Does anyone know Mother Nature’s laws precisely? Who writes these laws? Where can we find them? Where are they determined? You can spend weeks, months, even years preparing a project, trying to have every single detail under control and considering all possible options: equipment, food, maps, meteorology… Pretending to be a prophet, you imagine all sorts of situations you may encounter, to get ready for the worst-case scenario, but at the same time you know you can’t take it all with you. The balance between what’s necessary and what’s essential is your worst headache, and improvisation is your last resource. Obsession, perseverance and hard work are your best allies, the ones who will lead you hands down to your goal. That is, unless you crash head on against Mother Nature; in that case, reaching your goal might not just depend on you. With time, you learn that your goals are nothing but lights, which allow you to progress in a certain direction. This direction is your real goal, the path and the moment; the carpe diem. Therefore, the laws of Nature remind us more often than not, that our goal is today, here and now. This is our last issue of the season. It includes everything new for 2015 presented at ISPO. Our friend Cristina Pérez, tells us about her job at the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos, Switzerland. Manuel Tajada explains all devices we can carry to communicate efficiently on the mountain. Splitboard.com founder, Chris Gallardo, opens up the door to the first meeting point and benchmark website for splitboarders around the world. Find out what we think about more than 15 splitboards from the 14/15 season on our annual splitboard test in Tavascan. Theresa Clinton and Forrest Shearer share their splitboarding experiences with us, and Justin Ibarra presents one of the areas that everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime: Alaska. How to improve your Cramponing Technique, with Pau Gómez, mountain guide. Read a new article on how to inspect the finishes of a brand new splitboard and how to avoid marketing traps, by snowman Ricard Delmuns. Last but not least, in the Eco Splitboard section we’ll talk about the Eco Freeride Tour, a group of freeride competitions where the aim is to raise environmental awareness.
The Splitboard Magazine Team.
Editorial:
SPLITBOARDMAG
www.splitboardmag.com
Project Manager
Marc Sixto
Info General:
hello@splitboardmag.com
Info Web/Design:
alvaro@splitboardmag.com
Info Text:
david@splitboardmag.com
Info Marketing:
victor@splitboardmag.com
Info Project Manager:
marc@splitboardmag.com
Video&Photo
www.splitboardmag.com
Translation and proof-reading
Elena G. de Murillo
Special Friends
Fitwell: fitwellsrl.it
Ortovox: ortovox.com
Outdoor Research: outdoorresearch.com/
Völkl: voelkl-snowboards.com
Tavascan: tavascan.net/
Prior Snowboards: prior.com
Adidas: adidas.es
Acknowledgements
Heather Taterka
Chris Gallardo: splitboard.com
Manu Tajada
Cristina Perez: slf.ch
Lisa Kreitmeier
Milo Zanecchia
Markus Boss
Jonas Blum
Anton Brey
Theresa Clinton
Forrest Shearer
Jacob Tarazoff: jacobtarazoff.com
David Pujol: davidpujol.net/
Javi Barro / Nelson Dominguez: gaiur.com//
Justin Ibarra
Ricard Delmuns: elpetitmon.com/
Pau Gómez Dablam Sports: dablamesports.com/
Anaïs Sol
All collaborators…
Important:
SPLITBOARDMAG recommends and encourages all readers and splitboarders to have their mountain sports federation card. This magazine is for information and opinion only, in no case it replaces the education necessary to practice splitboarding safely. Splitboardmag recommends to get out to the backcountry accompanied by a professional mountain guide. The practice of mountain sports carries risks and we advise caution. It is forbidden to reproduce any content posted on splitboardmag without express written consent of the authors or splitboardmag.