How do I start backcountry snowboarding?

Start with avalanche awareness material and an introductory avalanche course, then gain experience with trained partners or a qualified guide. Strong riding inside a resort is needed but is not enough on its own.

A splitboard separates into two halves that you use with climbing skins to walk uphill, then rejoin to ride down. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for setup, practice transitions in safe terrain, and complete avalanche training before using one in the backcountry.

How do I snowboard through trees?

Stay inside the resort boundary, ride with a partner within viewing distance, keep your speed down and look at the gaps rather than the trees. Be aware of tree wells, where loose snow around a trunk can trap a rider.

What avalanche course should I take first?

In the US, start with free awareness material such as the avalanche.org tutorial, then take a Level 1 Avalanche course and an Avalanche Rescue course, the two foundational courses in the American Avalanche Association’s recreational progression. Level 2 comes later, after that training and more experience.

Is sidecountry safer than backcountry?

No. Avalanche.org describes terrain reached through a resort gate as backcountry, with no ski patrol avalanche mitigation and different rescue options. It needs the same forecast checks, rescue gear, training and partners as any other backcountry trip.

Is snowboarding off-piste the same as backcountry?

The terms are used differently in different places. Off-piste can mean ungroomed terrain inside a resort or terrain outside it. Anything outside the managed boundary is uncontrolled for avalanches and needs avalanche training, rescue equipment and qualified partners or a guide.

How do I become a backcountry snowboard guide?

Through a national guiding association. In the US, the AMGA’s Ski & Splitboard Guide Program includes a series of courses and exams with first aid and professional avalanche training prerequisites. Requirements differ by country, so contact the guiding body where you want to work.

Next-level skills

Education first

Getting started with backcountry snowboarding

You learn how to backcountry snowboard in this order: avalanche education first, then trips with trained partners or a qualified guide, with the forecast, rescue gear and practice in place before you ever leave the resort. This page is an orientation, not a guide to going out alone.

Part of Carving and all-mountain riding