Using PMB's for snowboarding/splitboarding

As I've mentioned in another thread awhile back, take a thick soccer knee pad and then put it on just over your ankle. Rotate the pad around so that the thick pad faces the binding. The binding won't dig into the back of your leg.

Like MW88888888, I wore La Sportiva's (Pacific Crest) for a while and now use a similiar pair of Merrells. I should note that this is a spring/summer set up for me. For solid snow conditions, I'll probably still slog up in snowboard boots..

Regarding the boot problem:

First I want to party with the guy who’s riding in tenny-shoes. I bet a months pay he is a party animal.

Lee Harvey is that you?

Riders have gone through a lot of boots over the years to get it right. Quite frankly you should blame the snowboard industry for ignoring you as a backcountry rider in need of a solution other than crampons for snowboard boots.

Plastic mountaineering boots rock! And lets face it this time of year it can be icy and tough out there. Firmness is goooooood. They work really well with the higher-end Ride series bindings because of the strapping system. I rode that way for years. I bet Flows are comfy too.

But, the real answer is AT ski boots and plate bindings. The system strips weight from your back and puts a great style of boot on your foot. Second Ascent in Seattle usually has tons of boots on the cheap to choose from, and plates can be found on the web for cheap or pricy people.

The other advantage for this is you’ll already have the boots for a splitboard with plate bindings when you want to start touring with your friends who still ski.

I have been backcountry snowboarding in Washington since somewhere around 1988 or so and have tried many different combinations of boots and bindings in many types of conditions.  There is definitely a lot of rider preference as you have seen from others' comments.

I learned to snowboard in Sorels, and since then have used many different set-ups (leather mountaineering boots, all sorts of snowboard boots, hard boots, plastic mountaineering boots, telemark boots, at boots, etc.)

I can't quite remember when I first used a split snowboard, but it was before Voile started making them.....it's been a while anyway.

I have tried many different set-ups over the years with different splitboards.  I definitely seem to prefer plate bindings on the splitboards.  I currently am using my plastic mountaineering boots most of the time.  Soft AT boots can also work well.  I am considering adding an instep buckle onto a pair of my plastic mountaineering boots.....this seems like it might work the best for me.  I have also broken a number of snowboard bindings over the years, including a number of plate bindings......so beware, and be prepared to deal with it if it happens out there.

I will admit that I have kind of fallen for Telemark skiing the last number of years because of the freedom, feel, and versatility.....but I still like to rip it on a board, and I appreciate all of the backcountry skiing sports.

I work at Marmot Mountain Works in Bellevue, and you can always get in touch with me there if you want any other input.

- David

p.s.  I have never snowboarded with my tennis shoes, but if I saw someone partying in them then I would consider giving it a try......

Thanks for all the good posts and information.  It's nice to hear what other people out there are using.  I've been riding in soft boots for ~10 years or so, and have been using them in the backcountry as well - they're very comfortable.  The main gripe (other than I can't crampon or kick steps very well) is that they aren't made for the abuse of the backcountry (talus, dirt trails, rocks and ice, etc.) and start to deteriorate after several trips.

I'm getting a splitboard this winter, so it looks like I've got some experimenting to do with that setup.  There's a good article in "Coulior" that just arrived today about this topic.  Looking at other threads and doing some research, it looks like it's about equal with people preferring AT Boots to mountaineering boots.  It'll be interesting to see which ones work better for skinning, as I haven't done that before.  I'm assuming AT boots will work better for skinning, but maybe not so for the ride down..........but, such are the dilemas of the backcountry boarder.  It'll be fun testing the different setups to see which works best.  By the way, I wonder why there isn't a snowboard company that's caught on yet and is making a backcountry mountaineering snowboard boot ???