HELMET: Giro G9 Wireless Audio Series

This matte pewter hardhat has built-in headphones and can connect wirelessly via Bluetooth to your portable audio player or cell phone, letting you chat on the chairlift before switching seamlessly to your favorite downhill soundtrack. Giro's in-mold helmet shell construction keeps the bulk down while still protecting the brain inside. Fifteen air-flow vents help regulate temperature on those epic sunny mountain days.
$270
 
 

GOGGLES: Zeal Optics Spherical PPX

Real-time optical adjustment is a reality with these Zeal goggles, which have a photochromatic lens to adjust tint to conditional light—from nearly clear in low light to a deep dark lens in the sun. The PPX lens is also polarized, enhancing shadow and detail on the slope.
$200
 
 

OUTERWEAR: The North Face Unity Suit

Powder down the pants no more! This jacket-and-pants suit offers all the advantages of a one-piece without looking like one. Indeed, the Unity Suit is a neck-to-ankles waterproof/breathable garment, though it's made to look like a high-end jacket paired with shell pants. Zip the alpine onesie on, and you're ready to ski. Ventilation comes from zip openings in the armpits and on the inner thigh. Safety bonus: The suit has Recco avalanche reflectors stitched on to aid rescue personnel should you ever get buried or lost.
$549
 
 

GLOVES: Kombi iRip

Flick the tiny integrated control on the back of this glove to manage your iPod wirelessly. The iRip lets musically motivated skiers pop in ear plugs, pocket an iPod, then control song order with the wireless flick of a switch.
$150
 
 

POLES: LEKI Vision Venom SL Trigger S

These stout sticks of carbon fiber and aircraft-quality aluminum come with a two-year guarantee against shaft breakage. The company's Trigger S system connects specially made pole loops to the grips, letting you click in and out of your poles with the push of a button.
$199.95
 
 

PACK: Gregory Drift

Made for skiing inbound or out, the Drift has a narrow profile to accommodate lift access plus a stowaway ski-carrying strap system when you need to hike uphill. Its 1,300-cubic-inches of capacity is enough for a day's worth of extra clothing, a lunch, and backcountry gear—or maybe an HD video camera to record a session in the terrain park. Compatible with hydration bladders, the pack has an insulated tube sleeve that runs from the pack body through to the shoulder harness to help prevent the freezing of your water while out on the slope.
$129
 
 

BOOTS: Atomic Hawx 110 Boots

Atomic touts the Hawx as offering "the most significant innovation to downhill boot technology in 25 years." A big claim for sure. But what the Hawx does is significant: This boot promotes natural forefoot flexibility and movement by incorporating a shell that bends in unison with the metatarsal zone of the foot, allowing a skier to balance and transfer power through the ball of the foot, which is the body's natural balance point. Further flex comes from a rebounding spring set underfoot in the sole. In short, the Hawx retains the stiffness and precision of an alpine boot but with ergonomic characteristics to boost balance and control, realigning your leg and foot to their natural, unimpeded stance.
$750
 
 

SKIS: Volkl Tigershark 12 Foot

The dual-duty Tigershark 12 Foot ski features embedded carbon-fiber rods that extend and shrink to alter the ski's power and flex on the fly. Indeed, Volkl includes an actual on/off switch on the ski's top sheet to manipulate the spring-loaded inner workings, changing tension in the ski tip and allowing the Tigershark to tackle terrain as varied as an icy trail or an alpine bowl of fluffy white. Bonus: The Tigershark comes with Marker Motion iPT bindings, which are built into the ski body, not mounted on top. The result is an integrated underfoot connection that promotes control and sensitivity on the slope.
$1,450
 
 

GADGET: Highgear Altis TI

Track your every turn with this watch's digital altimeter, which measures all earthly altitudes via an embedded pressure gauge. Ski-specific software calculates your daily totals plus your rate of descent on the hill. Additional features include a barometer, digital compass, thermometer, and chronograph stopwatch.
$300
 
 

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