i_like_sun

I used to do that, and found that the performance was pretty marginal. I now use Mtn. Plates and AT boots, and never looked back at a pair of strap bindings again. I still think a strap boot has the potential for serious climbing. All that is needed is a stiffer sole and lower profile boot body, yet still a high and stiff enough upper to make it a snowboard boot.

You suck. Earn your turns. Agreed. The one thing in my whole life that got me so pissed off I might explode was seeing a snowmobile jackass crossing the summit plateau of Baker. I wanted to roll his sled down Coleman headwall. The last place we can all go to NOT hear the sound of engines is in the mountains, and we should keep it that way!!

What boots do you use for Splitboarding? For that matter, ever ride Baker area?

Ignition II or Fuze? Fuse

Is this the Voile slider track that blew out? Or was it an Ignition binding? That looks like a Voile touring bracket. I have scars like that on my touring brackets too, but never that kind of failure. And sometimes I DO ski the boards on hilly terrain. But then again, you can also just use your poles and push along just like the skiers do... Yesterday I skinned up to Table Mountain, and spent considerable time "skiing" on the rolling flats. Its pretty cool being able to make alpine turns and half-ass tele turns. I might try to get a buddy to CNC me a replica touring bracket that is thicker out of 7075 aluminum. The wear issues might be different with aluminum though, since its so much softer.. As far as efficiency goes, I'm happy to report that I outskinned at least 6 dudes on AT setups heading up to Artist Point. Although the conversion from "Ski" to "Ride" adds an extra 3 minutes, being fitter still makes all the difference

Is this the Voile slider track that blew out? Or was it an Ignition binding?

I recently threw down for a Voile Mojo 161 and the new Spark R&D split specific bindings, and its the best decision I've ever made:)

How strong do you think the Voile toe piece is? I'm debating having a buddy CNC a new one for me out of 7075 aluminum... Titanium parts would be SIIICK too... But then the cost would go exponential. Splitboards could definitely be lighter...

I'm thinking of trying to "ski" on my splitboard in ski mode for a few runs at Baker... Just to get practice....

Flat and variable terrain can be ridden in "ski mode" on a splitboard... Can even do some wuse tele turns if you're good enough...

PS. I did an interesting experiment a couple days ago. Took my La Sportiva Trango GTX boots to the climbing gym to see how hard I could boulder in them, and was able to do most V3 routes pretty easily. The Vibram Sole is amazing.....

TOTALLY!! I remember the Clickers having specific crampons too... What happened exactly? The Clicker wing just totally died off... That was all the hype for a long time... I rode them once actually... Didn't really like them for the riding side of things, but the idea of having one interface for everything was pretty sweet. Although the approach skis were in my opinion a waste of time...Might as well just go with a splitboard and lose 60% of the weight! I still think that developing a "soft snowboard/ice climbing boot" is the way to go. That way we can use the Spark Splitboard bindings and have the traditional ride, but also be able to get awesome purchase on ice and on rock ledges and lips.

BAKER OPENS THURSDAY.......

Yes

I would TOTALLY argue that statement!! Jeremy Jones gets work DONE on a splitboard..... The biggest compromise is mostly during spring multi-day trips when the morning snow is rock hard, and during more serious alpine climbs like Rainier (I still wouldn't head up there in SB boots...). All that is really needed at this point is a stiff soft boot (meaning non-plastic) that has the capacity to take a semi or fully automatic crampon. Eventually I want the ability to do vertical ice in snowboard boots (not just mountaineering boots that can kind of be ridden). That way, I can confidently go do some up and over trips without batting an eyelash (for example, two dream trips I have: 1) climb Fischer Chimneys, and then drop the North Face of Shuksan. 2) Ascend Liberty Ridge, and then ride down the Fuhrer Finger). Hard boots really do transfer more energy into your edges, and so that does make sense for steep ice. At the same time though, CRAZY steep lines get dropped in soft boots... Reference Jeremy Jones and others... Snowboard boots already have more ankle stiffness than plastic mountaineering boots. Its just the shank and sole that needs work for alpine.

Actually, yes 333 is doing some totally amazing stuff. The owner is an absolutely fantastic guy building skis literally out of a trailer that he drives around. They have the whole environmental impact figured out super well, too. For every set of skis he builds he uses something like 6 ounces of propane gas for energy. Its great. I spoke with him the other day about getting into the snowboard/splitboard side of things, and he says there certainly is a big market for it. One thing I was most impressed with was that they want to send out high performance skis that a working class skier/boarder can afford. Non of this $1500 Burton Method board crap (each set of skis costs $333). Its the whole idea of skiing/boarding being a passionate lifestyle, and not just a once yearly $5000 vacation to Vail Colorado.... I might go down and help him out...

I'm thinking at this point, that a bunch of us really should design a soft boot that can climb well. Or that actually climbs REALLY well. I went into a climbing store this last weekend and tried on a whole shit ton of AT boots, and tried imagining what they would feel like riding a snowboard. Most of them were so stiff in all directions, there's just no way I could justify throwing down $700 for a boot I'm not totally sure on. I know they would climb great, but probably not the style of snowboarding I'm looking for. But who knows, a ton of people make it happen.... I actually remember snowboarding back in the day in a pair of carving boots in plate bindings on a plastic carpet in Edinburgh, Scotland. That was a VERY interesting experience. The thing is, is that soft boots really do allow you to crank and twist on the board. I actually spoke with a guy at Black Diamond this morning about them developing a mountaineering-snowboard hybrid Boot. Maybe base it off the Inverno... I told them that if they gave me a job, I would design if for them. I told him that I'm a graduate student studying Kinesiology, and now the guy wants me to send in a resume and application..... Who knows, anything is possible!!!

This might be one of the weirdest responses yet... Thats exactly what I need. Of course, why didn't I think of it?! Every route I ride down should be in a video part so I can prove that I'm good enough for skiers! Yaay!

So last night for Halloween I was a 1980's rock climbing instructor, and part of my costume was that I wore really old rock shoes. I spent 7 hours out clubbing, walking around in these old haggard climbing shoes that have ZERO support. Today, I'm finding that my knees are REALLY freaking sore because I had no arch support for all those hours. Because my feet are totally flat and I pronate pretty bad, spending all night in a shoe that literally splints my foot into a flat position made it such that even if I wanted to stand with my feet in a good position, I couldn't. I'm realizing that my patella probably wasn't tracking right because of this, and now I'm having that old knee pain I used to get before orthotics saved my life. Just thought I'd share. Biomechanics are RAAAAAAAAAAAD

True true. If I could retype the original thread I would. Skateboard inspired snowboarding is totally where its at. I didn't mean it to come across saying "skateboarding is bad". Rather, I'm just wanting to point out that the snowboard industry could make leaps and bounds when it comes to improving the overall potential for sideways-sliding alpine experiences. I skated for 6 years back in the day, and then got into BMX dirt jumping. Today I would probably say that BMX bike riding (dirt, street, skatepark) is the single biggest influence on my style of snowboarding, and is also my most practiced hobby next to mountain activities. The truth is that we are all in this together, and it really doesn't matter what the heck you prefer. Just that you do it. Now, all that being said, tacking the word "mountaineering" onto "skiing" or "snowboarding" is just fine. With all this talk of elitists taking over the world, I don't see any point in trying to change our vocabulary - that is just elitist in itself. In the end all we do is orient and travel through the mountains. Using sets of tools for your feet to make things more efficient and more fun adds the "snowboard" or "ski" part. The thing I realize, is that all these activities do not have any logical explanations as to why we do them. In other words, you can't really describe them mathematically. Mountaineering/skiing/snowboarding/masterbating are all emotional experiences, not scientific ones... Speaking of emotional experiences, SKYDIVING IS PRETTY FUCKING COOOOOOL.....

Are you kidding dude? This is why I think this thread is important. If I listened to every wanker who told me to give up snowboarding because it is inferior to skiing, I would have switched thousands of times over. Eventually, the majority splitboard systems are going to be just as well developed as AT systems are.....(boots mostly, boards and bindings are getting damn close).

Not bashing skateboarders in general. Just bashing the retards that think they are hella gangster....

Dude, Jeremy Jones has continuously rocked my world year after year after year.... Thanks for sharing the link. It shows EXACTLY where I want to take things!!! Fuck yes....

That is a really great weigh in. I've hear totally mixed opinions about the debate over hard/soft boots and split boarding. There used to be boots made that were hard plastic, but were designed to be as soft as possible (I'm trying to find a pair on ebay or wherever...). This guy is my freaking hero: http://www.splitboard.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=3586

This is what I'm talking about!! How well are you able to shred in your Scarpa's? I mean, if you wanted to could you take drops in them or hit natural kickers, or are they too stiff for normal movement? About snowboards/splitboards not being mountaineering tools: I beg to differ. Its just a matter of evolving the sport a bit. Skinning up is SOOOOO much more efficient than hiking, and shredding down saves hours of time. Plus its way more fun. I guess it really does just come down to what you like to do. For me, I skied for 5 years when I was younger, and I realize that snowboarding really is my thing; its a personal relationship I have with it. Giving up 15 years of sliding sideways would be a tragedy!!