Touring

Touring and splitboarding: what you need

Touring means climbing the mountain on your own power and riding down away from the pistes. On a snowboard you do it with a splitboard – a board that splits into two skis for the climb and joins back together for the descent.

What do I need to start?

• Splitboard – the size is chosen as with a regular board, by weight and riding style.
• Splitboard bindings – they go on the skis for the climb and on the board for the descent. Regular bindings do not work.
• Skins – they stick to the base of the skis and stop them sliding back down the slope.
• Backpack – for the skins, water, an extra layer and the avalanche kit.

How do I choose skins?

Skins should cover the width of the skis without covering the edges – the description says what width they are for. They also need the right length, so it is best to fit them to your board with us. Mohair glides more easily, synthetic grips better on steep slopes. Keep the glue clean and dry: store the skins in a skin sock, and there are separate products for waxing and cleaning.

Crampons and accessories

On hard or icy slopes skins are not enough – then you put on splitboard crampons. The accessories also include the hooks that lock the two halves together and spare parts. Make sure they fit your bindings – most are for the Karakoram or the Burton system.

Safety

Away from the pistes nobody will save you from an avalanche except you and the people with you. Do not go out without an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel, and without knowing how to use them.

We carry splitboards from Lib Tech, GNU and KORUA, and backpacks and skins from Kohla.