Backcountry Magazine and Outside Magazine gets together at Powder Mountain, in Ogden Valley Utah to test out the latest backcountry skiing hardware for the '08-'09 season. 

Talk about a bevy of boards, boots and bindings.  The editors of Backcounty and Outside Mags once again pulled together a hand picked group of expert skiiers from all over the US to come do their testing at Powder Mountain.  Over the course of eight days these guys and gals worked their way through over 180 pairs of skis, 70 sets of free heel bindings and a truckload of boots!!  Talk about lugging a lot of gear to the mountain, these guys had piles of it!!  Not only that, but it was all the latest and greatest stuff.  Carbon fiber everywhere!!

We were lucky enough to spend some time with the crew while they tested the gear and shared their thoughts on what's hot and what's not.  We had promise not to spill the beans though, so make sure you check out OutsideMagazine.com and BackcountryMagazine.com so you can find out where you can get your hands on next year's gear guide review.

You can also read more about the gathering at http://www.backcountrymagazine.com/pmt_skitest_mar08.html  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2008

Snowbasin – Utah -- With over 425 inches of snow this season Mother Nature has provided Snowbasin Resort with additional staying power to extend their closing date until April 27th.

MARCH 8, 2008 – Brian Smith, 32, of Gunnison, Colorado jolted past Josiah Middaugh, 29, of Vail, CO, less than 20 meters from the finish line to win the inaugural XTERRA Winter World Championship in dramatic fashion at Snowbasin Resort this afternoon.

After nearly two hours of grueling racing action that included mountain biking, snowshoeing, running and ski mountaineering in snow flurries at 6,000+ feet elevation, Smith pulled off a jaw-dropping come-from-behind victory by a little more than one-second in 1:58:29.92 (with Middaugh right behind in 1:58:31.21).

“I didn’t think I could do it until four gates before the finish and I saw Josiah snow plowing,” said an exuberant Smith.  “I’ve been alpine racing since the third grade so that last stretch was my cup of tea.”

Spectators at the finish line remarked that it was the most unbelievable 13 seconds of racing – in any sport – they had ever seen.

MARCH 7, 2008 – Justin Hurd from Fort Collins, CO and Sara McMahan from Incline Village, NV won the men’s and women’s XTERRA Snowboard Dash-4-Cash race on a magnificent 50-degree sunny day at Snowbasin Resort.

Two-time Winter Triathlon World Champion Nicolas Lebrun from France won the men’s elite ski mountaineering 12k race as a tune-up for tomorrow’s XTERRA Winter World Championship.  His traveling partner Alexandra Borrelly, also of France, won the women’s elite race.