Backcountry Access - My new Prior Khyber Splitboard
The Problem:
Snowboarding at the resorts is fun. The problem is that the drive is too long, the resorts are too crowded, and the powder gets skied off way to fast. Plus, it is kinda like Disneyland there. You get a flavor for what it is like to snowboard, but are left thinking that there must be more.
The truth is that there is more — millions and millions of acres more. Hidden in the National Parks, Wilderness Areas, National Forests, and BLM land is basically an infinite amount of runs to ride. The problem is getting there. Skiers have a wide variety of options for getting up hills, but snowboarders have very few.
The Story:
On Saturday, me and my buddy Eric were planning on going up to Vail to get some love from the foot or so of powder they got on Thursday. I decided that I was tired of only hearing the wind in my ears, when I could be riding to sweet, sweet death metal. So I mentioned to Eric that I was going to be buying headphone/ear pads for my helmet. He asked me to pick up a pair for him as well.
After work, I first headed to Boulder Ski Deals and then REI. Neither of them had what I was looking for. As a last ditch effort, I thought I would try this little snowboard shop in town that I had never been to. So, I drag Stephanie to one last shop - All Board Sports.
When I show him my helmet and explain what I am trying to do, he points out a couple of things. First, that my helmet doesn’t have replaceable ear pads so I can’t put in headphones. (Hasn’t he ever heard of drilling out rivets and being a dirtbag snowboarder?) Next, he points to the scratches and missing bits of my helmet and tells me I should really replace it. Although that is a definately a good idea, I explain that I am hoping to buy a splitboard in the coming weeks and need to save my money.
I think at this point, his eyes light up just a bit. He starts to ask me about what I am looking at (a Voile Mountain Gun) and he tells me I don’t want to buy the Voile. I ask what he would recommend, and he pulls out a Prior 178 Swallow Tail.
About this time, one of his coworkers walks up with some beers, and he offers me one. “No, if I drink a beer I am going to buy a snowboard.” He smiles, cracks open a beer, and hands it to me. I ask what else he has in stock around a 165, and he brings out a Prior Backcountry 165 Split and a Prior Khyber 165 Split.
Stephanie at this point tells me that I should just buy it so that I shut up and she doesn’t have to listen to me talking about it anymore. After a bit of deliberation and talking about which board I prefer, I settle on the Prior Khyber 165. I lay down my credit card, and a bit over $1k later I have myself a new snowboard.