Guided Split Boarding the Sierra Nevada
For Snowboarders, now there is a great way to enjoy backcountry touring in the winter mountains! In the Sierra Nevada
we have an ideal area to split-board. With no glaciers to worry about, good snowsure conditions, and great weather
from December to May, the Sierra Nevada is one of Europe's best areas to learn the basics of travelling through the high mountains on a splitboard.
What is it?
For those of you that have never heard of a splitboard before, it is essentially a snowboard that splits into skis for ascents with the use of climbing skins and is reformed back into a Snowboard for descents.It gives the snowboarder the ability to tour without the need of ascent skis or snow shoes in deep powder conditions
"Splitboards have been around for quite a while, but they've generally ridden terribly until the last few seasons. Not anymore. Now that technology has caught up with demand we've seen exponential growth in splitboarding over the last few years. Maybe this is because lift ticket prices are absurdly high, or perhaps because splitboarding is the most affordable and environmentally friendly way to access limitless untracked terrain. Whatever the reason, there's no denying that more people are riding splitters than ever before."
Split Board Touring
During the holiday we aim to develop the riders off piste technique whilst introducing the element of touring skills, route finding, mountain safety avalanche awareness and winter camping skills.
Tours can vary in length are available using hut to hut based accommodation or as a mix of hut and tent. Your individual requirements can be catered for.
Your Guides
The Guides are husband and wife team Warwick and Julia Pickering.
Warwick worked for many seasons in the French Alps developing his ski mountaineering ability before crossing the sport with Julia's love of snowboarding.
Julia is qualified outdoor professional as well as a snowboard mountaineer and sponsored athlete.
They have both previously worked as arctic snowmobile guides and have recently returned from a successful venture into the remote mountains of East Greenland accomplishing many spectacular first ascents and descents.
Examples of tours available here
- Las Alegas and Tajos de los Machos (3085m) from Loma del Puntal
- Veleta (3398m) from Pradollano
- Chullo (2608m) from Puerto de la Ragua
- Morron Sanjuanero (2610m) from Puerto de la Ragua
- The Cartujo (3152m) from the ski centre
Examples of multi-day trips:
- Mulhacen (3481m) via the Poqueira Hut
- Puerto de la Ragua to Trevelez. Traverse.
- Traversing the Sierra Nevada from Pradollano to Caballo
Latest reports
Inspiring the Adventure » Ski Mountaineering
Inspirations for your own Sierra Nevada, Spanish or Patagonian Mountain Adventure!
Spanish Highs joins Berghaus team to make ski descents in Kamchatka
During April 2013, members of the Spanish Highs team joined a Berghaus sponsored expedition led Berghaus athlete, Julia Pickering, attempting to make the first ski and snowboard climb and descent of the highest active volcano in Kamchatka, Klyutchevskoy Sopka (4750m).
Richard Hartley and Ki...
Skijoring in Spain or backcountry skiing with an excitable husky!
Nothing beats ski touring up and down a mountain (skijoring) with man's best friend, in my case our husky, named "Khumbu"! Spain's Sierra Nevada mountains offer many opportunities for backcountry skiing with or without our four legged friends.
The mountain side above Puente Palo looked bare. ...
Were we the first skiers ever to ski this Sierra Nevada valley?
Snow affected access tracks meant we only had a thin ribbon of snow in the gully to ascend and descend the mountain but it turned out to be a superb ski tour in wild and quiet surroundings in a little known area of the Sierra Nevada. Not sure it has ever been skied before either?
Our original...
A day combining ski touring and easy mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada
It sounded good on paper. Approach using skis, climb some simple gullies and then ski out again. But a blocked road meant a longer ski in. Combined with the additional weight for mountaineering kit gave a very long hard day in the Sierra Nevada.
We are always on the look out to do something d...
Ski touring and mountaineering into an icy cold, bitter wind!
A report from Jens Foell of a 3 day combined ski tour and mountaineering route in the Sierra Nevada combating very cold and icy conditions, knife edge ridges and finishing in the dark.
Jens continues.................
"This year we had a big drop in temperature here in the Sierra Nevada at th...
