8 am on top of Whistler Mountain, you're at 7,160 feet above sea level, and it's 45 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Below you lie more than 100 trails laden with fresh powder. You just have to ski it -- and as you do, your watch will record the degree of slope, average speed, and the vertical drop.

Of course, you're well prepared. Your Audex Motorola Jacket streams appropriately pumping tunes out of speakers in its hood. Underneath, your ScottEVest performance T-shirt keeps you dry and comfy, and has specially lined pockets for your phone or MP3 player. Your Garmin Rino GPS tracks your location across a detailed basemap of the area (and can also send out distress signals in case of an avalanche). And an Innovus Solar Power backpack keeps everything juiced.

See our slideshow of must-have ski gadgets

It's not surprising that most ski fanatics tend to be closet gadget freaks. Both hobbies require a certain amount of disposable income and a healthy fixation with performance-enhancing technologies. New advances in GPS, performance clothing, and portable media are making the slopes safer and more comfortable.

Even the skis are getting smarter. In order to handle a variety of conditions, equipment specialist Bill Ranson recommends Head's Monster I.M 77. "It's a great ski for someone who wants a one-ski quiver." Where these responsive skis excel is in adapting to different types of terrain -- chops, bumps, trails and bowls -- on the fly.

"The way it's designed is torsionally stiff, so it holds a really good edge when you're skiing at higher speeds." Ranson admits it isn't the best powder ski, "But it'll definitely give you plenty of float and you'll have a really fun time on it."

But let's not forget the basics. To help minimize the underlying fear of getting caught in an avalanche, Doug Gilchrist with Mountain High Ski Patrol suggests that backcountry skiers arm themselves with not only a transceiver, but also a probe and shovel. "If your partner knows where you're at, but they don't have a shovel to dig you out, it's useless."

Half an hour before sunset, you finish your last monster run, pack it in and head back. With minimal energy left, you put two last lifesaving gadgets to use: Walk-EZ's Revolutions let you walk like an actual human in your ski boots, and the company's Ski-Shuttle saves your shoulders the burden of precariously carrying those skis back to the car.

After you've arrived safely back at the lodge, it's time to find out how you really did. Plugging your Suunto S6 into your PC, you're able to compare your performances over individual runs. And perhaps your ski buddy has recorded some of your more heroic leaps (in high-definition, no less) with the an amazingly compact Sanyo Xacti HD1A High-Definition Digital Video Camera.

Not that you need any of this stuff. You could easily be bombing down the slopes on lathed two-by-fours, wrapped snuggly in elk hide. But if it's a question of staying warmer, skiing smarter, and easing the wear-and-tear on our bodies, we're inclined to pass on the old-school option. So we've consulted a variety of ski experts to generate a list of must-have tech toys for the slopes. Enjoy.

See our slideshow of must-have ski gadgets

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