Nirvana 35

The Mammut Nirvana 35 is the big-day freeride ski backpack: 35 litres, a zip that opens the full back panel, a front compartment kept just for your avalanche safety gear, and carry systems for skis, splitboards and snowboards. The main fabric is recycled and every fabric in the pack is PFC-free.

Who it's for

Riders whose days start at first light and finish at last chair, or never go near a chair at all. A tour from Guthega across the Main Range, a long day on the Bogong High Plains, a hut-to-hut week in Japan or New Zealand's backcountry. The 35 takes a touring kit plus the spares, and still rides like a freeride pack on the way down.

Capacity, and what actually fits

Thirty-five litres takes a long day with room left over. Shovel and probe live in the front compartment, away from everything else. The main compartment swallows skins, crampons, a spare insulated layer, a shell, a thermos, food, water and a first-aid and repair kit, and a hydration bladder fits too.

Riding mostly lift-served with a lighter load? The Nirvana 22 is the same layout in a smaller size.

How it carries

Mammut shaped the Nirvana's carrying system for freedom of movement as much as comfort, so even loaded the pack stays close and moves with you through the turns. A hip belt and sternum strap lock it down for the ride out.

Skis and splitboards carry diagonally, quick to rig for a short bootpack, or A-frame, which balances the load on a longer walk in. A separate snowboard attachment takes a board, ice tool and pole attachments handle the rest, and the helmet carrier holds your lid on the outside while you skin.

Fitting it

The Nirvana 35 comes in one back length: Mammut's size M, 46 cm. Measure from the bony bump at the base of your neck down to the top of your hip bones; if you land around 46 cm, the pack sits where it should and the hip belt carries the weight on long climbs.

Access and organisation

The 270° zip opens the whole back panel, so you can lay the pack down in the snow and reach anything in the main compartment without pulling everything out through the top. On a pack this size, that means the spare gloves at the bottom are a zip away, not an unpack away. Your avalanche safety gear has its own front compartment, kept apart from the rest.

Inside there is a sleeve for the Mammut Back Protector, sold separately, and an SOS label printed with emergency instructions.

Weight

1400 g empty, for a 35 litre pack with full back-panel access, a dedicated avalanche compartment, a helmet carrier and full ski and board carry. The outer is a robust recycled fabric of 90% polyamide and 10% polyester.