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Ski touring and splitboarding, explained

What each sport is, where it happens, and what you need to start, in plain words.

Two sports, one idea

Up under your own power, then down

Ski touring is how skiers climb a mountain on their skis and ski back down. Splitboarding is how snowboarders do it on a snowboard that splits in two. They are two sports, built on two kinds of gear, and they share one idea: the climb and the descent on the same equipment, no lift required.

Ski touring, for skiers

Skis with touring bindings that free your heel for the climb and lock it down for the descent; touring boots with a walk mode; and climbing skins on the bases for grip on the way up. Also called skinning, alpine touring, AT, or uphill skiing.

Splitboarding, for snowboarders

A snowboard built to split lengthwise into two halves. For the climb the halves work like two wide skis, with skins underneath and bindings that pivot at the toe so you can stride. At the top you clip the halves back into one board and ride.

If you ski, you ski tour. If you snowboard, you splitboard. The climb feels the same; the gear is built for each.

Where it happens

On a resort, and in the backcountry

On a resort

We strongly encourage everyone to start here. A ski area that allows uphill travel designates a route up the mountain, sets the hours, and usually sells an uphill pass or ticket (uphill access). You climb the route with the lifts running or before they open, then ski or ride down an open trail like everyone else, with ski patrol on the hill and the trails groomed.

A designated uphill route and posted hours
An uphill pass or ticket, where the mountain sells one
Groomed trails for the descent, and ski patrol
Your Responsibility Code, and the mountain’s own policy

Touring on a resort is a privilege, not a right. A mountain can take it away, and it is on every uphiller to follow the policy, carry the uphill access it asks for, and set the example for the people behind them.

In the backcountry

Beyond any ski area: no lifts, no patrol, no grooming. You follow a skin track others have made or break your own, and the descent is whatever the mountain gives you, ungroomed. Some backcountry terrain is avalanche terrain, which needs avalanche education, a beacon, shovel and probe, and partners who know how to use them.

No lifts, no patrol, no grooming: you and your group
A skin track, or your own route
An ungroomed descent, from powder to breakable crust
Avalanche terrain in some places, with everything that asks

Where the backcountry and avalanches come in, start with Avalanche Education.

The lap

Step by step

Skins on

Climbing skins are strips of nylon, mohair or a mix, cut to your skis or board halves. One side sticks to the base; the other is a fiber nap that glides forward and grips backward, so you can walk uphill on snow without sliding back.

Climb mode

Touring bindings free your heel for the climb, so each step is a stride. Most have heel risers you flip up on steeper pitches. Touring boots have a walk mode that frees the cuff. On a splitboard, the bindings move onto a toe pivot on each half.

The climb

You walk uphill on your skis or board halves, poles in hand, at a pace you can hold a conversation at. On a resort you follow the mountain’s uphill route; in the backcountry you follow a skin track. A kick turn gets you through a switchback.

The transition

At the top you peel the skins off and fold them away, lock your heels down, switch your boots to ski mode, and on a splitboard clip the two halves back into one board and set the bindings across it. About fifteen minutes the first time, and much less with practice.

The descent

On a resort, down an open trail with everyone else, in control. In the backcountry, down the line your group chose, on whatever snow the mountain has. The climb is the workout; the descent is the reward.

The gear

Piece by piece

You do not need to own any of this to start: many shops and some mountains rent full touring setups and splitboards, and the rental size guide helps you get the right size the first time.

Touring skisLighter than most resort skis, often with notches at the tip and tail for the skin clips. Any ski can tour with a touring binding on it; a lighter ski makes the climb easier.

Touring bindingsTech (pin) bindings hold the toe of a touring boot between two pins and free the heel for the climb, then lock the heel for the descent. Frame bindings put a rail under the whole boot and work with more boots. Both have heel risers.

Touring bootsA walk mode frees the cuff for the climb; ski mode locks it for the descent. A rubber sole for walking on snow and rock, and on most of them tech fittings at the toe and heel for pin bindings. Lighter than resort boots.

A splitboardA snowboard that splits lengthwise into two halves for the climb and locks back together for the ride, with clips at the tip and tail and hooks along the seam.

Splitboard bindingsFor riding they mount across the board on pucks, like regular bindings. For the climb they move onto a pivot at the toe of each half, so your heel lifts with every step. Regular soft snowboard boots work.

Climbing skinsCut to your skis or board halves. Glue or a silicone adhesive on one side sticks to the base; the fiber on the other glides forward and grips backward. Folded adhesive to adhesive in your pack for the descent.

PolesAny pole works. Adjustable poles go shorter for the climb and longer for the descent. Splitboarders climb with poles and stow them on the pack for the ride.

A pack, layers and a helmetA small pack carries the layers you shed as you warm up, water, a snack and your skins on the way down. Start the climb a little cold, and wear a helmet for the descent.

Who it is for

If you can walk uphill, this is for you

Touring is wherever you take it

Ski and snowboard films show touring as big, steep, remote terrain. Most touring is not that. It is a resort’s uphill route before work, a carriage road through the woods, a moderate backcountry slope with friends, a way to get outside and move in winter. The intensity is up to you, and so is the terrain.

What you need to bring to it

Reasonably good health and the ability to walk slowly up a mountain; the climb is the work. For the descent, you need to know how to ski or ride well enough to make it down safely and confidently. The backcountry asks more: nothing is groomed, there is no ski patrol, and you are responsible for yourself, so ride within your ability and be ready to take care of yourself and your group if someone is hurt or needs to be evacuated. That is why we encourage a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course.

If you can walk uphill for an hour and ski or ride down safely and confidently, you can tour.

Your first day

How to start, whoever you go with

Ways in

On your own, on a resort that allows uphill travel, on its uphill route, on a quiet day.
With a friend who tours, who can show you the transition and the pace.
On a guided tour or a clinic, where a mountain or a guide service runs one.
With a club, where one runs group tours near you.
On a group program like ours, if one runs near you.

Your first lap

Pick a short route and a quiet morning, and read the mountain’s uphill policy the night before.
Get the uphill access it asks for, and rent a setup if you need one; the shop fits it to you.
Practice at home or in the parking lot: skins on and off, climb mode, ski or ride mode.
Climb at a pace you can talk at, and turn around whenever you want.

Words you will hear

A short glossary

Skinning

Climbing on skis or board halves with skins on. The word people use for the uphill, in both sports.

Skin track

The packed path up a slope that skinners have made. On a resort, the uphill route stands in for it.

Uphill route

The route a resort designates for uphill travel. The mountain’s uphill policy names it.

Uphill access

The uphill pass or ticket a resort sells for uphill travel. The policies directory links what each mountain asks.

Transition

Switching between climb and ski or ride mode: skins off or on, heels locked or free, board split or whole.

Kick turn

The step that turns you around on a steep skin track: one ski or board half swings uphill, then the other follows.

Heel riser

The lever on a touring binding that lifts your heel on steep pitches so your calf does not have to.

Tech binding

A pin binding: two pins at the toe, a heel piece that locks for the descent. Light, and needs tech-compatible boots.

Frame binding

A touring binding on a rail that releases at the heel. Heavier, and takes most alpine boots.

Walk mode

The switch on a touring boot that frees the cuff for the climb.

Alpine touring: ski touring on alpine gear with touring bindings, as opposed to telemark or Nordic. The term is for skiing.

Splitboard

A snowboard that splits into two halves for the climb. Splitboarding is the snowboard side of the sport.

Questions

Before your first lap

Is it hard?

It is a workout at your own pace. A lap on a resort’s uphill route is an hour or two of walking uphill with a rest at the top. Go at a pace you can talk at, and turn around whenever you want.

Do I need to know how to ski or ride first?

Yes, well enough to make the descent safely and confidently. If you have never skied or ridden, a downhill lesson at a resort is the right first step.

Can I tour on my regular skis or snowboard?

Skis need a touring binding and boots that work with it. A regular snowboard cannot split, so splitboarding needs a splitboard. You do not need to own touring gear to start: many shops and some mountains rent touring setups and splitboards.

Where do I start?

On a resort that allows uphill travel; we strongly encourage everyone to start there. Pick a short route on a quiet day, read the mountain’s uphill policy, rent a setup if you need one, and go with someone who has done it before if you can: a friend, a club, a guided tour, or a group program like ours where one runs near you.