Step foot outside the limiting boundaries of the ski resort and into the backcountry on your splitboard. Equip yourself with cutting edge tools and techniques for backcountry splitboard mountaineering. Specific to your craft, this MTN Sense course will bring beginners and intermediate riders up to speed with equipment, touring technique, style, and transitions. Expert riders will enjoy the technical sections. Learn how to use minimal gear to belay steep entrances, travel on glaciers, and create snow anchors with anything. Certified Ski Guides Adam Zok, Joey Vosburgh are amazing teachers, and you will love their style. Mark Smiley, an esteemed backcountry ski guide and the course instructor at MTN Sense, dives deep with the technical components that have ski and snowboard crossover. Scroll down to review the topics covered. The goal is for you to walk away from the course with more competence-driven confidence in the backcountry.
MTN Sense offers no subscriptions, no time limits, and avalanche certification. Reference this course forever.
Complete this course at your pace.
Consider this course your splitboarding cheat code.
Beacon Check with Group Check
Setting An Amazing Uptrack
Kick Turns
Proper Skinning Postion
Side Hilling Tips
When Your Skins Ice Up
Booting Up
Help! I've Fallen and I can't get up
10 Commandments For Backcountry Touring
Up to Down Transition
Steep Transitions
Seeing Your Line
Islands of Safety
Pivot On A Dime
Steep Riding
Poles: Keep Them Active
Leapfrog Traversing
Split Skiing
Down to Up Transition
9 Avoidable Rookie Mistakes
Pick Pick Kick Kick.....without Pumping Out
Introduction
Layers - Avoid Being A Sweaty Frozen Mess
Ice Axe - This One Is Just Right
Rescue Supplies - When the Caca Hits The Fan
Repair Kit - Size Up & Size Down
Food & Water While Touring
Backpack Recommendations
What's In My Pack
Board Styles
Hard Boots or Soft Boots
Bindings
Climbing Skins - Tips to Keep You Gliding
Spark Binding Quick Review
Ski Crampons - 4 Wheel Low
Boot Crampons
Waxing Your Board Like A Champ
Different Rope Options
Belayed Climbing
Belayed Ski Cut
Rappelling With Super Duper Thin Cords
Ridge Line Entrances: Assessing Cornices
Belaying: Checking Cornices
Intro To Anchors
Snow Anchors With Every(any)thing
Pitons - Learning The Lost Art
Evaluating Exisiting Anchors
Trees - God's Gift To Anchors
V Thread: The Boss Daddy Of Cold Anchors
2nd Piece Buy Offer
Introduction
Glaciers - Riding Downhill & Up
Crevasses - Hauling Out Your Hide
Pitching A Strong Tent
Snow Trench Bivy
Ninja Navigation with Your Smartphone
What's Next
Trans Alps Documentary
Right now. Your pace. Yours forever.
Forever - across any devices you own.
No- but this will help a bunch in that direction. Hands on experiences, making mistakes, and getting direct feedback are required to become an expert.
This course is specific for splitboarders. There are some shared lessons, like the rappelling skills, anchor skills and expedition skills.
Mark Smiley's passion for adventure has taken him on 30+ expeditions on five continents. He and his wife, Janelle, are the only people that have attempted to climb all 50 Classic Climbs of North America (48 successfully). He was part of a team to set a world record skiing across the entire Alps Mountain Range (1100 miles and 292,000 vertical feet) in a mere 36 days.
His avalanche safety training style is fun, mellow, and easy to understand. As an IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide, Mark Smiley is among the world's elite guides to have reached this status. More important than this certification is his candid style of conveying the best avalanche skills training techniques that will benefit you the most.
Victor Caldua was a friend and mountain guide and father who died in an avalanche while climbing Alpamayo, Peru. He left behind a wonderful wife, Alicia, and two amazing and talented daughters, Vanessa and Estefani. 10% of the profit from this course will be gifted to Victor's family for their education expenses. Vanesse wants to be an engineer and Estefani wants to be a mountain guide.
Sept 1, 2023 Update: $10,000+ sent to Victor's family, to help with school expenses. We are committed to supporting their needs indefinitely. As more people enroll, his kids' education prospects increase.