03 Snowboard · Freeride
Freeride and splitboarding,beyond the lifts.
In powder the nose has to stay on top. A splitboard splits in two: you skin up as you would on skis, then put it back together at the top and ride down.
i In short
Sport Extreme, at Via Prestefan 14 in Livigno, sells freeride snowboards and splitboards, clothing for powder days, and avalanche safety gear from Mammut and Black Diamond, meaning transceivers, shovels and probes.
A The kit, piece by piece
What matters,
piece by piece.
Scroll: for every piece of kit we tell you what to look for in this sport, and which brands you'll find in store.
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Helmet
For the descent you need an EN 1077 snowboard helmet. If your climb crosses steep or rocky ground, a helmet also certified to EN 12492 covers both.
Brands: Uvex
Goggles
Sunglasses are enough on the way up; on the way down you need goggles. In flat light off piste, an S1 or S2 lens in yellow or rose shows you the shape of the snow.
Brands: Uvex
Shell
An uninsulated waterproof shell with a powder skirt and a hood that fits over your helmet. You sweat on the climb: underarm vents, plus a light down jacket in your pack for the top.
Brands: Quiksilver · Roxy · Mammut · Haglöfs
Backpack
It needs a separate pocket for shovel and probe, since the transceiver goes on your body, and a way to carry the board, whole or in two halves. For a day on a splitboard, 25–35 L is usually enough.
Brands: Mammut · Black Diamond · Deuter
Gloves
A light pair for the climb, when your hands sweat, and a warm waterproof pair for the descent. Damp gloves turn cold within minutes at the top.
Brands: Level · Reusch
Bib pants
Bibs keep powder out even when you sink to your waist. Side vents for the climb and gaiters over your boots.
Brands: Quiksilver · Roxy · Mammut
Splitboard
The board splits lengthwise into two halves that you use like skis, with skins underneath. At the top you clip them back together and ride down like a normal board.
Brands: Nitro · Salomon
Split bindings
On the climb they leave your heel free and have risers for steep sections; for the descent they lock onto the joined halves. They must be compatible with the board's mounting interface.
Boots
Soft snowboard boots with good support and a medium to stiff flex, to drive the board in heavy snow. A sole with real tread helps when you walk on hard snow or rock.
Brands: Salomon · Nitro
Poles
Telescopic or folding, with wide powder baskets. For the descent you collapse them and strap them to your pack.
Brands: Leki · Black Diamond
All of this,
at Via Prestefan 14.
Come and try it on: we put together the right kit for you, piece by piece.
Call the shop→B Winter
How to choose a powder board
- LengthAdd 3–5 cm to your weight-based size, or choose a shorter, wider board.
Start from the manufacturer's chart and add 3–5 cm: more surface means more float. Some powder boards are shorter and wider instead, floating on volume rather than length.
- Width and shapeNose wider than the tail and stance set back: the nose rises on its own in deep snow.
A directional shape has a nose wider than the tail and the stance set back, so the nose rises on its own in deep snow. Waist width still follows your boot size.
- Camber and rockerRocker up front to float, camber underfoot to hold an edge on traverses.
Rocker in the nose to float, camber underfoot and in the tail to hold an edge on traverses and on the hard snow back to the lifts.
- FlexStable at speed and in heavy snow; on a splitboard the halves work as one.
Medium to stiff, for stability at speed and in heavy or crusty snow. On a splitboard torsional stiffness matters too, because the joined halves have to work as one board.
D In Livigno
Freeriding in Livigno
Livigno runs a Freeride Project: every morning Livigno's Avalanche Service publishes a local bulletin on snowpack stability in each area, along with a snow quality report. On a splitboard you skin up from the top of the lifts towards slopes the lifts don't reach. Heliboarding is also on offer in Livigno, always with a UIAGM mountain guide.
E Quick advice
How do you get to the powder?
Our advice
F In store
Your powder kit
We help you put together a board or splitboard, bindings, boots and avalanche kit, and we explain how transceivers, shovels and probes work. Advice in store is no substitute for a course: to learn avalanche rescue, turn to mountain guides. Livigno is a duty-free zone, so no VAT is applied.
G Frequently asked questions
Good to
know.
What is a splitboard?
It's a snowboard that splits lengthwise into two halves. On the climb you use them like skis, with skins underneath and the bindings in touring mode; at the top you clip them together, move the bindings and ride down like a normal board. It gets you to powder the lifts don't reach.
What do I need to ride off piste?
A board that suits powder and, by law, a transceiver, shovel and probe when there's avalanche risk: in Italy this applies to off-piste riding, ski touring and hiking on snow (art. 26, Legislative Decree 40/2021). The rule applies to each person, not to the group. Check the avalanche bulletin before you go and, if you're new to it, go with a mountain guide.
Can I use my snowboard boots on a splitboard?
Usually yes: split bindings work with soft snowboard boots. If you tour often and ride heavy snow, a more supportive boot with a sole that grips on hard snow is worth it. Bring them in when you choose bindings and we'll check compatibility.
Can you go heliboarding in Livigno?
Yes: according to Livigno's official website, you take off by helicopter from one of the available landing sites towards the peaks around the valley and ride down off piste with a UIAGM mountain guide. There's a safety briefing before the flight. A transceiver, shovel, probe and helmet are compulsory.
Where can I find Livigno's avalanche bulletin?
Livigno's Avalanche Service prepares it every morning, and you'll find it on livigno.eu, on the Freeride Project page, together with the snow quality report. Read it before every outing and compare it with what you see on the ground.
Come and
see us.
Every day 09:00–12:30 · 14:00–19:30
Via Prestefan 14 · 23041 Livigno · 1.816 m