Reviews by User: Brian Limoges (47)

As an employee at Backcoutry I am constantly viewing various product from various vendors...and I am picky...very picky actually. That is why this softshell deserves special praise. I was lucky enough to get one of these pieces and I must say that it is one of the nicest softshells I have come across. It has a very solid feel for such a supple piece, the pocketing is spot on, the colors are tight and the Gore Tex Performance 3L does the trick. I have been skiing a few early season days at Alta in this piece and even skiing by the snow-makers blasting out their early season wet crud, this jacket just laughs in the face of moisture and sheds it off without batting an eyelash. Not only that, but due to properties of the fabric, this jacket is relatively warm too. This is an extremely versatile piece that can go year round without a problem. Highly recommended!

I am sure you have all seen this jacket highlighted in just about every outdoor and ski magazine this season as this is Patagonia's flagship jacket. Well I am here to tell you that it does not disappoint! Think Down Sweater sewn into the Powder Bowl Jacket and you are on the right track. If you want a jacket that will keep you toasty warm in the most frigid days on-hill, while still looking totally stylish and having the highest quality waterproofness and breathability, look no further friends....this is it! This jacket has changed the way I think about layering and insulation. Just put it on with a thin baselayer and COLD BE DAMNED!

I just took a pair of these 184s out for the weekend in less than ideal, 40 degree temperatures at Alta and the Canyons. First of all, they carve. And not just carve, but track harder than nearly every ski I have ever ridden (including race-stock GS skis) in my life. This is both a blessing and a curse. The positive is when you set these skis up and really roll your ankle to initiate the turn, they LOCK into the snow/ice/crud/etc. and you will be laying rail road-like GS turns that make you feel like a superhero. The negative is this ski is pretty uni dimensional in that it loves to rip those GS turns, but due to its incredible side-cut it does not like quick hop turns or straight- lines. It MUST be on edge at all times...making said turns. I did not have the opportunity to try these out in the pow, but ripping down big open bowls at much higher speeds than I anticipated was a blast. I can only imagine how much more fun they would be in thigh deep blower. BUT...if you are a big mountain rider who is into tight techy lines or an east coast glade fanatic, these skis take a lot of work to really make turn anyway other than their super tight 15m turn radius. If you are looking for a ski that will make you turn like superman on wide open faces, or you want a ski that can crush groomers (I know...it seems much to big to do so, but trust me...it feels like a longer radius slalom ski once you roll your ankle) and open powder fields, this thing is a blast. However, if you like to vary your turn shape based on varying terrain conditions or if you find yourself in tight trees or on super techy lines, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

This is hand's down the most pimp Helly jacket I have ever seen (although you could definitely make an argument for the Odin Mountain Jacket as well)! The style is fresh, the colors are poppin' and spot on and the tech is sick! With Helly's Tech XP this piece boasts excellent water and wind proof technology. Diggin' it hard!

This jacket was just rated "Tested Best" in Outside Magazine...

These suits definitely turn up the steez dial to overdrive and kick up your style level to the Nth degree. The 10K waterproof rating helps keep the steez and the tech as one. I really dig the Forest and Urban Camo color ways. The fit is super loose and cozy...like your mother's womb...minus all of the nasty juices.

I picked up a pair of these because they were inexpensive and would go on without having to take off your shoes. They definitely work well, but they certainly no not provide as much protection as more expensive knee/shin guards and they are a little short for me. I am 6'3" and they go to just below mid shin. They have already saved me some serious shin-burger, and do the trick for the most part. If you can swing a more expensive, more protective knee/shin guard...I would go with that...but for the value, you can't beat these.

I just got the black pinstripe color way and this thing is ill. The picture on this site does a pretty poor job of actually showing the pinstripes, but in person they are there and they are dope. In fact, I would say this looks about 10X better in person then on the site. Like the previous reviewer mentioned these run roomy...like super steezy roomy. I am 6'2" and thin (about 160 lbs.) and the large is great for the length, but i could have used a medium for the girth. I haven't yet had a chance to pimp it in the snow, but I am sure with the 10K rating this thing will not only perform, but also look good doing it. SEND IT!

These pants just made the cut in Outside Mag's "Tested Best"...gotta love eVent...

First of all, this is a great harness. I am pretty new to the sport and this is only my second harness, however this one is light years ahead of my first. It is lightweight, comfortable (for sport) and fits me very well. That being said, definitely size down as the other reviews have mentioned. I am 6'2" and a 32" waist and i went with the small. It fits me perfectly. The medium definitely would have been too big. If you have wide thighs, you may have to size up, but for me the sizing is spot on. Bottom line? Great harness...just size down accordingly.

Who doesn't want a shirt with Jesus rolling on a beach cruiser? I mean...seriously!!!

The HH Odin collection is pretty damned amazing. All across the board, all of these products are bad ass! Not only are the tech features incredible, but the material is incredibly stretchy, breathable, waterproof and windproof. Perhaps more so than anything else on the market? And the understated black collection works. I am someone who digs color and pop in my outerwear, but that said these things are spot on! I have the shell and pants and they look awesome together! BUY THESE!

These pants have a great articulated fit without looking like you are going to climb Everest after you get off the ski hill. Not that they could not stand up to the rigors of high altitude abuse, because surely they can with the Gore Tex XCR 3 layer fabric and heavily reinforced ankle patches, but let's face it, we don't always want to LOOK like we are Everest-bound... even though we may want the tech that goes ALONG with being Everest-bound. Anyways, a solid purchase from a solid company. It is amazing to me that Norrona has not blown up as much as they should have here in the States, but the secret may be out of the bag now so get em while they are hot....

I have a weird foot. I have a lot of things going on that require me to do a lot of work on boots prior to them even being tolerable for a short period of time on-hill. Compound that with a history in ski racing (and therefore the ill-formed and inaccurate belief that boots need to be at least a size or two too small for maximum performance), a high instep, a pronation problem, the fact that I am tall and lanky (6'3" and about 160 lbs), highly pronounced ankles, a wider left foot than my right foot, and I am an expert skier who demands unrelenting performance and you pretty much have a recipe for ski boot disaster. EVERY pair of boots i have ever owned have required hours of work to make them work for me...until I bought the Agent 120s. These actually fit out of the box! I will definitely have them tweaked to my specifications, but they do not crush my foot straight out of the box. The flex pattern is consistent and strong. After a single day on-hill (in which I wore them nonstop for an ENTIRE DAY...for the first time in my life with new boots) I am ecstatic with these boots. They are very comfortable, but not at the sacrifice of performance. I would recommend these to anyone to try on and consider if looking for a well made, comfortable, high performance boot!

went over a drop, then over the handlebars and then straight into an aspen tree. the pads in these literally saved my ass. they are not cumbersome or too heavy. i will wear them regularly now...

As I write this my forearm is all torn up...because these are so small. If you fall directly onto your elbow they will certainly help protect against impact, but these are too small to really do much else. If you cannot afford any other type of elbow protection, this is definitely better than nothing, BUT if you can get something else!

This hoody has a nice T-shirt weight to it so it is perfect for summer evenings. I have received many compliments on it.

The are comfortable and fit true to size. The footbed area could be a little more comfy however and hence the four and not five stars. Overall a solid shoe.

this thing does the trick. i still have my bike. beefy, solid construction and just the right size to sling around your shoulder. i also use it on longer bike trips to hold two bikes together on the top of my car so they don't sway in their trays on my roof rack...works like a charm.

i purchased the smoke color in this pant. they are super light and comfortable thanks to the stretch. great summertime denim. they have become my new favorite pair of jeans.

strong, light, efficient and badass. what else do you need?

I dig these pedals. They are small, light, efficient and pretty good at repelling mud and dirt. I am happy with them and would buy another pair.

These are solid and stylish biking shorts. The chamois is comfortable as is the material. There are plenty of pockets for all of my goods.

As many others have stated this is a great piece. Go big and use what you need, when you need it. You will not regret it. Much better taste and ease of use than past models.

This ski does far more than its 125mm "pow specific" waist would have you believe. Sure EVERY ski is fun in 30" of fresh blower, but what about three days after the storm when you are hiking to the stashes and riding crud and variable groomers back to the lift for the next run? This is where this ski shines! It does it all...well. The tip rocker makes floating in the pow wonderful while the fairly stiff underfoot profile and the flat tail allows you to carve on the corduroy and power through the crud and bumps. This ski, despite its fat waist, is ALMOST a one ski quiver. For western resorts (and backcountry assaults) this ski in addition to one other narrower waisted more "all mountain" specific ski would be a legit two ski quiver. Impressed.

These are burly yet light bindings that certainly do the trick. I do more sidecountry then straight backcountry and normally use Marker Dukes for my assaults. The weight difference is significant between the two bindings. These bindings are far lighter and far more efficient at uphill ventures. The multiple heel height adjustments make the cruise up efficient and enjoyable and allow the user to tweak the heel angle to a multitude of positions for the most efficient skin up. On the way down (my biggest concern) the 12 DIN setting is more than enough for MOST of my descents. I am 6'2" and 165lbs and rarely feel the need to set my DIN higher than 12. Overall, if you are going to be doing a fair amount of climbing and are an expert skier who wants reliability on the way down, this is hands down the binding for you.

This jacket is fantastic. It is warm, highly waterproof, comfortable, stretchy and the hood is the best helmet compatible piece I have ever used. The iPod pocket is intuitive and functional and allows for easy manipulation of your music on the lift or even during a quick stop during your descent. The stretch panels on the arm and around the back allow for ease of movement and full body motion without wrapping the whole jacket around you in the process. The styling on the Blue Jewel colorway is sick too! I always get compliments on the piece and the color. It has steeze without being ridiculous. The color on the Blue Jewel is more of a teal than shown here on the site. The hand warmer pockets are satin lined and excellent. This piece has the removable pow skirt and it also comes with the well designed jacket-to-pants zip-in interface which essentially turns this jacket into a one piece with corresponding Norrona pants. As soon as the mercury drops this is the piece I inevitably go to time and time again. Norrona is pure bad-ass and this piece is no exception. I would give it six stars if i could....

This is a great piece. The hand is particularly soft on it...much more so than Goretex Softshell. It is supple to the touch, while maintaining its durability. The pocketing is excellent on it with two well-sized hand pockets and a great cell phone/mp3 player pocket on the inside. The powder skirt is great as is the well thought out drop down velcro season's pass pocket. This piece does have some weight to it at almost 3 lbs., but when you put it on and feel the warmth you soon find it is well worth it. For a cold and dry weather softshell, this definitely gets 5 stars!

yep, a great lightweight sweater with killer style. can't go wrong here folks...

this ski is NOT for the faint of heart. that being said, if you like race-like construction in a stiff-as-balls charging ski that can dominate just about anything your throw at it, this ski is a great choice. this ski does not excel at bumps nor deep blower pow with a 100mm waist, but just about anything else and this ski will give back everything you put into it and then some. a very fun ski!

I really dig this sweater. It fits great and I have received several compliments on it.

These pants are very stylish; almost straight-up boutiquey. They are pretty solid despite their uber-fashionable look with a 10K rating so you know you will look dope and still crush it on the hill regardless of the weather conditions.

This jacket is both stylish and functional. Not only does it boast 15K waterproofness, but with all of the pockets and cable routing options it holds all of my gear and then some. I really like the iPod pocket. The inside all-over print turns heads too and gets noticed.

Atmosphere has one of the freshest looks out there right now. It is dope to see a smaller company outperforming (on the steezy scale that is) some of the larger ones and still maintaining a low profile. Don't expect them to stay "underground" for long though as their outerwear collection is mad tight. This is my favorite jacket by Atmosphere...PERIOD! The Tosh color way with the Marley pants in the Blood color is ill. Word to the wise...this stuff runs huge! We are talking Tech-Nine suburban gangsta tall-tee huge...

These are probably the best deal for great-fitting stylish jeans on this whole site. Highly recommended.

This is a dope hoody. As expected this hoody fits quite big. i am 6'2" and about a 160lbs and the large is huge. It is super comfy and I find myself throwing it on when I get home to chill in. Like the previous review states it is a half zip (henly style) with a huge kangaroo pocket with zippers on either end to keep your hands toasty and your valuables protected.

These gloves are great. They breath well and seem to be pretty bomb proof and at this price they are a steal!

I am 6'2" and skinny so I picked up the 32s. The waist is fine and they are fairly comfortable; however, they are short for me. They do look good though...

These shorts are incredibly soft and have a great hand. I dig em'.

This is a solid pump that certainly takes care of business...although not as quickly as I was hoping for. The alloy construction is bombproof and the dial is key. If you want a semi-small, fairly-light tough pump to throw in your pack just in case, this is the one.

I am 6'2" and pretty thin. I picked up the 34s. The length is perfect which is rare for me as generally they are a bit too short. These pants are incredibly soft and comfortable. Easily my new favorite pair of denim!

These shoes are sick! I have gotten several compliments in the few days I have owned them. Not a super techy skate shoe, but comfortable and casual.

So I really dug this shoe so I picked up the grey pair. After sporting these kicks for just one day, I went back online and picked up the brown pair as well. These things are super-comfy...possibly the most comfortable skate shoes I have ever owned! They look great, they feel great, they are great. Highly recommended!

First, i dig this shirt. Second, it fits really loose in the body...a little looser than i would prefer. Nonetheless, it is a great piece so if you dig a looser fit, this is the one.

straight turbo-heady kicks. man-up!

This helmet is pimp! It has the comfort of the Variant Brim with the syle of the Holt....and it has the Skullcandy audio to boot! It fits true to size and feels great on. You really can zone out all ambient noise with it when you plug in your iPod/cell phone/etc. and play them through the included earphones. Hands down the best helmet I have ever had.

This jersey breathes tremendously well and looks great. I was worried that the mesh would snag branches and other undergrowth, but it sheds them right off. I might pick this same jersey up in a few other colors...that is how much I dig it.