In the beginning there was the splitboard, or something like that. In any case, the board, which can be split into two parts, was used for snowboarding tours before today's alpine snowshoes. In this experience report, I try to summarize why splitboards have been on the rise again for a few years now and where the biggest differences lie compared to touring with snowshoes.
For a change, it wasn't Americans but Bavarians who came up with this idea. A normal snowboard is cut lengthwise into two or three ski-like pieces. These are fitted with an edge and a binding, and voilà, a snowboard becomes skis. But it only gets really clever when the individual parts become a real snowboard again. This principle of transformation makes it easy to climb up the mountain and surf down as usual, as the inventors thought over twenty years ago. The splitboard was born at a time when neon colors and dovetail boards were already shaping the snowboarding scene. Today, snowboard tourers have a wide range of splitboards with a perfected binding system at their disposal.
Glarner Sprinter
"I tell myself every winter that I'll get my snowshoes out again in spring", but Kuse, a snowboard touring veteran from Glarus, has been faithful to his two splitboards from Voilé and Burton for around four years. Kuse is definitely hooked on touring, whether it's sunshine or a snowstorm. When it's really shivering and stormy, he pulls the skins onto the underside of the two board halves on his terrace above Schwanden, fixes the bindings with a split pin and makes his way up the beautiful Schönau, his local mountain, as he has done countless times before. He has been on the Tödi around 35 times and has also been snowboarding in Canada. "The skiers there smiled at us when we arrived with our boards. But in the end, it was us with the splitboards who made it through the waist-deep snow. And we also did comparatively well on the descent with the boards in the deep snow." In fourteen days, including one day of arrival and one day of departure, Kuse and his friend had around 24,000 meters of altitude in their legs. "But then we were running on fumes," he says with a laugh.
A powder tool
Practically no other ascent device has as much lift in the snow as the splitboard. It is a real powder tool. Added to this is the inspiring fact that compared to snowboard tours with snowshoes, where the board is carried on the back, there is approx. 5-6 kilos less weight on the shoulders. On windy days, your own surface area is also smaller and therefore shakes significantly less. This makes creating a trail a fun mission even in the youngest and deepest powder snow. If longer distances or a lot of luggage are added to the fresh snow, the splitboard shows its best side and becomes enormously efficient. I still remember my first tour with the splitboard, it was like flying - it was so easy.
Splitboard tinkerers
It wasn't until five years after the two Bavarians, Stefan Schiele and Werner Früh, had filed a patent for three-piece snowboards in 1989 and started the first series production under the name T3 a little later that the founders of the now widely used Voilé binding system came up with the same idea. Brett Kobernik and Mark Wariakois from the USA patented the first two-piece spiltboard system in 1994. One year later, the first two-piece spiltboards were available on the market. The Voilé system was so well thought out in principle and then perfected in detail that it has established itself as the splitboard binding system par excellence to this day. This system has never caused me any problems, even in the coldest conditions and in driving snow. And so today not only Voilé splitboards are equipped with this technology, but around a handful of board manufacturers obtain the license from Voilé to mount and sell this binding on their own splitboards.
However, there is always one exception: Atomic developed its own splitboard including binding system around two years ago. Poacher is the name of the model, which works perfectly and is particularly impressive in terms of price.
And what has become of the three-part T3 system from the inventors in Bavaria? It still exists and is built by "Jester Snowboards" and "Powder Equipment" in Constance on their own boards. According to the inventors, it is much easier to traverse with the ski width boards than with the wider two-piece boards. An existing ski track can also be used more efficiently. On the other hand, these boards are heavier and there is another long bar on the back, the third middle section.
The Poacher splitboard from Atomic
Scene change. I'm in the Bernese Oberland with extreme sportsman Ueli Kestenholz. He uses the relatively new Atomic splitboard for touring. Ueli is enthusiastic about the board, which in its second edition is made almost exclusively from recycled materials. For example, Atomic uses bamboo for the flex of the board: "At first I was skeptical as to whether the thing would be any good in tough downhill conditions. But once I got used to the somewhat special shape, it was super fun to ride, even on the piste." And that applies to all splitboards. On the descent, you feel practically nothing of the board's ability to split. Not a snowflake of fun is lost, on the contrary. Splitboards are specially designed for off-piste skiing and therefore have more flotation in powder snow, for example, allow for smoother edge changes thanks to special tailings and the binding holes are offset to the rear. Ueli then shows me what he likes to do most with the board; sweep meter-high snow clouds into the blue sky at full throttle, lie full of flow into the next turn, grazing the snow with his hand and grinning.
Ueli Kestenholz demonstrates the assembly of his Atomic Poacher splitboard
Four edges and a few problems
Enough praise. The sides of the splitboard that take some getting used to should not go unmentioned either. Kuse reveals: "In a steep summit slope, I was standing in a hairpin bend when the ski underneath me went astray. I fell forward with my head down and immediately slid down the hard frozen slope at a hell of a speed...". The fact that Kuse only came away with bruises, grazes and burns was pure luck.
But in fact, I have noticed this time and time again. In rock-hard snow conditions, it is very difficult to find grip on the edges of the splitboard. The only thing left are the 20cm long crampons, which claw deep into the snow under the binding. Where skiers are comfortable without crampons, the forward-looking splitboarder mounts the sharp irons. A lack of edge pressure is particularly common with soft boots and conventional, less stiff snowboard bindings, which work well in powder snow on the splitboard, but cause problems on steep traverses. The power transmission with boots and bindings that are too soft is not sufficient to go long in steep, untracked terrain. New soft boot bindings from Spark R&D and Voilé, which have been specially developed for use on splitboards only, transfer power to the edges a little better and also save weight. However, the best option for control on a splitboard is clearly the shell boot and plate binding, just like ski touring. The width of the skis on two-piece splitboards certainly makes things more difficult on steep traverses. The three-piece T3 system, where the skis are no wider than normal touring skis, promises the solution.
Beautiful views and freedom on tours
Without a board on their backs and walking together in the same track, snowboard tourers and ski tourers are not only visually closer. Snowboard tourers who are often out and about with skiers know how exhausting it can be with snowshoes to sink 20 cm into the ski track with every step and to trot along behind. So if you want to get back on your skis for such reasons, the splitboard must definitely be recommended. As rapidly as splitboard technology has developed in recent years, the boards will continue to improve and demand will increase. The only downside is the purchase price. A new board with bindings, skins and crampons costs between 800 and 1200 euros (1200 and 1800 francs). However, after the first liberating steps in the fresh powder, these costs seem more than justified.
Tips for successful splitboarding
Boards
There is now a wide range of splitboards in all lengths and shapes. At www.4mountains.ch you will not only find various models with the Voilé binding system, but there are also always opportunities to test different boards and bindings. The "Atomic Poacher" can occasionally be found in specialist sports stores.
Binding systems
The "Atomic Poacher" comes with the specially developed soft bindings. The conversion is done with the supplied crampons, which takes some getting used to and can certainly be improved. The Voilé binding system is much more sophisticated. Either your own binding or a binding from Spark R&D or Voilé specially designed for the splitboard can be mounted on it. In this case you save a lot of weight, but certainly no money.
The T3 system is still offered by the inventor Werner Früh. It was not possible to find out how well it performs in the terrain during this test. The boards are available from Powder-Equipment in Constance.
Skins
Are included with all splitboards and made of the same material as ski touring skins.
Harsh crampons
Available for all binding systems and should be part of every splitboard tour.
Crampons
If you are traveling with soft boots, whether with snowshoes or a splitboard, you should always have crampons in your backpack.
Shoes
Soft boots or ski touring boots with plate bindings. If you opt for soft boots, it is best to choose a model that is as stiff as possible.
More information for splitboard enthusiasts
Splitboard platform
Splitboarders
Splitboard with Voilé systems
4Mountains
Splitboards.eu
Atomic Splitboard
Atomic Poacher
Splitboards with the T3 System
Powder Equipment
Jester Snowboards
T3 Splitboards
