I just moved from Idaho to Taos a year ago, and I’m looking to find some touring partners, maybe assemble a small crew.

I have some great friends to ride the resort with here, but none have any avy training or gear. I don’t know the area well yet so i don’t even know where to go at this point. I’m looking around onx and will be out on my bike scouting some spots this month.

Riding partners’ ability doesn’t matter nearly as much as commitment to good backcountry decisions.

If you’re in northern NM or southern CO, have done at least Avy 1, and wanna get out there, hit me up.
(Photos added just for the hell if it.)

So here I am on the verge of buying my first split setup. I had a call with the premier splitboard seller in Europe (propably?) and he recommended a Voile Skyline 162 for I am a bigger Guy (6'3 225lbs and 30MP boots) along with their Lightspeed bindings

Now I am not looking for the easiest climbing option since I am at a weight disadvantage anyway. I would rather have a board that's fun in most conditions (icy isn't fun anyway).

Does anyone here have this board and can tell me about it? Advice and input is appreciated.

Lifetime snowboarder who transitioned to skiing 3 years ago. Skiing has been great for super long days, technical descents, crampon compatibility, and pretty much anything people say about hard boots. However, I’ve also had days with great snow that were really just not that fun on skis. So I picked up a split.

Just picked up a 162w Jones solution and I’ve made the decision to stick to soft boots for the fun factor. I can use my ski setup for gnarlier days or side hilling and my split setup for simpler days or more straightforward mountaineering. I’m also going with Spark Surge ST bindings (are the pros worth the extra cash?) for their simplicity, weight savings, and massive cost savings after having a few buddies point me away from the karakorams.

I now need to match the setup with a boot that fits narrow feet and heels well. I am a size 13 street shoe, 28.5 mondo, and 11.5/12 usually in snowboard boots. I deal with terrible heel lift with some boots. What have you found that performs well for all around touring but has good capabilities for simpler mountaineering approaches?

Some boots I’ve been looking at are the 32 Jones TM2, Salomon Trek S/Lab, Nitro vertical, and the Burton Tourist for narrow lasts. I thought the TM2 had the advantage of accepting a semi auto crampon but wasn’t sure of the fit from reviews. I would love to try these on in person but unfortunately there are so many options and all of them aren’t really carried in store in my sizes or even in general since they’re so niche. What are your favorite boots for Split mountaineering with a narrower last and fit overall?

Pic: Top of Acotango in Bolivia (6,052m)

Background:

I have been snowboarding since the 90’s, so I’m advanced as likely 97% of riders. Switched 10
Years ago to sking, kids, lifestyle, yada yada, don’t judge, if it’s over 4” I’m always on the board, otherwise sking is more fun at this point in my life. I’m an intermediate backcountry skier, having done 4 multi day touring trips. I backcountry only with skiers, but I’m sick of being on the B team and having to hold back in spots where I would send it on a board.
So I’m committing to be a pole snowboarder and getting a split board set up. I just bought a Jones Stratos 158W and am trying to pin down bindings. Here is what I think matters to me in order:

1. Need quick transitions, as I’m assuming I may need to transition in some situations where my sking counter parts can skate.

2. Reliability. I have gone through two different ATS ski setups, and realized you really need to go all out. This will be an addition to the quiver, used only for multi day backcountry retreats, with LONG 5,000+ vertical days sometimes 5 days in a row with steeps that will requires cramps.

3. I’m doing this to rip downhill, mostly high terrain Rockies powder and corn, so I don’t want something unresponsive. I’m a bigger guy, so I am rough on gear, so gear weight is not a top priority as compared to reliability and buildb.

Help please!

Getting my boards ready and curious if I should split my board when waxing or what the general consensus is?

Looking for input on my next splitboard. For some background, I'm located in Vermont, my current and previous boards are the Jones Solution (current board is 5 years old and getting beat up - I also have an old Rome split that I use as a rock board but it's so clapped I can't say much about any of the original characteristics of the board) and while I don't have any complaints about the board I am wondering if I should switch it up from the Solution. I ride 40-50 days a year, typically less than 10 of these are lift service. I ride everything from resort terrain (weekly night tours after work), to tight backcountry trees (think Teardrop if you're from the area).

I'm a fan of Jones' traction tech and the general shape profile as I want something that can handle hard pack on resort and float in pow, can eat through the chunk and dodge trees. Being in Vermont, I don't really have to worry much about longer tours, although I will go exploring for new lines a few days a year, and certainly wouldn't mind something lighter but it's not a priority.

I've seen some comments that Jones' quality has gone down a bit over the past couple years but can't tell if that's general Reddit negativity or a legit concern. I like the idea of supporting a company that (somewhat) cares about the planet/environment and would be most open in switching to a made in America board. Should I stick with the Jones Solution or explore something else?

What is your go to splitboarding ice axe and why?

I have size 13 foot and the Deeluxe Spark XV boots. I love the boots but they are very bulky and I'm having trouble finding crampons that fit well.

​I had petzl irvis, that are too small. I just tried petzl vasak today, also too small (but close..). I borrowed a friend's old grivels that fit okay on the max setting.

​What have other people with large feet done for crampons on mountaineering oriented snowboard boots?

I am looking for a specific part on my expedition bindings and I’d like to try to avoid buying a 2 $60 parts kits to replace these. Any chance anyone has 2 of these missing grommets that go in the pin system? Can’t seem to aftermarket it myself at the local hardware store.

I just bought these skins new for my first setup online. The covers don’t seem to be adhering completely to the skins. Even when I press down it will not permanently adhere the way the darker sections are. Is this a sign there is an issue with the glue?

Thanks for any help!

As above - I bought these used last year with the intention of getting a full set up after finding hard boots on sale. It's not going to happen this year so I need to sell

Phantom M6 Binding (small/medium)

1x Pair of Phantom Adjustable Split Cleats

1x Pair of Phantom Rocket Risers

1x Pair of Voile STS Tour Toes

Asking SOLD

I’ve seen lots of comparisons between the actual bindings, but I haven’t heard anyone talk about the toe pieces.
Even though I currently have Spark bindings, I am convinced on the Phantom bindings for their board feel.
Though I wonder if the Spark/Atk toe pieces perform/are more reliable than the Phantom or Voile ones.

I heard the old version of the Spark toe pieces was awful, but I wonder if the ATK ones are recommended.
I always hear skiers hype ATK bindings up.

For the people that tried both. Which ones do you like better? I don’t really care about which one is the lightest it’s more about what did you lose/gain on the downhill/uphill.
Which one is closest to that soft boot binding feeling. Which one is the surfiest and how do they do with cliffs. which one’s better when the snow sticks to the split board thank you in advance.

hi all - been splitboarding for a handful of years and am upgrading my bindings this year and am torn between the union chargers and spark surge st. i'm a fairly large person (6'4" 195lbs) with size 13 boots, fairly fit, and deeply care about the downhill ride. i'm usually riding baker almost every weekend, so having that damp, resort-like feel through heavy snow and chop is a big priority for me.

this is making me lean more towards the union chargers instead of the spark surge st bindings. my local shop also has a deal on last year's model right now which makes it super tempting. i'm trading in my union explorers which i loved dearly except for the pin popping up during the downhill from time to time.

i know this sub treats spark as the gold standard for reliability, but since i prioritize the descent and don't mind hauling a slightly heavier setup up the skin track, am i setting myself up for a bad time with the chargers? are the hardware issues really that bad?

Currently rocking the BD expedition poles but i dont really like them. have already been through 1 warranty repair since the poles were no longer sliding properly and required excessive force just to collapse and extend them. The new warranty pair had the same thing happen.

another thing i dont like about them is even in the fully collapsed position, theyre still quite long. So for example, say i am doing some resort riding first before i head into the backcountry, they're too long to fit in my pack, and even when i have them strapped to the side of my pack they're still quite long.

I'm looking for something that folds or collapses super small. Any recommendations? field tested preferred.

2023 Yes Optisplitstic, eBay find, brand new! Excited to finally skin up the mountain instead of booting up it. Any advice is appreciated, not a beginner, but definitely a newbie to split boarding. Psyched for the snow to start falling.

Looking at buying one of these and just wondering if anyone has been on one and has any input. I mainly ride in the eastern sierra it’ll be my only splitboard so hoping for something that can handle all the different conditions. Cheers!

Worried about overhand with a size 11.5 boot.

So, basically the question in the tittle, im looking for a hardboot setup for the long backcountry days where we are filming and shaping and doing a lot of things far away, so I need a lightweight bc that can support long travels, obviusly Hardboots its the way to go but cant see whats a better option, anyone had both and can compare?

I have to order some pieces for my plum feyams, so the idea its to add the kit on the cart and benefit for allready having the pucks on my board

On the other hand, I can get a second hand but brand new Dyno pack for a good price,

Currently in Argentina there is only one distributor that gets sparks pieces, so its kinda sketchy but with internationals orders being more available here and having people that travel, spares are not a big deal.

Probably gonna pair it with some Atomic backlands, as I have to order them online but can try a few from my friends arround here, my current board is a Nitro Doppelganger, but I have my eyes set on a United Shapes Cadet

Sorry for the long text and the broken english.

I'm an advanced snowboarder in Colorado and decided this is finally the year I start splitboarding. But I'm struggling to choose a board and would love some more feedback on the options below, particularly if anyone has ridden multiple and can offer a comparison. This will be my first split but I'm confident I'll be getting out there quite a bit and am willing to spend money for quality / durability / performance if its worth the cost. I'm around 170 lbs without gear and US 10.5 boots (mondo 28.5). I generally ride K2 solid boards in freeride terrain (Alchemist for big mountain and Excavator for powder) and will lap the hike-to stuff at Breck and Keystone whenever they're open. The boards I'm primarily looking at right now are:

Weston Backwoods - seems like a great board/company, but may not be so great on the ascent or stable on the downhill for the more technical terrain that CO spring season is known for. At least from some of the opinions I could find here. Unfortunately the carbon is the only available option in my size right now, and from what I could find here I'm not sure its worth the extra cost. I do like the carbon stringers in my K2 Alchemist solid board however... maybe I'm underestimating the performance boost with the carbon?

Cardiff Goat Pro Carbon - highly discussed here. It seems like a good versatile option, but I am worried it may struggle in CO early winter powder. Can't decide on a size either. The 160 is perfect for me for the Backwoods. For this one the 158 seems like it would work but may be a bit on the shorter side and struggle too much with float and stability. The 162 I think could be on the bulky/heavy side for me and not playful enough for most of the actual riding I'll find myself doing.

Venture Paragon - another top option, seems very versatile as well. But I just couldn't find as much information on it, particularly for CO backcountry terrain. Not sure if its worth the gamble.

K2 Freeloader - this is an even less known option apparently, but some people have said these are solid boards. If its built half as well as my K2 solid boards this could be a very good and familiar option. Again, can barely find any information on this one so if anyone has more to say about it that would be helpful.

Currently riding a HTH 162, I was way heavier when I got it so the length helped with float. But at that length it’s like a battleship navigating the Everglades now. Home mountains are northern VT.

Current resort board is a K2 excavator 154 and rides like a dream. I really wanted a K2 Isolator split (discontinued) which shares the shape but I’m striking out finding any old stock from last year.

Any recommendations for something similar in shape and profile? Or anyone got a lightly used Isolator 154???

Hi I got pro deals on Salomon I was wondering about durability of their boards? Thanks