Lickety-split: Splitboarding opens world of backcountry opportunities

Chris Vuckovich knew there was more fresh powder out there.

But with snowshoes strapped to his feet and his snowboard strapped to his back, he was just scratching the surface of the opportunities for backcountry snowboarding.

That's why this season he traded in his snowshoes for a splitboard.

Splitboards are snowboards that come apart to form skis, allowing the rider to use the skis for climbing before re-attaching the board and snowboarding downhill.

"I was just looking for more powder," said Vuckovich, 26, of Great Falls. "There's a lot more to be had in the backcountry."

Splitboards have been around since the late '80s or early '90s but have become more popular in recent years, with almost all major snowboard brands now offering at least one splitboard model, said Chris Leatham, owner of Bighorn Outdoor Specialists.

Leatham said splitboarding is starting to catch on around Great Falls.

"We've sold a few in the last year," he said.

Around Great Falls, splitboarders have been riding in the Little Belts and on the Rocky Mountain Front. Even the Highwoods have good potential for splitboarding.

A splitboard is much more efficient means of traveling on flatland and uphill, compared to snowshoeing, Leatham said.

In ski mode, skins can be placed on the bottom of the skis, which allows a rider to travel uphill without sliding backward. Unlike snowshoes, a rider doesn't have to pick up his feet on a split board and also isn't carrying a snowboard on his back, all of which makes splitboarding more efficient.

"Splitboarding is a lot easier than snowshoeing," Leatham said.

Vuckovich estimates that an ascent that used to take about 45 minutes on snowshoes now takes him about 25 minutes on his splitboard.

A splitboard comes apart and re-attaches thanks to a few clips on the boards. The bindings are mounted on plates, which easily can be re-positioned for ski and snowboard mode. In ski mode, the heel of the binding can lift, much like on cross-country skis. And in snowboard mode, the bindings are fixed and set like they would be on a normal snowboard.

When Vuckovich first started splitboarding, it took him 15 minutes to convert his board from ski mode to snowboard mode. Now he's down to seven minutes.

Alex Ortega, 24, of Helena, started splitboarding about four years ago after seeing a movie about the sport. Before that, he used snowshoes to access backcountry snowboarding.

"It really is night and day," Ortega said. "You just post hole and spend a lot more energy to go uphill," he said of snowshoeing.

Mac Gordon, of Whitefish, got into splitboarding about three years ago after a friend switched from snowshoes to a splitboard.

"I would just be snowshoeing in and I got really frustrated because he would be moving so much faster than me," Gordon said. "The pace you can set splitboarding is what makes it so attractive.

"Once you get a splitboard and realize how much you can go into the backcountry, it opens up a whole new world," he added.

Splitboards also make it possible for snowboarders to keep up with backcountry skiers, which would be impossible on snowshoes, Leatham said.

The quality of splitboards and their binding systems has advanced in recent years, he said. Even though the board is cut down the middle, once it's put together in snowboard mode it's just as stable as a regular snowboard. Leatham cautions against using a splitboard in a terrain park because rails and other features can be hard on the board.

Splitboards are more expensive than traditional snowboards. Splitboards start around $700 for the board itself. Skins run $160 to $180, and splitboarders also need binding attachments, bindings, poles and avalanche gear.

A few companies make kits to split your own board, which is a less expensive way to get into the sport, Leatham said.

Some snowboard shops also will split a regular snowboard.

A day splitboarding in the backcountry offers a completely different experience than a day at a ski hill.

"There are no crowds, no ticket prices, no groomers," Ortega said. "It's all fresh snow."

"I love being in the backcountry, in the solitude," he added.

A powder day at a ski hill feels like a race, said Lynsee Glynn, 23 of Helena, who started splitboarding this season. Everyone is trying to get to the fresh snow before it's gone.

In the backcountry, that's never a problem.

"It's just nice to be out in the backcountry and have an entire mountain to yourself that will never get tracked out," Ortega said.

While splitboarding opens endless options for backcountry riding, it also puts the snowboarder at risk for avalanches.

"It's good to get out, but you need to be safe about it," Vuckovich said.

Splitboarders, like all winter backcountry users, need to carry avalanche transceivers, probes and shovels, Leatham said. But even more than carrying that equipment they need to know how to use it and also know how to gauge avalanche risk.

Vuckovich has taken avalanche safety classes, subscribes to avalanche safety alerts and digs snow pits to check snow conditions when he goes splitboarding.

Gordon only splitboards when visibility is good.

"If I don't know what I'm looking at, I don't want to be there," he said.

Gordon is always aware of his surroundings, looking for cornices, sloughing snow and other avalanche warning signs.

"It's an intensive process," he said. "You've got to stay present in the moment the entire time."

Of course, climbing a mountain on a splitboard takes a lot more effort than riding a ski lift.

"It's an incredible workout getting up the hill," Vuckovich said. "Once you get up there you really feel like you've earned your turns. It's a really gratifying feeling."

Ortega estimates that 85 percent of his time on a splitboard is spent is ski mode, climbing uphill. An hour's climb typically buys him a two- or three-minute descent.

But that hard work is always worth it.

"It's quality over quantity," Glynn said.

A day of splitboarding might only include one run down the mountain, but "that one run that you do get to take, it's frickin amazing," she said.

Reach Tribune staff writer Erin Madison at 791-1466 or emadison@greatfallstribune.com. Follow her on Twitter @GFTrib_EMadison.