Packing light for an overnight or multi-day backcountry skiing mission is tough ask. Turns out, there’s a ton you need to carry. There are all your normal ski touring accoutrements, plus extra food, water, and an overnight kit (sleeping bag, pad, tent, cooking gear, and a whole lot more). Where’s that all supposed to go?
Like many things, there’s an easy solution, and then there’s an elegant solution. In this case, the easy solution looks like stuffing it all into a standard backpacking bag–something in like 65+ liter range. There should be plenty of room to fit all your sh*t and get it wherever you’re going, but then you’re stuck with a massive backpack when it comes time to do the fun thing: skiing.
The elegant solution looks like Raide’s new 55-liter EX 55L expedition ski pack. It’s an expedition-sized pack that has all the same features and more or less the exact same design as Raide’s fan-favorite LF30 and LF40 ski packs. There’s the innovative shovel and probe carrying system, the very practical back-panel zipper, and a much larger version of the rolltop system. When you’re skiing, the 55-liter volume cinches down to the same size as the smaller daypacks, making it nearly indistinguishable on the descent. As someone who hates skiing with a large ski pack that doesn’t cinch down, I’m very excited about this.
Raide EX55L Specs:
- Volume: 55 L, expandable to 75L
- Weight: 1250g
- Material: Challenge Ultra 200TX/800TX, 210d Nylon with UHMWPE ripstop
- Features: dual ice tool carry, A-frame and diagonal ski carry
Why would you ever want to backcountry ski with a 55-liter pack? In a technical ski mountaineering setting, 30- and 40-liter packs often don’t really cut it. Heading up Rainier or Denali? This would be a great choice. Spending a few nights on a ski traverse in Canada like the Wapta, Spearhead, or Bugs to Rogers? I’d take this. Better yet, heading into a zone where you’ll be basecamping and skiing daily objectives? The huge volume means you get to cary your stuff in comfortably, but the compressibility means you don’t have a huge thing dangling off your back everytime you want to go skiing.
Raide chose to update some details on the new EX55L, like adding extra foam padding on the shoulder straps for carrying heavier loads and reinforced lashing points for attaching extra gear or towing loads in a sled.
