Voile

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.

Ski straps, perhaps better known among snowboarders as voile straps, are now with me and my board every day. Not only on tours, but also in the ski resort, they have already saved me one or two days of riding. If a strap tears on the binding or you have an icy traverse ahead of you on a tour, it's a lot less unpleasant with ski straps.

Why is the walk mode not for walking, what are the advantages and disadvantages of the different binding systems and how do you find your way around the range of special softboot bindings for splitboards? To find out more about the differences between the systems, we asked someone who has been dealing with splitboards more than anyone else for around 20 years: Simon Graf from Splitboards Europe.

Simon Graf, splitboarder from the very beginning, is launching three self-developed shapes this season with his newly founded label mr.splitboards: All MNT, High MNT and Powder MNT. He draws on over 20 years of experience in the industry. Wait - splitboards already existed 20 years ago? Yes, but the beginnings were adventurous! In this interview, Simon talks about his drive and we find out more about the history of splitboarding.

Anyone who thinks they can simply go splitboarding with hard-shell boots is mistaken. A functioning AT setup, as it is called in modern German, still requires a lot of trial and error as well as a certain amount of motivation to tinker in order to find the individually functional settings.

True to the motto "carbon instead of fitness", the S-One Carbon Splitboard saves energy both uphill and downhill. This may not make you better, but it means you can go longer!

To write a touring atlas like the "Helvetic Backcountry Tourenatlas", you have to spend a lot of time on the mountain. The guys from Helvetic Backcountry do this with the splitboard. And they've been doing it for 7 years. They have summarized how they have fared during this time in a Viedo.

For a long time, splitboards were frowned upon by touring snowboarders in Europe. A splitboard was said to be too heavy and therefore too sluggish on the descent. Far too much weight per foot had to be dragged up the mountain compared to a touring ski setup. And then there are the problems caused by the wide skis and soft boots when traversing on hard ground. The European solution of choice was short skis plus a normal freeride board.

In the beginning there was the splitboard, or something like that. In any case, the board, which can be split into two parts, was used for snowboarding tours before today's alpine snowshoes. In this experience report, I try to summarize why splitboards have been on the rise again for a few years now and where the biggest differences to touring with snowshoes lie.