Split decision: Snowboarders make like skiers on splitboards

For Chris Gallardo and a host of new converts, splitboard riding offers the best of all possible backcountry worlds.

With a splitboard, riders get the efficiency of telemark skis for their backcountry approaches and the thrill of a snowboard for the powder-shredding descents.

After trading in his surfboard for a snowboard following a move to Squaw Valley in 1990, Gallardo became hooked on powder riding and off-piste adventures. But like most riders, he struggled with the lack of efficiency of snowshoes and the redundancy of needing two forms of locomotion to get his backcountry riding fix. He'd snowshoe up the mountain with his snowboard on his back and then ride down while carrying his snowshoes.

Gallardo is now an evangelist for the growing use of splitboards for backcountry riding.

Splitboards are exactly what they sound like — snowboards that are split in half (length-wise) to be used as skis for an ascent. The concept is simple. A perfectly normal looking snowboard transitions into two separate boards (or skis) for the way up the mountain and back to a snowboard for the way down.

Special binding hardware developed by Voilé lets the user rotate his bindings from ride-mode to a forward-pointing position for ski-mode. The Voilé binding interface system is the universal standard and enables the user to choose from nearly any type of boot and snowboard binding option on the market. In ski mode, the interface provides a forefoot pivot point similar to that found on randonnee (aka alpine touring) systems. There are even skins and ski crampons made specifically for splitboards to help you climb on your new "skis."

Says Gallardo, "There are several key benefits to using a splitboard for backcountry snowboarding: You carry less weight with your board off your back, you can take long-gliding strides instead of the short steps you do with snowshoes, and you get better flotation with a splitboard in ski mode due to the increased surface area. You can even share the same skin-track going up the mountain as your skiing friends as opposed to breaking a new trail for the snowshoers in the group."

Gallardo's passion for the sport of splitboarding led him to create the leading online information source for splitboard riders: www.splitboard.com.

The converts

There's no feeling in the world like that of laying first tracks on a steep slope of fresh snow far from the maddening crowds of the ski areas. That's the primary common trait between backcountry skiers and snowboarders — they both live for the descent. But all too often, when backcountry skiers and snowboarders head out together for an off-piste adventure, it's the skier that gets the ultimate thrill of setting the first tracks. Why? Because they generally get to the top first.

Indeed, the biggest difference between riders and skiers isn't their method of descent. The real point of separation between backcountry skiers and riders has been their means of getting to the top of those pristine runs.

"I hated getting to the ridge crest, and while I'd be trading my snowshoes for my board, John had stripped off his skins and already gone over the lip for first tracks," said snowboard rider Darcy Hogan, of Boulder, Colo. "That's when I decided to toss my slow shoes and switch to a splitboard."

Hogan and her boyfriend, John Franks, a telemark skier, generally enjoy playing in the deep powder of Hahns Peak near Steamboat Springs, Colo., but they usually hit Washington's Mount Baker and Mount Rainier backcountry areas at least once per winter as well.

Backcountry skiers, whether on tele-boards or randonnee gear, efficiently move through the backcountry using the same boards for both ascent and descent. They simply strap on their "skins" — textured fabric strips that adhere to the bottom of their skis to provide traction — to climb the slick slopes, then peel off the skins to carve their turns down the powder runs.

No performance difference

Splitboard.com's Gallardo understands the frustration expressed by Hogan and others, as do a growing number of snowboard manufacturers. Voilé, Burton, and Prior have been offering splitboards for several seasons and have recently been joined by board manufacturers Never Summer and Winterstick.

Winterstick's designer, Kern Barta, described the development of the Winterstick Splitstick as a common-sense move. "There are a lot of riders who enjoy the backcountry but who don't want the trouble and weight of snowshoes."

Barta added, "Our Splitstick utilizes the company's expertise with big mountain boards, offering a damp, stable edge whether in riding or skiing mode. The 162cm Splitstick also provides outstanding flotation in ski mode — much more than you'd find on a pair of snowshoes — without being cumbersome on glide."

If riders are worried about performance, they need not fear, says Gallardo. "The Voilé system and Universal Interface are designed to put a lot of pressure on each half of the board for solid torsional rigidity. Most riders won't even notice a difference in the board's performance."

For riders on a budget, Voilé even offers a "split kit" that lets riders turn their old board into a splitboard at home (see www.voile-usa.com).