ARCTIC BOATS FOR SPLITBOARDERS
‘Ski and Sail’ trips have been a popular choice with the clued-up arctic ski-tour brigade for years, now they are starting to show on the general radar of many backcountry enthusiasts who are looking for good snow and solitude now that many of the land-based arctic zones are becoming increasingly saturated.
Boats are arguably one of the best ways to travel in the arctic as they are the key to accessing remote islands and finding pristine summit-to-sea descents in quiet spots. The experience of being on a boat sailing through the mesmerising arctic fjords makes these trips special enough without splitboarding. If you combine that with dream snowboarding potential it then becomes a very hard act to beat.
So, boats are officially cool and seem to be on the way to ‘must-do’ trip status. There are many boats out there in the arctic fleet to choose from so why would our trips be different from nearly all of the rest Ski and Sail ones?
It’s because of what we have on our feet..
99% of arctic boat trip providers aim and cater for the ski-tour market, as that is where 95% of the business is for them and, as a result, the guides are nearly always on skis because the groups they’re leading will mainly be skiers.
Splitboarders are allowed on these trips of course but the touring focus is always going to be a ski-centric one. This is great if you like a sometimes steep and narrow skintrack, an icy, side hill traverse or two and feeling obliged into making a 90 second equipment transition at the top.
If you’ve had to fight your way up the mountain, following a motivated group, you’ll get more tired than them as touring skis are faster and lighter, that’s a fact. You then have to make peace with the prospect that the descent and its exit routes will also favour the skier so there could be long old flat section to pole across at some point.
It’d probably still be a fun trip, but how could we make it better for you?
Our offering is fairly niche, our focus is splitboarding so our guiding is always going to be better for a splitboarder. Following a UIAGM/IFMGA splitboard guide eliminates skintrack stress and elevates the overall arctic touring experience as the routes up are always going to be optimised for splitboards. The pace is set to complement the limitations of the equipment and the transitions (although we still like them to be timely) aren’t going to be sweaty, stressful ones!
On the way down we’ll ride much longer pitches in powder than you normally would if your guided group was ski-tour heavy. Snowboards win in powder, another fact.
We’re told by clients who’ve only been on mixed group trips before how much more comfortable the touring is with a pure splitboard crew. Casting no shade to the skiers, it’s just a different vibe and on that basis, we believe we could be the sensible, better choice for any splitboarder who doesn’t like wearing hardboots and pushing their VO2 max.
Welcome to Split and Sail, our new take on an old proposition
Join a splitboard boat trip and become a part of a small crew that are always on the same well-paced touring page and experience the difference. It could well be the perfect option for any splitboarder looking to explore the arctic, by boat.
Check out our upcoming trips to:
