Review: Energize Your Exercise

Snacks for the backcountry. 

We all have our favorite go-to snacks for the backcountry. It’s almost automatic to grab trail mix, jerky, or a PB & J. Most of us have thrown a Clif Bar in our pack at one time or another. But if you pull your head out of the food-rut sand most of us are in, you will find a staggering array of healthy snacks from new, exciting food companies for your next dayhike, mountain-biking trip, or peak-bagging adventure. As the co-owner of a business dedicated to backcountry food, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to try a wide variety of products from small, new companies in order to curate our subscription boxes and online selections. Here is a quick snapshot of some of my favorites.

FBomb Nut Butters
Nut butter clocks in at 200+ calories per ounce, more than any other snack I've found. High in fat and low in carbs, nut butter provides sustained energy without weighing you down. They come in convenient squeeze pouches that fit easily into your pocket or pack. FBomb (the F is for fat) nut butters are smooth and creamy and come in four tasty flavors: Salted Chocolate Macadamia, Macadamia with Coconut, Macadamia with Sea Salt, and Macadamia Pecan with Sea Salt. Try them all—you won’t be disappointed.

Heather’s Choice Packaroons
Coconut is well known in the outdoor world for being an ideal trail superfood. It’s shelf stable, high in fat, and low on weight. Heather’s Choice of Anchorage, Alaska takes coconut to a new level with their Packaroon (think macaroon for the trail). Sweet and rich, they are dehydrated and contain ingredients you can pronounce like maple syrup, blueberries, and almond flour.  Packaroons also fit into a wide variety of diets like vegan or gluten-free.

UnTapped Energy Waffles
If you’re a fan of snack waffles, then you need to check out UnTapped. UnTapped Maple co-founders (professional cyclist Ted King and the Cochran family of professional alpine skiers) naturally gravitated to the organic simplicity of maple syrup. Not for any gimmick or flashy advertising, but simply because maple syrup truly worked for their energy needs. Maple syrup is glycemically low, meaning it won't spike your blood pressure, and provides prolonged, sustained energy rather than offering a quick burst and subsequent crash like many adulterated sports sweeteners. UnTapped makes energy waffles in four flavors: Maple, Chai, Coffee, and Raspberry. Our favorite is the Chai. We used UnTapped waffles all winter on backcountry ski tours, but they'd work great for long bike rides into the backcountry.

While staples like trail mix should always be in your pack, don’t be afraid to branch out and try a few new snacks this season. All products mentioned in this article can be found at alpenfuel.com, where you can pick and choose what options work best for you.