Splitboard

In 2021, I had my first opportunity to try out the boot as part of a test for the magazine splitboarding.eu, which was only active on Instagram at the time. Although the boots were a size too big, the first few descents convinced me. It quickly became clear: I had to get a hard boot setup for the next season! You can find out how the boot ultimately fared in the long-term gear review in this test.

They are rarely missing even in freeride backpacks and are almost standard equipment these days; for ski touring backpacks, this has always been true anyway: a pair of climbing skins! This makes it all the more important to have a skin with the right properties. The product range is now so wide that this is no problem. In the improved guide line, Contour relies on lighter, more robust materials and improved gliding and adhesive properties. Now you can win your own pair of the revised guide skins!

Winter has already left its first traces in the mountains, so the first runs have already been collected. But we can hardly wait for the coming winter either. After introducing the new "Snow-/Splitboard" category last season and launching the new "Splittie of the Week" series, we are looking forward to a new season with exciting content!

When looking for suitable destinations for a ski touring vacation, Peru is unlikely to come to mind any time soon. And yet the Cordillera Blanca, relatively close to the equator, is home to the largest tropical glaciers in the world. Our aim is to climb and descend some of the impressive five and six thousand meter peaks "by fair means" (without guides and porters). What follows is an adventure report about long ascents, heavy backpacks, thin mountain air, imposing glaciers and the enjoyment of ski tours in complete solitude and untouched nature!

After the season is before the season. For most splitboarders, the season begins to wind down around Easter. Before everything gets stashed away in the cellar, it’s a good idea to take a moment and check the gear: What’s its overall condition, and is everything set for the next season? Because let’s be honest, we all want to be ready for the first fresh snow of 2025/2026, right?

Splittie of the Week is entering the season finale, but the current weather is driving the beads of rain onto the forehead of the author, who is mainly active in the Black Forest. The lexical re-creation of the oracle doesn't make the situation any better, but makes our reality all the more present. Thanks for that ;-)

In the previous Splittie of the Week, I already wrote a lot about the advantages of ski straps when splitboarding. So why another report about an expensive extra that has virtually the same function as a skistrap? I asked myself the same question and ridiculed flex locks as fancy ski straps for a long time. This winter, however, my curiosity got the better of me when I came across a very affordable offer and finally wanted to try them out myself.

The search for the right splitboard and the corresponding binding has probably already taken a lot of time and nerves. The new treasures are quickly unpacked and want to be admired, but you soon realize: It doesn't look anything like a snowboard! But there's no need to panic, despite the many individual parts, a screwdriver is enough to assemble everything before the first tour. Here are a few helpful tips.

First aid: Anyone setting off on a ski tour, freeriding or splitboarding should at least carry a first aid kit for themselves and their group. Clear so far. Technical first aid for splitboarders: But I also always have a second kit with me. And this kit is not used for a bloody thumb, but for a loose screw. And yes, this can make or break a tour. And solve serious problems.

Splitboard manufacturers such as Voile, Jones and Furberg have developed different systems, but they are all based on the same principle: Clips on the tip and tail hold the board halves together, while hooks in the centre provide additional stability. There are clear differences between the systems, especially when it comes to the hooks and clips. Only Furberg uses an innovative tongue-and-groove system on the inside edges. Despite technical differences, all manufacturers use the Voile standard for the drill holes. In recent years, hooks, clips and bindings have been continuously optimised - three of the best systems are presented and compared below.

For snowboarders who are travelling on steeper terrain, in harder conditions or on bare ice, there is no way around the use of crampons. However, due to the nature of soft boots (wide fit & relatively soft sole), there are a few special features to bear in mind.

Having unfortunately not found the time in recent winters to travel to the beautiful mountains of the Western Alps as often as I used to, contact with La Grave has also become somewhat more sporadic. So I was all the more pleased when we finally decided to spend a few days in La Grave again this year. But I was all the more shocked when Anne, Guillaume's girlfriend, replied to my email to him to say that he had died unexpectedly last winter. It's been a week and a half now and I'm still collecting my thoughts.