Splitboarding with hardboots?! - An experience report

Why should you switch?

This question is definitely justified and is not only controversial but also emotionally debated (http://splitboard.com/talk/topic/la-sportiva-sideral-boots/#post-658600). Since Karakoram, Spark and co have revolutionized the splitboard (binding) market dominated by Voilé, you can go on tour adequately with your skiing colleagues. A soft boot splitboard setup still costs more than a standard ski touring equipment, but you now get a sophisticated system in return. If you want to save money, you can slowly find good second-hand offers on the relevant internet sites.

A major drawback of such a soft boot setup is the ascent weight per foot. On the part of the manufacturers, lighter splitboards (e.g. through the use of carbon) are an answer to this problem.

In contrast, parts of the splitboard community are focusing on boots and bindings. Splitboarders now use lightweight ski touring boots, Dynafit Tech bindings for ascending and put the bindings in their backpacks for descending. This makes enormous weight savings possible. I personally save almost 1 kilo per foot with the hard boot setup. Do you need more reasons? Not necessarily, but there are plenty of them.

• Better edge hold on the ascent thanks to the very direct Dynafit-Hardboot connection,

• longer stride length thanks to a better pivot point,

• more grip on demanding icy summit ridges, easy crampon mounting.

Short: Hard boots are for ascent-oriented splitboarders - the powder hunter who generally only tackles short ascents will be satisfied with a soft boot setup.

Boot

There are several suitable ski touring boot models on the market. In my opinion, however, all the available ones are still a compromise, which is demonstrated by the fact that there are instructions for modifying many boot models on the internet. A skier wants as little lateral freedom of movement as possible; for a snowboarder, however, this is of fundamental importance in order to shift weight...

The most widely used boot among splitboarders is probably the Dynafit TLT6 Mountain CR ( http://helveticbackcountry.ch/splitboards/). Other boots used are the antique Frogs (TLT2/3 http://www.erstespur.de/viewtopic.php?t=5589) and the rest of the TLT series, Scarpa F1 green ( http://www.wildschnee.de/know-how-blog/tipps/hardboot-tuning), Scott Orbit II ( http://www.erstespur.de/viewtopic.php?t=6395), La Sportiva Sideral/Spitfire and, most recently, the Arxteryx Procline ( https://www.wildsnow.com/21864/arcteryx-procline-boot-splitboard-snowboard/#more-21864).

The common denominator of all boots is that they only have two buckles, so they are more of the soft variety. However, soft in ski boots still means hard compared to a hard soft boot. Some have a combined system to close the downhill mode and the shaft at the same time - in my opinion rather a disadvantage, which is often an incentive for modification. Furthermore, the lower buckle is often placed mainly over the instep instead of the ankle, so that the heel hold suffers.

Board

Of course, any splitboard is suitable to be ridden with hard boots. However, there are a few points that should be considered when planning an AT setup.

• Since many splitboarders with hard boots tend to ride at an angle of around 0 degrees on the back foot, the boot protrudes as much as possible. Because the sole, in contrast to soft boots, is straight and not curved up to the heel and toes, a wide board is recommended. Here ( http://www.evo.com/ski-boot-sole-length-bsl-size-chart.aspx) there is a comprehensive comparison table of sole lengths.

• A more philosophical question is whether it should be a carbon board. Since hard boots are ridden for ascent and therefore weight reasons, weight should of course be saved in all areas. For me, the optimum for an ascent-oriented AT setup is a three- or four-piece splitboard, where the middle section is carried on the backpack during the ascent.

• 3-piece boards were already available 10 years ago from Jester and T3, but the connector system was still in its infancy and, as a commercial 3-piece board, simply ahead of its time. Salomon recently introduced a 4-piece as a purchasable splitboard from a major manufacturer. ( http://www.powderguide.com/magazin/news/artikel/ispo-2016-splitboards-snowboards.html). For some years now, there have also been various small French brands that produce 3/ 4 - splitboards (http://www.phenix-snowboards.com/#), http://splitboard-power.fr/categorie-produit/splitboard/

If you are not satisfied with this offer, you either have to saw it yourself ( http://www.erstespur.de/viewtopic.php?t=6168) or ask the splitboard guru Wildschnee for a custom-made board ( https://wildschnee.de/category/manufaktur/).

Small parts

To mount the Dynafit Toe pieces for the ascent, there are special adapters for the Voile hole stitch from Spark ( https://www.sparkrandd.com/gear/dynafit-adapters/) and similar adapters from Phantom.

Alternatively, you could attach them with Ski-Spax or Quiver inserts ( http://www.quiverkiller.com/).

The climbing aid also needs to be moved back slightly so that the stirrup sits under the heel. Adapters are also available from both binding manufacturers. Some websites recommend using the dual climbing aid from Voile, but I have never missed the longer stirrup.

Although the edge hold and control is much better with hard boots on the ascent, crampons should not be missing from your luggage in spring at the latest. These must be wide enough and fit the Dynafit Toe pieces. Up to 130mm are available from Dynafit, otherwise Spark makes even wider ones (http://www.sparkrandd.com/gear/d-rex/)

Voile offers beveled pucks that are inclined 3° inwards https://www.sparkrandd.com/gear/voile-splitboard-canted-puck-set/. Without thinking about it, I ordered them straight away. They make it much more relaxed on the board. From next season, these so-called canted pucks will also be available from Spark R&D.

With all these adapters, even more metal-to-metal screw connections are created on the splitboard. To find its settings, these are also screwed several times. To prevent the screws from loosening, screw lock should always be used. Vibratite is recommended instead of Locktite, as this does not attack the base and epoxy.