Magazine

Gear and practical advice for skiing, snowboarding, and winter days.

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28
Close-up of water droplets beading on orange jacket fabric.
Winter

How to Wash and Reproof Waterproof Jackets and Pants

How to wash ski and snowboard clothing, restore water repellency, and spot problems that need a repair.

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A skier in a burgundy jacket, white helmet, and orange goggles standing in falling snow.
Skiing

Is a Ski Jacket Over $300 Worth It?

What does a more expensive ski jacket get you? Work out when an upgrade will improve your day and when you can keep the extra money.

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A snowboarder wearing tan bib pants and a dark sweater among snow-covered trees.
Snowboarding

Snowboard Pants vs Bibs: How to Choose

Compare waist coverage, shoulder straps, ventilation, bathroom access, and fit. Choose the design you want before narrowing down insulation and price.

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A snowboarder in a yellow and black jacket and black pants sitting in the snow with boots strapped into a snowboard.
Snowboarding

How Should a Snowboard Jacket and Pants Fit?

A fitting-room checklist for reaching, crouching, sitting, and layering. Check jacket length, cuffs, waist adjustment, and boot coverage before keeping a new outfit.

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Rear view of a person in a dark teal hooded puffer jacket photographing misty mountains.
Winter

Down vs Synthetic Insulation for Winter

Compare moisture tolerance, packability, fill power, and care. Choose insulation for the time you spend moving, waiting, and carrying an extra layer.

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A skier in a gray patterned jacket, black helmet, and blue goggles in falling snow.
Skiing

2-Layer vs 3-Layer Ski Jackets

Understand bonded fabric layers, loose linings, and insulation before paying for a different jacket construction. A practical guide to choosing a shell or insulated jacket.

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A man in a black hooded puffer, blue knit beanie, sunglasses, and gray fleece gloves held to his face in the snow.
Winter

How to Layer for the Cold

Build a winter layering system with a base layer, insulation, and weather protection. Adjust your clothes for active runs, lifts, and rest stops.

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A snowboarder sitting back into a turn on a bright day, snow spraying off the edge, seen from behind.
Snowboarding

How to Learn Snowboarding

A realistic first-season guide to learning snowboarding: what your first day feels like, why a lesson is worth it, rent versus buy, regular versus goofy stance, and the first skills that lead to linked turns.

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Close-up of a snowboard boot strapped into a binding on a board, laces and straps visible, snow all around.
Snowboarding

Best Snowboard Boots, 2026

Snowboard boots compared by the two variables that matter most: flex rating and lacing system, across K2, Vans, Burton, Salomon, and ThirtyTwo, from soft park boots to stiff freeride boots.

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A skier in a blue jacket, black helmet, and green goggles skiing through powder beside snow-covered trees.
Skiing

Best Ski Jackets, 2026/2027

Six ski jackets compared by intended use, from insulated resort jackets to shells, with published specifications and US list prices.

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A snowboarder in gold-yellow pants and a black jacket carving hard and low, hand dragging in the snow, board spraying.
Snowboarding

Best Snowboard Pants, 2026

Snowboard pants and bibs compared by construction that matters: reinforced cuffs, articulated knees, waterproofing, and insulation, across Burton, 686, Dope Snow, Volcom, Airblaster, and Mountain Hardwear.

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A snowboarder in a bright yellow jacket and black pants grabbing the board mid-jump against a clear blue sky.
Snowboarding

Best Snowboard Jackets, 2026

Snowboard jackets compared by construction that matters: drop tails, helmet hoods, waterproofing, and insulation, across Burton, Dope Snow, Volcom, Patagonia, and Norrona.

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A pair of black insulated ski gloves resting fingers-up on ski poles against a snowy backdrop.
Skiing

How to Wash Ski Gloves Without Wrecking Them

A practical guide to cleaning and drying ski gloves by construction: leather, synthetic insulated, and GORE-TEX membrane. When to wash, what to avoid, how to re-waterproof, and how to dry without ruining them.

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A snowboarder in a sticker-covered helmet and orange-mirrored goggles carrying a green board, snowy peaks behind.
Snowboarding

Best Snowboard Goggles, 2026

Snowboard goggles compared: spherical vs cylindrical lenses, magnetic swap systems, lens VLT for sun and storm, and helmet fit, across Anon, Smith, Oakley, and Dragon.

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A skier in a red jacket and black backpack carving through soft snow on a steep slope, spray kicking up behind.
Skiing

Best Backcountry Ski Backpacks, 2026

Backcountry ski packs compared: avalanche tool pockets, ski and board carry, airbag options, and volume, across Black Diamond, Osprey, BCA, Patagonia, and Mammut.

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A skier in a red jacket and gray ski pants carving a turn through snow, spray flying, poles out, under blue sky.
Skiing

What to Wear Under Ski Pants: A Layering Guide

Choose base layers for ski pants by fabric, weight, and fit. Compare merino and synthetic options, with advice for insulated pants and bibs.

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A person warming bare hands over a small open fire in a black metal fire pit set on snow.
Skiing

Best Hand Warmers for Skiing, 2026

Disposable, rechargeable, and refillable hand warmers for cold ski days, compared on duration, heat, and price.

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Close-up of two worn leather ski gloves, one red and one black with neon-yellow accents, gripping ski poles in snow.
Skiing

Best Budget Ski Gloves, 2026

Compare six budget ski gloves and mittens by insulation, waterproofing, fit, and care, with options under $85.

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An outdoor apres-ski bar at dusk, a lit 'Apres-Ski Bar' sign over a wooden chalet counter with fairy lights.
Skiing

What Does Apres-Ski Mean?

What apres-ski means, where the term comes from, and how to enjoy the time after skiing, from a slopeside drink to a quiet evening with friends.

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Pedestrians in heavy coats crossing a snowy downtown Chicago street, the historic Marshall Field building behind.
Winter

What to Wear in Chicago Winter

Plan what to wear in Chicago winter: layers for windy platforms, a coat for time outdoors, and clothing you can adjust inside heated buildings.

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A four-seat detachable chairlift carrying skiers and a snowboarder over a vast snowy mountain range under a clear sky.
Skiing

Types of Ski Lifts

A plain guide to the ski lifts you ride. Rope tows, T-bars, fixed and detachable chairs, gondolas, aerial trams, and how capacity is measured.

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A vintage black-and-white photo of a skier in a knit sweater on long wooden skis with a large basket pole.
Skiing

When Was Skiing Invented?

Skiing is older than you think: 5,000 years from Sami hunters to Sondre Norheim to gold-rush longboard racers to the first Vermont rope tow in 1934.

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Close-up of a hiking boot fitted with a strap-on ice-traction cleat, chains and spikes across the sole, kicking up snow.
Winter

Best Ice Cleats for Ice Fishing, 2026

Compare six ice cleats by spikes, studs, coils, boot fit, and price. Find traction for your route and understand its limits.

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A skier in a white Smith helmet and mirrored Smith goggles with a fleece neck gaiter, ski poles behind.
Skiing

Best Women's Ski Goggles, 2026

Women's and small-fit ski goggles compared: genuine women's frames vs unisex small fits, lens VLT and tints, magnetic swap systems, OTG fit, by Anon, Giro, Smith, and Oakley.

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Two people in heavy hooded parkas standing in driving snow beside a snow-buried car during a blizzard.
Winter

Best Winter Coats for Extreme Cold, 2026

Compare six winter parkas by insulation, coverage, weather protection, and price. Choose for your activity and conditions, beyond fill power alone.

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A small white curly-coated dog in a bright orange padded coat bounding through snow, ears flying.
Winter

Best Winter Jackets for Dogs Who Come Along for the Snow Day

Winter jackets for dogs that go out in snow: warmth, waterproofing, coverage, and visibility compared across Hurtta, RUFFWEAR, Canada Pooch, Voyagers K9, and WeatherBeeta.

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A man in a headlamp kneeling on a frozen lake at night, jigging a short rod over an ice hole, a lit tent beside him.
Winter

How to Use Lights in Ice Fishing

Plan your ice-fishing lights: choose a headlamp and shelter light, calculate battery needs, and check the rules before using a submersible.

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A powder-snow avalanche cascading down a steep alpine ridge under blue sky, glaciated peaks above.
Skiing

The Complete Guide to Avalanche Safety

A US-focused avalanche safety guide built around the National Avalanche Center framework: get the forecast, get the gear, get the training. Statistics, red flags, terrain, rescue protocols, and resources.

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