Wed, 02/24/2010 - 1:39pmKnow your backcountry snowboard

Backcountry; it’s totally, like, about the feeling...

This is where it all began, way back in the 70s. One man, a plank of wood and backcountry powder field. No lifts, no queues, no bindings, no proper boots. Obviously, things have progressed a fair amount since then (Burton No Fish aside), with technology being thrown in all over the shop.

This tech has served the purpose of making it even easier for the less proficient riders out there to catch hold of that floating feeling as your deck begins to plane on the surface of the powder. It's like surfing without the lifetime learning cycle...

It’s this feeling that set snowboarding apart in the beginning and to this day it’s something skiers crave. Go and ask any skiers that have turned to the ‘dark side’ for any length of time and they will tell you powder riding is infinitely better on a snowboard.

You probably wouldn’t want one of these to be your only board (unless you were planning on living in a log cabin in the wilds of BC) but hell, we can all dream. And they just look so damned good.
 

Backcountry DNA

Shape

Directional with a long nose to promote pow lift and reduce back-leg burn. Pintail/fish shapes with wider noses and narrower tails do the same job, lifting the nose whilst letting the tail sink a little. Swallowtails are the most extreme shape with amazing lift in the pow, in part due to sinking at the tail. And they throw amazing rooster tails.
 

 

Sidecut radius

Long for control at speed is always good, although in the deep stuff it won’t make a huge difference as you won’t be using your edges to turn.
 

Length and waist width

Long and wide for float. Generally a few centimetres longer than your regular deck. Fish shapes are different, designed to be ridden a few cm shorter than usual for manoeuvrability, with the fish shape creating lift.
 

Camber

Reverse is most useful here, boosting pow float if you have Long for control at speed is always good, although in the deep stuff it won’t make a huge difference as you won’t be using Long and wide for float. Generally a few centimetres longer than your regular deck.

Fish shapes are different, designed to be ridden a few cm shorter than usual for manoeuvrability.
 

Flex rating

Can often be a bit softer for playfulness, although stiffness will obviously help at speed and on the piste. Reverse is most useful here, boosting pow float if you have to.
 

Topsheet

We’d suggest Tri or Quad here. Generally speaking pow boards can be quite pricey and will have more tech in them to ramp up the quality of the ride.

Being from the soul-riding side of the tracks means that there is often a fair amount of eco-friendliness bundled in too bamboo etc.
 

 

Base

Again, pricey means techy. Anything that keeps you running fast and free. Sintered bases are pretty much a must nano-molecular stuff is better. Anything to hold the longer.
 

But what is backcountry riding?

Surfing la neige! 

 

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Related stories:

Snowboards

• An intro to buying a snowboard
• Jib snowboards
• Freestyle snowboards
• All mountain snowboards
• Freeride snowboards
• Backcountry snowboards
• The shape
• The topsheet
• The base
• The sidewall

Boots

• Buying a set of boots

Bindings

• Buying bindings

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