How to Carry Skis on a Backpack | A-Frame & Diagonal Methods

Carrying skis on a backpack uses the A-frame or diagonal method, both standard on dedicated touring packs for safe, hands-free transport.

Dragging skis over your shoulder works for a short bootpack, but once the terrain gets real, you need both hands free. The two proven ways to strap skis to a pack are the A-frame and the diagonal carry. Each suits a different kind of climbing, and choosing wrong can leave you off-balance or tangled. Below is exactly how to do both, what gear you need, and the mistakes that will ruin your day.

How the A-Frame and Diagonal Carry Work

Both methods rely on the backpack’s side compression straps or dedicated ski loops, plus a ski strap to lock the tips together. The A-frame is the balanced choice for long ascents; the diagonal carry clears skis out of the way for steep pitches but creates an uneven load. Dedicated ski backpacks use reinforced fabrics to survive sharp edges, because a standard ultralight pack gets shredded in one trip.

A-Frame Carry: Step by Step

The A-frame attaches skis vertically to each side of the pack with tips clipped together above your head. It keeps weight near your center of gravity, making it the most stable option for traversing and bootpacking.

1. Slide one ski down the left side strap and the other down the right, letting the strap catch the bottom of the binding to hold the weight.
2. Clip the top strap over or under the binding and tighten it securely.
3. Pass the tail of each ski through the bottom strap. If skin clips are attached, make sure they pass through easily.
4. Use a ski strap to clip the tips tightly together above your head. This widens the tails and prevents your boots from catching them.

The skis should feel solid when you shrug your shoulders — no wobble, no swing.

The caveat: on steep, deep snow requiring tight turns, the high center of gravity makes the A-frame a liability. That’s when you switch to the diagonal.

If you’re shopping for a pack that handles this well, our tested roundup of the best backpacks for skiing covers every carry system and capacity.

Diagonal Carry: The Steep-Terrain Option

The diagonal carry straps skis together and runs them diagonally across your back, with the tail tucked into a fixed loop on one bottom corner and the tip secured by a strap on the opposite top corner. It gives you five to six more inches of clearance above the snow, which matters on steep kick-turns.

1. Strap the skis together and unlock the brakes so they stay aligned.
2. Pass the tail through the fixed loop on the bottom corner up to the heel piece.
3. Clip the adjustable strap (often elastic or bungee) around the top of the skis and pull it tight.
4. Tighten the bottom strap first, then re-tighten the top for maximum security.

The skis should sit diagonally without shifting when you bend forward.

The trade-off: the load is uneven, which can throw you off balance on steep slopes. Splitboards and fat skis often won’t fit in the bottom fixed loop, so test compatibility before relying on this method.

Critical Mistakes to Avoid

• Positioning too low. Skis that hit your calves or hinder walking mean the straps are too loose or the skis are seated too far down. High enough to clear your legs, low enough to stay stable.
• Insecure tips. Loose tips wobble with every step, increasing fatigue and risk of snagging trees. A tight ski strap eliminates wobble.
• Fabric damage. Ski edges and bindings cut through ultralight fabric like a knife. Only packs with ballistic fabric, reinforced seams, and bar-tacked stress points survive long-term use.
• Leaving brakes engaged. Lock the brakes before strapping skis together, or the brakes will spread the skis apart.