Backcountry snowboarding
Encyclopedia
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
in a sparsely inhabited rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes or piste
Piste
A piste is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. The term is European, from the French for trail or track, synonymous with trail, slope, or groomed run in North America....
s in the backcountry
Backcountry
A backcountry area in general terms is a geographical region that is:* isolated* remote* undeveloped* difficult to accessThe term may apply to various regions that are reasonably close to urban areas but are:* not immediately accessible by car...
, frequently amongst trees ("glade boarding
Glade skiing
Glade skiing, sometimes called tree skiing, is any form of downhill skiing performed off-trails in the woods or in a maintained woods trail. Glade skiing is dangerous and usually for experts only, although some trails exist for beginners...
"), usually in pursuit of fresh fallen snow, known as powder
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
. Often, the land and the snow pack are not monitored, patrolled, or maintained. Fixed mechanical means of ascent such as ski lift
Ski lift
The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...
s are typically not present, but helicopters ("heliskiing
Heliskiing
Heliskiing is off-trail, downhill skiing that is accessed by a helicopter, not a ski lift. Heliskiing is essentially about skiing in a natural—albeit highly selected—environment without the effort or gear compromise required for hiking into these areas as in ski touring or ski mountaineering.Most...
") are sometimes used to reach the mountain's peak. More recently, splitboards
Splitboard
A splitboard is a snowboard that can be separated into two parts. The two parts are used like skis with climbing skins to ascend slopes the same way alpine touring or telemark skis are used...
have gained popularity given snowboarders the range and versitility of alpine touring skis while retaining the freedom of a snowboard for the descent. Unlike using snow shoes to access backcountry, the rider does not need to carry a board during the ascent, and does not need to carry snow shoes on the decent.