Time to split: Tahoe's first splitboard festival lands in Strawberry

STATELINE - South Tahoe will host its first splitboard-centered festival, the Echo Lakes Splitboard Festival, Friday through Sunday at the Strawberry Lodge. The event is designed to introduce people to the sport and to give experienced splitboarders deeper insight into the mountains, said organizer James Strawser.

"I basically felt there was a lack of community involvement with the people who were going out into the backcountry," said Strawser, who's been splitboarding around Tahoe for four years. "We're catering to all levels. We'd like beginners to people who are advanced to come."

Splitboarding is a rapidly growing offshoot of snowboarding. A splitboard is a snowboard that splits in half vertically to be used as skis for climbing and trekking in the backcountry. Once a peak is reached, the two halves of the splitboard can be reconnected so the rider can snowboard down the mountain. Splitboards allow snowboarders to access otherwise inaccessible terrain.

"Better products, high lift ticket costs, more pros using them, more folks looking for fresh pow and the experience of being in the backcountry all lead to more people using splits," wrote Splitboard.com owner and operator, Chris Gallardo, in an e-mail.

Along with advances in technology and the breadth of technology offered, professional snowboarder and backcountry and mountaineering expert Jeremy Jones has played an enormous role in popularizing splitboarding, Strawser said. In 2010, Jones released his snowboard documentary "Deeper," which chronicles his exploits on a splitboard in Tahoe, Alaska, Antartica and the Alps.

"One of the reasons we're putting on this event is we were inspired by him," Strawser said.

South Lake Tahoe resident and frequent splitboarder Mikey Wier sees it as a smart season to put on a splitboard-centered event.

"I think it's a great time," Weir said. "I think splitboarding is one of biggest growing sectors in the snowboard industry."

The festival will kick off Friday night with registration, a gear display and an avalanche seminar by David Reichel, Wilderness Education Director at Lake Tahoe Community College. The seminar will center around an avalanche that happened last year and involved several backcountry snowboarders.

"It seems as though a lot of people are going out uninformed," Strawser said. "It's expensive to get informed, so we're trying to do it a cheaper way just to get people something."

Saturday will start with backcountry tours leaving from the Strawberry Lodge parking lot at 6 a.m. A dinner party and gear expo will begin the evening, followed by a raffle and presentation by Andy Anderson from the Sierra Avalanche Center. Live music by Northern California Bluegrass and a keg will round out the night. Sunday morning tours will start at 6 a.m.

"We have a fabulous setting below Lover's Leap," said Mary Aloi, who works at the Strawberry Lodge. "We'll have music in the dining room and ballroom, beer and sensational food. All are welcome."

Strawser said he chose the Strawberry Lodge because it was "a little more off the map" than the Stateline area. He said he likes that the lodge has been there since 1858 and that it's backed by some great splitboarding terrain.

Telemark and AT skiers and snowshoers are also invited to attend the festival, Strawser said. The event is presented by Voile and sponsored by Splitboard.com, Spark R&D, Prior, Sentury Snowboards and Backcountryaccess.com. Similar events have sprung up in Washington, Wyoming and Canada. Voile spokesman David Grissom said he expects more will be organized.

"(There's) a lot of room to innovate and grow," Grissom said.