Splitboard vs Snowmobile: How to Reach the Backcountry in Italy

Two opposite ways to reach untouched snow: earn your turns on a splitboard or get a ride up on a snowmobile. Pros, cons, and which to choose in the Italian mountains.

You want untouched snow, far from the runs and the lifts. The problem is getting there. You’ve got two options: earn the vertical on foot with a splitboard, or take a snowmobile and get up high fast, with fresh legs. They’re two opposite philosophies, and the right choice depends on what you’re really after in the mountains.

Splitboarding: The Effort Is Part of the Game

A splitboard is a snowboard that splits in half lengthwise and turns into two touring skis. Stick climbing skins on the bases and you can climb pretty much any snowy slope. At the top, you put the two halves back together and ride down like on any other board.

Splitboard pros

You can go almost anywhere. You reach places no motor vehicle will ever get to: tight couloirs, ridges, trees, remote backcountry. The only limits are your fitness and the time you have.

Pure satisfaction. When you top out at 2,800 meters after a three-hour skin through powder and then drop 800 meters of vertical in untouched snow, nothing else compares. The effort is part of what makes the run special.

Silence and nature. On a splitboard you make no noise, produce no emissions, and move through places that motor vehicles would disturb. For many riders, that’s the whole point.

Long-term cost. Once you’ve bought the setup (splitboard, splitboard bindings, skins, crampons), there’s nothing more to pay each time you go out. A backcountry day on a splitboard costs you a sandwich and a thermos of tea.

Splitboard cons

It’s hard work. Touring takes a good level of fitness and technique. It’s not for everyone, and it’s not for someone still taking their first steps off-piste.

Expensive gear. A complete splitboard setup (board, splitboard bindings, quality skins, crampons) costs a lot more than a regular board and bindings. To give you an idea, in November 2026 (the 2026/27 season) Spark R&D sells its Arc ST bindings for $499 and the compatible Ibex ST crampons for $115: over $600 for bindings and crampons alone, before the board and the skins. You’ll find the current prices on the Spark R&D website.

Limited vertical. In a day, under your own power, you can climb 800-1,500 meters. If you want 5 laps on the same steep face, this isn’t the way to do it.

The snow changes. You climb on hard morning snow and ride down once the sun has softened it. Or the other way around. Getting the timing right takes experience.

Snowmobile: Fast Up, More Vertical Down

The snowmobile is the opposite approach: a motor vehicle takes you up high, fast, with rested legs. In several areas of the Italian Alps, specialized operators offer guided trips or rental with a guide.

Snowmobile pros

Lots of runs. In a day with a snowmobile you can do more runs than you’d get on a splitboard. If you want as much snow under your board as possible, this is the way.

No need to be super fit. You don’t need any special fitness. You can be a technically strong rider with little stamina and still get to quality backcountry snow.

Altitude without the climb. The snowmobile gets you up fast, but only on the routes and in the zones the operator is licensed for. Within those, you explore more slopes in a single day.

It’s social. Snowmobile trips usually run in small groups with a guide. If you’re visiting from abroad and want an organized, safely guided day, it’s a convenient format.

Snowmobile cons

It’s expensive. In Italy, the price of a day with a snowmobile and a guide depends on the area and the operator, so ask for a quote before you book. It’s not something you do every weekend.

You depend on the operator. You need to find a licensed operator in the area, book, and fit in with their schedule and the zones they work in. Less freedom.

Environmental impact. Snowmobiles are noisy, they pollute, and they disturb wildlife. In nature parks and some protected areas they’re banned or heavily restricted. In Italy the rules vary from region to region.

It’s not the same. For many riders, getting a ride up takes away some of the feeling of having “earned” the run. It’s a matter of personal taste, but it’s real.

How It Works in Italy

In Italy, the rules on using snowmobiles off-piste are a patchwork that changes from area to area. In the Aosta Valley there are operators offering heli-skiing (only in areas authorized by the municipalities). In Trentino and South Tyrol heli-skiing is banned. You can also find operators in some parts of Piedmont and Lombardy.

In the upper Val di Susa, Valgrisenche, Val Formazza and some parts of the Dolomites there are well-established outfits. Search online for “snowcat tour [region]” or ask the local guide offices.

Splitboarding, on the other hand, doesn’t need an operator: you climb on your own legs, within the limits each park or reserve sets in its own rules (for example wildlife quiet zones). There is, however, a national rule that applies to everyone (Legislative Decree 40/2021, Article 26): anyone ski touring or riding off-piste when snow and weather conditions create an avalanche risk must carry an avalanche beacon (ARTVA in Italian, the electronic search device), a shovel and a probe.

Which to Choose

Choose the splitboard if you see the mountains as a complete experience, if you have time to learn the technique, if you want to invest in something sustainable for the long run, and if silence and effort are part of the fun for you.

Choose the snowmobile if you want as many runs as possible in a short time, if you’re visiting and don’t have touring gear, if you’re in a group with mixed abilities, or if you want to explore a new area safely with a local guide.

They don’t rule each other out: many riders do both, depending on the day. But if you have to pick where to start, the splitboard has more to teach you.