Spark R&D LT Pin System Review

photo by Ian Cavanaugh

The next evolution in splitboarding parts is here. For the first time since Voile first introduced their splitboarding set up, Spark R & D has finally improved upon the standard steel touring pins. Spark’s new LT Pin System ($78.00) is mind blowing before they are even installed on your ride. The first time I saw these sweet little touring brackets during the Jones Deeper premier, I was blown away. Not only is the weight of the bracket itself much lighter, even the pins have a noticeable difference in weight, about 3.5 oz lighter. Once installed the LT Pin System really begins to shine. The self-lubricating plastic bushings allow for much smoother touring, making the tuff job of skinning that much easier. The system itself is also much stiffer than it predecessor, giving much better control when side hilling and on steep terrain. With the ability to fit the new Blaze as well as the Fuse and Ignition bindings, all Spark riders are welcome. The one down side to this system is that it realize on you still having the hardware from your Voile touring bracket. Though a series of unfortunate event, I did not have that hardware and was forced to head to Ace Hardware. That trip ended with me buying the shortest hardware they had and still having to grid off about a 1/8 inch off to make them work. While this was a bit of a pain, most will not have this problem. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a way to make that heavy board lighter and ride better, this is it.

photo by Ian Cavanaugh

photo by Kyle Christenson

The mountains won't ride themselves, so get out and ride.

In The Beginning part 1

With a slew of quick storms, Montana backcountry riding hit the ground running, or should I say skinning. October started everything with a three-day storm that put down 18 to 30 inches of snow in the mountains of southern Montana. With fresh wax and a house to paint in the after noon, friend Ty Gittins and myself take off for the Laser a.k.a. the Ribbon. The Laser is a left angling couloir on the north face of Elephant peak in Hyalite canyon. With little snow on the ground at lower elevations the splitboard was left at home, making for a much lighter pack. Leaving from the Blackmore Trailhead, the pre-dawn approach for the most part was uneventful. This being both of our first time to the couloir and with so little snow we miss the entrance and instead opted for the direct approach. When we reach the Laser we were greeted with a nicely fill perfect couloir. With Mt. Blackmore's East face glowing in the morning sun we begin our descent. After bypassing a large sheet of sheer ice we make it to a tight pinch roughly 160 cm wide and slope angle 45-50 degrees. The rest of the ride was just that, a great ride on October 30th in Montana.

photo by Ian Cavanaugh

November was cold. I mean COLD! With 10 days of temperatures averaging -10 to -20 degrees before wind chill, riding was not really there. The snow on the other hand was. After

the temps warmed back up, the snow came down. With all this new snow and an unusually stable snow pack, it was time to get out and ride. With huge amount of relief and amazing couloirs, East Rosebud drainage seemed like the perfect place to spend the first weekend of December.

photo by Kyle Christenson

We left Bozeman on Friday night planning on sleeping at the trailhead and attacking one of the many lines in the morning. With the short days of winter, our 2 ½ hour drive from Bozeman started in the dark. After a quick stop at the Spark R&D shop to pick up the new LT Pin System (review coming soon) we were just about ready. We were on our way, or so we thought. With Sunday planned as an ice climbing day, Kyle Christenson decided we all needed new gaiters from Mystery Ranch.

“Three pairs of gaiters will take no time, they’re just a tube of fabric. How long could it take?”

Famous last words from Kyle as the clock slowly crept towards midnight. With the final snaps in place, we jump in the car and head for the mountains. We decide to get food in the small town of Livingston, MT. Needing gas, it made perfect sense as the Albertsons of Livingston has a gas station out front of it. There was only one problem we hadn’t considered, but this became painfully evident as we pulled off I-90 to a closed store. It was 11:04 PM. 4 minutes late, we missed our last opportunity for food by 4 minutes because of some gaiters. Talk about starting off on the right foot, we’re just have to do it with an empty stomach.

With the gas tank full and a couple of Deli Select sandwiches, we once again hit the road. 2 hours later we were driving down the last dirt road, 15 minutes from our destination, when a standoff ensued. It seems that at 2 AM, the roads belong to the moose. For the next five minutes the moose held us at bay. If we try to move left, she cut us off. We went right and again she stopped our progress. It wasn’t until she had her fill of the foliage next to the road were we finally able to continue. About a mile from the trailhead we were stopped again, this time it was the snowdrifts that stopped us. Unable to go any further, we pitch our tent and got ready for the next day.

photo by Kyle Christenson

The morning came quick; the sun on the other hand is a different story. With a little more that two weeks till the shortest day of the year, time was of the essences. After a little mindless morning wondering in the dark we begin our adventure.

With so many options in the East Rosebud drainage, picking one of the massive couloirs is not easy. Having spent some time here in the summer, there is one couloir that seems to stand out. With out knowing the couloir’s name, we simply refer to it as “the big one past the lake”, and a big one it is. With nearly 3,500 vertical feet of ridable terrain, this thing is no joke.

After skinning passed the town of Alpine we make a break for the frozen lake. On the other side of the lake, Max Bechdel (mntstache member) leads us through a pretty trying skin through deadfall. A short while later we get to enjoy some of the only sun of the day while eating lunch under the mouth of our line.

photo by Kyle Christenson

Looking up at our line, we know that we have a long hard day ahead of us. After a quick lunch and some water, we begin to skin up as far as we could. It wasn’t very far at all, and thus begins the arduous task of boot packing. And arduous it was. With nearly 2,000 vertical feet to pack up, we knew we were in for the long haul. As we reached a large rock in the middle of the couloir, we were sure that we had climbed at least 2/3’s the way up. After some water, a candy bar and look at the camera the unsettling truth set in. We had just made the halfway point. At the realization that most of our day was gone and we still had a long way to go, there was no time to spare. With only 300 feet to the top, we were stop by a large rock band and a lack of sun. After 7.5 hours of hiking, we could go no further, it was finally time to ride.

Spindrifts proceeded to hammer us as we packed up and prepared for our ride down. We can feel the temperature begin to drop with the sun. As I strapped into my board I could not help but laugh at the fact that we are about to ski 3,200 vertical feet straight down in a couloir no wider than 6o feet. It doesn’t get much better.

photo by Kyle Christenson

As we reach the bottom of the couloir, we cannot help but smile and laugh about the day. We actually rode “the big one past the lake”. With our out of shape legs ready to cramp, it was time to head back to camp. With the moon rising over the frozen lake, my mind begins to think of a beer and the Grizzly burgers in Rosco. I think to myself ‘this is going to be a good year’!

The mountains won't ride themselves, so get out and ride.

Hike 2 Ride

HIKE2Ride - the movie/english from FREILUFTDOKU on Vimeo.

This is a short film made by three dedicated Austrian freeriders. It is a look into what it means to 'earn your turns', and why it is so important for some to spend all day exploring, skinning and hiking just for a single run. The movie is set in the Tyrolean mountains and all lines were earned by man-power. Enjoy.

The mountains won't ride themselves, so get out and ride.