Check out the latest in skiing innovation to boost your game on the slopes

Salomon’s new QST 98 freeride ski is a complete redesign replacing the QST 99. (Handout)

Factory closures, raw materials shortages, stalled shipments and rising prices. The ski industry hasn’t been immune to the cascading production challenges brought about by a global pandemic. Many experts are predicting it will take a couple years for things to return to normal.

Nick Sargent, president of Snowsports Industries of America, recently told KPCW radio in Park City, Utah, that with factories only just starting to reopen, especially many in Asia, a game of catch-up is under way that could last two or three years. 

It’s not all bad news, however, especially for consumers who look forward this time of year to exploring all the new and innovative products available for the upcoming ski and snowboard season. Industry manufacturers, like some of the ones below, have managed to introduce or update new gear, just in time for the snow to fly.

Dynafit Free

Against these odds, Dynafit has released its completely redesigned freeride touring ski, Free, a full year ahead of projections. The Free line, which includes the Dynafit Free 97 and 107, replaces its Beast series.

The Free retains the same weight-saving emphasis, constructed with a pure poplar wood core, carbon speed stringers, and a slightly reduced turn radius to give it a quicker, snappier and more playful ride compared to the Beast line. Weighing in at only 1,460 grams (for the 177 cm), Dynafit touts the line’s “stability and strength-to-weight ratio” as quite possibly the best in the industry, a package that undoubtedly would appeal to those backcountry aficionados seeking the perfect balance between uphill ease and downhill performance.

The Free 97 comes in lengths 163, 170, 177 and 184, with a turning radius of 19 m, while the Free 107 is available in 173, 181 and 188, with a turning radius of 21.5 m.

Elan Voyager

Known historically as a driving force for innovation in the ski industry, Elan has delivered again with Voyager, the world’s first fully functional, folding all-mountain ski. Designed with the skier-on-the go and traveling urban skier in mind, Voyager’s off-the-snow profile can get into places traditional skis cannot, like the trunk of a car, for instance, or checked as standard baggage at the airport.

On the snow, it is built with a laminated wood core that is reinforced with titanium and is designed with Elan’s Amphibio technology that integrates both rocker (outside edge) and camber (inside edge) profiles into dedicated left and right skis. The skis are available in 160 cm, 166 cm and 172 cm, each with sidecut dimensions measuring 127/78/110.

Elan uses Connect Technology to enable the skis to fold, a four-axis mechanism that bonds and seals the ski together at the folding joint. A carbon-reinforced fusion plate provides support. Voyager’s design has earned multiple best product awards, including Red Dot “Best of the Best,” Plus X and ISPO Gold.

Cebe Versatile

Newly certified in 2021 for both skiing and mountaineering, Cebe’s Versatile helmet is touted as the most ventilated snow helmet on the market. Cebe, a brand of Bolle, designed the helmet in collaboration with the French industrial studio Kairn Alpin Designers. It is the first bi-standard articulated helmet adapted to the demands of both mountaineering and downhill skiing.

The helmet’s double in-mold polycarbonate shell construction combined with EPS foam shock absorption delivers extremely high-impact resistance at an ultra-light weight. Cebe’s Ultra Venting System makes it possible to elevate the front part of the helmet 4 degrees, expanding ventilation by 15 percent, which is a breath of fresh air when the body heats up during ascents.

Snapping the helmet back down to close off the additional venting delivers the full protection required for fast skiing descents. The Versatile design won IPSO Gold in 2021 in the Snowsports Hardgoods segment.

Smith Aleck 006 

The Aleck 006 is a wireless audio and communications system that provides the full functionality of a wireless Bluetooth earbud sound system with the convenience of a custom-channel walkie-talkie mode and GPS tracking to keep you connected to your friends and family wherever you are on the mountain.

The Bluetooth 5-enabled audio system, which is water-resistant, tucks into the earpads of your ski/snowboard helmet for glove-friendly, one-touch operation. Downloading the Aleck Go! App for IOS or Android maximizes functionality by delivering one-touch walkie-talkie system and intuitive location-mapping features.

The Aleck is powered with two 40 mm titanium drivers that deliver high-fidelity audio quality, whether communicating with your group, making phone calls, activating Siri or Google Assistant, or listening to music. The device operates on a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery via standard micro USB port.

Nordica Wild Belle DC 84 women’s ski

For the 2021-22 season, Nordica introduced an all-new women’s all-mountain  ski, the Wild Belle DC 84. It features Nordica’s new innovative Double Core Technology, consisting of two poplar/beech wood cores sandwiching a thin layer of rubber in the center of the ski. Double Core results in a smoother, more playful, and fun ski without lowering its speed limit.

The Wild Belle DC 84 also features Nordica’s new “Natural Stance.” The center of the ski where the bindings attach is lower by about 2mm, with the heels slightly lower than the toes, and with the two parts of the binding plate shortened and moved closer together, allowing the skier to assume a more natural, centered position. The immediate feeling can be compared to wearing flats versus heels, allowing skiers to deliver more power with less effort.

Salomon QST 98

Salomon’s new QST 98 freeride ski is a complete redesign replacing the QST 99. Most significantly, the widest parts of the ski, at both the tip and the tail, have been moved closer to the middle, which changes pivot points to enhance agility and playfulness. Salomon also has shortened the turning radius on the QST 98 to make it quicker to get from turn to turn.

The all-wood core is strengthened in the tip and tail by C/FX carbon, while Cork Damplifier smooths out high-speed arcs. Combine this with all-terrain rocker in the tip and tail, and Salomon touts the QST 98 as a ski that has the versatility to excel on frontside groomers, in deep powder and in the parks, too.

Lange XT3 Tour

Building on the success of its alpine performance boot, the XT3, Lange this season has introduced an all-new fully touring version of the boot that weighs in at around 1,500 grams. The XT3 Tour comes in one foot last size for 2021-22, a mid-volume width of 99 mm, and will be available in Mondo sizes 25 to 29. 

The boot’s Dual Core lite sandwich construction technique delivers a double-density of plastic in the shell to blend Lange’s signature stiffness (rated 130 when locked out) where needed together with softer plastic for comfort without sacrificing power and rebound.

Lange has increased range of movement in the boot and emphasized walking mode comfort both in its rockered footboard set inside the shell as well as its rockered Vibram touring ISO 9523 boot sole. The boot sole is designed to meet hybrid and tech bindings standards. It is not the alpine standard, which comes in the grip walk version of the touring-capable XT3.

Black Diamond Recon LT

Redesigned for 2021-22, Black Diamond’s Recon LT avalanche beacon is the lightest on the market, weighing in at under 5 ounces, including battery. Thin and compact makes it more comfortable to wear, but don’t be fooled by its size, as it comes chock full of advanced technological features that could save your life.

The Recon LT has a 50-meter circular range with its three fully digital antennas. In addition to the standard “search” and “send” modes, the LT also has a “flag” function. Useful if multiple skiers are involved in a slide, once the closest victim to your beacon is found and flagged, the Recon LT will automatically stop receiving their signal and immediately begin searching for the next closest victim.

The beacon’s Bluetooth capabilities give users the ability to manage settings and software updates right from their smartphone.

Rab Khroma Kinetic jacket

Feels like a softshell, protects like a hardshell. That’s how Rab describes its Khroma Kinetic jacket. The most flexible and breathable waterproof ski jacket in its line, the Khroma is designed to meet the needs ranging from all-day touring to technical ski mountaineering.

The jacket is built with 20D Proflex construction, comprised in three layers — a wicking polyester inner, an expanded PTFE core and a woven polyamide/elastane outer with a DWR coating. It captures the ever-elusive demand by adventurists for a combination of both moisture management and extreme waterproofing.

The Khroma Kinetic seams are fully taped, and the jacket’s hood is ski helmet compatible. Another unique feature of the Khroma Kinetic is its slim, contoured fit that isn’t too snug to allow for proper layering underneath. Just be sure to dial in your fit before purchasing.

Matt Boxler can be reached at [email protected].