Hi everybody,

This winter, I've been doing a lot of snowshoeing with my snowboard.
I've tried to walk light, but this kind of gear is not known to be super light. I recently bought the MSR Denali evo ascent which are a bit less heavy than others, I've taken a light Montbell insulated jacket instead of my heavy fleece jacket.
But I couldn't get rid of my super heavy Patagonia Gore Tex XCR,I feel super protected with it, never had one drop of water in it even though I had a few snow storm.

For those who do snowshoeing and/or snowboard, do you think lightweight ?
Do you have any general tips ?

Bye, Nico :)

Hey Nico,
If we are talking actual snowboarding gear. I have, as far as I know, some of the lightest gear.

Elan Inverse Snowboard
Thirty-Two Ultralight Boots

I have a pair of burton Cartels on the board. Not sure that they are the lightest but seemed fairly light during purchase.

Hi Steven,

I've seen the 32 Ultralight boots, but I wasn't confortable enough in it. But I like the idea, I hope other brands will follow.
Seems like ultralightweight and snowboard don't get on well yet.

Splitboards are not lightweight, but they are usually a better choice than 'slowshoes'. Subtracting the weight of the snowshoes probably cancels out the extra splitboard weight. Spark R & D bindings are a good lightweight option as well.

A DIY split is both cheaper and lighter (since it lacks a metal inside edge).

A smaller snowboard/splitboard is obviously one way to lost some weight, and taper or reverse camber options allow a shorter board to float in powder as well as larger traditional shapes.

I have worn my Thoroughfare bottoms and Montane Aero Smock while snowboarding, but am just a novice who can't justify buying new boarding gear just to lighten it up :(

i'll agree with david,
if you are out trying to snowboard in the backcountry, and splitboard is really your only option. i snowshoed for years and can attest that it is a horrrible useless means of travel. the biggest added benefit to a split is not having the weight of the board on your back and not having a giant sail holding you back in the wind. by taking the 10lb board off your back and using it as a means of travel, you make much better use of the weight you carry. things like taking a lighter jacket/insulation cuts a few ounces max off at a clip, but the wieght is nothing in comparison to getting the board setup off your back.

i'll also reccomend the spark r&d bindings. they are the lightest setup out right now and also ride and skin the best as they are the only binding on the market designed specifically for splitting. i would not reccomend those 32 boots though. sure they are light, but when you need to use those boots for any hiking/booting they will be pretty much useless as the sole sucks. i reccomend the burton driver x's, these are the best boots out there for hiking and the stiff flex makes them manageable for mountaineering where you are climbing steep snow with crampons.

avy gear is another great place to save weight..however NOT at the expense of a metal shovel. lexan is crap and i do my best to avoid riding with those that carry a shovel made out of it. the best option right now for a lightweight aluminum shovel seems to be the deploy and transfer shovels made by black diamond. these are light and stong. avoid the huge metal shovels made by voile, ortovox, and bca...they are bulky and heavy and shovel no better than the bd. carbon probes are nice and compact, but most that i have seen are too short.300cm seems to be the length you want to get as close to as possible to, so skip the 190cm probes. i have a life link 282cm carbon probe which seems to meet the balance between light and compact but still long enough for its intended purpose. also, many times i will carry a whippit pole with me and leave the axe and crampons at home if i don't expect much steep snow climbing (over 40 degrees)..this can save a ton of weight.

besides that, the best way to cut weight is to not overpack. i carry alot more gear midwinter (2 pairs goggles, 2-3 pairs of gloves, balaclava) in the bc when hypothermia etc is an issue. in the springtime when i am trying to bag peaks etc. i usually wear a lighter shell, bring down instead of synthetic puffy, only one set of goggles and sub sunglasses for the second pair, and usually leave the winter mitts at the house opting for a set of work gloves as my backup. besides food, water, mountaineering gear, and some basic first aid survival gear you shouldn't need much else inside your pack.

Boy, I really wish I had this dilemma. I'm stuck here with crumby PA snow.

However, there is a chance that I may join my NH friend in the Snowfields in May/June.

Thanks for your answer Chris,
I've wanted to buy a splitboard for a long time, but the price ... :/
I think I'll buy one next season, I just bought my MSR denali evo ascent.

Well for starters weigh stuff, do you know what you can save?

You can definatly drop the big rain jacket, when you are ready. Maybe a really light shell and a softshell that you could wear 90% of the time and for bringing for fair weather day trips. Clothing is a place where some good choices save a bunch of weight.

When you get a split kit look at the forums on splitboarder.com and some on telemarktips and tetongravity as well

People use mtneering boots (sportiva spantiks, nupste, koflaches, vasque doubles, but really any double boot is supreme for the ascent.)

delete

Edited by huzefa on 04/05/2009 18:38:40 MDT.

I've been rocking a pretty light setup this season:

Prior Khyber Splitboard
Bent Metal Restraint/Spark R&D Ignition II binders
Saloman f22 boots
BD Tractor skins
BD Alpine CF poles
Mystery Ranch Saddle Peak pack

If you're serious about backcountry snowboard travel get a splitboard. Simple as that. Snowshoeing is a fun activity in and of itself but is not an efficient means for uphill travel with a snowboard on your back.

Check ski hills in your part of the country next winter as there's a good chance that Venture Snowboards will be demo'ing near you - as they did this winter. There are lots of eBay deals on splitboards as well.

For the single best resource of information join splitboard.com.

Edited by sharalds on 04/05/2009 13:50:03 MDT.