Ski: K2 Sideseth — $1,000

Boot: Dynafit Vulcan — $1,000

Binding: Dynafit TLT Radical FT — $600

Skin: K2 Precut Sideseth — $200

Everyone is making decent touring gear these days, but when you’re on an all-day backcountry mission where efficiency is priority, trust German engineering. Dynafit is synonymous with light, but the company has recently beefed up their products to meet the needs of today’s big-mountain skiers. The company brought aboard Eric Hjorleifson who, after years of making his own Frankenboots, developed his dream boot, the Vulcan. Its game- changing design allows unparalleled range of motion and features a removable tongue for comfort on the ascent and stiffness on the ride down.

Click into the TLT Radical FT, Dynafit’s burliest binding (DIN 12) to find similar downhill performance to alpine setups in a lighter package (599 grams). Annoyed by rotating your heel riser? You’ll appreciate the new design, which raises and lowers with the simple flick of a pole tip. Mount ’em on a pair of K2 SideSeths, which run similar dimensions to the ObSethed but with less rocker, a change Seth Morrison says improves the ski’s versatility as a daily driver. “The ski has better hard-snow performance without taking away from its powder skiing heritage,” says Morrison, who tested the ski in Chamonix. Part of K2’s BackSide Series, the ski is the only one in the line up with an artistic graphic and a slight twin tip. K2’s precut climbing skins are precision cut and ready to tour right out the box. The SideSeth Precut skins feature an updated Z-Clip minimalist design that reduces weight and allows for quick transitions.

Pros: You’re ready for anything

Cons: Pricey setup