Did not regret going XCD over splitboard or AT this year!

[neekovt]

I am a longtime snowboarder who was looking to get out in the remote areas of New England. I always considered buying a splitboard but the cost was a lot, and I get a lot of lift service in. Finding this page and the XCD approach made for one of the best winters I have had in a long time despite iffy snowpack. I have been using S-Bound 98 with NNN Transnordic boots and this system works great on every snow condition I have tried from deep powder to hard pack styrofoam.

This decision was solidified when I passed a couple splitboarders on a steep narrow climb and they could not really get up it. I schooched right by. I love the quick touring ability for rolling terrain, with no stopping aside from quick use of EZ-Skins. I am finding I can take the NNN-BC boots on everything from black diamond resort trails to flat areas to explore and it is just perfect. It has made the low angle areas that I avoid on a snowboard super fun and learning to tele turn thanks to the 1987 movie has been great.

Thanks for this resource-peace

[stilltryin]

Excellent!
I typically get a resort pass, but with covid, I decided to skip it in 20/21 -- had so much fun XCD that I didn't get a pass 21/22 either. Way more peaceful. More animal tracks. Nobody has crashed into me. I haven't crashed into anyone!

[CwmRaider]

Awesome!
Every once in a while (once or twice a year) i like to rack up some extra DH time with my XCD stuff but usually, I find the way up as satisfying as the way down. I have not touched my alpine downhill gear in 5+ years.
You got yourself some nice kit. Glad you like it.

[fgd135]

...<snip> I have not touched my alpine downhill gear in 5+ years.

It is good to read that you have the free heel spirit, and left the dark side of the force behind you. I've not used alpine binding since about 1987; no regrets. In fact, I had been tele skiing since the 1980 season, but finally cast off the alpine gear about half-way thru a big powder day at Winter Park. After a couple of runs, I skied back to the car, changed into the tele gear, had a tremendous afternoon turning in the pow, and have never looked back at those dark days of locked heel skiing.

[Sloth Monster]

I am a longtime snowboarder who was looking to get out in the remote areas of New England. I always considered buying a splitboard but the cost was a lot, and I get a lot of lift service in. Finding this page and the XCD approach made for one of the best winters I have had in a long time despite iffy snowpack. I have been using S-Bound 98 with NNN Transnordic boots and this system works great on every snow condition I have tried from deep powder to hard pack styrofoam.

This decision was solidified when I passed a couple splitboarders on a steep narrow climb and they could not really get up it. I schooched right by. I love the quick touring ability for rolling terrain, with no stopping aside from quick use of EZ-Skins. I am finding I can take the NNN-BC boots on everything from black diamond resort trails to flat areas to explore and it is just perfect. It has made the low angle areas that I avoid on a snowboard super fun and learning to tele turn thanks to the 1987 movie has been great.

Thanks for this resource-peace

That is so cool!
I have a similar setup but with alpina Alaska. I just did my first resort skiing of the season last week on alpine skis. After reading your post, I'm wondering if my setup could handle a resort? I'm at bellearye in the catskills. It was so icy last week, even the moderate and beginner trails were a bit challenging. Would I be crazy to take my sbound 98 and alpinas nnnbc on those slopes?

[beeeweee]

I seriously wonder how much many people got into XC and XCD because of the pandemic and discovered how nice it can be.

I use to do a fair bit of downhilling with AT gear at the resort until lift passes got a bit too rich for me and transitioned more to ice climbing. With the pandemic and hospitals filling up, it made me dial back the ice climbing for fear that I wouldn’t be able access the ER if anything bad happened. I was thinking of trying out XC in the first pandemic winter but decided too late and all the gear was snapped up. This past winter, I smartened up and got my gear early and have been enjoying XC all winter long. I’m now gearing up a more backcountry oriented XC setup for next winter to expand my range beyond machined tracked/groomed trails.

[bornaginalpiner]

I'm not that familiar with NNNBC boots. Is it this type of boot? I'm impressed that you like it for the resort, too. Like my T4s for the resort, but never considered this. Ski it up!

[timpete]

That is so cool!
I have a similar setup but with alpina Alaska. I just did my first resort skiing of the season last week on alpine skis. After reading your post, I'm wondering if my setup could handle a resort? I'm at bellearye in the catskills. It was so icy last week, even the moderate and beginner trails were a bit challenging. Would I be crazy to take my sbound 98 and alpinas nnnbc on those slopes?

I've done a bit of lift-served telemark skiing with at resorts with my setup of Alpina Alaskas, NNN-BC, Asnes FT62. I guess FT62 is similar ski to sbound 98. Recently I went on a day that had some ice under corduroy. I would never target icy conditions for this type of setup but it can be done. The skis are so light that they chatter a lot on ice, and on anything steep I needed to switch to a parallel turn occasionally. But it can be done - a big reason I ski leather boots and light skis is to be a "one kit" skier, all conditions, and so I think it is good to learn what you need to do to get down in all conditions - and why not get a bunch of reps every now and then at a lift-served resort.

Slightly better than ice: crunchy corduroy, was interesting. It is difficult also but think it is "just right" amount of challenging and you can learn telemark with light boots and skis on this type of snow because it is challenging, and forces good balance.

But, soft, but not too deep, snow is where the real fun is with Alaskas and light skis... where I live I need to wait 'til next year to get my next shot at that.

[Cannatonic]

Splitboarding's a bit of a buzzkill for me as well. I hate to be a wise-ass but it really seems like tech designed for people that never learned how to ski. I grew up as a skier and added snowboarding later on. Not that psyched about huge skins that need to be used, or the fussing with different bindings & boards than regular boarding.

The work-around I've used to get around splitboarding is XCD plus snowshoe with the snowboard. You can access a lot of BC stuff climbing with your board and snowshoes - for example the Cog Railway is perfect for climbing w/ snowshoes & riding down. If there's more approach or up & down touring you can use XCD.

[Sloth Monster]

The local resort is ice cordoroy or ice!
My teeth were chattering on the alpine skis i was using on the cordoroy ice.