You’re probably familiar with Backcountry — with more than 20 years of experience and a catalog that includes thousands of brands and products, it’s the Amazon of outdoor gear. But unlike that company, Backcountry positions its customer service representatives, called “Gearheads,” at the vanguard. From there, they can provide one-on-one product advice based on their knowledge and experience in activities from rock climbing and backpacking to fly fishing and skiing. They’re just like the self-identifying bum who works at the ski shop in the winter and the bike shop in the summer, and Backcountry mined their collective knowledge to create its first collection of ski touring gear.
Building proprietary products isn’t entirely new for Backcountry, but the Touring Collection stands apart as the first highly-technical product line purpose-built for backcountry skiing and snowboarding. It includes a jacket, bibs, gloves, socks and skis built in collaboration with Flylow, Black Diamond, Smartwool and DPS. Unlike the many brand collaborations that simply offer already-baked items with new branding and colors, the Touring Collection is entirely new and unique to Backcountry. In addition to leveraging the manufacturing expertise of its partner brands, Backcountry looked to its never-ending record of customer feedback to decide what designs and features to include, and which to leave out — if the Gearheads wouldn’t use it, then Backcountry wouldn’t make it.
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