Second in the Spark R&D’s OUT HERE series we follow professional splitboard guide Chris Coulter around the Wasatch Mountain Range. “For me splitboarding is a season pass to the untracked snow and wonderful experiences of being in the backcountry. It adds diversity to my favourite activity snowboarding” – Chris Coulter. Chris shows us how to prepare for a hike up the mountain, the actual hike up and finally, the scenic run down.
Getting up early, or just not going to bed at all, is a must if you want to reach the peak at sunrise and get the perfect run down. No matter how good your riding is, it’s obviously important to be well prepared for a splitboard tour. Chris takes us through what needs to be done before the hike – be sure you know where you’re going and what the weather will be like, wax your board, check that you’ve packed your skins and poles in the bag, and of course, make sure you have at least half a dozen peanut butter toasts to keep you fuelled throughout the day.
“If this doesn’t make you want to try splitboarding you are far beyond saving from whatever deep dark black hole you’ve been sucked into”
Chris reminds us how important it is to listen to the mountain while you’re out there, but also gives us less experienced splitboarders a glimpse of hope. Turns out we don’t need to be Jeremy Jones himself in order to experience amazing places like these. Setting up the bindings for your hike up and then switching them into riding position does not look like rocket science either, and whether that’s due to the Spark R&D bindings or not, it really makes us want to get out there on a mission.
OUT HERE episode 2 is a very well-made introduction to splitboarding and backcountry riding, with some properly great filming that shows exactly how epic riding backcountry can be. Considering the series is made by the leading splitboard binding brand on the market and supported by non-other than Jones Snowboards, we wouldn’t expect any less.
If this doesn’t make you want to try splitboarding you are far beyond saving from whatever deep dark black hole you’ve been sucked into.
Videographer: @c0nw0w
