UKC

What is a split board? And why on earth would you want one?

Neil Mackenzie takes us through the basics and gives us more information on what they are, how much they cost, what the limitations are and why he loves his so much!

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=3399

In reply to UKC Articles:

awesome stuff I haven't read the article yet but will later, so the article might cover my question but...

Whats splitboarding like in B3's?

In reply to UKC Articles:

Might want to check the spelling in the header, nice Freudian slip

In reply to Southern Man:

aye, just noticed that maself! cheers

i have ridden a few times in B3s, it is certainly doable but depends if you prefer more comfortable travel and less comfortable riding or the otherway round (bearing in mind that the SB is overall less responsive than a normal board anyway)

there are many combos of boots/bindings that various people use and there are always pros and cons to each, i am still using soft board boots and lightweight Ride bindings, but am looking at using a hard-boot step in binding combo, possibly with ski bindings for touring mode

In reply to UKC Articles:
Good article. Splitboarding saved me having to learn to ski I think it still surprises folk on the hills when someone boards rather than skis past them.

Think Neil pointed out the pros and cons very well.

I use soft boots to make any walking easier but then the ankle support just isn't there at times on the uphills.

One more that I would add is what to do when you come to short downhill sections. I cant ski at all and can just about do a semi controlled snowplough if the gradient is shallow enough. I think get better is the answer.

In reply to Neil Mackenzie:

dont know if youve seen the new Jones boards?

the solution looks pretty insane- but if youre looking to part lots of cash, might well be THE one.
http://www.jonessnowboards.com/boards/solution/

I think it was the one Jez Jones used in "Deeper"...though Im prepared to be corrected on that.

In reply to UKC Articles: Interesting stuff and a good honest appraisal of the difficulties. It is interesting in Northern Norway to see most of the guys doing serious 'board-mountaineering' don't use split boards, but hike up on snowshoes and then board down - perhaps this is why.

One point - I'm pretty certain Voile had a split board when I bought my first Voile tele bindings. This must have been 1993 - so its not that new of a commercial idea.

In reply to zephr:

hadnt sen these actually... look pretty sweet!

unfortunately ive spent all ma money already!

In reply to Neil Mackenzie:

Sweet article man!

I think having an alternative winter activity to winter climbing is a great idea/greatly reduces the temptation to push your luck when there's too much snow.

In reply to andrew sandercock:

cheers man, indeed when its to icey to ride go climbing, when its too powdery to climb, go for a ride! best of both worlds!!

you gettin up much at the mo? if your up give us a shout!

In reply to UKC Articles:
An easier way to get uphill or to cover distance would be to use a kite, see this vid for an example
vimeo.com/19232700

In reply to DreadyCraig:

aye man, kiting looks sweet! plenty of wind in scotland!

Great article!! I have just got into Splitboarding, whilst living over in Whistler! It has become the perfect solution to hitting the back country, whilst avoiding the need to learn how to ski and avoid spending nearly 3 times as much to get a ski touring set up! Definiate disadvantages when it comes to traverses and what not - but by getting quick at the transistions from tour to ride Im not finding any issues keeping up with the skiers that I am riding with (apart from the lack of fitness!).

In reply to UKC Articles: Great article, good to see this getting coverage. I used mine quite a bit last season as a lot of our tours were on glaciated terrain and I decided snowshoes were too risky.

The main issues I've had are the icy early morning snow which I get round mainly by putting the crampons on earlier than a skier might and being slower on transitions: with practice you might be quicker than a slow skier at this but a ski tourer of similar competence will always be faster (we are only talking a minute or two here though). Also the ride quality isn't as good as a normal board: the fact you have a line cut down the middle makes the board a lot softer, especially as I normally ride a fairly stiff board. This is only an icy in bumpy chop though which you are normally trying to avoid when touring.

The biggest problem is in undulating terrain where on skis you might pole along, here the options are limited: pole yourself, walk or pray for a tow!


Also, not linked in the article, is the Atomic splitboard. This is in its 3rd season now and while the other splits use the Voile technology it's a completely different system using it's own bindings and split method. The big advantage with this board is in downhill mode the bindings are flat to the board giving a better feel when riding.

My thoughts after my first day on the split: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1425935&highlight=boardi...

Atomic website: http://www.atomicsnowboarding.com/index1.php#/HOME-01-00/ bit of a flashturbation problem, the board is called the Poacher.

In reply to Neil Mackenzie:

Currently waiting on a second Viper to arrive in the post! Dying to get out but a very strange work schedule is making me worried I'll miss any late season action. I think I'd actually weep if I have to wait a whole year to get some use out of the vipers!

I'm no longer on facebook either which is making organising winter climbing a little trickier(!) but I'll give you a shout through here if I'm heading up as getting partners can be a bit of a pain here in Newcastle (or anywhere) when I've got such irregular working days/hours!

In reply to UKC Articles: Good article I really like the photo of yourself in the NW with Suliven in the background...beautiful

A few of my mates have made their own DIY split boards. We have had endless debates as to weather they are faster than carrying a board and using snowshoes.
I always keep up carrying and have to wait for them to do DIY with cold fingers at the top!

However, I reckon in deep powder carrying (even with snow shoes) would be a mission and a split board would be ace
Also in a touring trip, (rather than up and down Munroes a split would be better.
I'm defo not going for the DIY version as changing the set up just takes too long and fiddling with screws etc. on top of a cold winter hill just does not take my fancy.

I really like the look of the Voile kit. How long does this take to switch over, can it be done easily with gloves on?
Also, how likely is it that the set up may come apart on steep (no fall) terrain? Is the set up bomber and up for abuse?

Happy back country riding...its really nice to see boarders in the mountains proper, without the big headphones and tin of lager coupled with the ciggy or otherwise

In reply to UKC Articles: I brought one of the first split boards to Norway from Utah about 8 years ago and I love it. I use it regularly through the winter, its a great solution.

That was a nice article which sums up the pros and cons really well, the cons being you can't climb as steeply as the skiers and traversing gets very hairy when its icy and the pros being that you get to ride your board in some wild terrain and you can get far into the mountains without needing to ski.

I have often been at the back getting frustrated as the skiers climb more steeply as we zig-zag on the way up only to fly past them with a huge grin on the way down remembering exactly why I love being a boarder.

Not sure if you have seen the movie "Deeper" from Teton Gravity Research - its the ultimate split board movie.
http://www.tetongravity.com/deeper/
Cheers
John

In reply to johnhowell:

Yep, if you havent seen "deeper" with jez jones... see it. its awesome.

In reply to sebrider:


doesnt take long to put together at the top, once youve done it aa few times its dead easy, can be done with gloves on and even in the most brutal ben macdui whiteout you dont get too cold!

as for riding, ive never heard of it coming to pieces mid descent, and folk have taken them pretty gnarly places! the binding plates are bomber, ive been riding with ma tail clip loose for a while and thats fine, its had a thrashing but still performs really well

cheers man, happy riding to you as well! lets hope the big snows come back again soon!

In reply to TobyA:

Been thinking about this as this is the year when I may actually move to BC and frequent playing in the snow will become an actual reality. What are the pros and cons of snowshoes vs skis+skins for backcountry access? I am loathe to learn to ski again ...

In reply to tobyfk:

The only advantage of snowshoes is that you can climb steeper slopes - apart from that I would stay away from them. Its not a good solution, especially since you have to carry your board on your back
There is not much difference between a splitboard and skis+skins expect the skiers can climb a bit steeper and traverse easier on icy side slopes. So it depends on how well you ski and how badly you want to ride your board.

In BC I would definitly go with the split board...

In reply to UKC Articles: Just started touring so don't have a lot of experience but my first time out was enlightening. Went for a day tour in deep snow on my new AT setup with my pal carrying snowboard on snowshoes.
First time ever that he hasn't been leaving me for dead but vice versa - had to stop and wait for him all day. The added efficiency from sliding up was remarkable. You don't have to lift your feet as much, you sink in less and you don't have any weight on your back. Don't know how a splitboard would compare but imagine the advantage is similar. That day inspired my pal to shell out on one!

In reply to UKC Articles:

I've seen another alternative to this: a guy with snowblades & silvretta bindings carrying his board up. Apparently a bit more versatile than snowshoes & board and means you can use a stiffer board for the descents. And cost very little to set up.