Where The Sidewalk Ends (And The Lifts Don’t Go)
To say BSBFB fave Xavier de le Rue knows how to snowboard would be an understatement. But of course, no matter how good you are, there’s always a problem with snowboards that skiers don’t have quite so much: How the hell are you going to get anywhere that isn’t downhill with your feet bolted at an odd angle to a plank? A downhill skier can at least turn into a shabby cross-country skier if he’s got to get somewhere somewhat uphill. All snowboarders can do is trudge. And if you’re like Xavier, and often go where the lifts don’t, you spend a lot of time up to your knees in snow with your board on your back.
Thus the splitboard is born. A splitboard is a modified or specially made snowboard that allows you to turn your board into two separate boards, almost-not-quite skis and practically-not-really snowshoes. The extra surface area allows you to slide atop a lot of snow that wouldn’t hold your boots, and facing forward with opposable feet puts you in ski mode. Xavier shows us how:
