Your first splitboard tour

Congratulations!
You’re interested in the youngest and coolest of all winter sports: splitboarding.

I’ll summarize five points that are important for your first splitboard tour. 1. learn off-piste snowboarding Powder snow and blue skies are, of course, the ultimate.
But reality doesn’t always look so beautiful.
And you rarely find powder snow from the summit to the valley.
The snow conditions are constantly changing.
And with it the demands on the snowboarder; powder, hard snow, wind-pressed snow, ice slabs, frozen avalanche cones, etc. – an experienced winter sportsman can adapt to these conditions.
It is difficult to give a general answer as to what exactly you need to be able to do in order to be able to ski in open terrain.
However, there are a few things that you can easily practise in advance on or off the piste: High and low releases, terrain jumps, flowing off-piste runs, cut turns, advanced powder technique, exploiting backcountry elements and tactical behavior in the backcountry.
Learning under professional guidance leads to faster, safer and less stressful results.
There are plenty of providers of freeride and snowboard lessons.
Training with the SSBS (Schweizer Schneesport Berufs- und Schulverband) is of course also very interesting. 2. get good equipment There’s nothing more annoying than when your equipment doesn’t live up to its promise.
In the backcountry, there is usually no help within easy reach.
Being cheap when buying a splitboard is not the right approach for carefree tours.
There are now good manufacturers of splitboards and binding systems.
Find out from friends, specialist retailers or on the internet about the right equipment for you.
An important factor that is often forgotten is the shoes.
There are specific splitboard boots, but conventional snowboard boots are also suitable for getting into splitboarding.
Make sure they have a good sole profile and a stiff lateral flex in the boot.
Important: A boot that is too soft will not put pressure on the edges on the ascent.
You will always slip sideways and only get annoyed.
In my opinion, the best climbing skins for splitboarders are the systems with a glue coating.
They are very easy to maintain and adhere reliably even after several ascents in one day.
A rucksack with an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel is a must.
It is extremely important for everyone’s safety that you know how to use this equipment.
I strongly recommend regularly attending an avalanche transceiver course and practising how to use them.
Touring poles with a large plate that can be stowed in or on your rucksack at the summit to save space are also useful.
Your equipment should be regularly serviced and prepared for the chosen tour.
To do this, check the equipment before every tour.
Are the screws in place?
Is the equipment complete and in good working order?
A little advertising on our own behalf: We at Radical are dedicated to splitboarding with heart and soul. We will be happy to provide you with expert advice on complete basic equipment.
Hiring equipment is a cheaper alternative to buying it.
Try it out a few times before you invest in your own equipment. 3. tips for the ascent The first steps are best practiced on a piste.
Ideally at an off-piste time and on a slope with little traffic to avoid accidents with other people.
Ascending with a splitboard is really fun when you can walk at your own pace throughout.
The famous “hairpin bend”, which is necessary from a slope gradient of 30°, gets in the way of many.
If you don’t master it, you will repeatedly lose your walking and breathing rhythm when changing direction.
Or worse still, stumble.
So work on the correct technique.
This can also be practiced perfectly on the flat or on a slope.
Once you’ve got it down, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a relaxed summiteer.
Practice disassembling and reassembling the splitboard at home in the warmth – including putting on and taking off the skins.
It is often cold and windy on the summit.
You will save yourself time, nerves and energy if you are already familiar with the handling.
When putting on the skins, make sure that they are glued to the base without air bubbles.
Swipe your hand from top to bottom several times so that the coating adheres optimally.
The skin should be attached between the edges; if the edges are free, they will also adhere optimally to the sides during the ascent.
When stripping, make sure that the skins are treated properly.
In other words, use the separating net for glue coatings and make sure that no dirt gets on the glue.
In splitboard walking mode, the two halves of the board are swapped, i.e. the sides with the radius of the board face inwards.
The walking technique consists of “dragging” the toes over the ground and thus pulling the single ski over the entire surface of the ground.
This allows you to walk uphill efficiently and save energy.
With large and deliberate steps, you can cover many meters of altitude quickly and with moderate effort.
When the terrain becomes steeper, you have climbing aids (elevations at the heels; usually metal clips on the bindings) that you can activate.
With these, you need less effort when it gets steep.
However, the walking technique remains the same.
A common mistake is to give too much support to the upper body when walking.
In other words, you lean forward and put all your weight on your toes while walking.
This puts an incorrect load on the climbing skins and you slide backwards.
Try to keep your posture straight and upright even on steep ascents and distribute your weight over your entire foot.
At the beginning, it helps to actively push your heels down when you step.
Splitboarders should always have crampons in their rucksack.
These “extra spikes” are fitted when you have icy traverses ahead of you to give you extra grip. It is better to mount them early enough on flat terrain than too late on steep slopes, shaking and uncontrolled.
Finally, a mishap that happens to almost all beginners.
As soon as you have reached the summit and want to switch your board from walking mode to riding mode: make sure that you don’t put the board halves on the snow with the base facing downwards after removing the skin.
You can imagine what happens; your buddies laugh, you jump.
So always place everything non-slip in front of you. 4. the choice of tour It’s your first splitboard tour, don’t overtax yourself.
It should be enjoyable, pure and a great experience.
If you have tourers in your circle of friends who want to introduce you to the wonderful world of splitboarding in a considerate way, then go for it.
But don’t get involved in anything where you’re always just outside your comfort zone.
Professionally guided tours are a good place to start.
At Radical you will find a great selection of beginner tours, specially tailored for splitboarders.
With us, every guide is a full-blooded splitboarder themselves.
Ski touring is a classic endurance sport.
Starting off untrained will at best lead to muscle pain the next day.
It is also important to have enough reserves for the descent.
If you want to plan your own tour, you can find lots of inspiration online.
A popular planning platform in Switzerland is the Whiterisk app or the Skitourenguru website.
On Whiterisk, you can find out about the current avalanche situation on a daily basis and also draw your tour digitally on a map.
But beware: tour planning requires some knowledge and experience and is not recommended for beginners. 5. safety on the mountain If you are off-piste, there is an avalanche risk.
Whether you want it or not.
There are a few things to bear in mind on the ascent and descent.
The choice of terrain in which you are moving plays a decisive role if you want to get up and down a summit safely.
You need many years of experience to “read” the mountains.
Basically, it’s about finding the best route to the summit and back again for the situation at hand.
For this purpose, the slope gradient is used as an elementary reduction method for avalanches.
It is essential to acquire this knowledge before embarking on an independent tour.
Risk management is an important part of planning.
This consists of identifying, structuring and quantifying the partial risks of a process and estimating the overall risk – which, of course, can never be reduced to zero.
The aim is to consciously deal with the greatest risks.
Various considerations, measures and activities are constantly required on a tour.
But don’t let this put you off, you can gradually acquire this knowledge through guided tours and courses. Conclusion: Splitboarding is a complex and extremely exciting subject. Give it a try, you’re guaranteed not to regret it.
Proceed with caution and you will only benefit.
But beware: touring involves risks.
It is almost impossible for beginners to assess these risks properly.
My recommendations: Improve your skills: Ski in different types of snow and terrain and on different slope inclinations.
Practice the ascent, specifically the hairpin turns and traversing.
These ascent and skiing techniques are great for practicing in a ski area. First tour/equipment: Join a professionally guided tour and hire all the equipment.
Make sure you get good advice.
The equipment for touring is more versatile and extensive than on the slopes. Professional competence: Knowledge of the dangers and their consequences is the key to safe touring.
Gain experience, attend courses and learn from your guides.