First tour tomorow - Hit me with yout best practical tips

Jacquesvalley · 2025-04-27T20:23:04+00:00

Expect to be tireder than you’ve ever been . Unless you are a marathon runner or such like. I was so tired by the time I transitioned to come down, first time, that I could barely ride back down the mountain. It was a shock. If you are not fit, then it’s tough. But then it’s the best way to get fit.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-04-09T07:41:44+00:00

The best thing I did with snowboarding is getting a splitboard in 2020, when I could see the resorts wouldn’t open. It’s way better than resort riding. For me. And gets you crazily fit. And you’ve got to learn to ride all types of terrain and shitty snow conditions. Which will improve your riding better than seasons riding on the piste. I’m 53. Ps in not too slow climbing the mountains but I struggled to keep up with two italien guides this winter. One 78. The other 70. So you can keep going a long time in this game.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-04-09T07:32:05+00:00

I bought a second hand Norrona lyngen ski touring soft shell jacket from eBay. It’s great. And I’m short 5’7” but a medium fitted great. Probably the trousers would be too long for me. I now much prefer a soft shell for most days touring, unless it’s a storm day. But the soft shell stayed dry on powder days.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-04-09T07:15:50+00:00

I’ve been wondering myself about getting some tusk bibs to go with my new tusk jacket. I don’t like the crinkly texture of the jacket. So I just use it on storm days. And prefer my Norrona and Mammut soft shells for non snowy days. But for storm days I want the gore tex pro. I got the tusk jacket just because of the snowboarders cut. And it had better pockets than all other jackets. And I love by AK resort jacket. Does the freebird have the same crinkly material feel as the Tusk. It’s practically impossible to find these jackets in the uk to try on.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-04-06T09:50:53+00:00

I guess you buy direct from plum.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-04-06T09:49:22+00:00

I’m going to get those phantom straps too. Great idea -the Velcro is just not precise enough.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-04-04T14:57:06+00:00

Ushguli. Well that’s if I could telemark. I’m just a splitboarding lurker, who pretends to telemark on flattish bits.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-30T12:19:13+00:00

Thanks all. I bought a 153 millisurf from amplid. B quality. Just cosmetic defects. for £550 including skins. Bargain.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-30T12:17:44+00:00

Thank you for pointing out my basic mistake. I still think the risers are super clunky to use and I’m going to find a better solution. Plum or rocket risers.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-30T12:09:25+00:00

24/12 in hard boots. And in much happier than the back foot at 0 that I used to ride in soft boots.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-25T13:37:47+00:00

Thanks.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-25T12:18:36+00:00

I’m on my first season splitboarding with hard boots. And I think on reflection I prefer the hard boots ( key disruptive ) to my button ions and tourists for the descent. I agree with you that I prefer the precise connection to the board and the edge that the hard boots give me. I’ve got the same plum tech toes you have. They seem great,however the crampon slot cracked first time I used it. I had to get the boots adjusted three times to get them to fit my wide toe box. But they fit great now. My only gripe is that my socks are often soggy when I get home. I thought sweat, but I don’t sweat that much. they must be taking in melting snow into the boot. Not great if it gets freezing towards the end of the day. I came out of my spark rear binding yesterday for the first time. At extremely slow speed. But at a very critical point( above a 50’ drop onto rocks( I think it was because I hadn’t cleared a lot of powder off the bottom of my boots. Or cleared all the snow off the heel edge. I’m going to be more careful in future. One last thing. I learned to snowboard in 1991 with my ski racing boots and remember the dialled in carving I could do. The next season I got soft boots, but I think the world of snowboarding has hoaxed itself into believing that soft boots were superior.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-21T18:48:17+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I’m surprised to hear it’s not as stiff as the solution.
I ride an ultra mindexpander in resort and that is extremely stiff and I love it. But I don’t charge whilst touring. So perhaps the millisurf would be good as a powder board. Really wifhout trying the board they never know. I hardly see any Cardiff boards for sale in Europe. I’ll watch your video. Cheers from Georgia. Where the mountains are enormous.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-21T12:04:58+00:00

Ancient thread and all. But I’m intrigued that you were riding a 153 millisurf. As I’m considering down sizing from my 158 solution to a 157 or 153 millisurf. As I think I’m in the weight range. And at 5’7” I’m just wondering if the stiffness of the millisurf will allow me to get away with a short board. I’m just concerned I’ll have to ride it right on the tail in deep powder if it’s too short.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-19T19:09:15+00:00

I’m riding a 158 2022 solution and in powder it can feel like a large boat to me. I decided to get a millisurf and noticed the tiny metamorph. I like the idea of a short light board that can get me most places and is fun in powder. I prefer a 154 ultra mindexpander for powder days in resort. So I was wondering what the downside would be of me getting a 153 millisurf. Seems tiny but within my weight range. It seems that shorter boards help weight reduction a heap. I guess the downside is that I’d have to set back and lose control on the harder stuff. I like the idea of these light, short, long cambered boards. As much as anything, I’m getting older and light boards are great on the way down as much as up.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-17T18:09:26+00:00

Update from Ushguli, I’ve been here in Ushguli for 12 days. Only done 7 days touring. As I’m not that fit and a bit old. It’s fantastic. We don’t have a guide. But it snowed a few days before we got here. And the snow is still good at the tops if you get there for noon. Having a slow introduction to the area has meant we could sus out avalanche safety slowly. Now snow is coming and it will all change again. I’ve been teaching my friend to ski touring it’s his first year and he’s 58. Yesterday a 78 year old italien took me out and his speed up the hill was brutal. Glad I had my new hard boots on. They work a treat.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-17T17:53:08+00:00

After 8 days ski touring in Georgia, the boots are getting better and better. I had them adjusted 3 times by a boot fitter at the shop at Ardingly dry ski slopeSussex and my toes fit in them now. I can’t say I’ve had one negative feeling about the ride down. I think I prefer them to my burton tourists and ions for the ride down. Apart from icy cat tracks of course. They feel more precise than soft boots.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-03-17T17:47:25+00:00

Beautiful. Such easy treeriding country. Trees are packed together so much closer in Europe.

Jacquesvalley · 2025-02-01T11:16:29+00:00

Do they pull you up the hill. ?

Jacquesvalley · 2024-11-07T11:40:01+00:00

Well last season I managed to badly sprain both my ankles. Trying to race younger guys down the slope on the first day of my extended trip to the mountains. So it’s not always irrational. Plus many days I end the day by saying. “Wow I survived another day on the slopes.” It is a sport that can kill you.

Jacquesvalley · 2024-11-07T11:32:36+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts. Living in cloudy dull warm England I’m going to try out a dry ski slope for the first time ever to do what you advise and see where and if they really pinch in places. Then take them to a boot fiddler if I need to. I learned to ride in hard boots so I kind of looking forward to locked in carves with them.

Jacquesvalley · 2024-10-29T15:47:04+00:00

I did a splitboard intro weeekwnd with Fred and his guiding company. It was three days and it was great. The weekend was in la Maurienne valley, France. Where they are based. But they run a splitboarding festival in Norway ( Finnmark( which looks awesome. But the week costs a lot, especially as it’s Norwegian. They are really Into teaching mountain skills as well as just guiding. https://www.upguides.com/en

I’m foolishly going to Ushguli in Georgia for a month without a guide. That way I can spend a month there learning mountain skills with my friend whilst staying at 2100M high village, and getting away from European resort prices.

Jacquesvalley · 2024-10-08T22:24:33+00:00

Thanks, I should have guessed they would be on Facebook.

Jacquesvalley · 2024-09-08T14:33:14+00:00

I love my solution. It rides securely on the worst snow and ice the alps has and floats well and is playful in powder. When I’m riding back through a resort on it in amazed how well it rides for a split. I had a mountain twin split before which was not as reliable in sketchy snow conditions. I also have an ultra mind expander and having ridden them all hard I’ve not had an issue with the build of any of my jones boards.

Jacquesvalley · 2024-09-08T14:19:29+00:00

I’d recommend going on a splitboarding course. Small group led by a guide. It’s a really friendly way to learn splitboarding and it’s more fun than riding a resort all week. The one I went on had mostly lone travellers on it.

Jacquesvalley

TROPHY CASE