Skike-boarding : the origin

Last week found me floundering on my fat skis, experiencing difficulty negotiating wind-packed crust in the back-country. Well perhaps it's side or middle country, being somewhere in between civilization and remote back-country.
My fat ski setup - wide and short XC skis with beefy XC bindings - has been great for powder, even with my limited telemarking skills. But can't depend on it dumping 12" every night forever I guess...

So - light bulb - maybe these conditions might warrant a different choice of snow weapon - like the snowboard I've only used 3 times in the last 8 years ? And if my skiboots fit in the snowboard bindings, makes it that much easier to switch equipment.

Later that evening... yeah they do fit !

The next day, strap the snowboard onto the bomb-pack, and head out to Mt. Crumpit, a pint-sized bluff with some good 500 vertical foot drops through open trees on the Southern aspect, less than a mile from the parking lot. Drop the skis at the base, shorten up the poles, and start plunge-stepping upwards, constantly breaking through the thin crust and sinking to the knees or worse. Hard going, but it's an interesting workout, surprisingly tough on the arms, which spend a lot of time supporting body weight. After 15 minutes or so am at the top. Swap poles for board on the back, strap in, and get a relatively smooth ride down. Nothing too fantastic, but way easier than the skis. And I realize I've only snowboarded once in the last 3 years, so can't expect too much.

Now I drop the pack, and hike back up my trail, with the board under one arm. Way easier this time, and get a half-dozen decent runs. The basic concept works !