Q&A with Davide Capozzi
We get a lot of questions about Davide Capozzi and what gear he is using. So we gathered some of the most common questions to let Davide answer them himself.
What do you normally bring with you into the mountains beside the regular splitboard gear?
It depends on the type of terrain and riding I've planned for the day. But I always have the safety equipment with me: transceiver, shovel, and probe.
Normally I have a spare pair of gloves and a light down jacket with me. I usually also pack a pair of light crampons and if I think it may be necessary a light ice axe.
If I tour or ride in glaciated terrain, I always bring the following gear:
Harness
1 ice screw
3 carabiners
1 sling
1 cord
1 light-weight 30 m rope
What kind of crampons and ice axes are you using?
Petzl Irvis Hybrid crampons and Petzl Gully ice axes. It's quite a light setup that works great for everything I do.
How many days a year are you riding terrain that requires crampons and ice axe?
I normally ride about 150 days a winter. Approximately 50% of them I use crampons and ice axes.
We know that you use both soft boots and hard boots (AT boots). What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of hard boots?
The main advantages are in the ascent. It's lighter and I feel like I have greater safety while skinning. I can also use automatic crampons for improved safety. To summarize it I get less tired, I'm faster in the ascent and feel safer in all kind of terrain.
The disadvantages are mainly noticeable in bad snow. With hard boots, the riding is a bit more demanding and less tolerant. Being more strenuous, I don't use hard boots when I'm freeriding using the lifts, where I do a lot of descents in the day.
What is the biggest advantage of using a splitboard with a long sidecut radius for your riding?
Improved edge grip in the ascents. Greater safety and tolerance during my descents. Particularly in steep descents, I have more edge contact with the slope, and this is a great advantage.
Do you have any specific goals for the 2020 season??
There are three descents that I would still like to do in the Mont Blanc. I hope I'll be able to do at least one of them this winter. I also want to be trained and well prepared for linking together different descents on a mountain that is very special to me.
