The REI Stormhenge Down Hybrid Parka comes very close to top-notch performance while costing around half of what you can expect from some of its more venerated competitors. The REI Stormhenge Down Hybrid Parka isn’t the lightest backpacking or expedition-style puffy. 　　It doesn’t have a breathable GORE-TEX membrane, and it doesn’t come down past your knees like a more stylish,...

　　I opted for the be bold, start cold strategy, wearing only a light waffle zip along with the Black Diamond Recon Stretch LT Pant. It felt balmy for 7 a.m. as we set off on the skin track en route up Ski Hayden, a local off-piste jaunt accessed off Castle Creek Road outside of Aspen. One creek crossing, 3 hours...

　　There’s no other way to put it: My skier friends and I are hedonists. We chase the pleasures of a 100-day ski season, cold snow splashing in our faces as we make turns in deep powder. We stay up late dancing, eat fondue and sip a cold beer on a sundeck under an azure sky. We minimize discomfort by shelling out...