DEPARTURE
Firstly, I'll talk about the riding characteristics in powder snow, i.e. the conditions for which the board was developed. There's not much to say here: it's great fun and delivers what it promises. With my height (184 cm) and weight (75 kg), I have no floatation problems with the 159 cm version of the Nordstau Split. In fact, I think 154 cm would have been more than enough. The board is also very manoeuvrable in deep snow. Cliff drops with landings in deep snow feel good, as the danger of digging in the nose is very low due to the good flotation.
I was surprised by its good properties on the piste. Carving on the piste works so well that on days with less snow I preferred to use the Nordstau Split instead of my piste board. Thanks to the wide shape, there is no risk of losing edge hold (at least with my shoe size 42.5) as the toe or heel never touch the piste. Unfortunately, this is also a small disadvantage: the effort required to edge up is relatively high as the edge is further away from the foot. This was clearly noticeable on long days. The radii on the piste are rather large, so it was no longer possible to carve easily on steeper terrain, as the speed would otherwise quickly become too high. But then you can switch to drifting without any problems. The board forgives mistakes and I estimate the risk of tipping to be very low, which - according to Stompede - is due to the "reverse sidecut technology" in the nose.
On icy touring days, the board scored with good edge hold. As already described in the last paragraph, the wide shape offers advantages and disadvantages. Especially in steep terrain, the width of the board ensures that no protruding heels or toes reduce the edge grip.
On the other hand, edging tends to be more strenuous, which is particularly noticeable with long traverses.
ASCENT
The conversion of the board is comfortable. The plastic clips on the nose and tail are high quality and do not come loose when riding (I had this problem with other splitboards). The metal clips from Karakorum (further inside the board) are very good, as you press the two halves of the board firmly together by closing the mechanism.
The Kohla skins (also available on the Stompede website) can be fitted even when the board is assembled, which offers some minor advantages. The fastening is very good and can normally withstand longer tours. If the skins are often put on and taken off, they should be worn close to the body so that they stick well the next time you put them on. A little snow sometimes gets between the nose and the skin on the sides, especially if you are skinning up more often. However, I haven't had any major problems with this because the attachment to the nose and tail is very good.
The edge hold of the board is good on the ascent, which is thanks to the camber. The large width of the board offers an advantage for toe-in in fresh powder, as it generates more lift. However, as soon as it gets steeper and harder, the leverage forces kick in and edging becomes strenuous or even difficult, especially if soft boots are used. Ascending in an existing ascent track can sometimes be a little difficult, as the two halves of the board are wider than normal touring skis. This should be clear if you want to ride the board in all conditions.
