Shop Talk: Backpack Ski Carries

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I’ll let you in on a little secret: I strongly dislike bootpacking. Sure, it’s a necessary evil to get to the goods, but I really prefer skinning, even if it’s steep or exposed. Perhaps it’s because even after 15 years of backcountry skiing, I still can’t seem to regulate my pace (and heart rate) while booting and I quickly devolve into a sweaty, unhappy, and panting mess. My partners love me for it.

Upon some recent reflection, I learned that perhaps one of the main reasons I dislike this aspect of our sport so much is because most ski carry systems on backpacks just don’t really cut it. Trust me, I’ve tried nearly all of them, and there are very few that comfortably, securely, and efficiently attach my skis to my pack. To me, those three conditions are the most valuable criteria that make a truly good ski carry system, and I’ll even add a fourth: it needs to work with any kind of ski and binding.

In practice, there are four types of ski carry systems in place on most dedicated ski packs. All four have their merits and drawbacks, and here are my thoughts on each, with an attempt at scoring them.

A-frame: The old standby. The A-frame (or H-frame if you forgot your ski strap) is a technique as old as time, a holdover from when backpacks weren’t explicitly designed with carrying skis in mind. It’s possible to do this with just about any backpack with side compression straps, and is decently effective at keeping your ski tails away from your calves while walking and out of on-mountain obstacles like trees and rocks. It even allows you to clip your boots to your skis in the case of longer springtime dirt approaches to big-mountain skiing.

My gripes are that it takes the longest to rig, and makes it nearly impossible to get anything in or out of your bag while the skis are attached (unless the pack has a back panel zipper like the Raide Research LF40 or Hyperlite Crux ).

Comfort: 8/10
Security: 10/10
Efficiency: 4/10
Adjustability: 8/10

Diagonal: A more modern evolution. I think I first saw a diagonal ski carry with the first generation of Dakine’s heli packs from the late 90s. There’s typically a fixed loop on the bottom corner of the pack, with an adjustable strap on the opposite top corner. Slide your tails through the fixed loop up to your binding heel piece, and clip the adjustable strap around the top of the skis, and pull it tight. The idea is to center the mass of the skis and bindings squarely in the middle of your back, and getting the tips and tails out of the way to prevent hitting your calves or head on the skis. This adds comfort while booting, especially with long and heavy powder skis. Diagonal carry works really well for skis with traditional alpine bindings.

The diagonal carry seems to be the most widespread carry option available on packs today, but they’re not all made the same. Ideally, the bottom strap also has some adjustability (and a way to either stow or remove it to prevent snags while skiing), so that the skis can be tightened securely to your pack. Loose dingle-dangles are no fun for anyone.

More recently, some ultralight ski mountaineering packs have come with a ski-strap-based diagonal carry system that I like A LOT. In lieu of the loose webbing straps, there are two Voile-style straps attached to the front panel of the pack that allow for a quick and secure rig, not to mention adjustability for various waist widths and binding types.

Comfort: 10/10
Security: 5/10
Efficiency: 8/10
Adjustability: 8/10 (depends on the pack)

Vertical: The Teton Guide’s way. I first came upon the vertical carry while following some guide friends up a bootpack in the Tetons. Teton-based ski guides are notorious for wearing the tiniest packs, and riding fat skis with skimo bindings. Turns out, the vertical carry is extremely well suited for carrying that type of ski, as the low-profile tech bindings don’t get in the way. However, don’t bother trying this with alpine bindings–they’re far too big and will get in the way.

I’ve messed around with this type of carry a lot, and I find it extremely secure and efficient. Most of the time, I can even rig and remove the skis without taking my pack off. If you’re using a touring pack like Patagonia’s Descensionist 40L that has a full-length side-access zipper, mount the skis on the opposite side, and you’ll still have full access to your pack.

I do find that this method often leaves the tails of my skis awfully close to my calves while booting, so be aware, and err on mounting them higher on the pack to prevent the dreaded calf strike. I’ve tripped myself up in sketchy places before because of this, and I didn’t like that.

Comfort: 5/10
Security: 10/10
Efficiency: 8/10
Adjustability: 5/10 (only works well with tech bindings)

Skimo-style: Not just for dorks. My favorite bumper sticker in the world reads: “Skimo is neither.” While it’s fun to laugh about skiers in lycra running up hills only to sketchily sideslip couloirs, there’s definitely some tech from this world I’ve learned to love. My predecessor, Cy Whitling, would agree . Skimo is all about speed and efficiency, and racing-specific packs have a neat system that allows racers to stash their toothpick skis in seconds without removing the pack.

It’s somewhat of a hybrid between a diagonal and vertical carry, with a fixed strap on the bottom of the pack and a long, elastic strap with a hook up top. Slide the tails through the loop and wrap the bungee strap around the top and immediately keep running until your heart explodes.

I’ve seen a few non-skimo packs like the Mountain Hardwear Snoskiwoski and Helly Hansen’s Ullr RS30 that have similar strap systems. It’s quick and efficient, but I find this to be the least secure and least adjustable of all the carrying systems–besides it takes a little while to learn how to really use it.

Comfort: 5/10
Security: 5/10
Efficiency: 10/10
Adjustability: 5/10

Just for fun, here’s some skimo racers in their element:

View the original article to see embedded media.

Which do I prefer? I’m going to go with a big old “it depends.” For the past few years, my go-to pack was Patagonia’s Descensionist, which works really well with a vertical carry, especially when using skis with pin bindings. This year, I mostly switched over to using Hyperlite’s Crux 40, and alternated between a vertical and ski-strap diagonal carry, eventually settling mostly for the latter for its balance of security, efficiency, and comfort.

A Note on Pack Mods. I think that we should all be less afraid of modifying our packs. Mess around what you feel is best, and don’t be afraid to tie some extra webbing or use an extra strap to configure your pack the way you think works best for you. I’d say that once you find that goldilocks configuration, you might as well remove as many of the other straps from your pack as you deem fit–they’re just added weight at that point. Go ahead, get weird, and you’ll discover what’s ideal for you.