Do you switch your board halves when hiking?

[FaDe 83 Posts]

It is a common rule to switch the board halves when hiking up.

However I found out that i have better edge hold on my old Burton S-Series while traversing hard-pack or icy slopes when I have the straight edges to the inside. Also I step fewer times with one “ski” on another using this arrangement while hiking up because the wider tip and tail parts point outwards.

Do you switch your board halves when hiking? When Yes why? What are the benefits of switching the board halves?

Except telemark skiing, boards without inner edges I don’t see much sense in switching the board halves.
I did not have much opportunities yet to hike in high powder so maybe there is something I am missing… 😕

Thanks
Daniel

[FloImSchnee 291 Posts]

@fade wrote:

However I found out that i have better edge hold on my old Burton S-Series while traversing hard-pack or icy slopes when I have the straight edges to the inside.

I also keep the straight edges on the inside for the same reason — better edge hold on steep traverses.

[maxpower88 58 Posts]

@fade wrote:

Also I step fewer times with one “ski” on another using this arrangement while hiking up because the wider tip and tail parts point outwards.

This is an interesting subject to me, the above mentioned is the bane of my existence while splitting.

I anxiously await the feedback…

[dude_reino 467 Posts]

Better edge hold on steep traverses is all relative to which foot you prefer that hold to be on. Splitboards only have sidecut on one side of each ski so it is a trade off on traverses. With sidecut on the inside edges, your ‘lower’ ski has the sidecut and is keeping you from sliding down. If you don’t reverse the skis as intended, then your ‘upper’ ski has the sidecut, but your lower ski will slide.

It’s all relative but most splitters prefer to have the lower ski planted on the slope for safety.

[FloImSchnee 291 Posts]

I do prefer edge hold on the lower ski,
and I do believe that the straight edge is less likely to slip than the one with sidecut.

[Zude 367 Posts]

The side-cut seems to provide grip for me, i like it on my lower ski while traversing.

[websherpa 34 Posts]

My both sets of clips knock against each other and my bindings when the straight edge is on the inside. I’ve found I tend to knock off my tail clips for my skins as well when the straight edge is on the inside. Still learning, but my initial preference is to have the straight edge on the outside. We’ll see if the preference stays after my first significant traverse.

[FloImSchnee 291 Posts]

@websherpa wrote:

My both sets of clips knock against each other and my bindings when the straight edge is on the inside.

Karakoram or Voilé?
The Voilé-Clips/Hooks can be turned not to interfere.
The K-Clips however will hinder one from having the straight edges inside, as they reach out over the edge.

[websherpa 34 Posts]

@floimschnee wrote:

@websherpa wrote:

My both sets of clips knock against each other and my bindings when the straight edge is on the inside.

Karakoram or Voilé?
The Voilé-Clips/Hooks can be turned not to interfere.
The K-Clips however will hinder one from having the straight edges inside, as they reach out over the edge.

Voile. It’s as much about the bindings being wider than the skis than the clips hanging over. I always turn the clips for lower profile.

[saign 330 Posts]

I just figured you switch them to prevent the edge that has to clip back together from getting beat up while skinning.

[wasatchfreeride84093 200 Posts]

^^^^+1 I thought the same thing, I want my inside edge to fit as well as I can. Plus, when I transition my board, I have a very certain way I switch over. I have it down and memorized, adding an outside factor that I am not familiar with, would create a train wreck.

[leonmajor 7 Posts]

If I don’t switch the board halves I am constantly catching the tips together. I find it a much more fluid movement when they are pointing away from each other.

[FaDe 83 Posts]

@floimschnee wrote:

I do prefer edge hold on the lower ski,
and I do believe that the straight edge is less likely to slip than the one with sidecut.

This is the same on my Buton S-Series, that’s why I prefer the straight edge hold on lower ski and don’t switch the halves hiking up.

[FaDe 83 Posts]

@leonmajor wrote:

If I don’t switch the board halves I am constantly catching the tips together. I find it a much more fluid movement when they are pointing away from each other.

Interesting point,
the bindings are mounted in the middle of the narrow waist of the board, so when you switch your halves you have to walk wider not catching the tips than if you don’t switch because of the increased width of tip and tail over the waist which is in switched position pointing inwards. So you should catch your tips more in switched mode :scratch:
Is the deeper snow “pushing” the tips together because the curvature of the tip is on outside when not switched? And if you switch it is doing the opposite? Could this be the reason? As I mentioned I did not have much deep snow hikes yet 🙁

[FaDe 83 Posts]

@floimschnee wrote:

@websherpa wrote:

My both sets of clips knock against each other and my bindings when the straight edge is on the inside.

Karakoram or Voilé?
The Voilé-Clips/Hooks can be turned not to interfere.
The K-Clips however will hinder one from having the straight edges inside, as they reach out over the edge.

FlolmSchnee I have the Burton Yin-yangs which reach out over the edge approx. 4mm and I don’t have any problems having them on the inside while hiking… 😉

[powderjunkie 1669 Posts]

the bindings are mounted in the middle of the narrow waist of the board, so when you switch your halves you have to walk wider not catching the tips than if you don’t switch because of the increased width of tip and tail over the waist which is in switched position pointing inwards. So you should catch your tips more in switched mode

Huh? I would think the opposite. actually, nothing you stated here makes sense to me.

fade – is your english good? maybe its a language issue or my interpretation of what you’re trying to say.

i think it is better to have the straight edge on the upper ski. if you blow the lower ski you still have the upper one catching you and you can stair step way easier. i always dig in with my upper ski on icy traverses.

to each his own, but i’d try switching them and see if it works better for you.

[peacefrog 376 Posts]

@leonmajor wrote:

If I don’t switch the board halves I am constantly catching the tips together. I find it a much more fluid movement when they are pointing away from each other.

+1
My take on this is that with the tips out you can actually overlap the skis while you walk without making contact, the lower profile of the outside edge allows this to happen. I’ve noticed this while I’m walking, the wider nose of one ski will nestle (for lack of a better word) into the waist of the other.

Also I find that if I but the tips in than I end up kicking my bindings, having to wide my gate slightly to accommodate tips out prevents this from happening.

[powderjunkie 1669 Posts]

i could see how someone could have a preference on what leg they prefer to hold (lower vs. upper).

But, regardless of that, wouldn’t the straight inside edge hold/traverse better than the outside curved edge? :scratch:

[FaDe 83 Posts]

@powderjunkie wrote:

Huh? I would think the opposite. actually, nothing you stated here makes sense to me.

fade – is your english good? maybe its a language issue or my interpretation of what you’re trying to say.

Well at least I think my english is quite good 🙂
What I was trying to say is that if you don’t switch the board halves, the width of your stance (w) if you want the skis to be (z) apart from each other is w=2*x/2+z as the touring brackets are mounted in the middle of the waist on each half

When you switch your halves, and preserve the (z) value, the width of your stance has to be w=2*(x/2+y)+z
which means 2*y wider

If you preserve the stance width (w), than in switched mode the nearest points on tip and tail of the halves will be 2*y closer to each other than the straight edges in non switched mode so physically you should step more often with one half on another while hiking up.

[powderjunkie 1669 Posts]

ahh, gotcha. OCD would love that diagram and formulas.

but, i think that is irrelevant because if you switch boards, you don’t have any issues with hitting tips, because the tips are on the outside of each ski.

exactly what peacefrog said –

My take on this is that with the tips out you can actually overlap the skis while you walk without making contact, the lower profile of the outside edge allows this to happen. I’ve noticed this while I’m walking, the wider nose of one ski will nestle (for lack of a better word) into the waist of the other.

this actually helps with breaking trail or widening a ski up track, IMO.