Winter Gear
A guide to the season’s best By Molly Baker.
Salomon Quest Ski Boot
“This is the perfect boot for folks who don’t hike exclusively, but dabble in the backcountry and still ski the lifts,” said Drew Adams, co-founder and owner of Glacier Ski Shop. “Salomon put out the Quest so people could have a great performing downhill-type boot with a walk mode and sturdy rubber boot sole.”
Offered in a variety of flexes, from 110 to 130, the Quest range is one of the first in the market to achieve inbounds skiing capability and comfort for hiking and skinning. With sizes from a 5.5 to 12, Adams claims that Salomon boots fit about 80 percent of their customers and the Quest is quickly becoming a top seller, especially among women. Adams has seen a trend toward gear that combines ski performance and backcountry capability – the Quest is the answer to the market’s demands.
WHERE TO BUY:
Glacier Ski Shop
www.glacierskishop.com | 360/599-1943
 Helly Hansen Swift Jacket
Yeager’s has been selling outdoor gear since the 1920s. They’ve seen many jackets, and this year they’re saying it’s all about the Helly
Hansen Swift.
It features a powder skirt, articulated arms, adjustable cuffs, bottom hem, hood, multiple exterior and interior pockets, and a specially designed ski-pass pocket. Offered in multiple colors, sports enthusiasts can amp up their style while sporting this waterproof, insulated and breathable jacket.
WHERE TO BUY:
Yeager’s Sporting Goods
www.yeagerssportinggoods.com | 360/733-1080
 Atomic Savage TI
“Designed for those of us who know from experience that skiing alongside the cliffs (not off them) gets you 10 to 15 more turns,” said Mountain to Sound shop owner Greg Whittaker of the Atomic Savage TI. Based in West Seattle, Mountain to Sound offers everything from ski to stand up paddleboard gear.
“Atomic has brought together the best elements of camber technology and underfoot width and shaped it into a poppy wood core frontside ski with stiffness,” Whittaker said. Featuring a wood core and layer of titanium, the Savage TI is the widest ski in Atomic’s Nomad line. It’s an all-mountain pair of sticks that like to go off piste, perfect for that guy in your family who still loves to ski, but keeps them on the ground.
WHERE TO BUY:
Mountain to Sound Outfitters
www.m2soutfitters.com | 206/935-7669
Electric EG2.5 Pat Moore Goggles
For the past 22 years, the Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop has outfitted pros and enthusiasts alike. Located behind Milano’s and across from the Wake ’n Bakery, the Mt. Baker Snowboard  Shop is quintessentially Glacier and one of the staple businesses in town. They know snowboarding.
Among Gnu and Lib Tech snowboards, the shop carries one brand of goggles – Electric. Their rider-inspired series of goggles has brought the Electric EG2.5 Pat Moore model to Glacier. An ergonomic design that fits well with helmets, 100 percent UV protection, and anti-fog/anti-scratch hard coating lenses, the EG2.5 is a favorite of the shop’s customers. Designed from the standpoint of Pat Moore’s locally inspired “Live Free or Die” motto, the EG2.5 is a perfect fit for your favorite idiosyncratic snowboarder.
WHERE TO BUY:
Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop
www.mtbakersnowboardshop.com | 360/599-2008
 Garmin Rhino 650 GPS
Not everyone carries a GPS and radio while out hiking, snowshoeing or skiing. For those who do, should, or would love to, consider the Garmin Rhino series. “It combos a two-way radio into a GPS unit. It is the one product that does both for folks. Instead of having two devices, you just have to carry one,” said Pat Kennedy, who has worked at REI’s Bellingham location for the past five years.
On the 2.6-inch display with touchscreen, features include a built-in NOAA radio, FRS/GMRS radio (code for personal/consumer radios), a tracking device for your partners, a 3-axis compass, a Barometric altimeter, satellite imagery options and topographic detail comparable to 1:24,000 scale USGS maps.
WHERE TO BUY:
Bellingham REI
www.rei.com | 360/647-8955
BCA Alp 40 Pack
“The Alp 40 pack from BCA is great for long tours, even for an overnight trip if you can pack light,” said Thierry Werderits of Fairhaven Bike and Ski. “It has a roll top closer, like a dry bag,  allowing you to take off the lid for shorter day trips.”
With a lean profile (and option to remove the lid), excellent zippered shoulder-strap hydration tube hideaways and a ski carrying system, the pack can be used for everything from winter adventures to summer hiking missions. Compared to other models, the Alp 40 is a smaller volume pack made of light materials, but with nifty little belt loop stash pockets and the roll top closer, all your gear will fit inside organized and easy to access.
WHERE TO BUY:
Fairhaven Bike and Ski
www.fairhavenbike.com | 360/733-4433
 Backcountry Access Tracker 2
The folks at Backcountry Essentials specialize in new and used gear for backcountry skiing, snowboarding, climbing, mountaineering, camping and backpacking. And they have a cooler with roughly 99 flavors of craft beer. We trust their opinion when it comes to the things that matter to many outdoor enthusiasts – gear and beer.
For any inspiring outdoorsman who’s out in the backcountry more often than not, owner Chris Gearson recommends the BCA Tracker 2. “Backcountry Access released the Tracker 2 late last winter and it looks to be the avalanche transceiver of choice this year. Plus, it’s made in the U.S.,” Gearson said. “Three antennae, instantaneous real-time display and the same easy-to-use interface as the original Tracker DTS, it will help you find your partner faster. An intuitive mechanical search/transmit switch makes it even easier to use right out of the box.”
WHERE TO BUY:
Backcountry Essentials
www.backcountryessentials.net | 360/543-5678
Burton Custom and Mission Bindings
Lesley Hunter has worked at Hidden Wave in Burlington for the past seven years. After nearly a decade of buying, selling and testing product (Hunter is a snowboarder who rides the Lib  Tech TRS snowboards), she mentioned one product that stands out – the Burton Custom and Mission snowboard bindings.
“They are a good mid-range price, but still have all the great signature buckles, straps and adjustments of a Burton product and the heel cups have a lifetime warranty, so you are guaranteed to get some mileage out of them,” Hunter said. “They have always been our best seller.”
The binding’s hi-backs use Burton’s “Living Hinge” technology, allowing for less weight, adjustable forward lean and independent hi-back rotation.
WHERE TO BUY:
Hidden Wave Boardshop
www.hiddenwave.net | 360/757-4998
 Jones Solution Snowboard
Jeremy Jones is one of the world’s most renowned snowboarders. He has been all over the world riding powder from a helicopter and hiking to the top of long, intimidating Alaskan spines for first descents. Last year Jones introduced the Solution Splitboard, an immediate favorite for backcountry snowboarders around the world.
“The shape makes this board a huge seller for us. It gives you stability, but still floats very well in the powder. It is universal. The do-everything board,” said a Sportsman’s Chalet employee. The Solution comes in two sizes (164cm or 168cm wide) and offers Magne-traction technology. With directional rocker and camber underfoot, it will handle any conditions you find out in the backcountry. It’s sturdy and surfy, a combo any experienced rider will appreciate.
WHERE TO BUY:
Sportsman Chalet
www.sportsmanchalet.com | 800/600-1044
 What would a professional international skier choose for the best holiday gift ever?
We asked Molly Baker …
“I’d choose a day to ski with my dad,” Baker said. “This past summer my dad met me in South America for two weeks, which is something I never imagined would happen. We toured and skied near some of Argentina’s glaciers and backcountry huts. In many ways, it was the best ski trip of my life. If I could have anything this holiday season, it would be a day enjoying the mountains and snow with my dad at Mt. Baker.”
Photo: Molly Baker and her dad, Charles Baker
Photo credit: Zack Giffin
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