Snowboards /Splitboards
The powder shape trend for splitboards and snowboards has now continued for the third year in a row. This winter, the weather will finally suit the shapes. General developments include lightweight construction, 3D base elements and short-and-wide fish shapes.
Amplid has done a lot right in recent years, which every observer of the scene must acknowledge without envy. With the Miligram, they have raised the bar for other manufacturers in terms of weight-optimized, stable splitboards in the last two years. So far, other manufacturers have not really followed suit and Amplid is already preparing to send the Microgram into the competition next year with a fighting weight of 2.2 kilograms. That would be another 300 grams less than the Miligram. If the board's riding characteristics match those of their previous boards, Amplid will cement its technological market leadership for the time being, which doesn't seem like a bold prediction. Amplid is keeping the existing splitboards and is now using the Union Hooks to have a clean base.
In addition, after the success of the Surfari/Milisurf, Amplid is launching another, wider (280 mm) swallowtail called "Aloha Vibes". The name says it all, I'd say.
BuddyBuddy is a small snowboard brand from Dresden that has the potential to bring real innovation to the construction of snowboards and skis with its own core manufacturing method called "Anchor-core-Technology". In fact, BuddyBuddy has been around for two years, but they weren't on my radar until now, thankfully that has now changed. The technology mentioned is explained very clearly on their homepage and we may have the opportunity to present a board in a test at PowderGuide. In addition, we may even see a splitboard from their factory in the Erzgebirge next season.
After Burton has expanded its product portfolio in the splitboard sector in the last two years, they now want to gain a foothold in the lightweight splitboard sector with the Flight Attendant X Split. The split is to be built with carbon stringers at its core and weigh in at around 2.5 kilos. They have not yet reached this weight at Shops 1st stry, but what is not is still possible. We will be keeping a close eye on developments here.
Capita continues to offer the Spring Break collection, which attracts attention with some very wild shapes. In the splitboard sector, the Neoslasher remains their only split, which comes in four sizes (154, 158, 161, 164) and feels a bit lighter.
The Norwegian brand Furberg, whose first model we had already tested at PowderGuide, is coming next year with a new model called Pow Split, which will be available in sizes 156, 161 and 166 after this year's introduction of the third generation of the Freeride Split. As the pictures show, it is a powder-specific shape with a shorter tail and long early-rise rocker.
There are two key innovations to mention next year from the eponymous brand of big mountain legend Jeremy Jones . Firstly, they are rounding off their already impressive range of snowboards and splitboards by offering some models with additional variants in shorter lengths (sic!). For example, the complete length portfolio of the Mind Expander introduced last year now includes 10 lengths (130 - 162) in three different categories (Mini-Mind Expander, Women's M. , Mind Expander).
As if that wasn't enough, the Mind Expander is now also available as a split version in lengths 154 and 158. Once again introduced as a split version, the Mountain Twin is available in 3 sizes including a wide version.
Ben Dietermann, previously a developer and board builder at POGO, has set up his own brand konvoi which we can only support. Snowboards, splitboards and - his specialty - powder surfers will be available to buy. With a splitboard price of around 800 euros including skins, this is worth considering if you know what technical know-how is available here.
The development of the It brand of recent years Korua, which has made carving popular again, remains exciting. They are retaining their Korua + lightweight range and expanding it to include the Café Racer+ as a solid board and an additional length for the split version (159). They also added another model to their experimental range with the dud. However, they are quietly burying their asynchronous shapes, as neither the Apollo nor the Asytoni will be built next year. So if you still want one, you should grab it quickly.
