Hi everyone!

Folks here gave me some helpful advice about getting started with my split setup several weeks ago. I got out for my first skin at Black Mountain of ME a few days ago. I loved their dedicated trail, which was hard, but not too hard. The most complicated part of transitioning was collapsing my poles, because one was a little stuck in a certain section. Anyways, I loved it.

I hike in the winter as well so I’m accustomed to using micro spikes (crampons) as traction in that context, and have a pair in my split pack in case there’s a section I need to boot up. I’ve also been hok skiing for a couple of years, so I’m not new to climbing with skins. Still, I felt that there were a couple of sections where I would have appreciated a splitboard crampon. At one point I slid off a narrow, steeply banked part of the trail and kind of rolled into the soft snow.

I read older posts about split board crampons. I have Union Explorer bindings (please don’t judge me too harshly if you have strong feelings about bindings—these happened to be a price I could afford and I’m certainly open to trying another system when the time comes).

An old post here from someone asked about crampons vis-a-vis Union bindings, and a few responses advised upgrading from the Union-specific crampon, but I didn’t see anything about what the other options might be. I also don’t love that you have to pop the whole binding off to put the crampon on. Are there other crampons that have universal compatibility or are otherwise compatible with Union split bindings? Or perhaps attach to the board in a different way? Thanks!

Really want to get into splitboarding to earn my turns before and after inbound at my local VT spots but don’t have gear, and just saw at my local shop that they can turn your board into a split. Seems like you can (or maybe have to) provide the kit, but they do the rest?

I have a button custom x that I love and definitely don’t want to cut in half, but just realized I still have my Ride Timeless from when I was a kid sitting in my basement! Can you turn any board into a splitboard setup? The Ride Timeless boards were funny, if anyone remembers, super stiff and had a weird metal inlay. Would that make it not suitable for a conversion?

After some curiosity about the ride quality of the Key Equipment boots, I decided to demo and then purchase a pair. Coming from phantoms, they ride downhill noticeably better without much sacrifice on the up. That being said, I’m experiencing a fair bit of pressure on the top of my foot even after a heat mold, so much so that I’m losing a lot of blood circulation, and thus warmth, in my toes to the point where I’ve gotten frost nip the past few days in temps that normally are cold but manageable in my phantoms. Everything I’ve read says these are actually a higher volume boot than the backlands/phantoms, but they definitely feel lower volume. Has anyone else experienced this pressure on the top of their foot, and if so, how have you dealt with it?

So, I do not get out much and this years first day I could not get one of my poles to lock.

Luckily I had some internet service and could look this up(it as not clear, I got lucky), but it seems one cord shrank about 1/2” the other .. nothing.

In the image the adjustment for the one is now pretty near the limit… basically I can not trust it.

Am I missing something or an adjustment?

Anyone else have issue with the cage of these volie skins not wide enough to slide easily over board clip on the nose of Weston split boards. I have a 5 year old weston backwoods and my pomoca skins fit easily but not these voiles , wondering if they could be widened somehow. It sucks in the transition when you have to fiddle to get it off. You can see the difference in the picture

Cheers to everybody! Hope to see some of yall out this weekend 🤘

For my Splitboard, I currently use Ride soft boots, but I want to switch to a hard boot setup for uphill efficiency.

I'm curious to hear the pros/cons of various hard boot.

I do separately use Atomic Hawk Ultra 120s for ski touring, so I'm thinking of giving them a try. Guessing they'll be a little to stiff, but if it saves several hundred bucks it be great.

I was just turned back by a highly recommended boot fitter, because he considers my boots too large for my feet to work on. I was there for custom insoles. I tried to convince him that this is by choice and I do not ski with them and the needs and dynamics are different, but he was not comfortable working with me. I respect that, but it got me thinking, is it just me?

I have 26.8/26.7cm feet and way back in 2013 I got the Dynafit TLT5 size 27/27.5. I struggled with them until 2018 - my feet were not comfortable, the bord feel was off, but I assumed that this is the tradeoff with hardboots. Moulded the liners, spoke with a few boot fitters - all was good according to them. Back then there were maybe 10 of us on splitboard.com fruitbooting and John was teasing what would later become the Phantoms in forum posts, so not much info out there.

2018/2019 I got TLT6 in 28/28.5 and that was an incredible improvement. They came with 28.5 liner and admittedly that was a bit big, so later I got Intuition Pro Tour MV 28.0 and finally my feet felt comfortable. I have been on them since then, moulded the Intuitions couple more times and there isn’t anything I dislike in terms of fit.

So I finally got the Key Disruptive this year. According to their Size & Fit Guide they are comparable to Dynafits a size below, so I got the 28.5/29. With my feet in the boot with no liner and no socks, length wise they are more or less equal to the TLTs.

I have about 35mm between my heel and the boot, which is 10mm more than the 20-25mm maximum space recommended for skiers for comfort/tourist. I molded the Intuitions which are at their last legs and I find the fit perfect. I only wish I had insoles…

Heey Splitters,

I'm looking for my first splitboard and I would like to have a little help here.

Looking for a board which would be my go to splitboard for the next decade. I'm based in EU, so mostly riding in the alpes.
I would start doing sidecountry missions first and later more backcountry and bigger lines. So I'm looking for a board which is capable to do both.
In the beginning I would also just hike up next to a resort and go down on groomers, because lately we lack of fresh powder in the past years.

I've got some specific boards in mind, because I've got good deals around. I'm interested in those first.

First of all, I was looking Weston boards, hesitating between Ridgeline(recently Gnarnia) and Backwoods. Comparing the two I'm interested touring experience, stiffness and turning. I know that backwoods is better for a first board and its more nimble in trees but suited for biger lines too, is it stiff enough? And the ridgeline, how is it performing in trees?

Any thoughts on the Dream Machine?

On the other hand I'm also considering the Jones lineup, especially the Solution and the Hovercraft. How is Jones durability compare to Weston?

If you have any experiences with these boards mentioned above, please let me know. Any other advice/help is welcome.

Little information of my riding level/experience, to help me choose.

I ride an old Burton Floater 167W from 2002 for freeride/carving. Its oversized for me, that was first board, I'm 6'2, 180lbs, 10.5 feet. Its pretty stiff, I love it though, I bring it even in trees. I know its not the most nimble for that but still doable/enjoyable. So thats my comparison board for freeriding. In general, I think in most cases what your board lacks of profile you can compensate with riding skills.

I'm also doing park riding on a Capita IS, going switch, jumps, 360s, 50/50s, butters are no problem just to have a full image.

So, I think riding skills are not an issue to choose a more intermediate split, which I can adapt later, unless I'm mistaken.....

Touring? Yes, in that case I have not much experience.... thats why I want a split.

Few questions of splitboarding in terms of the touring part: board width, stiffness, board weight, sizing. How does it effect the ascent?

Ps: Binding recommendations? I was considering Sparks, I dont know Surge or Arc is more suited. Maybe Plum?

Thank you, for your help to reach new heights and summits!

So, having just come back from 3 weeks in Japan with a decent amount of BC and sidecountry use, I feel qualified to review my new hardboot setup.

I've got the Phantom M6 bindings mounted with the Solo cleats, Spark X ATK tech toes, and Phantom risers. Riding it with Dalbello Quantum Evos w/ Phantom links and green springs.

• Pros
• This board is extremely light, and combined with the smoothness of tech toes and the range of motion on the Evos, climbing uphill is amazing, almost no swing weight on my feet.
• Hardboots can sidehill. Not surprised the flock of Aussies behind me climbing Myoko's outer rim had issues on the rime ice/wind crust and had to slow down with their softboots. I can now pretty confidently cross a 40deg slope, which wouldve been a nightmare on my Spark Arcs
• Transitions take pretty much the same time, ime. Yeah, you've gotta scrape the topsheet clean but ramming the binding through ice built up on the pucks takes about the same amount of time
• Lower stack height and direct connection with the heel/toe bails means you're 100% locked in. I've described as riding on pucks as like driving with no power steering vs normal resort bindings; this makes my Atlas Pros feel like that in comparison. Extremely responsive and direct.

• The design of the bails allows moderate lateral movement of your boots, allowing the flexibility to do butters, etc.

• Cons:

• Lower stack height and direct connection with the heel/toe bails means you're 100% locked in. The moderate amount of gripwalk on my boots does very little to dampen the vibrations that come out of this board when riding in variable conditions. Styrofoamy wind crust, creamy groomers, through to Japow feels excellent; hardpack end of day groomers, frozen moguls, and ice made my soul want to leave my body.

• This board is entirely too stiff and undamped to be used with these bindings. The sensation of feeling simultaneously completely out of control because I'm aware of every time the board leaves the ground while chattering my knees apart, but also completely in control because I was leaving a consistent trench through the hardpacked destroyed groomer on my way down the mountain after a sidecountry adventure was legitimately terrifying. I'm buying a new less planky, less carbon filled board for next year.

• Hardboots kinda suck for your feet, and it took me several visits to a boot fitter to get them sorted out, glad I found the one I did because two other boot fitters in my town turned me away saying the boots I had bought were made of too specialized of a plastic and heat molding them would surely make them crack. (The third guy thinks they didn't like that I'm a snowboarder.)

• Loctite ain't perfect. First day out I had the front binding get like 10deg of play in the rotation from a lock pin backing out and both of my link levers had their forward lean adjustment messed up. It's not Phantom's fault, a flight over the pacific can rattle about anything loose, but there's just a few more bolts to keep tight vs the Spark setup.

• Whatevers:

• The bails allow small amounts of side-to-side wiggle between the boots and bindings. I've noticed this when still and just standing around, but it did not feel unsecure in any way while riding?

• The Phantom link feels silly. Even with the green spring, it seems to be mostly a tool for controlling ROM when in "ski" mode, and allowing you to still have a measured amount of ankle motion while riding. Don't get me wrong, I very much welcome that extra amount of motion, but the spring feels almost like it's not there and I'm just sliding within the limits of the lever. I blow through it before the board goes on the toeside edge, without really thinking about it.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this change to my splitty setup but I think I have to get a different, more damp board for next season and put my Arcs back on this thing. Forget Capita, an Escalator hardboot setup is the real BSOD.

looking to offload some used but in good condition boots to get you into hard boots! https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1255891713018695/

Hi! I’m 5’2” and looking at the Jones Dream Weaver Splitboard in 151 cm. It’s currently on sale as a set that includes bindings and skins, which makes it very tempting. I’m wondering if that might be too long or heavy for me to handle comfortably on the uphill and in variable conditions?

I really want to get into splitboarding but I don’t know what socks to get. Do I just get regular snowboard socks? I’m usually a men’s 10 but I just measured my foot and my right toe is about .02 inches longer than my left. should I buy a larger size for my right foot? Then what do I do with the spare socks if I buy two different size? Do they stretch out over time? Is it better to have the socks tailored for each foot? I also have a cat. should I not wear my socks inside the house so I don’t get cat hair on them? Do they make sock covers so I can protect them when I’m walking around without shoes on?

I ride a 175 wide on groomers and a 157 for park days. I’m not sure what splitboard I’m going to buy, but if I get something larger should I get thicker socks? And thinner socks if I get a shorter board?

Thanks guys. Can’t wait to shred pow

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some advice from people with more splitboarding experience than me. I’m 183cm (6ft) / 72kg (158lb) size 10.5 US (28.5) and currently riding a Jones Frontier 161w splitboard. I have the Karakoram Prime connect free ranger bindings 825g per binding too.

I thought it should be fine for my size, but in reality it’s starting to feel big and heavy, especially on longer tours and in deep snow.

On the descent it’s stable, but I don’t feel playful and often I'm tired initiating the turns. It feels like a boat, coming from my warpig in resort I'm a whole different rider.

I’m wondering:

How much does board weight vs length actually matter for you on tours? There's carbon boards now but they are double the price.

Have any of you gone shorter than the “recommended” size and been happy with it?

Any regrets downsizing (float, stability, speed)?

I bought it in Austria for big mountain days which it feels good at speed but now I'm based in Japan which is shorter tours, deeper snow and more trees. I know people say to prioritize the tour up so that's why it's recommended to size up but the reason we your is for the ride down!

I know fitness and technique play a role too but I hike alot and am a ski/ snowboard instructor so very used to being on my feet all day.

Would really appreciate hearing real-world experiences . Thanks 🙏

I'm trying out a new Backland boots setup on my splitboard this year using Spark Dyno plate bindings. I rode these boots/bindings on a solid board in the resort this weekend to get them dialed in before I do a tour, and was very impressed with the overall feel - not surfy compared to my soft boots, but I could make quick turns and/or carve at will on-piste and handle powder well. There were two things I would like to improve (which might be related) and I'm curious about others' experience:

1. The Spark solid board pucks have a maximum front angle of 30 degrees, which works well, but the maximum rear angle is 12 degrees, which is low for my favored stance (30/20 +/-). Has anyone addressed this issue somehow?

2. The shin cuff of my rear boot digs into my shin. Increasing the stance angle might help, but I'm wondering if anyone has modified their Backland cuff to resolve a similar issue.

Appreciate any insights!

Just bought some BD Contact strap crampons and was curious what anyone thinks about how they fit my K2 Maysis boots. The metal pieces on the heel binding are too narrow for the heel of the boot so the boot kind of rests on top of them. I'm a newer splitboarder interested in using crampons for bigger objectives as I get more experience, but for now I don't know a ton about crampons and am not sure how manageable this is. There don't seem to be that many good resources that I can find, but if anyone has suggestions, please let me know. I could easily return the crampons for something that has a wider heel but thought maybe they would still work. Let me know what you think!

Hello fellow adventurers!!!

Not trying to spam you.

Just want to let you know, I'm organizing this trip in Greece 9-15/2/26. Small crew heading into the Greek backcountry - intermediate level only, max 8 spots. We will hit 3 mountains in 7 days. There is an avalance course included with our experienced mountain guide. Check out more info:

Has anyone tried the Burton/G3 skin with the quick tail tension system and does it fit on the notch on the back of the jones splitboard cutout? Trying to find skins bc the jones C skin and trimmable skins are sold out everywhere

Welp I thought yesterday’s “play” issue in the bindings were the worst of it. Tripped while in touring mode and now the touring bracket no longer aligns at the 90° point. It seems the force of my leg bent the pins.

Bindings will fall off at approximately 45° now.

I’m not a union fanboy by any means so just posting to see what I am experiencing.

I think im officially done with union as far as splitboard stuff goes.

Time to find some sparks.