Can you snowboard in Mountaineering/climbing boots?

Hi Neil,

*stupid question alert* I have a chicken-and-egg situation. I really fancy buying a splitboard and trying mountaineering routes with said board on my rucksack. E.g. Fiacaill Ridge. Is it do-able to do mountaineering routes, with B3 boots, ice tools and protection, then snowboard off.. e.g. down Aladdin's? I know it'll depend on the skill of the climber to some extent, but I mean on a more general basis.. is it do-able? Perhaps with one half of the splitboard on either side of the rucksack in the ski holders? Best, Kenny


Hi Kenny,

Yeah this is entirely feasible but riding in mountaineering boots isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world so I’d try it out before you go diving down Aladdin’s. The other option in this case is to climb and ride in Ski touring boots which take crampons and hard boot clip in bindings which I think you can get for split boards through Voile?

Sportiva came out with a mountaineering boot a while ago, I think it was called the Nuptse, which was meant to be ok for snowboarding in. I had a pair for climbing in but never rode in them.

I have climbed quite efficiently with crampons in my Snowboard boots as well!

Everything is obviously condition dependent.

Good luck and be safe!

Neil.