Used & Abused | Osprey Soelden 32
Backcountry skiing and snowboarding is a demanding endeavor. You can gain the necessary knowledge, but you need to accompany that with the right gear for the sport. The wild and unmaintained terrain, exposed to the elements in winter conditions, also necessitate additional clothing options that we wouldn't need riding chairs, a 5 min ski to the nearest lodge to warm up. All this gear adds up and how you carry this gear is especially important.
I have used the Soelden 32 since it launched 4 years ago and continue to use it as my daily driver ski pack. I was in the market for a lighter and dedicated ski touring pack. Prior to this I had used everything from an alpine climbing pack that got used year round, to an airbag pack for a few seasons that never felt like it fit right. With the Soelden, I've found a pack that fits well, still allows for mobility for both uphill travel and downhill performance, and provide stability through this movement. Contrasting my multisport alpine pack I used for years, all the necessary gear fits neatly and organized.
With a proper fitting pack, I feel more confident traveling at higher speeds and in more complex terrain. With a proper fit, the weight of the pack stays balanced and hugs the torso, limiting any pack swing on the downhill. The minimal lightwire frame helps create flexible support in and out of every turn. However, my favorite part of the Soelden is the backpanel and the access to the main compartment. Although the EVA foam backpanel is covered in a snow shedding material, being able to access your gear through the backpanel allows me get to all my gear without my backpanel touching the snow. Like all of Osprey's ski packs, the Soelden has a separate avy tool compartment with color coded zippers and pull tabs to limit confusion when it matters. This has provided enough space for the essentials (Probe and Shovel) as well as the additional items I like to carry, a snow saw and snow science kit, and maxes out when I add my skins for the times I don’t keep them stashed in my shell on cold days.
No ski pack is complete without the ability to at least carry skis or a snowboard. With the Soelden, you get 2 ski carry options (A-Frame and Diagonal), and 1 snowboard option (vertical, inline with the body). So if you're a splitboarder like me, we get to take advantage of all 3 carrying positions! With my Jones Solution, I frequently use the A-frame and Vertical snowboard carry and both are incredibly secure. In the A-Frame orientation, the lower loops are big enough to easily stash my tails, which can be tough on some packs, due to the extra connective hardware that sticks out the inner edge of splitboard edges. When adding in a helmet, the Soelden has a dual position helmet carry, either top carrying or front panel carrying.
Although the Soelden series is built with lightweight simplicity in mind, the high tenacity 210D nylon body has shown little age apart from the inevitable dirt. Ski edges haven't torn apart the main body, zippers are all still working as new, and webbing straps have maintained their function.
I would recommend this pack to anyone who is looking to streamline their backcountry skiing kit, wanting something lighter while maintaining the necessities unique to backcountry travel in the winter or looking to upgrade to a better fitting backcountry pack. Osprey's Soelden 32 has given me that perfect balance of fit, features, and weight and I have no plans in changing packs for years to come.