SPLITBOARD GEAR FOR 2022
There’s never been a better time to invest in a splitboard set-up, and here’s the pick of our backcountry favourites…
The splitboard market has surged in the last couple of seasons–no surprise given how many lifts/resorts have been Covid-closed for long periods. And all those sales mean increased R&D spend for superior products–so there has never been a better time to invest in a splitboard set-up. So buckle up for a better-than-ever backcountry experience, with splitboards that break apart easily (in a good way), bindings that can be switched-out speedily, and a fleet of shiny new models with the ability (and tech) to charge the mountains almost as if they were a traditional board.
SPLITBOARDS
SALOMON PILLOW TALK SPLIT £799
Shaped by Wolfgang Nyvelt, this women’s-specific split comes with a wide tapered powder-focused design for max manoeuvrability and float in the soft stuff. The wood core profile has been optimised to deliver tons of pop and it comes with custom Pomoca skins too.
BURTON FAMILY TREE HOMETOWN HERO X CAMBER £1,350
Burton’s lightest, top-of-the-range model, it has a freeride shape with setback camber designed to deliver a freestyle feel when you’re riding flat, but put it on an edge and it performs like a true all-mountain board. Edge change is lightning fast and it is damped as well as any Burton board, so much so you forget it's a splitboard.
G3 SCAPEGOAT £765
The award-winning Scapegoat is a lightweight, powder-specific splitboard laden with top G3 tech. The combination of the hybrid poplar/paulownia wood core and full carbon construction ensure it’s light and responsive when you’re negotiating steeper terrain. But when cruising through powder its 25mm taper in the tail and rockered tip mean it floats with ease. With a full thickness base, textured nylon top sheet and PU sidewalls, it’s built to ride hard and last.
K2 MARAUDER PACKAGE £920
Playful yet precise, the Marauder is a blunt-nosed backcountry split that gets up to get down. The directional camber baseline means you’ll stay stuck to the skin track when things get steep and the tapered outline is built for floating in deeper snow on the descent. It performs well on the pistes, too. A great-value package that includes board, skins, risers, hardware and mounting pucks.
BOOTS
BURTON TOURIST £370
Split-style wilderness exploring is easy to do in the Tourist. Designed in collaboration with Spark R&D, this boot has a solid amount of negative flex, Speed Zone lacing for rapid transitions and a Dryride Heat Cycle liner that’ll keep your Tourist toes toasty in the back of beyond. It also comes with a Vibram sole for chamois-levels of grip.
SALOMON TREK S/LAB £500
When a boot features S/Lab tech you know you're getting the best of the best. No surprise then that the medium-flex Trek S/Lab is a super-techie boot with Boa+ Trek lacing, full custom fit liner, strategically placed sweat-wicking Quickdry panels, adjustable internal heel strap and rugged Trek BC+ outsole. It can be used for non-split riding too.
THIRTYTWO JONES MTB WOMEN’S £500
A stiff yet responsive boot, the women’s-specific Jones MTB is the culmination of a two-year collaboration project with split legend Jeremy Jones. These boots come with Boa tech, heat-mouldable Intuition liners, Vibram soles and a clever Walk Mode Collar to help you go further and faster in the backcountry. Also available for men.
BINDINGS
BURTON HITCHHIKER £420
This takes the user-friendliness of the Spark’s lightweight Tesla T1 System and combines it with some of Burton’s best tech, including the super-responsive Hammockstrap ankle strap and the fully injected Supergrip Capstrap 2.0 toe strap. Double Take buckles make for speedy transitions and the high-back construction comes with customisable negative forward lean options to keep things efficient in the skin track.
K2 FAR OUT £385
Developed in conjunction with splitboard legends Voilé, the Far Out is a durable, easy-to-use binding with legitimate backcountry DNA. It comes with lightweight aluminium chassis, pinless speed-rail mountain system, comfortable ankle strap and one-tool adjustability.
SPARK R&D WOMEN’S ARC £365
Lightweight, durable, comfortable and oh-so-simple to use, the women’s-specific Arc embodies everything you need in a backcountry binding. The Montana-based splitboard pioneers have shaved grams wherever possible to ensure a super-light rig yet reliability, flex, comfort and performance are still there in droves. This version comes with shorter and narrower baseplates, lower, more compact heel loops and lower high-backs for a better female fit. Also available in men’s.