The use of a crampon-compatible Vibram mountain sole has now become the standard for touring-oriented snowboard boots; next year, however, this will be in the integrated version, which will significantly reduce the sole lengths of the boots (in some cases by more than 1 cm) - a hope for all men and women who live on a large foot.
In terms of binding systems, there are mainly small but sensible improvements: Spark will also have a women-specific version of their bindings on offer next year (which won't please supporters of enlightened gender theory, as it cements the prevailing discourse, but that's another story).
Striking and therefore included as an add-on in this report is the new retro must-have from many snowboard brands - the powder board. Mostly classic in powder gun style without a swallowtail but with a long nose, almost every company now has a product for the light, white dream material on offer, which we are chasing after after Oracle's announcement
Splitboards
Rossignol
The XV Split remains the only splitboard in the Rossignol range. There are no major changes, only a suspension for attaching the pre-cut Pomoca skins has been added to the tail. In addition, the XV Split will be available in 164 cm as a wide "wide" version. In collaboration with Plum, there is an XV Splitboard binding with its own straps and highback.
Amplid
Amplid has two new products in its range: The Creamer is a real all-rounder. A balanced shape that works well in powder and also in hard snow. Camber under the bindings and a moderate nose rocker in combination with the tapered tail is the formula for a board that goes everywhere.
The Miligram is the logical continuation of the Carbon Lab. It has the same outline and camber profile as the Creamer. Radical weight savings (no topsheet) and generous use of carbon make it the lightest splitboard currently available on the market at 2.3 kg.
Also in the range is the Morning Split with a new color.
Venture
The Zelix has been given a deeper sidecut and a longer nose, resulting in a more playful board. The carbon version of the Zelix is available with the promising name "Black Magic".
The Euphoria is still the board for really deep snow, but with a normal sidecut it has now become a little more universal. The solid version has additional inserts so that it can be ridden with a pad as a snowsurferThe Odin remains the big mountain weapon in the Venture line-up. It should be noted that although the Odin has last year's outline, it has the stiffer core of previous years. Anyone who may have stumbled across this year's American reviews of the Odin, watch out!