The Approach

As with most things in life, "there's a right way and a wrong way" to do things. Getting to the goods on your splitboard is no different. The skills needed for the approach change as the season and snow conditions change -- over the course of your adventures, you will no doubt experience dusty trails, raging steams, heavy deep powder, frozen corn, interminable bushwacks, semi-frozen lakes, unconsolidated sugar and myriad other approach challenges. The main points to remember are safety and efficiency.

We'll cover a few basics here, including:

Skinning
Traversing
Using Approach Poles
Using an Ice Axe and Crampons

The Art of Skinning

Most of the time you'll spend on your splitboard will be in tour mode going up the mountain -- using good form and proper technique is critical. Skinning on a splitboard requires more skill and coordination than using snowshoes but it will become second nature once you get the hang of it. If you don’t learn the basics early on your splitboard experience will be negatively affected. You might be able to fudge your way through it on short tours but do a long tour and you'll quickly notice how much further good form can take you. These are the main points to remember -- using your own variations is also encouraged.

Skinning is as much (if not more) mental than it is physical. The journey up the mountain can be a long one but it will only seem longer if your mind is telling your body that skinning sucks. Remember to stay positive and think about the ride down. Learn how to break the ascent into sections so it doesn't seem overwhelming. Keep up with your group and try to stay near the front of the pack so you don't feel like you're constantly falling behind. Get mean when the skinning is difficult and curse to yourself if needed. You can also experiment with "robot-mode" while skinning. This is when you turn off your brain and just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Obviously don't try this if you're setting the skintrack or in terrain that requires more attention, i.e. avy terrain, glaciated terrain, knife-edge ridge skinning, etc.

[Steep skinning on Mount Tallac, Lake Tahoe, CA. Photo: David Deuber -->]

Here are a few tips to make your uptrack more enjoyable and efficient:

1. Stand up straight

Stand up straight with your shoulders back and head up. This will shift your weight to the back-seat and allow proper pressure to be applied to the ski and skin which is needed for good traction up the slope. An all too common mistake is to look down at your skis while skinning. By doing so, your body will become hunched over and not enough pressure will be applied to the ski resulting in slippage. Looking up the slope also allows you to set your uptrack in the safest and most practical place possible.

2. Push with your heels

Pushing with your heels and not your toes also plays an important role in getting good traction. It allows more of your weight to be applied to the rear of your ski. Remember to glide the skis too, taking long, rhythmic strides. Gone are the days of short-stepping on snowshoes which requires lifting the weight of your boot and snowshoe (often with snow on top) for each step. Welcome to efficiency of the skinning world!

3. Keep your skis flat

Keep your skis as flat as possible when you're going straight up the slope (not traversing). This allows more of the skin plush to grab the snow and will result in better traction. Your edges can be your number one enemy on flat skintracks (however they will be your best friend while traversing). Although one of the main benefits to using a splitboard is the ability to glide, it can also be helpful at times to lift the ski up and stomp it down flat on the skintrack. This really sets the hairs of the skin plush into the snow and provides added grip.

4. Shorten your poles

Shorten your poles a couple of inches when you transition from the flats to the steeper slope. Long poles are good for flat and rolling terrain but will hinder your performance in steep terrain. Using shorter poles will allow you to utilize the strength of your arms and take some of the work off your legs. Remember to keep your arms and poles close to your body, no spread eagles.

5. Use the climbing bars

For steep terrain, use your climbing bars. They help place your foot in a more level position on the slope which will result in easier skinning and your legs feeling fresh longer.

6. Step off the skin track

If you just can't get proper traction on a slick skintrack, try stepping out of the track and blazing your own trail right next to the existing one. This isn’t recommended in glaciated terrain or on a guided trip unless you ask your guide. The untouched snow won't be as slick as the skintrack from previous skinners and will allow the skins to get better traction. This also gives you the freedom to adjust your uptrack differently from the original track, most likely set by a skier. Skiers will often set an uptrack with a bunch of switchbacks, which are somewhat easier to execute on skis. But the fatter base of the splitboard translates to superior traction and often means we can take a more direct line. Think of your uptrack as a series of "S" shapes rather than "Z" shapes.

7. Use the kick turn

A kick turn is used when you simply need to change your direction on the slope (i.e., when on a ridge or when avoiding rocks or cliffbands). The goal is to change directions safely, quickly and easily. The spot where you make this change of direction is known as a switchback. There are two main types of kick turns, the uphill and the downhill. We prefer the uphill kick turn because it's more natural and efficient for splitboards.

As you approach the switchback, go past it about ½ stride. This will allow you to step down onto the track as you change directions, not up to it. Before you stepping down to the track, shift your weight to your downhill ski and lift your uphill ski out of the snow -- snapping it in the opposite direction. Now weight this ski and bring around your other ski. Quickly weight your trailing ski once you set it down as it is now your uphill ski. Using your poles in the kick turn is important too. One trick is to wedge the pole tip under your downhill ski to prevent it from slipping out. When possible we also recommend trying to round your switchbacks by keeping your skis flat. This will save you the time and energy of doing a kick turn in the first place.

8. Cadence

Think about your skinning cadence and maintaining a steady pace. This is better than using small bursts of energy for fast skinning followed by slow bursts while you catch your breath. Find your rhythm where breathing is easy and maintain it.

9. Don’t overdress and remember to hydrate

Being properly dressed for skinning is an important aspect to remember. A common mistake is to overdress which will quickly have you dripping with sweat and stopping to shed a layer. It is far better to start off a little cold and warm up as your exertion level rises. Don't forget to drink plenty of water as well, your mind and muscles will thank you.

10. Know when to switch to boot mode

Most folks are advocates of keeping their skis on their feet for as long as possible before switching to boot mode. While this makes sense, there are times when switching to boot crampons or a boot pack is both safer and faster than skinning. Knowing when to pull the plug on skinning is an important thing to remember.

Traversing on a Splitboard

Traversing is generally the least favorite aspect of splitboarding among users. Due to the width of the skis it is often difficult to get good bite on firm and icy slopes. If you use strap bindings and soft boots you will also be at a disadvantage compared to hard boot splitboarders, where the rigidity of the boot allows them to more effectively weight the edge of the ski. Knowing some of the tricks for traversing will help you regardless of your boot and binding choices. In addition, traversing is generally just over small sections of the tour and not the whole tour from start to finish. So so stay positive and remember that it will be over soon.

[DJ Barney traversing in the Tahoe sierra. Photo: bcrider -->]

Here are some basic tips:

Use your splitboard crampons.
If using soft boots, tighten up your upper cuff on both boots.
Shorten your uphill approach pole and lengthen your downhill one so both of your arms are even with each other.
Weight your uphill ski with most of your weight as slide along your downhill ski.
Wedge your downhill approach pole tip under your downhill ski during your pole plant to prevent the ski from slipping out.
If the snow is firm and not able to be penetrated try to keep your skis as flat as possible.
If the snow is able to be penetrated try to really set your uphill ski's edge into the snow.
Know when to strap your board to your back. If traversing on your splitboard is using too much of your valuable energy, slowing the group down, or becomes dangerous due to exposure, switch to boot crampons and an ice axe.

This picture shows a good example of improper pole height during a traverse. The uphill pole is too long and the downhill pole too short. The splitboarder behind him has decided to switch to boot mode while the photographer was able to happily continue on. The conditions were dust on crust so getting good traction was difficult but not impossible with good traversing technique. photo: bcrider

Using Approach Poles

If you're new to backcountry snowboarding, you're probably new to using approach poles too. Think of them as extensions of your arms now giving you the ability to walk on all fours. By walking on all fours, you can take much of the burden off your legs and give yourself more balance in uneven terrain. Skinning would nearly be impossible without the use of approach poles. You can also use them on the descent in rolling or flat terrain. Here are a few important points to remember.

[Skinning the flats between Mt Ralston and Echo Peak, Desolation CA. photo: steeleman --> ]

Ascent

For most usage, keep your poles at a length that forms a 90 degree angle between your upper arm and forearm. If the angle is more than 90 degrees your poles are too long, if the angle is less than 90 degrees your poles are too short. When your poles are too short or too long your arms will get tired faster and your legs won't reap the full benefits of using approach poles.
Keep your approach poles close to your body while skinning. If they're too far away from your body it will slow you down and result in your arms getting more tired.
Use the cane grip, palm on top of the pole, when you're really putting pressure on your approach poles as you make your way up the mountain.
Use the regular grip on the pole when you are in the flats or aren't putting much pressure on the poles.
Know when to shorten one pole and lengthen the other on traverses
We recommend three section approach poles over two section due to the way they collapse small for the descent. We recommend the Black Diamond Expedition Poles which are perfect for splitboarding.

Descent

I used to laugh at the guys using approach poles while snowboarding downhill but now I know why they do it. The added balance they provide is great.
They also are good in terrain that is rolling or has small flat sections that aren't long enough to warrant a full transition to split mode.
Using approach poles on the doesn't is also very helpful with a large, overnight backpack on.
I also like to use my approach poles on the descent when I'm in a large group and there is some leap frogging going on. This means that skiers and boarders ski to a designated spot, regroup, and then continue on. The poles give me something to lean on and keep me from sitting in the snow to rest my legs.
Poles can also be useful when doing a long traverse line. They add balance and help you stay in the traverse track by being able to push along.