Splitboard

The program of the second Splitboard Festival in Lenggries was impressive. In addition to numerous splitboarders, the who's who of splitboard manufacturers were represented with test material: Burton, Jones, K2, Arbor, Karakoram, Dupraz, Amplid, Spark, Rome, Goodboards. From the manufacturers of emergency equipment, Ortovox and BCA presented themselves on the large test area. All 80 splitboarders who had traveled to the event got their hands on a splitboard or two from the over 100-strong splitboard test range.

To write a touring atlas like the "Helvetic Backcountry Tourenatlas", you have to spend a lot of time on the mountain. The guys from Helvetic Backcountry do this with the splitboard. And they've been doing it for 7 years. They have summarized how they have fared during this time in a Viedo.

Splitboards are now available in every conceivable shape and color. We put one of the most innovative new splitboards - the Ultrasplit from K2 - through its paces this season; with positive results, that much can be revealed in advance.

As we do every year, we present the entire "splendor" of ISPO 2014 in pictures. After all, what is more meaningful than the impression of your own eyes.

The PowderGuide crew was out and about for you at ISPO 2014 and took a look at the material for the coming season. Part 4 of our ISPO special is dedicated to developments in what is probably the only growth area in the snowboard world: splitboards and the associated binding systems.

"Are you coming to ride at the end of February?" "Nah, I'll be in the Pyrenees" - My conversation partner looks at me scrutinizingly before making fun of me: "Ooooh! The extravagant gentleman! Off to the Pyrenees, right?"

In this story, Stephanie Posch talks about how to reconcile a passion for the mountains with life in the lowlands.

I've been snowboarding for 20 years. And for the past six years, I have been fascinated by deep snow skiing. I still remember the first descent in waist-deep powder - and I remember the enormous muscle ache the days after almost as well. But what remained was an addiction to the feeling of silence and solitude in untouched nature: to the adrenaline and happiness of "floating through the snow".

At ISPO, all manufacturers let their innovation cats out of the bag. Read about the new products in the Splitboards & Miscellaneous section.

For a long time, splitboards were frowned upon by touring snowboarders in Europe. A splitboard was said to be too heavy and therefore too sluggish on the descent. Far too much weight per foot had to be dragged up the mountain compared to a touring ski setup. And then there are the problems caused by the wide skis and soft boots when traversing on hard ground. The European solution of choice was short skis plus a normal freeride board.

In the beginning there was the splitboard, or something like that. In any case, the board, which can be split into two parts, was used for snowboarding tours before today's alpine snowshoes. In this experience report, I try to summarize why splitboards have been on the rise again for a few years now and where the biggest differences to touring with snowshoes lie.

Our adventures in the mountains actually start at Zurich main station. A train journey takes us to a mountain village, an ascent to a mountain peak. Weightless turns in the powder make beads of sweat disappear. A day out snowboarding with friends. That's what we love.