Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25123
ar clslon • • The goal of backcountry skiing is to ascend effortlessly into the snowy hills, turn around and descend just as gracefully. The quest for untracked powder in the wilderness is truly a noble pursuit (fun, healthy, exciting), but there is a division in the backcountry. For years, telemark skiers have ruled the backcoun- try. On lightweight skis with mohair climbing skins, heels free and hair in the wind, they usually reach the untracked powder first. The advantage of the telemark gear ends at the top, how- ever. Descending variable snow conditions, such as breakable crust or Sierra cement, can prove challenging to even the most deft pinhead. Snowboarding, on the other hand, allows for smooth, flowing descents in almost all conditions- especially pristine powder. It's just the trudging uphill and postholing- the exhausting act of plunging your boots waist-deep into the snowpack-that often makes the pursuit brutal. Snowshoes can be even worse, and a morning of this hell will have you seeking a better way. Enter Split Decision. Using split-board technology, it is now possible to tour uphill a free-heeler and shred down- hill a free-rider. The split board is an alpine touring system that functions as a pair of skis going uphill and converts back into a snowboard going downhill. It is the best of both worlds. Voile Equipment, a backcountry products manufac- turer based in Salt Lake City specializing in telemark bindings and avalanche shovels, brought the novel concept of split boarding to reality. "Back in 1990, Cowboy (Brett Kobernick) showed me his prototype. It was a big old wood-core Morrow that he'd skilsawed vertically in half," remembers Wally, the owner of Voile. "He had telebindings mounted on each half on door hinges and aluminum shelving rods that slid the snowboard bindings on. It seems archaic compared to what we're pro- ducing today, but that's how it all began." Today, each half of the board is pressed simultane- ously, complete with precision metal edges, laminated wood core and mounting screw inserts. The lightweight attachment hardware is reliable and user-friendly, providing a simple con- version from uphill touring to downhill riding. The new 120 millimeter Tractor Skins and the premounted heel-lifters allow for effortless climbing in the steep and deep. The Chinese fin- gerlocks and Voile Slider Tracks provide torsional rigidity for smooth railing in descent mode. The Split Decision comes in shapes and lengths for all sizes and abilities of snowboarders: 159, 166, 173 and 182 centimeters. And for the full-on, high-speed powder surfer, check out the 195 Swallowtail. Don't waste your wi nter wi Iderness experience postholing or flailing on pins. Make a decision-the Split Decision. Voile, 801-973-8622, www.voile-usa.com. $630 (Swallowtail, $747)