# Freeride skiing · Sport Extreme Livigno

> Sport Extreme, at Via Prestefan 14 in Livigno, sells freeride skis, boots with a walk mode, avalanche backpacks, transceivers, shovels, probes and freeride outerwear from brands such as Black Crows, Völkl, Atomic, Salomon, K2, Mammut, Black Diamond and Haglöfs.

Fonte: Sport Extreme, Via Prestefan 14, 23041 Livigno (SO) · tel. +39 0342 996863 · info@sportextremelivigno.com · aperto tutti i giorni 09:00–12:30, 14:00–19:30
Pagina: https://sportextremelivigno.com/en/shop/alpine-skiing/freeride/
Aggiornato: 2026-11-05

Freeride means skiing away from the groomed pistes, in fresh snow. You need wide skis with rocker, a boot that unlocks so you can skin uphill, and a pack with transceiver, shovel and probe that you know how to use.

Brands in store: Black Crows, Völkl, Atomic, Salomon, K2, Nordica, Marker, Mammut, Black Diamond, Haglöfs, Deuter, Osprey, Uvex, Level, Reusch, Leki

- [Alpine skiing](https://sportextremelivigno.com/en/shop/alpine-skiing/)
- [Piste skiing](https://sportextremelivigno.com/en/shop/alpine-skiing/piste/)
- [Freestyle skiing](https://sportextremelivigno.com/en/shop/alpine-skiing/freestyle/)
- [Freeride skiing](https://sportextremelivigno.com/en/shop/alpine-skiing/freeride/)

## The kit, piece by piece

- **Helmet**: Off piste there are no nets and no groomed edges: your helmet should cover your temples and the back of your head well. Adjustable vents help when you bootpack or skin up. (Uvex)
- **Goggles**: Light changes fast in powder: a wide spherical lens, interchangeable or photochromic, shows you the terrain even under cloud. Keep a spare S1 or S2 lens in your pack for fog. (Uvex)
- **Jacket**: A three-layer shell rated 20,000 mm or more, with a powder skirt and a hood that fits over your helmet. Underarm zips dump heat on the way up. (Mammut, Haglöfs)
- **Backpack**: 25–35 L, with a separate pocket for shovel and probe and straps to carry your skis; the transceiver is worn on your body. An airbag pack lowers the risk of burial but doesn't replace the kit, which is compulsory in Italy when there is avalanche risk. (Mammut, Black Diamond, Deuter, Osprey)
- **Gloves**: Warm and waterproof, with a long cuff that closes over your sleeve: in powder your hands often end up in the snow. A liner lets you use your transceiver and bindings without going bare-handed. (Level, Reusch)
- **Trousers**: Shell bib trousers keep snow off your back when you sink in or fall. Gaiters close over the boots, and reinforced hems resist cuts from your edges. (Mammut, Haglöfs)
- **Skis**: 100–115 mm underfoot, with rocker in tip and tail: the ski floats and turns with little effort in deep snow. Length is around your height or a few centimetres more. (Black Crows, Völkl, Atomic, Salomon, K2)
- **Bindings**: If you only ski down from the lifts, a freeride binding with a high release setting and a wide platform is enough. To skin up you need a hybrid binding, which frees your heel on the climb and skis like an alpine binding on the way down. (Marker, Salomon)
- **Boots**: The walk mode frees the cuff so you can skin uphill; for the descent it locks and the boot is stiff again, with a flex of 110 to 130. A rubber sole grips on ridges: check that it's compatible with your binding. (Atomic, Salomon, Nordica, K2)
- **Poles**: Wide baskets that don't sink into powder. Adjustable poles go longer for the climb and shorter for the descent. (Leki, Black Diamond)

## How to choose a freeride ski

- **Length**: Around your height or a few centimetres more. With a lot of rocker, less edge touches the snow, so you can go longer.
- **Waist width**: 100–115 mm for everyday fresh snow, over 115 mm for deep powder. The wider it is, the more it floats, but the slower it switches edges on hard snow.
- **Camber and rocker**: Rocker in tip and tail to float and turn easily; a stretch of camber underfoot to grip on hard snow and on tracked-out slopes.
- **Flex**: A stiffer ski is stable at speed and on crust, a softer one is playful in deep snow. The boot has a 110–130 flex and a walk mode for the climb.

## Freeride in Livigno

At Carosello 3000, after big snowfalls, the Powder Slopes Magu, Gessi Bassi and Femminile Bassa stay ungroomed for a day and are watched over by the ski patrol: a first step towards freeride. Off piste, the terrain is neither marked nor monitored. Before heading out, you can check your transceiver at one of five checkpoints: at the top of lifts 12 and 25, at the entrance to Val Federia and to Vallaccia, and at the Hotel Forcola bus stop.

## How do you get to the fresh snow?

- **By lift**: 100–110 mm skis, a freeride binding and a stiff boot: you ski beside the pistes and ride back up. Transceiver, shovel and probe even a few metres from the piste.
- **Skinning, now and then**: A hybrid binding and a boot with a walk mode: you climb a ridge or a couloir and ski down with freeride control.
- **Skinning, often**: If you climb more than you ski down, look at ski mountaineering: lighter skis, pin bindings and boots with more range of motion.

## Your kit, properly explained

We help you choose skis, bindings and boots for how much you climb and how much you ski down, and explain how transceivers, shovels and probes work. Advice in store is no substitute for a course: to learn avalanche rescue, turn to mountain guides or recognised courses. Livigno is a duty-free zone, so no VAT is applied.

## Frequently asked questions

### Are a transceiver, shovel and probe compulsory for freeride?

Yes, when there is avalanche risk: in Italy anyone skiing off piste, ski touring or hiking in snowy terrain must carry a transceiver, shovel and probe (art. 26, Legislative Decree 40/2021). The rule applies to each person, not to the group. Beyond the law, the kit only helps if you know how to use it.

### What is a boot's walk mode for?

It frees the cuff, so your ankle can flex back and forth and you can walk or skin uphill. For the descent it locks and the boot is stiff again. To climb you also need a binding that frees your heel, hybrid or pin.

### How wide should a freeride ski be?

Usually at least 100 mm underfoot; beyond 110–115 mm it's built for deep snow. The wider it is, the more it floats, but the slower it switches edges on hard snow. If you also ski a lot on piste, a 90–100 mm all-mountain ski is a good compromise.

### Where can I try freeride in Livigno without leaving the ski area?

Carosello 3000 has its Powder Slopes: Magu, Gessi Bassi and Femminile Bassa. After big snowfalls they stay ungroomed for a day and are watched over by the ski patrol, so they're a first step before you go off piste. Carosello 3000 also runs freeride outings with Livigno's mountain guides.