Eiken · ski selection
Ski Backpacks
Ski backpacks for ski touring and freeride, sorted by trip. A headtorch start, skins under the skis, the shovel and probe stowed separately; then the col, the off-piste descent, sometimes a night in a mountain hut.
From a single day on skins to a ski tour of several days.
Day trips
A bag for the day: one climb on skins, one descent, home before dark.
For a first season, start with the Freescape Lite 26, or the 24 SL for a short back. A day fits into 25 litres: the shovel and probe in their pocket, the skis carried on the pack, a warm layer and water. Both Freescape Lite also carry the rope and ice axes, the Gyme 25L stays flat against your back on the descent, and the Snow Pro 25L opens from the back without touching the skis, but weighs 450 g more than the Gyme.
Climbing fast
Up against the clock, without putting the pack down.
The Updays weigh 680 and 710 g and keep only what matters: the shovel in a reinforced compartment, the skis strapped on diagonally in a few moves, the skins in the bottom compartment. They are made for 4 to 8 kg: for a day with a rope and two ice axes, take a Freescape Lite.
Several days
A bag for several days, hut to hut.
The Freescape Tour opens from the back without letting go of the skis, and its roll-top unrolls under the lid as the pack fills. The Gyme 35L is the 25L with ten litres more, room for a night in a mountain hut. The Snow Pro 32L takes a camera insert, for climbing with a camera.
35 L · 1,020 g · 47 to 52 cm back
Away before daylight, the col, the descent, and sometimes the hut.
32 L · 1.53 kg · roll-top
A long day or a night in a mountain hut, the camera body against your back.
Shovel and probe
Where each bag stows the shovel and probe.
From a dedicated compartment to the main volume: the question to ask before heading into avalanche terrain.
Front pocket
Dedicated, outside the main volume
The shovel and probe have a pocket at the front, or their own sleeves, apart from the rest of the load. On the Updays, the compartment is made for the shovel.
Inner compartment
Dedicated, inside the bag
A compartment inside, dedicated to the shovel and probe: you open the bag to get them out.
Shared pocket
With the laptop
The padded front pocket takes the shovel, or the laptop, or the hydration bladder.
In the main volume
No dedicated pocket
The shovel and probe slide into the main volume. In avalanche terrain, prefer a bag from the first columns.
Stowage taken from the brands' product pages. None of these bags is an airbag pack.
Off-piste and freeride
A freeride bag: the chairlift or the climb on skins, then powder.
The Freerider Pro climb on skins and descend off-piste: they open from the back without letting go of the snowboard, and the roll-top adds ten litres. Db's Backcountry stay slim on the chairlift; the 20L even takes a 16-inch laptop, for Monday at the office.
25 L · 1.35 kg · 14.5 cm deep
A ridge on foot, the skis on your shoulder and the descent behind you.
20 L · 1.05 kg · 16-inch laptop
Three off-piste runs from the chairlift, the shovel and probe in their compartment.
All year round
Skis in February, walking poles in July.
The Ubic are hiking packs: in winter their removable straps carry skis, snowshoes or a snowboard; in summer, they come off. The Aravis is built up to suit the outing, with a helmet net, a photo case or a dry bag, sold separately.
Our selection
Bags chosen for the climb on skins and the descent off the pistes.
We kept ski touring and freeride bags, and a few mountain bags that carry skis. The 'Shovel and probe' section shows, bag by bag, where each one stows the avalanche kit; each product page says what the bag is for, and what it doesn't do.
Eiken's take
- Why we chose it
- For a first season, the Freescape Lite 26, or the 24 SL for a short back: the shovel and probe in their front pocket, the skis in an A-frame or diagonally, 26 litres for the day and 1,000 g empty.
- Worth knowing
- The avalanche transceiver is worn on you, not in the bag.
- Who it's for
- For those who climb on skins, for a day or hut to hut, and ski down off the pistes.
Baptiste, Eiken
Questions
Before you choose a ski backpack.
Which backpack for starting ski touring?
To start ski touring, a 24 to 26 litre bag with a pocket for the shovel and probe, a ski carry and a hip belt: the Deuter Freescape Lite 26 or 24 SL, the Klättermusen Gyme 25L, the Db Snow Pro 25L. Beyond a single day, go up to 30 or 35 litres.
What capacity for a day, and for several days?
For a day, 20 to 26 litres hold the shovel and probe, a warm layer, water and lunch. For a night in a mountain hut, allow 30 to 35 litres; beyond that, a bag that gains ten litres, like the Freerider Pro 32+10, or the Aravis unrolled to 45 litres.
What goes in a ski touring backpack?
The shovel and probe, stowed separately so you can take them out without emptying the bag, a warm layer, water and lunch, the skins once you start down. The avalanche transceiver is worn on you, not in the bag.
Do you need an airbag pack for ski touring?
None of the ski backpacks in Eiken's selection has an airbag system. They stow the shovel and probe, most of them in a dedicated pocket; the avalanche transceiver is worn on you.
How do the skis attach to the bag?
In an A-frame, on the sides: the Klättermusen Gyme, the Db Snow Pro and Backcountry 25L. Diagonally: the Deuter Updays and the Patagonia SnowDrifter. The Freescape and the Freerider Pro carry them diagonally or on the side, and the Freerider Pro also takes a snowboard.
Ski backpack or ski bag: what's the difference?
A ski bag protects the skis in transit, by car or by plane. A ski backpack is worn on the climb and the descent, and carries the skis strapped outside when you have to walk: that is what this page offers.
Are there ski backpacks for a short back?
Yes. Deuter's SL models (Freescape Lite 24 SL, Freescape Tour 30 SL, Freerider Pro 30+10 SL, Updays 24 SL) adjust from 38 to 48 cm; the Updays 26 and the Freerider Pro 32+10 also go down to 38 cm. The Gyme has a fixed back of 47 to 52 cm. Measure from the prominent vertebra at the base of the neck down to the top of the hips.