I got a pair of K2 clicker ascent skiis. They're real short, just over a meter, and real fat-10 or 12 cm at the tails.

Walking uphill in thigh deep powder has never been easier. Never. Its so nice. I just cruise up, barely sinking and wondering why it took me so god damn long to get them.

I hope to never posthole again.

To have plush turns on my board in fat fresh powder is so much better after skinning up than it was after postholing.

Are those AT skis? What kind of bindings did you get. I tried out the Freerides made by BD and liked them.

has anyone tried one of those new hybrid snowboard skiis? at least thats what i think they are. i saw them in i think the mtn gear catalog. looks like its skiis for the ascent, then they link together to make a snow board.
too bad you cant do it on the fly, would be great for flat areas at your average ski mtn.

Yo empi,

When I was in Whistler over Christmas I did a back country ski tour for two days with a few guys on snow boards (everyone but me and the instructor were on snow boards). These were "split boards". They had attachments to click the boards together. They were good for skiing back country powder. BUT, they took forever at every changeover. The bindings had to come off each time and be switched, the boards taken apart or put back together. It was a pain the butt to wait on those guys the whole time. The only good part about that from my perspective was that it gave me ample time to eat or whatever. But each changeover was like 30 minutes for the guys to redo their boards, which in theory was a lot of skiing. Now if we had the time we probably would have skiied a few more runs (each run taking 30-60 minutes to ascend and descend). Over the course of a day this could make a difference. Add to that the inconvenience of flat parts once in down hill modes, well its just not as efficient. The guys all loved the experience though...Also the boards are really heavy and they suck for groomed trails apparently - don't know why since I'm not a snow boarder - but I think that they couldn't edge very well.

Dana

If the guuys you were with took "30 minutes" to change form split to single plank.... they either had home-made rigs or were,, ahem,,, not too sharp.

I have demo'd Voiles and Burtons (the two hardwar setups available), and both take about 45 seconds longer than it takes for an AT or Tele-dude to rip skins and get ready.

Check out:
www.couloirmag.com
for a ton of threads on Split Boards.

Those who know will tell you that they are the ultimate Backcountry tool.

Of course, what do I know???


Zach

I've ridden voile and burton split boards as well, and anybody taking thirty minutes to switch them over is a moron. Or doing it for the first time ever. Even back in '94 when the sucked, it took max of five minutes...

Ascent skis are very short skis with a binding compatible to your riding boot. I use K2 clickers, and i have K2 clicker compatible ascent skis. They are a bit longer than snowblades, and have full sized skins like a fatboy ski would use, plus kicker plates-things that lift your heel up.

I infinitely prefer ascent skis/snowboard to split snowboards. I can ride with my preferred deck depending on conditions, with my favorite bindings. All of the gear is about the same weight as the burton split and a pair of burton bindings. Plus it really is a much more versatile solution. (don't need 'em? leave em!) As ascent skis are so much shorter than any snowboard i can ride, i can manuever around rocks and along ridges much more easily. I can still kick and glide and do my tele turns if i want as well. My experience with split snowboards is that they tend to get screwed up in the inside edges really easily. Supposedly the new burton split fixes this problem, but i am not sure myself.

ps: we're negotiating with couloir, frequency and snowboarders journal about an article on one of our upcoming trips. Should be in a spring issue. I will let you all know when i know which one it will be in...

They were all doing breaking down and putting back together the boards for the first time ever. That said after two days they didn't get any faster. Maybe it was a "renter's rig" and not what you guys would normally uses but I doubt there is that much variety in a split board.

were they high? how high? really really high?

dunno...i got real fast putting them back together in a few days.

I hate skiing with most snowboarders for this reason. Seems they love sitting on their bum and fiddling with bindings and talking to their bros. Also feel the need to hike back up and hit a bump again and again. I just want to go that way really fast and when something gets in the way, turn. Top to bottom baby.
Boarder pants have a built in bum pad made for sitting. Figures.

I think it's the whole skater thing making a cross over. Skaters ride a curb for endless hours and commune with their bros. Then they go to the mountain and do the same. Skiers were never told they should do this and only stop to catch their breath or help someones yard sale.

Somehow that sounds a lot like bouldering too sit around for hours on the crash pad, smoke and socialize with your "posse" whatever floats your boat I guess