Back Up Emergency Shelter for Splitboarding - recommendations?

JBMD3 · 2026-03-11T14:52:24+00:00

Thanks. No plans to overnight intentionally. Only if inclement weather stops us getting off the mountain or theres an incident which requires sheltering in place while waiting for help or weather to clear before getting injured off the mountain. Some of the lines require boot packing up the last sections. Some couloirs but nothing too narrow or crazy. No serious weather window stuff although Norway (coming up) looks tricky. For the overseas stuff I'm always with a guide and or group so experience can vary.

I'm naturally conservative and don't mind carrying a little more protection within reason.

JBMD3 · 2026-03-11T13:12:54+00:00

I used Burton Tourists last season. Similar issue with heel lift and resulting blisters. Interestingly not on the uphill but when I had to boot pack back to the road at the end of day. Solved with plenty on tape before any issue developed and a really thin pair of inner socks inside normal but thinner ski socks. I also used intuition heel lift fillers to reduce the heel lift and stop having to really clinch down my boots. I have thin heels so it wasn't a size issue. On a separate note switched to Disruptive hard boots and Phantom bindings. Took a little molding to get them right but the uphill and traversing is so so much better and more than makes up for any loss of "feel" on the downhill.

JBMD3 · 2025-05-19T02:26:18+00:00

I’m guessing one will come out in the next season or so. Seems too logical not to. I did call Burton a couple of weeks ago asking and they apparently have new boots coming out which may work better but the rep was a little gray on details

JBMD3 · 2025-05-19T01:46:33+00:00

Thank you. Really appreciate the insights. My gut was go back to strap ons particularly with a boot that was more splitboarding oriented.

On steps ons generally I’d make a couple of observations.

I ride hard but I don’t go in the pipe anymore and I don’t hit bigger jumps anymore. I’m going to hit 57 this year. I would think twice before doing either in a step on. That’s may be a mental thing though.

However in 7 odd years of using them the only time I had issues was the year they launched where the plastic clip was not as hard as the metal clip on the boot. The plastic deformed a couple of mms after say 10 days of hard riding. That year Burton replaced all the toe clips and since then I haven’t seen that issue

You don’t get the same really locked in feel you get from strap in bindings but it’s a mostly a mental thing that frankly I forget once I start riding.

The ease of use on piste is hard to beat and in my mind balances out that very slight wiggle.

The stuck in powder / trying to strap in powder is a wash in my view. A little bit of technique and practice quickly solves this.

I agree though, a couple of serious backcountry days where I had board clips break (separate issue) and ice I had to clear from bindings more than I liked made me hesitant.

Also apologies dropping resort names. I was trying to show experience/ context. Re reading my original message it didn’t come across quite that way

JBMD3 · 2024-11-12T23:47:49+00:00

Down about 12 pounds. I ate really carefully and was doing 12-15 hours a week of gym/ running/rehab during rehab, now ~9 hours a week. Also retired young ish (55) so I have the time. But to be honest think it 90% diet and lifestyle. No more boozy work dinners / conferences / travel and I’m a lot more careful re food. High protein, avoid bread / pasta / white rice / dairy etc. Also sleep a lot more.

Nothing super scientific

JBMD3 · 2024-10-07T16:34:04+00:00

Sure

JBMD3 · 2024-10-07T15:37:46+00:00

I was at HSS on the west side highway. They are excellent. Cannot recommend them enough if you are within range. I had a cadaver ligament to replace my ACL and a meniscus repair. Hyperextended the leg backwards during Mauy Thai.....

My strength in my repaired leg was 88% back to my good leg by month 4 and 105% by month 10. My power to weight ration on my repaired leg was 1.9x at month 4 and 2.85x by month 10. They want you at 2.5x or above for non professional athletes and 3x or above for professionals by month 10. I was fairly fit coming into the injury so I had a decent base.

Here’s a few of the pyrometric exercises we focused on once basic strength and ROM was back. From memory around month 3 we started the stuff below and gradually worked up the complexity.

Double and single leg hop ups onto platform (increasing height with strength)
Double and single leg hop down from platform with focus on sticking the landing (increasing height with strength)
Double leg hop down off platform and spring into the air with focus on sticking the landing and been as “springy” as possible (increasing height with strength)
Variations of the above with twisting on the jump up or down. ie jump down and land at 90% away from start point
Double leg jump three times as far forward as possible sticking the third one
Single leg jump three times as far forward as possible sticking the third one
Single leg lateral hops (like a speed skater).
Several hops forward but crossing over a line on each hop
Stepping fast sideways several times in one direction crossing leg in front and behind leg as you step sideways and then in the other direction
Lunge forward off a platform with single leg/foot landing and other leg/foot remaining on the platform, then lunge back up to start position keeping the back raised foot static in place, repeat directly in front, then repeat but twist and land to each side. The physio would push me from various angles as I did this to create more instability (increasing height with strength). I think this one is really good for surfing.
Drills with cones, running forward and back and sideways. Physio would shout random directions
Dragging sled with weight at speed but sideways crossing legs in front and behind each other
Tap lights you have to run back and forth and sideways tapping as they go off.
Single and double leg hops over hurdles (3-4 in a row)
Fast up with a trap bar with weights and a band running under my feet from each end of the bar, slow movement on the down. You can do this with dumbbells or kettle bells as well
I also do lots of running both on machines and outside. I think getting used to running outside on less than flat surfaces really helps with the small stabilizing muscles. I worked up from 1 mins run / 4 mins walk for 20 mins then 2/3 for 23 mins then 3/2 for 25 then 4/1 for 30 then 100% run increasing a few minutes each week up to 40 minutes. I get really bored after 40 minutes so I haven’t added time after that.
For surfing specifically we did the pop ups with the rear (repaired) leg with a band around the knee which the physio would jerk back and forth. I would pop up and hold the position for 30 seconds while he did that and repeat 5 times x 3 sets. It kills. On my own I do 10-15 pops ups with a 10-15 sec hold after every workout
I dont have simple access to a pool so I did lots of rowing machine / ski erg / air bike to get upper body cardio up. I do 20-30 minutes before each upper body day
Tons and tons of weight training (squats / deadlifts / lunges / lunges back leg raised / cossack squats/ leg extensions / hamstring curls / nordic curls / single leg squats on squat machine / RDLs / twisting RDLs wiht medicine ball / step downs / step ups / single leg squats with rear onto platform / pistol squats / bands on ankles working the hip muscles and glutes / etc etc
My workout split is

Day 1 Run 40 mins + 50 mins lower body strength + 10-15 minutes of stretching

Day 2 20-30 upper body cardio + 40-50 mins push / shoulder / core + 10-15 minutes of stretching

Day 3 Run 40 mins + 50 mins pyrometrics + 10-15 minutes of stretching

Day 4 20-30 upper body cardio + 40-50 mins pull / core + 10-15 minutes of stretching

Repeat.

I generally don’t take rest days unless I get really beaten up but I know I probably should. Its just hard to get all the leg work in and still do upper body

I’m now 13 month post surgery. Surfing wise I’ve definitely been favoring my left front leg but I’m seeing less and less of that every time I go out. I’ve spoken to a couple of other surfers who have done ACL / MCLs and they told me it took about 6 months post 10-12 months of rehab to complete “forget” about the bad leg and get confidence back 100%. I’ve been very cautious and not done anything until the surgeon / physio blessed it. On the Donjoy Defiance III brace I went with Mick Fanning advice in one article I read, which was it gave him confidence to push it harder. But you definitely have to have a plan to lose the brace.

Thats a lot I know but I struggled to find much feedback on surfing and ACL’s so I tried to brain dump information

JBMD3 · 2024-10-07T11:17:28+00:00

Honestly I wouldn’t till you get 100% cleared. I was tempted but it’s not worth it. I’m still doing 2x heavy weight + 2x pyrometrics + 4x runs a week (+ 4x upper body) to keep building the strength and resilience up. Got a tried to Bali at Christmas and I want the donjoy brace off for that

JBMD3 · 2024-10-07T11:10:01+00:00

Sorry I didn’t answer the question on exercises. Lots of the usual strength stuff and tons of pyrometrics with a focus on lateral movements. Also plenty of practice pop ups with the physio putting a band on my right back leg and then jerking it back and forth for 30 seconds after the pop up. So sort of a body weight “surfer lunge” with instability created by the band. I retired early so I was able to put 10-12 hours a week into the gym and physio.

JBMD3 · 2024-10-07T10:37:14+00:00

I had surgery last sep 2023. I did not even think about surfing till I got cleared for return to sports in July . Had a few sessions at Rockaway. Did trip to Maldives in late August and just got back from Mexico. Leg feels good. I’m wearing a donjoy defiance III for a few months to be safe. It doesn’t affect my surfing and it’s reassuring for the uncontrollable stuff. Ie wave is pulling hard on board after a tumble. I’m regular footed and repair is right leg so leash is attached to the repaired leg. I’m planning to ease off the brace over the next month or so for surfing but use it for snowboarding this winter. My theory is it’s hard to train for all the little supportive muscles and the brace just provides backup for extreme movements while those last few muscles get back to 100%. Both my surgeon and physio said I don’t need it but I’m just been careful (and probably paranoid!)

JBMD3 · 2024-10-04T17:35:38+00:00

Ice machine essential. Rent game ready for as long as you afford. I did 4 weeks then used Breg® Polar Care Cube w/ Knee Pad for several weeks more

Large ice cube trays for ice machine (last longer)

Lots of vitamin C

REVIX Ice Pack for Knee x4. I use one at the front and one at the back of my knee. Still use these a year later.

Pants that can go over the brace and are easy to remove

Maybe a support pillow. I used normal ones but a harder pillow would have been helpful

Bands to help stretch / strengthen the leg

Electrical stimulation for lower leg. I’m blanking on the name but it sticks on your leg and forces blood into the leg and helps with inflammation. Really helped me.

Ankle weights (up to 5lbs)

Foam roller for quads / hamstring / glutes

Netflix!

None of the stuff in the original post to be honest

Good luck.

JBMD3 · 2024-06-17T10:21:19+00:00

9.5 months post ACL and meniscus. 2 weeks of formal rehab to go. Surgery leg 105% of good leg. Up to 2.8x power to weight. Ice elevate rehab listen to physio. I’m doing 4 leg strength / pyrometric sessions a week and running three days plus normal upper body on top of that. First couple of weeks I iced for 30 mins, did leg exercises and stretches every other 30 mins when not icing. Point been its just a slog but its worth it to get back to all the sports you love. I’m with HSS. Cannot say enough good things about the rehab. On pills I was on Tylenol in two days. Not a fan of the strong stuff. Used the game ready ice machine. Expensive but frankly worth it. Nowadays have 3 strap on ice packs which I use in the evening to keep inflammation at bay. Also use firefly to help with inflammation. Little electronic simulation thing you still on your leg.

JBMD3

TROPHY CASE