How to keep up with your skier friends (A splitboarders guide)
As a splitboarder with backcountry touring partners who mostly ski, I have adopted a few coping strategies when it comes to keeping up with skiers on mountain adventures.
I was inspired by a conversation with a reader of the blog who reached out about this issue, and I decided to put into writing a few strategies that I use when touring with skiers (and in general) that help me be as efficient as possible.
In terrain like this where you have a lot of short uphill and downhill sections to reach the goal, it is good to know your plan of action for the descent! Photo: Pavel Serov
Despite being completely happy with life as a splitboarder, I often consider how it would be to ski instead, especially after observing the lightweight skis, rapid transitions, and ease of getting through the flats/uphill sections of my skier friends. There is no doubt that skiing is more efficient when it comes to backcountry touring!
However, I am still just as stoked as ever for splitboarding, even after years of riding with fit and efficient skiers (+ splitters), and I consider the few inconveniences to be totally worth it! It also helps that the people I head out with are incredibly patient and supportive, even if they have to wait a minute or two for me to catch up to them on flatter sections of the descent…so if you’re reading this skier friends, you’re the best!
I have put together a short list of issues/differences/challenges that splitboarders might face, with corresponding ways to overcome them, or at least reduce their impact on your mountain outings:
1. Flat/uphill sections on the descent
The biggest inconvenience we face as splitboarders are the dreaded flat/uphill sections of the descent, and they are certainly a way to fall behind your skier companions when they already have poles out and can skate up short inclines. I adopt a different approach depending on the scenario:
a. Switch to ski-mode: When you know that there are no significant downhill sections left on the trip OR you have a long way to go until you reach the next major downhill.
Heading over a flat glacier to the target slope…but what goes across, must come, erm, back across…! Photo: Pavel Serov
b. Use poles in snowboard mode: If you know there is just one small section of flat/shallow or a short uphill to get through. It is useful to anticipate this before you get there and ride with the poles already out, as well as making use of any ski or up tracks to reduce drag on the way down.
To get back over this flat section over the glacier, I kept my poles out and rode through the up track where it straightens out on the way back down…and made it to the other side with a little bit of pushing!
c. Unstrap and Push/Walk: If there is just a short uphill section before the next major downhill, or you run out of speed to get through a short section it is often easiest and quickest to just unstrap the back foot and push (on flat/shallow uphill) until you get to the next downhill, or unstrap completely and boot up to the next downhill section (on steeper uphill). Note: if the snow is deep it can be hard to push with one foot.
Slowing to a stop. On short uphill sections where you don’t quite get enough speed to make it, it is often fine to unstrap one or both feet and push/walk to the next downhill.
2. Transitions from split to ride mode
Splitboarders have a few extra steps when transitioning from ascent to descent (e.g. Put board together, attach bindings, fold away poles…), and even though it should not be a rush every time you are out, it is useful to become efficient at transitions – not only to keep up with skiers, but to avoid getting cold, losing light, approaching weather, etc. The only way to speed this up is practise. I have found it quite fun over the years to test out different orders of doing things to speed up my transitions, and really got this dialled when training for the Arctic Splitboard Race in 2019. If I want to be speedy, my routine is this:
a. Stick a pole into the snow and hook bag onto it if in steep terrain. Grab a warm layer from your pack and put over the top of your shell. Put on your helmet and grab a drink or snack if needed.
b. Take off skis and take each skin off before setting it down in the snow (either upside down or stuck into the snow…splitboarders don’t usually have ski-brakes!). Place skins on inside pockets of your jacket if planning to use them again, otherwise in the bag.
The more complex the terrain, the more gear you need! Making the decision to leave gear behind to save weight (excluding the essentials e.g. Beacon, Shovel, Probe) might mean adjusting safety margins…there is always a trade-off! Photo: Ada Dranger
c. Clip together your board on a flat surface, braced by the knee if needed. Attach bindings and set down with the base of the board facing up to prevent the board from sliding off.
d. Fold down your poles and place them in an easy to reach place in the pack or strapped to the outside in case you need them for flat sections during the descent.
e. Put the boots into ride mode (for those with the option like in my hardboot setup) and strap in!
3. Extra gear weight
Splitboards (and split-skis) are usually wider and heavier than skis. There is no easy fix for this, but I have invested a lot of time and money in recent years in reducing weight and buying lightweight gear, e.g. Ice axe, Shovel, Crampons, Mid-layers, etc. so that my pack is as light as possible for the ascent to make up for the extra weight of bindings/board. If you store bindings in the pack for the ascent like I do with my SparkR&D setup, a small upside is that bindings in the pack means less weight on the legs!
Also, there is no doubt that the fitter you get, the easier you will find long days out in the backcountry. The good thing about this is that fitness and efficiency will only improve the more you head out and keep having fun in the mountains!
4. Other tips/tricks
Getting into your up track to get across flat sections reduces the drag on the board from loose snow, and can get you through the flats. Likewise, you can use the track from the person in front if you know that you have to maintain speed to get over a traverse or shallow section. I am often quite fast on the steeper downhill sections, and after a good deal of practise I can switch from board to ski mode in less than a minute, so sometimes I can already be switched to ski mode by the time others catch up.
An advantage of hardboots is that it is a little easier and quicker to transition from walk to ride mode, and skiing with boots in 'ski-mode' gives you a little more control. If you are really uncomfortable skiing without fixed heels, you can use some voile straps or similar to ‘fix’ your heels to you riser. Also, if you place your bindings either on the outside of the backpack with a carabiner or in the top of your pack, it is easy and quick to switch back again for any extra downhill sections. I am considering having a full lightweight ski binding setup with the rear binding/lift in the future, and would be keen to hear if anyone has experience/opinions on this!
I hope you enjoyed reading this, and please comment if you have any questions or suggestions on this topic! What tips and tricks do you use to make backcountry splitboarding or skiing more efficient?
Take care out there and have some fun keeping up with your skier friends! Check out my posts on switching from softboot to hardboot setup, or on the incredible winter 19/20 season if you are keen to read more about backcountry splitboard adventures! I also share photos and video on Instagram and YouTube, so be sure to check those for more snow-filled fun!
- Calvin -