Best Backcountry Skiing Safety Gear for 2025 to Keep You Safe in the Snow

So, you’ve finally bought that alpine touring set up, with lightweight skis, tech bindings, climbing skins, and versatile touring boots. Or you're getting into ice climbing, winter mountaineering, snow camping, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, glacial travel, or winter hiking. As you know, the snowy, untrammeled backcountry is glorious until something goes wrong—which tends to happen very fast. That's why you need to always travel the backcountry with a robust safety kit of quality gear.

Aside from getting lost, hypothermic, or incapacitated in an accident, there’s avalanche danger if you’re traveling through snow or across a glacier. In the U.S. alone, there were 16 avalanche-related deaths in the 2023–24 ski season, and more than quadruple that during the same period in Europe. Even experienced winter backcountry navigators can wind up in trouble or simply have a very bad day out there.

None of this is meant to scare or dissuade you. Heading into the snow-laden backcountry is a life-enhancing experience, but also a unique, challenging task that deserves our respect and preparation. In addition to enjoying pristine settings, solitude, exercise, and adventure that only a winter environment can provide, you’ll be testing your outdoor skills in Mother Nature’s unique laboratory.

Here’s how to up your survival quotient with a list of the best backcountry skiing safety gear we’ve tested this season. Need more new ski gear? Check out our latest round ups of the best ski bindings, best ski pants and bibs, and best skis.

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Best Backcountry Ski Safety Gear at a Glance

• Best Backcountry Avalanche Kit: BCA Tracker4 Avalanche Rescue Package

• Best Backcountry Airbag System: Ortovox LiTRIC Tour 30 AVABAG

• Best Backcountry Personal Locator Beacon: Spot X 2-Way Satellite Messenger

• Best Backcountry Two-Way Radio: Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio

• Best Backcountry Puffy Jacket: Black Diamond First Light Stretch Hoody

• Best Backcountry Power Bank: Lion Energy Prowler

• Best Backcountry Mountaineering Ax: Trango Altum

• Best Backcountry Ski Boot Crampons: Camp Skimo Tour Crampons

• Best Backcountry Navigation App: OnX Backcountry

• Best Backcountry Optics: Nocs Provisions Zoom Tube 8X32 Monocular

• Best Backcountry Headlamp: Petzl Swift RL Headlamp

Best Backcountry Ski Safety Gear for 2025

Best Avalanche Rescue Kit: BCA Tracker4 Avalanche Rescue Package

Newcomers to the backcountry can buy a shovel, probe, and avalanche beacon separately, but don’t overthink it. With the Tracker4 Avalanche Rescue Package you simplify three purchases into one and save about $80 for the whole package. The Tracker4 kit provides the essentials with a Stealth 300 probe (330 grams/11.6 ounces), Dozer 1T shovel (545 grams/19 ounces), and Tracker4 beacon (170 grams/6 ounces). The aluminum probe collapses into 43 cm sections and the shovel breaks down to 38.7 cm (16? inches) for packing. We like the Tracker 4 beacon for its big display and glove-friendly ease of use. The transceiver features Signal Suppression (SS) and Big Picture (BP) modes for multiple-victim searching, plus a motion-sensing auto revert-to-transmit mode (AR). There’s also a mini USB port, so you can always be updated with the brand’s downloadable software updates.

Best Backcountry Airbag System: Ortovox LiTRIC Tour 30 AVABAG

Ortovox's LiTRIC Tour 30 AVABAG is the lightest electronic airbag system on the market. In addition to its convenient, fast-acting supercapacitor technology, the streamline pack is ideal for skiing and snowboarding. There’s room for your snow safety tools and essential day-ski gear inside (helmet and ice tools are carried externally), and the ski-carry system is stable and easy to figure out. Testers loved the LiTRIC Tour 30, as it allows for 60 hours of charge—meaning you can bring it on long, epic ski missions, including hut trips where there’s no electricity. Multiple deployments are available on a single charge—which is more than handy when your airbag deploys in dicey terrain with plenty more ground to cover. Since the airbag is electric, you can bring the full kit on the plane. The LiTRIC comes in Tour, Freeride, and Zero styles, and in SL (short) and regular torso lengths, with pack volume ranging from 16 to 40 liters. Weight is 4 pounds, 6 ounces to 5 pounds, 6 ounces, depending on the pack model.

Best Backcountry Personal Locator Beacon: Spot X 2-Way Satellite Messenger

Self-rescue is a pillar of a outdoor preparedness—but in the case of broken bones, crevasse falls, and avalanches, you need all the help you can get. Adding the Spot X Beacon to your safety kit provides two-way satellite messaging—even when you’re off the grid. Plus, it connects to your cell phone so you can easily access contacts or search and rescue. The Spot X is simple to use with a Blackberry-style keypad for quickly rattling off quick messages to let loved ones know you’re okay and an SOS button to let search and rescue know you’re not. The satellite tracking ability is a huge asset when you need a mountain rescue and can’t easily communicate your exact location.

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Best Backcountry Two-Way Radio: Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio

Outdoor athletes know that cell coverage is never dependable, especially in the mountains. But whether you’re following buddies down tight couloirs and trees or timing a photoshoot at your local terrain park, communication is key. We’ve tested a lot of radios, and the 6 ounce Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio is ideal for its four-day battery life in sub-zero conditions and excellent range of up to five miles in mountainous terrain. Radios come with lightweight, super strong (20kN), light (24grams/0.8 ounce) Trango Quantum carabiners, so you can clip them directly to your backpack strap or harness gear loop. One caveat: If you were thinking of taking these to Europe—don’t. The U.S. FRS and GMRS frequencies overlap with emergency radio frequencies that the EU and U.K. use, so radios you buy in the United States use restricted frequencies in France, Italy, and Switzerland—especially in the major ski areas.

Best Backcountry Puffy Jacket: Black Diamond First Light Stretch Hoody

Layers might not seem like safety equipment, but having an insulating layer, even on warmer days, is a key backstop to avoiding getting cold if weather or your plans change. The synthetic insulation in Black Diamond’s First Light Hoody remains effective even if it gets wet and the jacket is light at 405 grams and packs down small so it doesn’t eat up a ton of room in your pack when you’re not using it. A puffy in your pack often acts as an emergency backup layer, but its weight, breathability, and four-way stretch also make it a viable option for active insulation on colder days.

Best Backcountry Power Bank: Lion Energy Prowler

Electronic devices are more a part of backcountry skiing than ever. From smartphones for mapping and communication to radios, GPS watches, satellite communicators, headlamps, GoPros, and electronic airbags, touring requires power and if you’re out for extended hours or days in the backcountry, you’ll need backup. There are lots of cheap, portable power banks on the market but I like the rugged build on Lion Energy’s 1-pound Prowler because I can throw it in my pack and not stress that it might not be working when I need it. The 5-year warranty doesn’t cover losing it in the snow, but it does cover you for any defects. For longer overnight adventures such as hut trips consider the larger Eclipse Mag that can charge a phone to full ten times if needed.

Best Backcountry Mountaineering Ax: Trango Altum

If you're backcountry skiing, snowboarding, hiking, or snowshoeing, there’s always a chance of freeze/thaw—especially if you’re traversing rocky bands, dropping couloirs, or moving through areas with creeks, rivers, and waterfalls. When you look at a big-mountain ski guide’s kit, you’ll see that they all carry an ice ax. You want something lightweight, with a straight shaft which you can use as an anchor, hand hold, or self-arrest device—or to dig out your car after returning from the backcountry during a storm cycle. The Trango Altum comes in three lengths, 45 cm, 55 cm, and 65 cm. For ski-mountaineering and other backcountry travel, the 45 cm, at only 309 grams (10.5 ounces), is ideal. It has a lightweight aluminum shaft and ultra-durable steel pick, and we love the textured surface on the handle for a secure grip in all conditions.

Best Backcountry Ski Boot Crampons: Camp Skimo Tour Crampons

Climbing skins are great for mellow pitches, but when you enter steep hardpack, the skis go on your back and you need serious winter mountaineering hardware on your feet. Italian mountaineering brand Camp’s Skimo Tour crampons are made from a lightweight but durable aluminum allow frame that shrinks down in the included protective bag to take up less room and avoid poking holes in your gear. They’re also easy to strap into and adjust so you’re not fumbling around at the bottom of the pitch. Consider also picking up a pair of Dynafit Ski Crampons for times when climbing skin traction starts to fail but the pitch doesn’t demand bootpacking. These ski crampons are compatible with most touring bindings, but confirm the width and that your bindings don’t have a proprietary crampon mounting system first.

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Best Backcountry Navigation App: OnX Backcountry

There are tons of GPS-enabled navigation apps that have become essential tools for backcountry travel. Planning routes in advance helps you make smart decisions in avalanche terrain and adjust travel plans when things change. OnX made its name in the hunting community, but their OnX Backcountry platform has come a long way in a short time with lots of backcountry ski-specific features. Layers such as land ownership and slope angle shading are must-haves, but there are also options to get the local avalanche forecast and see visualizations of estimated avalanche runout zones. The app also layers in routes and descriptions for ski touring guidebooks in some areas which gives you invaluable beta from the people that know the area best.

Best Backcountry Optics: Nocs Provisions Zoom Tube 8X32 Monocular

You’re riding the lift and spot an untracked line cutting through a nearby cliff band. Your immediate thought is, “Will it go?” Sure, binoculars would be ideal but they’re too heavy to carry for the infrequent use they get. We carry the 9.5 oz. Nocs Provisions Zoom Tube for scoping lines and potential hazards. It’s water resistant, has best-in-class optics, and is pretty much indestructible. Nocs provides a “no matter what” lifetime warranty for added peace of mind.

Best Backcountry Headlamp: Petzl Swift RL Headlamp

You might think a headlamp is only necessary when you’re getting up early for pre-dawn ski/snowboard missions, snow camping, or a hut trip. But if you’re traveling in the backcountry, especially in unpredictable terrain, a headlamp is essential gear in case you end up lost or incapacitated. Petzl's Swift RL headlamp is designed for skiing and climbing—armed with a blast of 1,100 lumens to let you see up to 500 feet away. The compact, 100-gram headlamp features reactive lighting, with a sensor that automatically adjusts brightness and beam pattern while optimizing energy use. You can also select standard lighting or red lighting (for reading), plus a red strobe option designed for emergency situations when you need to signal your location. It comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

What Backcountry Safety Equipment Do I Need?

Because of the very real danger of avalanches when skiing in uncontrolled areas, safety equipment is essential. Backcountry skiers learn to check for beacon, shovel, and probe the same way you check for keys, wallet, and phone leaving your house. These basics (plus training and practice in using them) are what you need to attempt to locate and rescue others caught in an avalanche.

The other items highlighted below are optional but can be really nice to have and can be added to your kit as your backcountry experience evolves. A satellite communication device provides a backup to your phone whether you venture beyond cell coverage or run out of battery. In the same vein, a battery bank provides extra juice for your devices (more a part of your personal safety kit than ever) when you’re staying in the field longer than expected.

What Is an Avalanche Airbag?

In addition to more traditional snow safety equipment like a shovel, probe, and beacon, an increasing number of skiers (also inbounds but especially in the backcountry) are investing in backpacks with an avalanche airbag. These primarily work with a canister or via an electric system that rapidly inflates an airbag (attached to a pack) that's designed specifically to keep a skier, snowboarder, snowshoer, or snowmobiler on top of a slide and avoid being buried. These systems are no substitute for smart planning and training in avalanche rescue but studies have shown they increase avalanche survival odds. As always, the best advice is to keep a close eye on your local avalanche report and pay attention to the risk, but lives have definitely been saved by avy airbags.

Why You Should Trust Us

Nancy Bouchard and her team of testers spends November through May skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering, and ice climbing. They ascend peaks, traverse glaciers, rappel into couloirs, and explore untracked backcountry throughout some of the wildest terrain imaginable in Oregon, Washington, Canada, France, and Italy. Our testers each have decades of winter backcountry experience, including many winter first ascents/descents in North America and the Alps.

Justin Park is a lifelong skier raised on icy upstate New York hills currently based in Breckenridge, Colorado, where he skis over 100 days a year, split fairly evenly between backcountry and resort. Park spends those days testing all manner of gear from skis to jackets to apps to avalanche beacons for Men’s Journal, Powder, Tripsavvy, Gear Junkie, and he serves as editor of the backcountry ski site WildSnow. Park has skied on four continents and aims to hit all seven eventually, but some of his favorite runs are in his backyard.

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