When the Mountains Were Wild
Check out Karakoram Ambassador Mitch Toelderer's award winning splitboard film "When the Mountains Where Wild." WHEN THE MOUNTAINS WERE WILD - A freeride journey to the Albanian Alps from Whiteroom Productions on Vimeo.
Neil McNab – Guiding in Chamonix
Karakoram Guide Ambassador Neil McNab shows us the ropes in Chamonix.
Miikka Hast – Splitboard Gear Guide
New to splitboarding? Miikka Hast breaks down all the splitboard gear you need and how to use it in this second episode of Discover Splitboarding. [video_responsive][/video_responsive]
Why Go Splitboarding?
Miikka Hast has put together a splitboard video series with Epic TV. Check out the first episode, Why Go Splitboarding:
Splitboard Touring Just Got More Powerful With The Flex-Lock
Flex-Lock: Ride Like a Soft Booter. Tour Like a Hard Booter. Imagine touring up a hard packed skin track on your splitboard: your legs are on fire as you spit and fight with every ounce of strength and focus just to keep your edges griped to the slope. You’re trying to keep your cool so your buddy on AT gear, who’s effortlessly dancing up the path, doesn’t notice your struggle. Your downhill leg is contorted and awkwardly twisted inward as you desperately try to keep your edges from rolling down hill and breaking free from the firm snow. You even
Splitboarding BC and Alberta by Van
Words: Kyle Hansen Photos: Kyle Hansen and Brandon Huttenlocher I’m guessing you’ve heard this before: this past winter was terrible. Most winters, I expect to be able to go snowboarding or splitboarding at Snoqualmie Pass every single day. It’s pretty much what I’ve scheduled my life around since high school. This winter, warm weather left us skunked: we were looking at grass on cat tracks in January. So when March rolled around, long after all the Northwest ski hills shut down, I took a five-week sabbatical to spend some time in a van with a couple good friends (Jay Hergert and
Getting Rowdy on Mt. Adams with Karakoram
Words, Photos and Video by Paul Stanley With the incredible stretch of warm, dry weather we've been having here in the Pacific Northwest, the volcano shredding has been firing in recent weeks. In our last blogpost we highlighted three volcanoes we went splitboarding on lately. One of them being Mt. Adams (12,280'/3,743 m). The trip we had on Mt. Adams was one worth talking a little more about. Mike, Russman and myself (Paul) made the climb up Mt. Adams with our friends Theresa, Adam and Saign. Our goal was not exactly to just climb the volcano, but also to go get
1 Week, Splitboarding 3 Major Volcanoes!
Okay, so maybe it was more like 7.5 days, but who's counting! Either way, we're stoked to splitboard and climb 3 major volcanoes within the Cascade Range here in such a short amount of time. Russell 'Russman' Cunningham and myself (Paul Stanley) were able to successfully and safely climb and ride all 3 peaks during the week; Mt. Baker, Mt. Shasta, and Mt. Adams. Each trip we we're joined by various friends and we couldn't have been more stoked to have them come along! First up was Mt. Baker. Sitting at 10,781 ft (3,286 m), Mt. Baker is one of the snowiest
Prime Splitboard Binding Change-Over Video
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Snowboarding and Splitboarding in Switzerland
In February we were wrapping up the long trade show season. As usual our feet hurt from standing in convention centers and talking to people all day long. Talking about splitboarding is great and all, but after two straight weeks, you kind of go stir crazy. We couldn't wait to get out into the Alps to refresh our spirits. After ISPO Munich Tyler and I decided to check out Klosters Switzerland since it's a great name. At ISPO we meet downhill skateboarder Patrick Switzer who live near Klosters. Patrick likes snowboarding and we like snowboarding, so we decided to shred some powder together.
The 2015 Mt. Baker Splitfest: It happened!
Yes! Despite the lack of snow this winter we we're still able to make the Mt. Baker Splitboard Festival happen. The lack of snow more so exists at the lower elevations of our mountains but up higher the snowpack is hanging in there. One of the concepts of a splitboard anyway is to get up higher, so there was no reason not to hold the event! Bryce making his way down a fun little ramp. Photo: Paul Stanley On day 1, we had enough time beforehand to go for a quick ride in some interesting and somewhat dangerous
Making the Most of a Dismal Winter
There is no question the entire Western half of the U.S. is having a rough Winter. Here in Washington State, splitboarding and ski touring at lower elevations has been a struggle and our ski areas are barely open if they aren't already closed. The Summit at Snoqualmie and now Mt. Baker, two major ski areas in our region are both closed until there is more snow, IF there is more snow. Weather forecasts don't look too promising unfortunately. Our mountains haven't seen any serious snowfall at lower elevations (below 6-7000 feet) since the end of December. Not only that, but heavy rains
Cat Boardin’ in Colorado With Weston Snowboards
We recently took a trip down to Colorado, not only for the SIA Tradeshow, but to get some snowboarding in as well. Since our winter has been so rough here in Washington State, it sure was nice to extend our stay and see how conditions were in the Rockies. Sure enough, the Rockies did not disappoint! First, we had to take care of some business in Denver for a few days. Here's Kyle "Handsome" looking like his usual handsome self in our booth at the 2015 SIA tradeshow. Before heading back home we linked up with our friends
Nipple Deep Webseries: Splitboarding Alaska
Looks like our friends from True Color films had a good time camping out in Alaska. In this Nipple Deep RedBull webisode check out Stephan Maurer, Lisa Filzmoser, David Bertschinger Karg, Nicholas Wolken and Alvaro Vogel splitboarding and shredding. http://www.redbull.com/en/snow/stories/1331689222716/nipple-deep-chapter-1-ak-camp-out
Limited Edition Higher PRIME System
Karakoram, in collaboration with Teton Gravity Research, is proud to announce the release of the “Higher” Limited Edition PRIME splitboard bindings. The “Higher” bindings are to mark and celebrate the final chapter in Jeremy Jones’ Deeper, Further, Higher trilogy and will all be offered using Karakoram’s new groundbreaking PRIME Interface platform, which cuts change-over time down to less than two minutes.
Innovation Forever. Developing the PRIME Splitboard System
Mechanical design is funny process sometimes. You have an idea. You get stuck. You put the idea away for awhile until inspiration strikes again. You eventually come up with a solution. I've noticed another trend that has happened with our first release of the Split30 Splitboard System and now the PRIME Splitboard System, both designs stem from earlier designs we came up with. There was just an element we could not quite figure out with the initial designs so we went down a slightly different path. The end solution has always circled back to the initial design, sometimes it just
Xavier de le Rue Interview
Russell had a chance to catch up with one of snowboarding's leaders in backcountry exploration, Xavier de le Rue. Here's their conversation: Xavier, what an honor it is to be talking with you! Your riding is downright innovative and inspiring. You have defined a whole new discipline within snowboarding itself: Fast, fluid, technical and explosive descents on large-scale mountaineering lines. What role would you say the splitboard has played in your creativity as a snowboarder? I think that having the option of accessing everything in the mounatins I want is a priceless opportunity that would never be possible without a
Karakoram Dreamlines 2nd Place Video
Second Place in the Karakoram Dreamlines Video contest goes to Simon Feigl. He has a slightly different take on what a Dreamline is. Simon broke his back and leg in a snowboarding accident and has chronicled his difficult path back to snowboarding and splitboarding. Despite a 26% permanent disability, Simon is still getting after it. Way to persevere! Keep on dreaming. [br] [video_responsive][/video_responsive]
Karakoram Dreamlines 3rd Place Video
It's time to announce the winners of the Karakoram Dreamlines Video contest. We had a lot of good videos submitted. The top ten peer voted participants will receive a Karakoram t-shirt. We will be announcing third place today.[br] Third Place in the Karakoram Dreamlines contest goes to Chris Shook for his video about splitboarding Ymir Peak in Whitewater, BC. Chris has been looking at Ymir Peak for 5 years and finally ripped it on his splitboard. There are so many lines like this that sit above your local resort just waiting to be ridden. Chris's video about Ymir Peak captures
Lucas Debari Ripping Pillows on his Splitboard
It's safe to say that Lucas Debari rips on his splitboard and Karakoram bindings. [video_responsive][/video_responsive]
Splitboarding is Fun
One of our favorite splitboard tours is a little couloir in Common Wealth Basin on Snoqualmie Pass. We can do the whole tour in about 4 hours door to door from our shop in North Bend, WA. It's a nice little morning split tour and we can get back to the shop and still get some work done. Here is a little video of the tour: [br] [video_responsive][/video_responsive] [br][br] Russell ripping the East Couloir. Russell was like, "Oh snap, that was fun!" [br] Thanks to Paul Bagels for putting the video together. Paul is pretty talented, so if
Mt. Baker Splitboard fest This Weekend
The Mt. Baker Splitfest is this weekend March 28-30. This will be the first public on snow demo for our Prime Splitboard System. Come on out and check out the new gear for 14-15. We will have seven sets of Primes Bindings available for demo and 16 sets of SL bindings available. Bindings will be set up Friday evening and Saturday evening. If you'd like to reserve a set of bindings contact chad@karakorambc.com with your boot size and day you would like bindings. Chad will confirm your reservation. Demos are free, though we suggest a donation of $20 with 100%
Miikka Hast: Splitboarding from Here to There
Miikka Hast has been having a great winter. Currently Miikka is in AK, but here is some video footage from his earlier trip to Switzerland. The Southern Alps were hit with some of the deepest powder in years. Miikka and his buddy Jonas were there to rip it up. [video_responsive] Miikka & Jonas - Back to Back 4/4 from Protest Boardwear on Vimeo.[/video_responsive] [br][br] [video_responsive] Miikka & Jonas - Back to Back 3/4 from Protest Boardwear on Vimeo.[/video_responsive]
Spliting UP Volume 1: Splitboarding with Kevin Sansalone
Kevin Sansalone has decided that this is the year to get into splitboarding. We're going to be following Kevin's exploits as he grows from a backcountry booter legend to a backcountry splitboarder. Here's a little video showing Kevin making his first splitboard.
Matt Stouder- Harrisburg, OR
Why are you a splitboarder? How has splitboarding changed you as a snowboarder? I love snowboarding, the backcountry, solitude and the mountains. The progression to splitting was very natural. Splitboarding has allowed me to expand my knowledge as a snowboarder, and taken me to places I could never have gone on a regular snowboard. Once I started splitting, it reshaped how I viewed snowboarding. Now when I think of snowboarding, I think about the backcountry and where my next tour is going to be, not about riding at the resorts.
Splitboard Season Just Around the Corner
With Splitboard season just around the corner, most of us mountain people are getting ready. Summer is changing to Fall, the anticipation builds. We are taking inventory of our gear, waxing boards or skis, and sharpening edges. Some of us are looking to upgrade our backcountry kits with a new set of bindings, a new board or a new back pack. We’re improving our fitness so we can take that third or forth lap. One thing that is sometimes forgotten is to ask the questions, “How am I going to stay safe this year? How am I going to improve
Summer Splitboarding
Not all of us have the means to migrate to the Southern Hemisphere to follow Winter. Whether it is lack of funds, a full-time job, or family commitments there are still a few of us that yearn to slide on snow after our Spring snowpack dwindles into Summer suncups. Here in the Pacific Northwest we are lucky enough to have a deep snow pack that lasts late into the Summer.
Story of a Splitboard Binding Made in the USA
I was just born in North Bend, Washington, but where did I really come from? These guys designed me, but many more people helped bring me to life. I’m proud of my Washington roots, 95 percent of my parts are made by suppliers around the Puget Sound and the Greater Northwest. Here is my story:
Karakoram Splitboard Binding Maintenance Video
Maintaining your Karakoram bindings is very simple and will keep your gear performing at its best. Check out this new video Russell put together showing the basics of maintaining your bindings.
Where Do Splitboard Bindings Come From?
A couple days ago we decided that we wanted to share more with Karakoram users about how Karakoram the company (Bryce, Tyler, Russell and Robert) works. So we are going to start doing more blog posts about the inner workings of our small forward thinking company. This first post should hopefully give you some insight into how we innovate and create.
Alaskan Dreams: My Wilderness Experience
What is this all about? To find one’s self here, complete with a beating heart and inflatable lungs? To find that we have legs, arms, and a mind that thinks… WHY, are we here?
Karakoram Splitboard Binding Set Up Video
In the coming weeks we will be releasing new set up, use and maintenance videos for Karakoram products. This first video is a set up video that applies to Karakoram 2012-13 bindings.
SIA, ISPO and Austrian Splitboarding (Trade Show Detox)
Before starting a business in the snowboard industry I used to think that I’d snowboard a lot more if I worked with snowboards every day. Little did I know that trade show season falls right in prime snow season. Trade show prep, OR, SIA and ISPO basically take up all of January and February. This was our third year at the trade shows so we were a bit more prepared, but it is always exhausting being on your feet all day and talking for eight hours straight. To make matters worse the brilliant planners of SIA and ISPO decided to
Mt. Baker Splitboard Festival
The Mt. Baker Splitfest is March 22-24. Demos on Saturday and Sunday. The Raffle supporting the NWAC is Saturday night, Grand prize is a Jones Solution with Karakoram Carbon SL bindings. We will also be raffling off a set of Split30 bindings and 20 sets of board clips. Come on up for the festivities!
Mitch and Bibi Splitboarding Praxmarerkarspitze
Mitch Toelderer sent me this picture a couple weeks ago pointing to his next splitboard mission.
October Splitboarding in Tahoe
Story by Allison Lightcap, Photos By Seth Lightcap Have you ever had the feeling that Old Man Winter was going to come early? I started to get this feeling in Tahoe a few weeks ago when I saw the squirrels rushing around collecting food. They knew what was up. Then I got this subconscious urge to clean out the garage and find all my winter stuff. I never like to clean the garage. Something was seriously screwy. But then all of a sudden it made perfect sense. Tahoe got dumped on last week of October!
Halloween Fun
We brought in the robots, dragons, ewoks, devils, frogs, cookie monsters, and mad scientists to help build for the day.
New Colors for Split30 Splitboard Bindings
[br] For 2012-2013 we've decided to add two new colors to the Split30 Splitboard Bindings, white and red. We're big fans of the black, but we wanted to give customers a couple more options to choose from. I really like the way the red splitboard bindings pop on my board, but I'd have to say the white splitboard bindings are my favorite because they remind me of a Storm Trooper. Split30 splitboard bindings will be available in September.
Sun Cup Season
As the Spring warms into early Summer, the quest for smooth corn snow inevitably ends with sun cups. Sometimes you can hit the sun cups when they're soft enough to carve right through and other times they'll make you feel like a beginner snowboarder. One of the most annoying things is having your splitboard tip clips pop open while riding these challenging conditions. A simple upgrade to your splitboard to prevent your tips popping open is to outfit your deck with Karakoram Splitboard Clips and Tip/tail clips. Karakoram Splitboard Clips actively pull the skis of your splitboard together, pre-loading the
Karakoram Splitboard Heel Lock Down Update
I just put together a new video for the heel lock down showing more details. Check it out. In our endless journey to make splitboard equipment the best it can be, Karakoram will be releasing a new heel lock down system for 2012-13. The heel lock down will be compatible with all Karakoram Splitboard Bindings (Split30, SL and Prime) starting from 2010. The purpose of the heel lock down is to allow splitboarders to skate more efficiently on flat terrain, and traverse and side step without skins on in tour mode. The Karakoram Heel Lock Down will be available for
Spring Time in the North Cascades
The North Cascades have to be one of my favorite places to tour. We are pretty spoiled with the variety of mountainous terrain we have within a three hour drive Seattle. The North Cascades are a little different than the rest of the mountains in Washington. They seem a bit more grand, maybe it’s the higher elevation, maybe it’s the larch groves, maybe it’s just that I always end up going to the North Cascades when have a bit more time to tour on my splitboard. What ever it is I always have a great time splitboarding up north. This
Mt Shasta and the Great Pleiadian Eclipse Alignment
“On May 20th, 2012, for the first time in 26,000 years the sun, the moon and the constellation responsible for our evolution and ascension, the mysitc Pleiades, [aligned] in a spectacular total solar eclipse directly over one of the most powerful, mysterious, spiritual vortexes in the world: the mighty Mount Shasta” (http://www.divinetravels.com/Shasta.html). Chris, Tyler and I drove down from Seattle to meet up with the Jones, TGR, twsnow and Further crew, for this was a once in 26,000 year event we couldn’t miss. Anticipation was high and everyone was on the look out for Lemurians, UFOs and Crystal Cities ascending.
Spring Time Splitboarding
[br]Once a year, whether you live in the northern or southern hemisphere, the earth’s spinning axis tilts towards the sun. This has a profound impact: days get longer and temperatures rise. Just about every eco-system on the planet responds to this. Just as life has evolved to use water, so has it evolved to use sunrays. It’s Spring Time! And every year this seems to elicit a population-wide increase in happiness levels.
Mt. Baker Splitboard Fest Recap
The third Mt. Baker Splitboard festival was great time. The last two we worked up until the last minute to finish off prototypes and demo bindings. This year we were a little bit more prepared, but we still rolled in a little late for the Demo set up on Friday evening. We’ll be on time next year… I always look forward to the Mt. Baker Splitboard fest because it is the time of year that I actually get to ride my snowboard a bit more.
Neil Provo Splitboarding in Silverton
[br]There are some lucky people that get to follow the snow for a living. I think everyone who loves to ride has done it or wishes they could pull away from their 8-5 job and live the dream of riding powder everyday. Neil Provo is one of those lucky people. Neil has teamed up with fellow Outdoor Research Ambassadors Zack Giffin and Molly Baker to chase storms in their "Tiny House." They've followed the snow to Silverton Colorado. I wish I was there as it's raining here in the PNW... Click here for more info on the OR Sidecountry sessions.
Winchester Lookout Trip: A Magical Return to Winter
Just got this trip report from our friend Kael Martin. I’m incredibly jealous of the snow he got to shred last weekend. Heading deep into the Northern Cascade mountains provided an incredibly satisfying and refreshing start to the 2011/2012 snowboard season. Many uncertainties nearly hampered our trip plans, but in the end it all came together and we were thoroughly rewarded for our persistence. We all gathered in Bellingham on Friday night and set out to the Winchester Lookout via the Twin Lakes Trail very early Saturday morning. Almost 4 miles out on the skin track were alarmed as we
Vote Karakoram for the ISPO Brandnew Award (One click to vote!)
Hello Karakoram Family, We have an easier way to vote for us for the ISPO Brandnew Award. Click the "like" button below to vote for us. Thank you all for your support! -Bryce and Tyler [br] [br] [br] [br]
Vote Karakoram for the ISPO BRANDNEW Award
Hello Karakoram Supporters, Please vote for us for the ISPO Brandnew Award. The ISPO Brandnew award is the largest start-up company competition in the sporting goods industry. With your help we can win this. The process for voting is 1.Click the link below 2. Select "vote for your favorite" 3. Select Karakoram from the menu 4. Scroll to the bottom of the "video" window and select "Like" button Thank you everyone for your support!!! Bryce and Tyler http://www.facebook.com/ispo.brandnew.awards?sk=app_299646646729963
Karakoram Split30 Splitboard System Video
We just finished up a new product video showcasing our Split30 Splitboard System.
Splitboard Clip Review by Kyle Miller
This past summer professional splitboarder Kyle Miller contacted us to see if he could try out our Splitboard Clips on his trip to South America with the Sweet Grass crew for their film Solitare. Read his review below: When I first got my hands on the Karakoram splitboard clips I was a tad bit concerned. I had been using the standard Voile hooks for years and wondered what the benefit would be from trying out a new system. My first adventure with the splitboard clips was the high volcanoes and mountains of the Bolivian Andes. At a high point
Backpacker’s “Best in Snow”: Split30 Splitboard System
Snoqualmie, WA October 19, 2011 – Karakoram has been honored as a recipient of a 2011 Backpacker magazine Editors’ Choice Snow Award, the most prestigious award in the outdoor industry, given annually to products in recognition of their outstanding innovation in design, materials and/or performance. Backpacker Editor-In-ChiefJonathan Dorn and his staff of editors and testers presented the Karakoram Split30 Splitboard System with the award at the annual Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City, Utah on Thursday, August 4, 2011. In total, nine manufacturers were honored as recipients of the first-ever Editors’ Choice Snow Award. Using the same rigorous
Forrest Shearer Shredding on Karakoram Splitboard Bindings
With winter approaching quickly it's video premiere time. Check out Forrest Shearer shredding on his Karakoram Splitboard Bindings in the following films this September. Forrest had this to say: Snowboarding to me is all about evolving my riding and adapting to the terrain in front of me. Now that I splitboard almost my entire season the right gear is crucial for taking it to the next level in the backcountry. Karakoram is the interface that I rely on to get the job done. [br] Sweet Grass Productions: Solitaire World Premiere next thurs sept. 15th Denver, CO Gothic Theatre Powder Whores:
Split30 Pre-Orders Starting to Ship
We have been working hard all summer and we are starting to ship pre-orders of the Split30 Splitboard Bindings a month early. We will be shipping in the order we received payment and orders are going out as quickly as we can build and package them. If your order doesn't show shipped it is because we are still working through the back log. Split30SLs are still in production and are targeted to start shipping mid-November. Thank you to everyone who is supporting us! -Bryce
Press Release: Jeremy Jones Partnering with Karakoram
PRESS RELEASE, Snoqualmie, WA- Karakoram is proud to announce a partnership with Jeremy Jones, renowned big mountain snowboarder and owner of Jones Snowboards. [br]The partnership will combine Jeremy’s legendary backcountry freeriding experience and Karakoram’s innovative design capabilities with the goal of delivering products that redefine the backcountry experience for snowboarders around the world. “We started Karakoram to create backcountry snowsports equipment that challenged the norms and provided performance beyond expectations. The opportunity to work with Jeremy on this journey will bring a perspective destined to help take our designs and products to the next level. Jeremy is truly an inspirational
Q & A with Jeremy Jones
Why did you change to the the Karakoram Splitboard interface? I am always looking for ways to improve my riding system. I spend about 80 to 100 days splitboarding so most of my focus is on finding lighter product that is faster in the transitions and makes my snowboard ride better. This was a lot of my motivation to start Jones Snowboards. We have made great improvements on boards but the interface has the biggest room for improvement. When I first saw the Karakorm interface system I was really intrigued. It looked like a serious step forward that was definitely worth testing out. However changing
Splitboard Clips Back in Stock
We finally have splitboard clips back in stock. Get them while they are available! [button bgcolor="#BC2D30" textsize="24px" link="https://www.splitboardbindings.com/store/#ecwid:category=925319&mode=product&product=3294779"]Buy This[/button]
Mt. Shasta with Jeremy Jones and Friends
Last week I got a phone call from Chad at Jones Snowboards saying that Jeremy was putting together a crew to climb and splitboard Mt. Shasta and he wanted to know if Tyler and I would like to join. My immediate reply was, “Ummm… YES! When are we going!”
Splitboarding in the North Cascades
This past winter I haven’t been out on my snowboard as much as I’d like, so I’ve made it a goal this late spring and summer to get away from my computer and out into the mountains. Russell called me on Thursday and it turned out to be a great excuse to head north. We had originally planned on climbing Eldorado Peak, but a late start, lack of a permit, and a Ranger turning people back at the 7600ft camp changed our plans. We headed back to Marblemount to get a permit, but then decided to be lazy and drive
2011-2012 Split30 Splitboard Binding Pre-Order
Cedar the office dog would like to announce the start of our pre-order for 2011-12 Split30 splitboard bindings. For special offers "like" Karakoram on Facebook. Pre-sale deals are good until July 31st. Pre-orders for Split30 splitboard bindings will start to deliver in October. Pre-orders for Split30SL splitboard bindings will start to deliver mid-November. For more information on our splitboard bindings check out the bindings pages on our website: https://www.splitboardbindings.com/products/splitboard-bindings/ https://www.splitboardbindings.com/splitboard-bindings-sl/
Crampons are ready for Spring Touring!
Karakoram Splitboard Crampons are here, just in time for the Spring corn season. The splitboard crampons are weighing in a hair above 6 oz (173g) per side, 12 oz (345g) a pair. That is .2 to .25 lbs (80 to 104g) lighter than our competition. In addition to the light weight design, the crampons nest together to take up less space in your backpack, provide fix crampon traction with a floating design, and can be installed on the fly. For more information visit the splitboard crampon product page. [button bgcolor=”#BC2D30″ textsize=”24px” link=”../store/#ecwid:category=925319&mode=product&product=3726384″]Buy This[/button] Crampon engaged in snow: