Split Boarding Transitions: Skins -> Board

This step-by-step guide covers the split boarding transition from travelling uphill on skins to being fully set up for the descent on your board. Efficient transitions reduce risk, save time, and keep your crew moving — especially when space is tight and conditions are less than friendly.

Step-by-Step

1. Look Ahead

During the final minutes of your ascent, start looking for the best place to transition back to your board. The steeper or more technical the descent, the less space you’re likely to have — so assume your options will be limited.

2. Find The Safest Place To Stop

As options may be limited, you may find yourself taking additional risk here than the transition you made to skins (See article Split Boarding Transitions: Board -> Skins). That said, still think about finding a spot that avoids avalanche danger, offers some protection from the elements and where if possible it’s safe to move around.

3. Plan Ahead

The tighter the space the more important it is to be clear about your process. The consequence of dropping kit at the top of a couloir or on a ridge line is in a different league from the typical transition at the base of an ascent.

4. Be Methodical

Know what order you are going to make the transition and where your kit is being stowed.

5. Secure Your Kit

Once you’ve manoeuvred into position, stay on your skis. Remove your poles and backpack and secure them above you, within easy reach. Everything in your pack is critical at this point, so slow down and make sure nothing can slide away.

6. Layer Up

You’ll cool down fast once you stop. Even if you feel hot from the climb, make warmth the priority. Replace any layers you’ve shed, close pit zips, and ensure your transceiver sits between your outermost base layer and your shell.

7. Remove Skins

Remove your skis and stow your skins using whatever system works for you — folding, rolling, cheat sheets or not. What matters is that you can do it quickly, without exposing glue to snow or wind, and get them securely into your pack or jacket.

8. Assemble And Stow Your Board

Remove your bindings, slide and clip your board back together and reinstall your bindings in downhill mode. Then stash your board securely. How you do this will depend on space you have. Ideally you’ll be able to stow it vertically in the snow but you might well find that the only practical option is to lay it in the snow. Do whatever you can to make it as secure as possible.

9. Prep For The Descent

Swap your hat for your helmet, change from contact gloves to riding mitts, zip up your pack, and do a final check that all kit is stowed before putting your pack back on.

10. Strap-In

Getting back into your bindings is often the trickiest part. Limited space, steep terrain and deep snow don’t make it easy. Take your time, position your board as securely as possible, step into your bindings and ratchet up your straps.

11. Check And Drop

Before dropping in, check in with your crew. Reassess conditions, agree on risk, confirm your drop order, and make sure everyone is ready. Once that’s done, it’s time to ride.

Pick a good spot that is away from any avalanche danger, offers some protection from the elements and where it’s safe to move around.

Key Transition Gear

• Contact gloves
• Backpack with board carry option
• Skins
• Telescopic Poles

Keeping this kit easy to access will make every transition faster, warmer, and far less stressful.

A gust of wind could see your cheat sheets blowing all over the mountain.....

Additional Transition Tips

• When looking for a transition spot -ideally find an area where you’re able to place the length of your board in the snow, even if that means treading or flattening a suitable area to create a platform. The transition can be done in a smaller space but the more space you have the easier this will be. 
• Once you’ve dialled a process, stick to it. A bit of OCD during transitions is no bad thing.
• Another option for stowing your board, is to slide it tail-first into the snow — this can also create a stable platform for getting into your bindings when your ready to ride.
• Make stowing skins in their bag super easy — turn the bag inside out, put you hand inside the bag like a sock puppet, grab hold of your skins with the puppets mouth and then pull the bag back over the skins. Much less faff than trying to put them back in through the mouth of the bag.

Other transitions can be found in our Transitions Hub.

We’ll see you up there.