I need sine advice on a good backpack for skiing

check out the osprey kode 22, ortovox freeride series, and the black diamond agent (i have this one.) theres enough rooom in the agent for a shovel, probe, an extra layer and a snack (you could probably fit more too), but it's not bulky. you can also buy it with an avalung already integrated into it. i've heard good and bad things about the dakine heli packs, so i can't really help you out there except to say that its gotten mixed reviews. hope that helps man

Works great for skiing.

I have a dakine chute which is basically a slightly bigger version of the heli pro dlx, but with rear entry where you can unzip the entire part that's touching your back, which is probably the most helpful feature on the pack. It also cinches down really small, almost as low profile as a heli pro with the same amount of stuff in it.

The Black Diamond Bandit (16ltr) sounds like a good choice for what you need . I find that it works best for slackcountry /short tours and cat/heli days, I have had to use it for day tours as well and although not ideal, it is do-able. In mine I can fit: -Extra Layer -1.5 ltr Water -A few snacks -Skins -Day Wrekkers (although they are a special appearance and depend on what's set-up I'm using) I have used my pack for about 100 days and it's holding up really well and shows no signs of giving up on me, BD quality is top notch. Also depending on whether or not you require it, the bandit is available with and without the Avalung feature. Keep an eye on the blog quoted in my sig, as I aim to post up a review of the Bandit in the next few days.