A lot of thought has gone into the design of the Upslope 35, and it's also solidly constructed so it will take all the knocks of backcountry skiing in its stride.
The pack's outer avalanche safety gear compartment has dedicated probe and shovel handle sleeves to keep your tools separated from dry gear in the main compartment - this is generously-sized and everything in it can be easily accessed via the backpanel. You have to unfasten a couple of clips on the shoulder straps and then unzip it to do this, but that's no big deal.
There are versatile carrying options for skis or a board including A-frame or diagonal ski carry, and horizontal or vertical snowboard carry, with a bottom loop which quickly adjusts for varying widths of skis and boards and stows to prevent snagging when you're on the move.
You can store your helmet either on the bottom or the front of the pack, making for easy on-the-go access, and big zipped side pockets on either side of the Upslope can store a one-litre water bottle or climbing skins, and they too can be accessed on the move.
Inside is an insulated hydration sleeve and dedicated reservoir pocket for more water, and a large goggle pocket with a soft, fleecy lining, along with a small mesh zipped inner pocket for wallet, keys and the like.
A stowable ice axe loop holds a mountain tool but can be tucked away to prevent snagging, and compression straps help prevent stuff from moving around inside the pack when you're hooning downhill.
The Upslope 35 is an excellent, hard-wearing pack that will provide many winters of use, and will also work fine as a summer day or weekend pack too.
