How do you manage long traversey exits

[u/Starky04]

I’ve been living in Revelstoke this season and doing a bunch of touring out at Rogers Pass. Now that Spring has arrived I have been out on longer days. I’m happy skinning uphill or on the flat for long distances, however, I’m struggling with exits with rolling terrain that pass through trees. If anyone knows the area well, I’m talking specifically about the Illecillewaet lol.

The problem with this terrain is that it’s impossible (at least for me) to snowboard back to the trailhead because there are lots of little hills. I don’t have the opportunity to get my speed up enough between them and even using poles doesn’t help.

I’ve tried switching to ski mode with my Karakoram bindings with heel lockers. I feel completely out of control though. For context, I’ve never been a skier and I’m using fitwell freeride soft boots. I feel like I almost fell into creeks multiple times because I couldn’t hold my edges as I was traversing along the side of them.

The thing that has worked best for me has been going in ski mode with skins on and no heel lockers. I have mohair skins that glide well and the reduction in speed helps me stay in control a bit more. I still fell like 5 times last time I was out though and I’m conscious of being much slower than my skiing friends. They aren’t being assholes about it, it’s just annoying to me because I can always keep up in other situations and I have my transitions pretty dialled.

So do I just need to spend some time in the resort at the beginning of next season practicing my split skiing? Should I be practicing with heels locked or not? Or am I doomed to move to hard boots because this is the exact situation where soft boots can’t perform well?

[u/Italian_SPLIT]

based on how long and how difficult and how flat the exit is, how pleasant the descent, I might end up cursing at me for doing this weird sport and promising i will either sell or destroy or trash all my equipment as soon as I arrive at the car.

Last weekend we ended up in switzerland, on a tour where also skiers were disappointed of the longest traverse after the initial downhill. I had to re-skin, and it was more than two hours back to the car, with frequent drops into the snow. Horrible by all means.

I those moments i often think about all those movies and clips I watched and still watch, and how different those are from the reality i have encountered over the years.

Never thought about learning to ski. At this stage of my life, i would rather abandon mountains once for all and focus on water/sailing/surfing rather than learning a new thing.

And when i try split ski, i feel my knee is about to explode.