Snowboarding at a ski resort is always a great time, but have you ever wanted to push beyond the boundaries of the resort into untouched powder fields? Well, maybe you should try splitboarding or ski touring. Splitboarding is a process where you use traction devices called “skins” to walk up a mountain. The splitboard is a snowboard that is split in half and can act as skis. This is the same idea as a cross-country skier moving across a trail. Once you are at the top of the mountain or slope, you then put your splitboard back together and snowboard back down.
This may sound like the best thing ever; however, there are some downsides to getting your turns in this way. Being out of bounds outside of a ski resort, there are much more dangerous conditions, and you must consider the avalanche and injury risk you are subjecting yourself to. To mitigate risk, you should take an avalanche safety class, which teaches you the basics of avalanche danger and what to do in the situation where there may be an avalanche emergency. Getting the proper safety gear and educating yourself can cost you money and take time, but it is well worth it. The mountains pose real dangers, and you need to understand the risks and be prepared for what happens.
Now splitboarding might sound super cool, but I guarantee that it will make you appreciate the resort days that much more. Splitboarding is well worth it, and it will bring you to some of the coolest places you might ever go. I climbed and snowboarded down Mt. Shasta, Mt. Rose (proper), Freel Peak, and Jobs Sister. This includes a 14,000-foot mountain and also the three tallest mountains in the Tahoe region. I am proud of my accomplishments, and human-powered snowboarding has brought me far.
Have you tried snowshoeing or ski touring before?
Check out this resource to educate yourself on avalanche mitigation.
Here is a link to a starter pack for avalanche safety gear (don’t cheap out)!
Check out Jones splitboards here.
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