8 Essential Pieces of Gear I Brought Backcountry Skiing in Georgia
Earlier this month, I hopped a plane (actually four) to the Republic of Georgia, a tiny country on the border of Russia and the Black Sea, for a ski trip. We started our trip in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital city, before taking a bus to the tiny town of Oni, and then skinning into a backcountry camp at 6,000 feet where we spent six days ski touring. By virtue of the epic travel day needed to get from Central Oregon to Georgia, this trip was not only a ski-gear heavy endeavor, but also one where I wanted to be well prepared for long travel days and a variety of environments.
On the ski/camping end, our backcountry camp had more amenities than a true winter camping trip would, but was still cold, rugged, and in the middle of nowhere. We were touring every day, often skiing deep and sometimes wet snow, and logging big days in our boots. I also had camera gear with me, which always adds another layer of planning and gear management to any trip.
There were certain things I was so glad I’d brought, a few unexpected MVP pieces, and of course, things I wish I’d had. By no means is this a full inventory of what I brought, but here’s a few pieces that were particularly awesome in Georgia and to consider for the next ski trip you plan that’s got a travel component too.
The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.
1. Skida Scarflette
As an avid TOGS reader, I got got by photos of TOGS writer Kellyn Wilson wearing this scarf and decided I needed one. What I didn’t know was how darn useful it would be on this Georgia trip. I brought it thinking it would be a cozy piece that would make me feel like less of a skid for travel days and cruising around Tbilisi and Oni, and wouldn’t take up too much space in my bag. It was all of these things, and as it turns out, also an essential piece of gear in our winter camp.
The scarflette is made of Polartec fleece, meaning it dries quickly and is super soft, lint-free cloth. Each day after skiing, I laid out all my wet camera gear on it so that it could dry and not sit in puddles, but rather let the water be absorbed by the fleece. Is there a more technical system I could have used? Probably? Was this one fantastic and doubled as an accessory? Hell yeah. Even traveling without a full camera set up, I will most certainly be bringing this scarf on all my ski trips because, clearly, you never know when a triangle of Polartec fleece is going to come in handy.
2. PAKA Thermal Layers
I discovered PAKA earlier this year in our base layer test and tried out their updated thermal layers. I had already enjoyed wearing them while resort skiing and decided to bring them to Georgia with the intention of wearing them mostly in camp as a cozy, clean, set of base layers I could layer under things to keep me warm and dry. I did exactly this, but grossly underestimated how darn valuable that would be to have. Every day coming home from skiing, I was actually excited to change into these super soft, warm layers. Our tents were a bit colder than I’d anticipated and I ended up sleeping in them every night and also wearing the top under overalls on my 57-hour travel day home. (Yes, you read that right...57 hours). Even after sleeping in it for a week, the top didn’t stink, felt pretty clean, and kept me comfy in transit. The PAKA Thermals proved to be a super versatile piece for both skiing, travel, and camping that will definitely be in my ski bag for every trip going forward.
3. PAKA Mayu Puffy Jacket
Previously, I’d been a die-hard Arc’teryx Proton jacket wearer as my ski midlayer and for some breathable warmth on the uphill. The Proton, however, is pretty darn warm, and unless it was cold, I’d accepted just being kind of sweaty on the uphill. That is, until the Mayu Jacket entered my life.
I have the men’s version, which has a slightly less tailored fit, which I prefer, in a size medium, so it’s a bit roomy too. This jacket is perfectly weighted for uphill output with a base layer when you want a little extra insulation and the slightly oversize fit I went with made it super easy to layer with another puffy or fleece when we stopped or I wanted more warmth. It’s also super light and packs down into an inside pocket, making it great for travel days, where I had it in my pack for if I got cold (or to use as a pillow on the plane!). It also works great for an everyday puffy for city days, making it another really versatile piece from PAKA.
4. 4FRNT Skis & Pomoca's 4-Lock Skin System
Of course, on top of designing awesome backcountry skis, the great tinkerer and skier Eric Hjorleifson designed a proprietary climbing skin attachment system to go with them. It works by attaching the skin to the ski via a hole in the back of the ski and a tensioned doo-dad rather than traditional tail clips. It saves a little weight because the skin itself is a bit shorter, but more importantly, it literally never comes off like tail clips can. Technically, the system is called the 4-Lock System, but in the setup videos, he calls it a "Hoji Hole" which, with my juvenile sense of humor, is the name I prefer. I brought both the 4FRNT Ravens (104mm) and 4FRNT Hojis (112mm) with the 4LOCK system to Georgia, unsure of what conditions would be, and used them nearly equally.
Look, tail clips falling off are just a part of backcountry skiing a lot of us have come to accept. But also, every single time I reattached one of my friends skins in Georgia after our fourth transition of the day or watched someone fuss with skins, I thought to myself "thank God for the Hoji Holes." It certainly helps that I absolutely love all of Hoji’s pro-model skis too, but damn are the Hoji Holes a real bonus on big days with lots of transitions. Hoji Hole.
Izzy Lidsky
5. Neve Pouches
Ski snacks are essential for big days in the mountains and I have been enamored with Neve for about a year. Neve are smoothie pouches, made in Vail, Colorado by Nora Fierman, who is an endurance athlete herself, and wanted to fill a hole in the market for portable, calorie rich, snacks that used real ingredients instead of "space food," (as Max would say). I brought a handful of Boysenberry Beet Neve pouches to Georgia and along with an amount of candy that I don’t really want to admit to, these were the snack that fueled me every day we skied.
Additionally, the food in Georgia is pretty heavy. We ate tons of bread, hearty vegetable soups, and meat in our camp, which were great for an initial hit of carbs and protein or after a long day out. However, we didn’t really eat anything light or any fruit for the whole week and these smoothie pouches were a really nice reprieve from our heavier, Georgian diet.
Mckinley Pillsbury
6. Atomic Hawx 115 XTD Ultra BOA W
I published a review of the Atomic Hawx XTD Ultra BOA 115 W as I was on my way to Georgia after a couple months of skiing in them mostly around Oregon. At the time, I liked the boots enough to publish a good review and bring them to Georgia, but also, in full transparency, they’re the only ski boots I own right now that don't make the damage caused to my feet by my boots last winter worse.
After six full days spent pretty much entirely in my boots, walking uphill extensively, summiting a mountain, skiing deep pow, skiing a terrifying snowmobile road, I can say with confidence that these boots are kind of the sh*t. They are magnificent to walk uphill in. A little tension on the BOA, and the first cuff buckle done, but not locked down, put my foot in a super happy position to walk uphill without getting blisters, losing feeling, or letting my foot flop around too much. I never felt like the boot was unreasonably heavy for the uphill and having skied it plenty in the resort, was pretty confident in it on descents, even with a heavy camera bag. Do I still wish they were a 120 flex for resort skiing? Yeah. But did they perform beautifully when I really needed them too for six straight days in the backcountry of basically Russia? You betcha.
Izzy Lidsky
7. Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio
I had a Rocky Talkie years ago when I first got into backcountry skiing that I used sometimes and eventually left me when I lent it to a friend for an expedition to Kyrgyzstan or Everest or somewhere and it never returned. In the interim, I used a BCA Link and didn’t have many issues with it, except a notably short battery life. My dad gifted me a pair of Rocky Talkie Mountain radios last Christmas and with the rest of our Georgia team using them, I brought mine too.
With a group of eight skiers, a lot of tree skiing, and the added component of shooting ski photos, radios were an essential part of our trip. The Rocky Talkie Mountain radios, above all, worked and never dropped communication between people or groups if we split up. I also had mine on all day, every day, for six days, in the cold, and I don’t think the battery dipped below 50 percent the whole week without a charge. There’s a lot to be said about gear, but hopefully it goes without saying that the most important thing is just that it works and these, undoubtedly, did.
8. Hyperlite Camera Pod
When it comes to bringing my camera into the backcountry, I’m always trying to work out a new system to make it easier to access and keep shooting more streamlined while still protecting it from the elements. On clear days, I’ve used the Peak Designs capture clip to keep my camera on my backpack strap for super easy access and handsfree carry, but I wanted another system for this trip that would better protect it in bad weather.
I opted for the Hyperlite Camera Pod, a weatherproof, ultralight dyneema pouch that comes in a smaller and larger size and has a little set of carabiners and daisy chain loops on the top and bottom to attach it to your pack however you like. I used the A-Frame ski carry straps on my backpack (which was not Hyperlite) to attach it to the side of my bag, where it lived for the week. Most of our days were not sunny or clear, but rather wet and snowy and I spent a lot of time drying my viewfinder and lens and generally trying to keep my camera dry in an environment that seemed committed to soaking it. The pod proved to be essential for this and kept my camera within reach, but also protected from the elements when I wasn’t using it.