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gear reviews

Gear Review | Amplid Tour Operator

Workhorse with all-round qualities and a fair price

by Jonathan Kampmann • 01/07/2020
Amplid is adding the Tour Operator to its splitboard range this season. The board should be able to accompany us in any conditions, do its job winter after winter and also come at a fair price. Last winter, we tested for you whether it lives up to Amplid's promises. First things first: the board rides amazingly.

Amplid is launching the new 'Tour Operator' model for the 2019/20 season. After Amplid set the bar very high for other manufacturers (or set the standard to be surpassed) with its carbon lightweight models in particular, the Tour Operator is a conventional splitboard. It is in a weight range in which many splitboards from other manufacturers are also located and relies on a correspondingly good and long durability. At €790, it is also significantly cheaper than the super-light models and is therefore within the range of other fibreglass splitboards. The shape of the Tour Operator is relatively symmetrical, making the board suitable for switch riding and freestyle backcountry jumps. The splitboard also impresses with good edge hold and a clean finish.

First impression

The first impression of the Tour Operator is consistently positive. The build quality is very good, the topsheet is high quality, the edges are solid and the inserts are neatly integrated. The spacing of the inserts fits perfectly (in contrast to splitboards of previous generations from other manufacturers), which means that all common binding systems with Voilé standard can be mounted without any problems. The new nose and tail connectors, developed and manufactured by Amplid, work perfectly and are easy to operate with gloves. Due to their shape and size, you just have to make sure that they are compatible with the skins you are using. The skins used from Kohla fit perfectly, with other skin manufacturers you should check briefly when buying whether the shapes of the clips and the skin mountings match. The connectors of the splitboard halves are also made by Amplid: they work great, do not ice up, have no moving parts that could cause problems. The inserts for the screws used are integrated into the splitboard, so that the board has a continuous surface without screw holes.

Testers and test conditions

The board was tested in combination with a Phantom Alpha binding, Dynafit Radical Speed toe pieces, Spark R&D adapter plates and climbing aids as well as a modified Atomic Backland both in the Norwegian Sunnmøre Alps and in the Alps in a wide range of conditions. The tester is 180 cm tall and weighs 74 kg plus equipment.

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Test report

Uphill
Uphill it is noticeable that the position of the inserts for the ascent bracket and the climbing aid are well chosen. The edges hold well when traversing in hard snow and the splitboard halves turn very easily in hairpin bends. The weight is within the range of splitboards with fibreglass construction from other manufacturers. This makes the Tour Operator neither an absolute lightweight nor uncomfortably heavy. Peter Bauer said about the white topsheet that it stays colder and therefore less snow should stick to the surface. Unfortunately, this was not really confirmed in the test, the snow stuck to the splitboard halves in all conditions that occurred during the test (sunny, cloudy, warm and cold, wet and dry snow) similar to the black carbon topsheet of the Milligram.

Downhill
After the quick and easy conversion to downhill mode, the Amplid Tour Operator also impresses downhill. The nose and tail are shaped like a blunt nose, which combines the easy turning ability with a very smooth ride. The nose rocker is relatively short, while the rest of the board has a long camber. This gives the Tour Operator a very classic feel. The edges grip well in hard conditions and it is also easy to carve on the piste. It also runs very smoothly and irons through uneven snow better than the Milligram, for example, which tends to flutter a little in such situations due to its extremely light construction. The flotation of the Tour Operator in deep powder is comparable to many other splitboards. As you stand relatively centred on the board and the nose is less rockered compared to many other splitboards, it floats less than a real powder board. Thanks to the almost symmetrical Tapered Twin Shape (only 1.5 mm taper and the tail is only slightly shorter than the nose), the Tour Operator is surprisingly well suited to switch riding and therefore invites you to do a 180 or two in the backcountry. This gives the descent with the Tour Operator a very playful character. In general, the Amplid Tour Operator is really easy to ride in all conditions and is a real all-rounder, especially in changing snow conditions.

Durability
For the Tour Operator, Amplid uses its so-called Knuckle Sandwich Construction, a special fibreglass construction with 30-30 carbon fibre inserts, which can also be seen through the semi-transparent topsheet. The entire construction, especially the base and the edges of the splitboard, are very solid. In the area where the repaired scratches are usually visible after a few repairs, a continuous black coating was used. This means that the board should still look like new even after several service appointments. The board was not spared during the test and even a dodgy descent through dense, lightly snow-covered forest only left superficial marks on the base and edges. After a few tours, I only noticed a slight chipping of the topsheet on the inside edges, which has no effect on functionality and which I would class as normal signs of use. Based on these experiences, I expect the Amplid Tour Operator to accompany me for a few more winters.

Conclusion

With the Tour Operator, Amplid is launching a solid and affordable splitboard for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons. In the test, it impressed with good edge hold on the ascent and descent and a relatively symmetrical, freestyle/switch orientated Tapered Twin Shape. The splitboard is no lightweight on the ascent, but this means that the Tour Operator rides very smoothly downhill and scores particularly well in changeable conditions. The durability of the knuckle sandwich construction was also convincing in the test, so you should be happy with this splitboard for several seasons.

Advantages & disadvantages

+ solid construction

+ Smooth running even at higher speeds

+ good edge hold on the ascent and descent

+ perfectly balanced pivot point for easier hairpin bends

+ Switches well

+ Good all-round qualities in changing snow conditions

+/- not a lightweight (but that was not the aim of this design)

- unfortunately, the snow adheres just as well to the white topsheet as it does to a black carbon topsheet

Information

RRP: €790,-

  • Tapered Directional Shape

  • Low Camber with Early Rise

  • Basalt Suspension Strips

  • Biax Glass

  • All Terrain Tips

  • Sintered 7 Base

  • Split Tune

  • Bolted Tip Clips

  • Lite Core

  • Pre-Cured Impact Plates

  • Custom Clips

  • Knuckle Sandwich Construction


Here is the link to the Amplid website with further information.

The board was provided to PowderGuide by the manufacturer free of charge for testing. You can find out how we tested it in our test statement.

Photo gallery

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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