In early May 2025, Karen Ekman and Henna Palosaari set out on a joint bikepacking and splitboarding adventure—determined to bridge seasons by combining disciplines and explore how this hybrid approach would reshape two already familiar passions. The result is the film Ride to Ride, now live on YouTube. What follows here is both context and the packing list that made the journey possible.
The idea was simple in theory and unhinged in practice: ride from valley to valley on our bikepacking setups, trade wheels for skins, and splitboard dream lines in our favourite Norwegian mountains—Sunnmøre. Bikepacking between splitboarding missions means carrying two worlds at once: the essentials of having your home on a bike, and the seriousness of alpine travel. Every gram matters, but so does every safety tool—and every snack.
The route began with a ferry across a fjord in Stranda, followed by pedaling toward Trollstigen. Valleys were green, apple trees in bloom, and the bikes felt impossibly heavy. A frame bag squeezed between the two planks of a splitboard, a handlebar roll bulging above snowboard boots strapped to the fork, side panniers making the bikes sway with each pedal stroke. A touring backpack replaced a rear rack, balancing on top of the splitboard. Every climb became a healthy reminder: this adventure wouldn’t be given—it would be earned.
A few days in, we began to adapt. The weight of the bikes grew familiar, the swaying eased as each piece of equipment finally found its place, and the load—soon nicknamed our “institutions”—started to feel balanced. A rhythm emerged, guided by the transitions between biking, splitboarding, sleeping, and eating.
Switching from bikes to boards became a ritual. Bibs and cycling shoes came off; merino layers and boots went on. Wheels and panniers were exchanged for splitboards and fully loaded touring packs. Somewhere between—or before, or after—the camp appeared: a tent, a stove, sleeping setups, dry base layers. It may sound chaotic, and at times it was, but order eventually surfaced within the mess, making everything possible.
This is what combining bikes with other passions is about: carrying everything you need to move between worlds. It isn’t minimalism—it’s intentional excess. Each piece of gear earns its place and function, and together they create an experience beyond imagination.
We prepared and packed with a certain blindness, guided mostly by logic and experience from two separate sports. In the end, we used almost everything we brought (repair tools aside) and didn’t miss a single essential. As an extension of the journey—captured in Ride to Ride on YouTube—we’re publishing the full packing list to help others bring their own duo-sport adventures to life.
Packing list
Bike Bags
- Ski backpack
- Frame bag
- Handlebar bag
- Top tube bag
- Dry bags for snowboard boots x2
- Side panniers
Mountain Safety & Snow Travel
- Splitboard
- Skins
- Boots
- Ski poles
- Beacon
- Shovel
- Probe
- Ice axe
- Boot crampons
- Helmet
- Goggles + lens
- Sunglasses + lens
- First aid kit
Clothing – Splitboarding
- Shell jacket
- Ski pants
- Down jacket
- Merino base layer pants
- Merino base layer longsleeve
- Merino t-shirt
- Ski socks
- Ski gloves
- Thin skiing/cycling gloves
- Beanie
- Hat
- Buff / balaclava
Clothing – Cycling
- Fleece anorak
- MTB/cycling pants
- Long sleeve
- Bib shorts
- Shorts
- Cycling socks
- Sports bra
- Bike underwear’
- Cycling shoes
- Boot covers
Clothing - camp
- Underwear
- Bra
- Merino baselayers for sleeping
- Dry merino socks
- Camp sandals
Sleeping & Camping
- Tent
- Sleeping bag
- Travel towel
- Water bottles
- Cooking stove + gas
- Spoon/fork & Swiss knife
- Lighter / matches
Camera Gear
- Digital camera
- Film camera
- GoPro + filters
- Handycam
Electronics
- Phone
- Power bank
- Head torch
- Bike light
- Headphones
- Chargers & cables
Toiletries
- Sun lotion
- Toothbrush & toothpaste
- Soap
- Lotion
- Mini scissors
Repair equipment:
- Puncture repair set
- Spare tubes x2
- Pump
- Spare bolts, chainpiece, cleats,
- Multitool
- Zip-ties & tape
Packing in the bags:
- Handlebar bag: sleeping system and clothes
- Fork: splitboard boots, mounted in the splitboard bindings, covered in drybags, strapped to fork cages with skistraps
- Framebag: electronics and toiletries
- Toptube bag and snackbags: food
- Touring backpack strapped behind seat, balanced on splitboard: all necessary touring gear, poles, crampons, ski pants, first aid kit
- Splitboard planks were strapped on each side of the frame with two skistraps, and balanced on the tailfin rearrack (skisocks used as protection between splitboard and rack).
- Panniers: clothes and food.
- Downtube bag: repair tools
Bikepacking into winter is slow and heavy—but utterly rewarding. It teaches patience on the climbs and pulls even the busiest minds into presence. It becomes an exercise in minimalism, and in gratitude for every single item you chose to bring.
By combining disciplines, the constant drive for ambition in both sports softened. The journey offered a gentle reminder that less can be more—however hypocritical that may sound when you’re carrying two worlds on one bike.
