Pg. 4 something interesting must be going on. I am always slow to pick up on things. Not to beat a dead horse but just my two cents (I like reading these discussions), I mainly ride solo for a lot of reasons already discussed, add can enhance the experience in many ways too if mountains are a spiritual thing to you. Snowsavage your post are incredibly inspiring and artistic. I enjoyed your rants, they express your passion as do your post and style of riding. PLEASE KEEP POSTING. Now what really wanted to do is spin the drift towards a little gear talk. That video was nuts. Couple thoughts I am def. missing something when it comes to technical ascents with soft boots. Climbing up the Y yesterday more than a couple times I said to myself could not be done in my soft boot set-up. Also that board must have absolutely no side cut to make traverses and hold edge on lines like that. Who makes these boards? Someone school me.

@prestonf wrote:

In terms of soft boots vs hard boots for technical climbs, I don’t think anybody (well, except maybe bcrider 😉 ) is saying that soft boots are better for that type of stuff???

Correction, I never said they were better…just that they can be used. (see video on page 3 🙂 )

For me personally I don’t really have the opportunity (or much desire) to climb the type of stuff like in the TGR TR, Everest, etc. Hardboots definitely have some advantages in those conditions but it’s still cool to see what Marco was able to climb in his softboots. For the rare times when climbs do get a little dicey for me I just do my best and so far I’ve managed. The ride performance and feel is more important to me more of the time based on the stuff I ride. If I was really into true snowboard mountaineering I would probably consider the hardboot option and be less concerned about the descent. I guess I’m more of an extreme meadow skipping jibber powder fiend with wannabe mountaineering and big mountain tendencies. 😆

Euros always had it figured out that wide boards and deep sidecuts blow ass for technical riding. Duotone xtrm mountain series was an excellent example of boards desinged for all-mountain riding and steep jump turns. I had 3 splitboards made by them with 24.5 waist widths and they were absolutley the solidest splits I have ever had. Nothing I have ever touched compares and frankly I am scared to death to take my current ride out on hard snow over 45.

Having said that do you have any thoughts/experiences riding the magnetraction type edges or rocker shapes that are getting the hype these days?

Thanks for all the posts….great stuff & definitely understand the solo stoke – but in my local world for different reasons.

I don’t get the whole billy goating, xtreme chamonix mountaineer snowboarding crap. Hopping around on icy steeps w/ two ice axes is rad and all that, but just doesn’t seem very “soulful”.
To me it’s: “Hey lets go do some icy traversing over 100 foot cliffs. It’s cool, cuz if you lose your edge you die and the snow sucks!” Other guy: “Naw man, I’m gonna go slay some powder. Have fun!”

Don’t get me wrong. I love the thrill of the steeps, but exposure (above cliffs specifically. obv all steeps have exposure) does nothing for me. It’s just a completely unnecessary risk. I can do an icy traverse 5 feet above a flat meadow and it’s the exact same as doing it above a 1000ft cliff. The latter is just Darwin at work. Thus all the dead mountaineers. Jeremy Jones has way more style than any of those eurobillygoaters who may be doing more exposed shit (JJ loves exposure too). Jeremy is at least making sweet turns above his exposure whereas these other guys are just hopping around w/ iceaxes trying not to die w/ each turn.

Kind of why whenever I do red slate couloir I’m gonna climb from the bottom and only do the chute proper. Dropping in from the top just to do an unnecessary traverse over a 1000ft cliff to get into it is retarded imo. I had a buddy do it and he looked me in the eyes and said “Dude, don’t do it. Trust me” I don’t know if people that do those kind of things are doing for self satisfaction or really just to be accepted by their peers as “xtreme” or to add it to their “resume”.

Sorry, I’m just rambling

More waffle from Europe!

I think Marco’s boots were “Millet Everest” boots guess getting to the top with his feet in one piece was more important than how they handled on the ride down, he then modified the bindings to give a bit more support. I seem to remember he had problems finding decent backers for his expeditions, most snowboard manufactors want to have jibers to represent their brands not riders who spend their time freeriding for themselves, he did very few comps too, so good of Elan to give him boards.

BGnight, i agree that some of the stuff you see marco (and a few others) doing here might be a bit nuts but please dont imagine that everyone here is doing stuff like that, marco was quite unique, he made a name for himself doing first descents of insane routes, many of which have never been done since. Some of the routes he did like the Nant Blanc north face he waited for years to come into condition, he had his motivation to do these route. There are many “soulful” routes here too that you maybe dont see as many photos of. I agree with savage that when JJ is in Cham he maybe rides with a different style, there are less pow days here and those routes dont hold much deep snow. Basically we do not spend all our time skidding around on steep ice in europe, in fact i try to avoid it! I only wish we had as many powder days as you guys do.

Love this thread by the way it goes all over the place!

Jim

Awesome thread drift. I’m enjoying it immensely. You guys are obviously boarding/climbing at a very high level and it pretty rad to be able to get some insight into your adventures.

I like where this is going…
If theres anybody out there from Mervin: please make a stiffish split with magnetraction, it is apparent that it will sell. I think this is a key design for future innovations in ski mountaineering.

Thanks for posting the vid, quite inspiring.

As far as softboots go, I think they’re the shit. If I can climb WI 3, and easy 5th rock, thats good enough. As Snowsavage stated, the ideal set up would be a combo of mountaineering boot toe and softboot upper. It would be nice to have less of a rounded toe with some stealth rubber, but this would also allow for easier toe drag…

Cheers

SS,

That Duotone splitty was my first splitboard ever. Good board from what I remember.

Drift…
Re a magne split with shallow sidecut for steep firm snow. We’ve been wanting and talking about that for years, same for a plastic lower/leather upper (or at least a stiffer sole and better toe protection) boot.

Maybe someday our dreams will come true.

….and I think the key to this drift is to each their own. Personally I would prefer a good steep pow field littered with cliffs and natural features to play on. Chutes/coloirs really don’t do it for me like drops do. I do understand where people are coming from when they say that they enjoy that ultimate focus they endure to get past hairy sections in sub-prime conditions but for me I dealt with that my first couple years riding and now just want to hunt for the soft stuff.

We need people like Marco, JJ, BCD, BGnight and snowsavage doing what they are doing. It is progression of our sport.

It’s really hard to express ideas and opinions on a forum.

Eco and I were talking about this as we were booting up a steep snow and rock face hanging onto trees on Sunday. Not quite ski mountaineering, but close. 😉

Most of the shit getting done is not being advertised or posted on a forum, which is good. Granted, most of us on the forum are skipping most of the time, just not all of the time.

I’m in total agreement with savage. I would most definately be getting more done in the mountians if I was single, a little younger and hooked up with other experienced riders. It is hard to find partners willing to truly suffer. It you’re doing it just for a checklist then you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.

There is a lot of personal satisfaction and accomplishment after riding a hairy exposed line or a deep and steep chute without all the dick waving.

There is also alot of satisfaction going out with the wife and friends after a good breakfast and maximizing good turns, staying safe and warm and enjoying the mountains.