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Equipment for freeriders

09.01.2025

Skiers and snowboarders who are out and about in the open ski area must be well prepared and equipped with the necessary equipment to minimize their risk and be able to act in an emergency.
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This article is about:

01

Emergency equipment

If you are off-piste, you must have a full set of emergency equipment. You can only respond to an avalanche emergency if you have all the emergency equipment with you. Conversely, you can only be helped if you have the following items of equipment with you:

Avalanche transceiver

The avalanche transceiver must be maintained and up to date. Your avalanche transceiver must be 3-antenna device with marking function, not older than ten years, which is regularly checked by a specialist dealer.

Shovel

Metal, preferably with UIAA safety logo, extendable handle, broaching function

Probe

minimum length 240 cm, last segment in a different color, metal cord and fastening clip

© Highland Production I snow institute
© Highland Production I snow institute
© snow institute
© snow institute
© snow institute
© snow institute

Backpack

Sturdy sports rucksack or avalanche airbag rucksack (recommended)

First aid equipment

Tools that you can use to help yourself and your colleagues in an emergency. These could be a rescue blanket, a bivouac sack to keep you warm, a bandage for cuts or repair tools such as a cord or a multi-tool set for a broken binding.

Phone (possibly power bank)

for emergencies, as well as for orientation using digital maps

© snow institute
© snow institute
© snow institute
02

Freeride equipment

Freeride equipment doesn’t just include emergency equipment, but also everything from the right skis or snowboard to precisely adjusted bindings and goggles. Everything is to some extent responsible for how you experience your day on the mountain.

Maintained and suitable skis, boots and bindings

It is recommended that you seek advice from a sports store to ensure that your skis/snowboard, boots and bindings are coordinated and correctly adjusted and also suit your skiing style.

Ski binding adjustment: Z-value and contact pressure

  • The Z-value is the release value of the ski binding. It therefore indicates the force at which the binding should open. The Z-value must be set on the front and rear jaws of the binding. It is determined according to body weight, boot size (sole length), age and skiing ability. You can calculate your Z-value with the “rentmaxx Z-Value” app.
  • The contact pressure is the pressure with which the ski boot in the binding is pressed forward into the toe piece by the toe piece or heel piece. Each binding has an indicator on the rear jaws to read the contact pressure.
  • And the third part of the correct binding adjustment is often (but not always) the GripWalk plate. Depending on the sole of your ski boot, there is a height-adjustable plate under the ball of the foot.
© snow institute
© snow institute

Freeride ski facts: ski width, camber, rocker

  • Camber: Camber describes the camber in the middle of the ski and is important for the distribution of pressure on the ski. In a traditional (standard) camber, the center of the ski is slightly raised, which distributes the pressure on the tip and tail of the ski. Freeride skis often have a so-called reverse camber (negative camber). This means that the ski only rests on the ground in an area under the ski boot and is bent up at the front and back.
  • Ski width: Basically, the wider a ski is, mainly in the middle but also at the tip, the more lift you have in deep snow. The ski width is specified in mm and in three places: Tip-Waist-Tail (e.g. 136 – 107 – 123)
  • Rocker: A rocker is the upward bend of the ski. With a tip rocker, for example, the front part of the ski is bent upwards and has no points of contact with the snow.

Ski boots

Not every ski boot (ski boot sole) and every binding fit together. Make sure that the boot and binding are compatible to ensure that the binding releases at the right moment.

The flex of a ski boot describes its stiffness. The higher the value, the stiffer/harder the ski boot. However, the flex index (60-140) does not allow a comparison between different manufacturers. The choice of ski boot and stiffness depends on the intended use (piste, racing, freeride, ski touring, etc.) and the skiing ability or the force that is transferred to the boot.

The snowboard boot also has a flex (1-10) – but the values are not comparable with a ski boot.

Good clothing

warm, water-repellent, wind-repellent

Ski goggles/sunglasses

Depending on the weather conditions, it is advisable to have the right goggles with you. The lenses may vary depending on the manufacturer. However, the general rule is: dark lenses for high UV exposure, light lenses for poor visibility. The higher the VLT value (light transmission in %), the brighter the lens.

© snow institute
© snow institute
03

Additional equipment

Depending on your plans, it makes sense to bring additional equipment with you to enjoy a great powder day with your colleagues.

Climbing skins

It’s easy to descend a little too far or end up on the wrong side of the mountain. With climbing skins in your rucksack, you then have the option of climbing back up (provided you are wearing touring bindings).

Headlamp

If everything goes wrong and you don’t make it back to the valley before dark, a headlamp is extremely valuable.

Additional warm clothing

Unexpected changes in the weather or wet and sweaty clothing can quickly lead to hypothermia.

Satellite phone/messenger

Satellite communication device with which you can make an emergency call even without mobile phone reception.

More on the topic:

Cover picture: © snow institute

Teaching materials on the topic:

Presentation: Equipment for freeriders
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