Gear Review | STRANDA Biru Splitboard

First Impressions

The Biru arrived straight from Stranda, although it wasn’t brand-new. I received a prototype from the previous season that had already seen a little use. The production model may therefore differ in a few details — more on that later. By the way, “Biru” means “devil” in Sámi. A little devil, then! I’m also a big fan of the matching logo on the topsheet.

First impressions? Solid, lightweight, and comfortable to handle. The build quality feels premium right from the get-go. Stranda clearly hasn’t cut corners where it matters, and the board also feels built to last. Very nice!

The shape delivers exactly what it promises: a generous shovel up front, a compact fishtail at the back, and a substantial 270 mm waist width on the 154 model. The tail tapers in beyond the effective edge, something you can definitely feel on the descent. As for the profile, Stranda has opted for plenty of camber, combined with a slight early rise in the nose and a pronounced kick in the tail. The flex is medium-stiff, with the stiffest section around the middle of the sidecut. The sidecut radius is 6.7 meters and tightens toward the tail. The inserts feature so-called “Power Bumps” — small protrusions along the edges designed to provide extra grip on hard snow. Stranda recommends riding the Biru 4 to 6 cm shorter than your usual freeride board.

For the current season, Stranda has updated the Biru’s construction, although my test board already shares most of the same features. The core combines bamboo, paulownia, and poplar. Lightweight paulownia in the nose helps reduce swing weight, while bamboo beneath the inserts adds durability. The core is wrapped in triaxial fiberglass, with carbon stringers intended to increase torsional stiffness and damping. Other features include a Durasurf 4001 sintered base, Phantom Hercules clips, a matte TPU topsheet, polyurethane sidewalls, and aluminum protectors on both the nose and tail. The steel edges come slightly detuned from the factory, with a base bevel of -1° and a side edge angle of 88°.

Review

Ascent

In a nutshell: outstanding across the board — and in pretty much every condition! I was particularly surprised by how well the Biru handled the hard, wind-packed snow in the Alps. Wide board halves and steep traverses don’t usually make for the best combination. The leverage is considerable, and the edges tend to slip out of the track all too easily. Or so I thought. Not with the Biru! Its edge hold on hard to very hard snow was every bit as good as that of a narrower board. The secret lies in the excellent interplay between camber and flex: the board halves feel stable and locked into the track.

The Biru also excels when carving through softer snow. Its combination of width and shorter length provides incredibly comfortable float. And when it comes to kick turns, the short length is a real blessing compared to longer splitboards. The Biru is agile, easy to maneuver, and simply a pleasure to handle. The positioning of the front inserts is well thought out, too, keeping the board nicely balanced and preventing it from tipping over.

One thing to keep in mind on the ascent: with a waist width of 270 mm, the Biru requires the larger crampon size for the Plum binding (260–290 mm). Check out our crampon overview to find out which crampon fits which binding.

Descent

Yeah, this thing is awesome! My first run on the Biru took me through a familiar but narrow forest glade with very little snow cover. It’s a technically demanding section and not exactly where you’d normally want to take a new board for its maiden voyage. But from the very first turn, I felt right at home. I came tumbling out of the trees with a huge grin on my face and a laugh. The Biru turns effortlessly and is remarkably forgiving when things get tight.

In Black Forest powder, the board really comes into its own. The nose stays afloat, while the short shape makes it agile and playful — exactly what this design is all about. In fact, it opened up new possibilities on lines I’ve ridden countless times before. A real treat!

Hard snow takes a little more getting used to. If you want to hold a clean edge, you need to bring some technique to the table. What worked best for me was shifting significantly more weight onto my front foot. Do that, and the Biru grips and carves beautifully. Just charging straight down the fall line without thinking about your technique? That might come as a surprise — and could even throw you off balance.

The second little quirk showed up on relatively flat terrain with around 10 to 15 cm of soft snow. At higher speeds, the tail starts to break loose slightly. It’s a little surprising at first, but then it becomes quite fun — almost like surfing a twin-fin. The tapered tail and tighter sidecut toward the rear are deliberately designed to give the board that loose, playful feel. You just need to get used to it and learn how to work with it.

After one winter, I can’t yet say how the Biru handles bigger lines in really deep powder. But if it’s already this much fun — and such a pleasant surprise — in challenging conditions, I’m pretty confident that the grin won’t disappear when the snow gets deeper either.

Pros and Cons

Information

MSRP: €995

Available lengths: 154 cm | 157 cm

Rider weight: 65–90 kg | 75–100 kg

Weight: 3190 g | 3300 g

Effective edge: 1,192 mm | 1,220 mm

Sidecut: 321–270–309 mm | 328–275–315 mm

Radius: 6.7 m | 7.1 m

Setback: 20 mm

Full camber with early rise in the nose

Core made of bamboo, paulownia, and poplar (Model 2027)

Triax fiberglass with carbon stringers

Durasurf 4001 sintered base

Phantom Hercules clips

Click here to visit Stranda’s website for more information.

The splitboard was provided to PowderGuide free of charge by the manufacturer. Find out how we test it in our test statement.