Visualizing the backcountry as a Splitboarder takes a different perspective than a skier. Learning to splitboard and reading terrain has unique challenges — we’re here to minimize those challenges with helpful pointers on anticipating backcountry terrain and keeping the fun factor high.

For some, training zones and training plans and documenting those efforts as they prep for backcountry skiing is tedium. Yeah, it’ll get you fit, but the good doctor up in Anchorage (Alex Lee) takes his own fitness path to be better than average. And still, some who have followed him up the skintrack, yo-yoing all day, would say he’s way-way better than average too. Here’s his advice.

Here are 16 tips, count them up, to help those new to backcountry riding/touring and making important decisons, feel more at home in the mountains.

It’s not always the ski, but the skier: some backcountry ski self-improvement ideas for those are already thinking of next winter.

In-depth tutorial of steep skiing techniques including Doug Coomb’s “Folding Pole”, the Pedal Hop Turn and fundamental body positions.

As ski tourers, we pride ourselves in our ability to earn our turns. But regular chairlift rides can make that uphill fitness go a longer way on the down.