Splitboard Special Part II | Bindings

These and other arguments were put forward in the ErsteSpur forum, the German-language reference for touring snowboarders and therefore the European equivalent of splitboard.com. The weight discussion has largely become superfluous with the advent of downhill-oriented skis with the corresponding stable bindings and boots. The difficulties of traversing remain a problem. In addition to the width of the ski, the question of power transmission to the ski and therefore both the choice of boot and the respective binding system are particularly relevant here.

In order to expand on the brief overview of splitboard (binding) systems provided in the overview article, we will take a closer look at both the basic requirements of a splitboard binding system and the systems currently available. The requirements: Light, stable, reliable, simple - in short: the KISS principle (keep it smart and simple). What should an optimal binding system for a splitboard look like? Five points stand out in particular, with the first three points being essential and the last two being nice-to-haves. As the binding system should take us both up and down the mountain, it must be a stable construction. Parts that break easily or components that bend and mean that the board can no longer be used therefore have no place in a binding system.

The last point concerns the mounting height of the binding and the connection between the binding and ski in ascent mode. The higher the binding is mounted on the board, the more the actual, direct snowboard feeling is lost. It is equally important that the connection between the binding and ski part is as direct and stiff as possible in ascent mode. The more direct this is, the better the ski can be guided and set, which leads to better performance when traversing. In addition to the weight, these two aspects were the main reasons why the Spark R&D binding was developed in the first place.

Below you will find an overview of the various systems currently available.

Voilé

The Voilé system is currently by far the most widely used binding system, which is also evident from the fact that newer systems such as Karakoram are based on the Voilé hole pattern. With the exception of Atomic boards, all available splitboards are supplied with the Voilé hole pattern and in Europe usually also with the corresponding Voilé kit. The system is extremely simple and reliable and therefore fulfills the first three essentials mentioned almost perfectly. Due to its design, it is self-cleaning and therefore hardly susceptible to icing up. All commercially available soft or hard boat bindings can be mounted on the Slidertrack. When the slider pin is correctly attached, it has no parts that can be lost and is extremely easy to operate, even when wearing thick gloves.
As videos are sometimes worth a thousand words, here is a video to illustrate the system.

Voilé system + variants

The following section presents developments that are all still based on the Voilé puck system, but try to fulfill the two nice-to-have points described above better than the original.

Spark R&D

There was intensive discussion within the community about how the construction height of the Voilé system could be reduced without destroying the advantages of the system. The first solutions consisted of cutting aluminum soft bindings apart and welding a slider track into them. Will Ritter from the USA took this approach to its logical conclusion and founded his own company for splitboard bindings - Spark R&D was born. Spark bindings - from the Ignition I to the current Blaze and Burner models - were characterized from the outset by their low construction height and thus a more direct connection to the board. Ritter has further developed the idea outlined above from the hobby cellars and designed a binding whose baseplate functions as a slider track. Another achievement is the specially designed crampons - Mr. Chomps - which, unlike the Voilé crampons, can be used "on the fly", i.e. while walking, and are also smaller and lighter than the Voilé crampons.

From model to model, the Spark bindings have become lighter and lighter without reducing their reliability. The current bindings weigh around 1650 grams per pair, making them some of the lightest bindings on the market. Spark R&D developed its own "LT-Pin-System" in competition with the normal Voilé Touring-Bracket for reasons of weight as well as the above-mentioned aspect of the direct connection between binding and board in ascent mode. On the one hand, it is approx. 100 grams lighter than the Voilé original thanks to the aluminum pins, and on the other hand, it results in a much more direct power transmission due to the broader contact surface of the pin and holding system. The combination of Spark binding + LT pin system thus almost completely fulfills the two optional points of the upper categorization. In addition, it is now also possible to use the Spark bindings on normal snowboards using specially manufactured pucks.

In combination with the LT pin system, the Spark Blaze is available in Germany for 349.90 euros and the Spark Burner for 379.90 euros. The crampons cost an additional 109.90 euros.

Voilé Lightrail

The Lightrail can be seen as Voilé's reaction to the developments of the Spark bindings. It has the same goal of a low construction height and is also lighter than a combination of conventional slider track + soft binding, but still almost 300 grams heavier than the current Spark R&D models. Compared to the Spark bindings, it is slightly narrower, which makes it the preferred binding on the handmade 3-piece splitboards from Wildschnee, for example. However, it cannot offer the other two advantages of the Spark including the pin system - the easy-to-fit crampons and better power transmission. As a unique selling point, it has a connecting cord between the two ratchet buckles. This cord should allow you to get out of the binding quickly in the event of an avalanche so that you can escape the anchoring effect of the snowboard. The current version of the Lightrail costs 299.00 euros.

Atomic

In 2008, Atomic responded to the slowly increasing demand for splitboards by launching its own binding system on the market, which is still in production today. Atomic's aim was to create a system that was as light and yet as stable as possible. In contrast to the other systems, the system cannot be purchased on its own, but is only available in combination with the board.

In comparison with the categories listed above, the verdict on the Atomic system is mixed. As you can see from the few feedbacks and statements about the Atomic system, it is quite a stable system. The connection to the ski is direct and the mounting height of the binding is low - the right conclusions have been drawn from the Voilé system. Another positive aspect of the Atomic system is the price. 999 euros for the board, binding and skins is a clear statement to the other manufacturers. On the other hand, the system is not kept simple; as you can see in the video below, there are some parts that can be lost and a rather cumbersome procedure using crampons as a tool when assembling/disassembling. In contrast to the Voilé system, the mechanism is not self-cleaning and is more susceptible to icing, as some test reports confirm. It is therefore not as reliable as competing systems.

Conclusion

A lot has happened in recent years. The Voilé system has prevailed in the early phase of splitboard development against the old Burton interface, which was no longer described here, and is now considered the standard in the splitboard sector. And rightly so, because the system fulfills the three essential requirements for a splitboard and is also suitable for beginners from all areas of the snowboard scene thanks to its flexibility (both hard and soft bindings can be mounted). More specialized products will only be able to assert themselves in the future if they master the three essentials just as well as Voilé and can also offer further advantages. Clear steps have been taken in this direction in recent years. Spark R&D has set a new standard with the development of its binding and contributed to a sensible further development of the Voilé system, which has reached a temporary limit in its current state of development. The advantage that Karakoram offers with its fast, more convenient conversion mode cannot be achieved with the Voilé puck system.

Both Voilé in combination with a Spark R&D binding and the new Karakoram system are a significant improvement on the classic Voilé setup and therefore represent the benchmark for future developments, whereby the innovation pendulum is currently on Karakoram's side. Only time will tell how long this will last. The first answers to this have already been seen at recent trade fairs, but that's another story.