Boarding options (technical q's)

[boardman]

Hoping the informed members of this community can help me out. I've got lots of mountaineering/backcountry experience, and have been boarding in bounds for many years. :snowboarding: Now I wanna combine the two, and Tuck's is the logical place to start! (I also have a trip planned to Mt. Shasta in early May). Here's my dilemma: I don't want to buy (if I can help it) - (a) crampons to fit my snowboarding boots, (b) a split board, (c) those small uphill travel skis compatible with snowboard boots. I have a sturdy, well-worn pair of leather mountaineering boots (La Sportiva Karakorams) and BD Sabretooth crampons (which I've used for everything from alpine slogs to vertical ice). I tinkered with my board bindings and stepped into them with my mountaineering boots, and the fit was pretty snug. :cooldog: Considering that I started snowboarding with an old-a$$ Burton M5 board, with the old strap-in, fixed highback bindings and Sorel boots(!), I figure the mountaineering boot-rig can't be too bad (if a little "ghetto"). SOoooo . . . my question is, have any of you riders out there ever tried this configuration? I'm hoping to test it out (either at Tuck's or Killington, where the weight penalty of bringing my snowboard boots along in my pack will not be too consequential) before heading out west, but I am hoping that somebody has tried this before! Thanks in advance. :beer:

[Affix Snow]

I ride in La Sportiva Nuptse boots....they rule!

However, i cannot speak of the stiffness of your Boot. I have ridden Left Gully in Tux in La Sortiva Nepals and hated them to ride in due to the "flimsy" feeling i got and unwanted pressure from the heelcup pressing in on a thin heel that is found on the Nepal's. My Nupste have a thick plastic heell, so i dont feel this....not to mention the Nupste is alot Higher, stiffer, and THICKER than the Nepal.

My advice. Go Lift-serve and ride in them before heading into the bowl.

(PS: I use Step-in Sabertooth crampons and a splitboard).

[Justin]

Now I wanna combine the two, and Tuck's is the logical place to start! (I also have a trip planned to Mt. Shasta in early May). Here's my dilemma: I don't want to buy (if I can help it) - (a) crampons to fit my snowboarding boots, (b) a split board, (c) those small uphill travel skis compatible with snowboard boots.

a) IMO opinion you don't need crampons. There are those who will argue the opposite adamantly, but in the 22 years i've been skiing I've never used them. You almost never see them in the BC on skiers/boarders east, west whatever... Mountaineering?, well that's a different story...

b) I'm a skier, but if your planning on making this type of travel a habit, you really gonna want to find an alternate accession technique. Hoofing it up to tucks for a day of skiing, sure. A day at Shasta on foot is going to be exhausting to say the very least...

c)you don't want those things, I wouldn't put them very high on the efficiency list. you'd be much better of with a split, tele or AT set up.

[Rider.Steve]

If you haven't checked out the CouloirMag forums yet, you may want to. There has been a raging debate going on for years about your precise topic (soft/hard, strap/plate, split/snowshoe, etc).

Generally speaking, parties agree to disagree on most of these topics.

Although I have not ridden Shasta, my perception is that conditions could be radically different from east coast resorts (K-mart) and back-country (Tux).

In addition to doing some trial runs with your mountaineering setup, you may want to post an inquiry on Couloir and see what lands. In any case the debate would be fun to behold.

I haven't ridden straps in years. This weekend I'm going up to Tux in AT boots with plate bindings on a freeride board. It's not perfect, but it should get the job done.

Steve

[Rider.Steve]

K2 ascension skis with skins may be an inexpensive option for you; much cheaper than a new split, but more efficient than snowshoes if the snow is consolidated enough. They are not made by K2 anymore, but you might find a pair on ebay or somewhere.

you'd be much better of with a split, tele or AT set up.

[RR]

The Karkorams (Blue) are pretty floppy. Some folks do climb in them, but so many better boots are out these days. Plastic Mountaineering boots seem to work great for snowboarding*. The Snow Ranger at Tucks rides in his all the time, and he rips!

Climbing Schools are usually selling off their plastic boots about now, maybe you can score some used???

* as do AT boots :D

[boardman]

The Karkorams (Blue) are pretty floppy. Some folks do climb in them, but so many better boots are out these days. Plastic Mountaineering boots seem to work great for snowboarding*. The Snow Ranger at Tucks rides in his all the time, and he rips!

Climbing Schools are usually selling off their plastic boots about now, maybe you can score some used???

* as do AT boots :D

My Karakorams are red, actually. They're pretty stiff; I use them for ice climbing, though they probably have more flex than my Northwave snowboarding boots. Buying different boots or the Ascensionist skis would be the ideal thing, but not in the current budget! Fortunately for me, all of the peaks I've climbed have been the old-fashioned way, i.e., in mountaineering boots with crampons, so I don't know any better so far as skinning up (I know it's faster and more efficient), since I've never done it. On all the mountains I've climbed, I've plunge-stepped or glissaded down. So I think that strapping on a board, no matter the configuration, will be a vast improvement over the knee-bashing joy of the old method! But for sure, I will be investing in better equipment in the future, as backcountry is where I want to be (but first, I got a stinkin' wedding to pay for!) :(

Thanks for all the advice, dudes! I knew this site would come through. I plan to be in Tuck's the weekend of April 22-23, so I hope to see some of you guys there! I'll probably be testing out the Karakorams! :) (but I will definitely be bringing the snowboard boots along, just in case).

[RR]

...(but I will definitely be bringing the snowboard boots along, just in case).When they are in the pack they make excellent beverage protection devices...as would the Big Red K's on the ride down :D

[boardman]

When they are in the pack they make excellent beverage protection devices...as would the Big Red K's on the ride down :D


HAHAHAHA!!! LOL! :D :D :D

I will definitely put them to that use! :beer: :hikingboots: :beer:

I figure, if all else fails, I can achieve a better boot/binding fit with the use of :ducttape: