While the rest of us have been going about our regular 9-to-5s, the inhabitants of a parallel universe that consists of career bloggers, retail buyers, and retail buyer bloggers have spent the past few weeks at Outdoor Retailer, SIA (still going) and various other “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” events. Thanks to Gore’s invention I’ve managed to cut out the travel and brodowns and am able to live vicariously through their expense reports. The below is a little something I spied while making the rounds through chatroulette and thought I’d share.
2013 Spark R&D bindings
It looks like the Karakoram competition has forced the Spark R&D guys to up their game and innovate yet again. For 2013 it looks like they’ve got a new mounting system they are calling the Edison Interface. Hard to see how it works from the photo, but based on where the screw heads are I think it’s safe to say it’s NOT just held in place by the head of the screw. (Note: that blue plate looks reminiscent of the old Burton interface, no?)
In their non-Edison bindings I spy a lightened heel area and possibly a considerably lightened base plate. Not sure if the white/black binding is one using the Edison interface or if it’s a lightened non-Edison binding.
Edison base plate or new drilled out model? What do you get when you cross an elephant with a rhino?
Old dogs, new tricks
Standard interweb disclaimer: The above binding photos are not mine and were all stolen borrowed from Shay at Shayboarder.com, who has A-game snowboard blogger status, so make sure you check out here site, follow her on twitter, and just generally show her some love.
Just got a press release from Venture Snowboards mentioning next year’s Venture Euphoria. Yup, the Euphoria is back, and she’s looking just a wee bit different after Johan Olofsson had his way with her.
In its latest incarnation, the Euphoria boasts rocker, reverse sidecut, and a swallowtail. A full insert pack allows it to be ridden with traditional bindings, though it is designed to excel when surfed bindingless. The Euphoria will be offered both solid and split, and in three different lengths: 156, 162, and 168cm.
Break out the Zogs
Will post up the pics of the rest of their lineup soon but thought the Euphoria was cool enough to get it’s own post. LOVE the new topsheets!
36-24-36? HAHA, only if she’s 153. Midnight insomniac fun times. Couldn’t sleep last night, eyes were tired but my body was wired, hoped that looking at numbers would put me to sleep. A-man threw a comment in the other day asking about splitboard price comparisons, which made me think that could be part of something bigger, consolidating stats for most of the commercially available splitboards together in one place. I say most and not all as the splitboard scene seems to be a lot like snowboarding circa-95 and every week there’s a new company coming out, or a new mfr releasing an OEM split. I’ll update this as I remember and have time, or as people drop comments saying I missed something.
My hope is that there’s some value (probably more helpful if the columns were sortable but I know zero html….) in this as some sort of a pre-purchase decision making matrix, though obviously the data below is very high level. As it’s missing things that are damn important to your decision such as camber/rocker profiles, flex patterns, etc. I’d say the data is only valuable to use as an early comparison to weed out things blatantly wrong for you, like a 26+ width on a size 6 boot. Another thing to note is that boards are listed as a twin if their nose and tail widths are the same, but most (all?) of them actually have a directional flex so they are only twin in shape and not true twins. Anything labeled as ‘pow’ under shape are boards with a very distinct, singular focus shape – think swallowtail or fish – and not just boards with longer noses and bit tapers.
If the manufacturer’s name is hyperlinked it links to the article I did on their 2011-12 splitboards. The links at the specific model level will bring you to the manufacturer’s page for that model so you can get the full story on a particular board. The last column links for buying online are for those of you that aren’t fortunate enough to live near a good shop that stocks a selection of splits and should only be used if you can’t find something locally.
If you notice anything wonky, or want something added, just drop a comment.
UPDATE: I quit being lazy/stupid and figured out how to make this sortable and searchable. That’s right, any ol’ a-hole can blog, but it takes a special kind to go the extra mile for their peeps. There’s still some wonkiness with the links not coming over when I changed formats, but I’ll get that fixed. Enjoy!
So the peek at 2011-12 splitboards has been a bit interrupted, apologize for that, ADD kicking in I guess. By now most of these are in your local shop, but for the one guy that lives in Kansas and their local shop doesn’t carry splitboards we’ll press on.
Next up is one that people have been waiting for since whispers were getting out about Rice’s DIY splits during the pre-Deeper release days.
This year’s T. Rice is Lib’s first effort (I don’t consider at releasing a board that you’ve got to drill out yourself at home much of an effort…) at a factory split and she’s looking nice. Lib took the higher end of the Rice models, the Pro Horsepower (all basalt/fiberglass free version of the standard T.Rice – basically a touch lighter), and splitboardified it. You get everything you’d expect from a factory split – inner middle edge and a standard Voile pattern, a bonus with Karakoram board/tip/tail clips – and it’s all wrapped up in a fat metal flake topsheet that looks like it could be on a ride in Dice Magazine (looks sick in real life, looks like crap in the photo below). It’s worth noting that while it has Magne-traction on the outer edges the inner edges do not have MTX the way a Jones Solution does.
The 2011-12 Lib Tech T.Rice splitboard is available in two sizes, a 161.5 and a 164.5, and MSRPs for $969.96. If your local shop doesn’t stock Lib, or sold out of the one split they carried, you can buy it online at evo, snocon, US Outdoor Store and backcountry.com.
Came across Homeschool Snowboarding by chance, was reading an article on the Portland Seed Fund’s first investment class, initially thinking maybe it was some form e-learning solution for the next generation of Shaun Whites (note: massive failboat assumption on my part). After learning they were in the North Coast Seed building (note #2: I dig old brick buildings with tons of patina and character and have been wondering about that building since I moved to town) I had to head down there to check them out. Pinged them via their site, received a prompt response from Jevan, it was on.
Room 112 where the players dwell...
Homeschool’s mission is to create outerwear that performs in the PNW’s climate, which is basically NYNY for technical outerwear – if it can make it here it can make it anywhere – while keeping an eye on timeless style and durability. No eyeball searing allover prints (on the outerwear…) or disposable fashion here. All of Homeschool’s products utilize variants of Cocona (currently the only outerwear company that incorporates it, but the big guys are joining the party next year) to turn the breathability amps up to 11 while staying just as waterproof as the other guys.
coconut, brah
Homeschool's breathability goes to 11
Video below is of their ‘hot plate’ test that proves Cocona is the shit. I can only imagine the search hits I’m going to get at 2AM now….
Mural by Adam Haynes, same guy that did this year's Billy Goat and a ton of other stuff you'll recognize when you click to peep his site
A few pics of some of their 2011 product below.
100% recycled polyester Naked Raygun jacket in 'deep'
Night Witch pullover in 'misty'
With Teeth in 'ever'. See what they did there?
Revolve pant in 'drift'
LIGHTNING BOLT!
Wave Rave homage pant Skweetis in 'bronze'. Mambosoks coming in 2013.
Airbreather Moto Top in trinity print
Art Hag mock neck in drift
Face on left uses leading brand. Face on right uses Homeschool/Cocona.
Overall impression of the product: WOW, local boys done good. Well thought out, from the choice of fabrics and laminates to the RiRi Aquazips. Throw in the clean lines and durability (assumed, felt like a VERY high quality product but have never used so can’t say for sure) these are the types of pieces I’d actually consider paying full price* for – and if you know me you know that’s a rare statement. Run down to your local shop and check it out and see if you don’t agree. If your local shop dropped the ball and isn’t carrying Homeschool you can find it at quality retailers like the US Outdoor Store in Portland, Snowboard Connection and evo in Seattle and the Sportsman’s Chalet in Bellingham.
Ever lust over those skins your skier friends had with the tail connectors while the rear of your skins was flopping around due to poor storage, causing the glue to get that waxy white color and rock hard? If so you’ll dig what Genuine Guide Gear (aka G3) is bringing to market this year – splitboard skins with *GASP* tail connectors. That’s right, no more garage modding your Voile skins or a pair of ski skins AND they retail for the same as Voile’s skins AND they come with skin savers (think Black Diamond cheat sheets). In the days of $800 splitboard bindings it’s nice to see simple little missing links being filled in by manufacturers at a reasonable price. No clue how the grip or glide is on these but it’s DEFINITELY worth a look if you’re in the market for some new skins.
6,270 frames from G3 about their new skins below
Tip of the beanie to Bsmart2910 on the twitters for pointing these out to me.
G3 has pretty good distribution so odds are you’ll be able to find a pair at your local shop, but if not you can pick them up online from Portland’s own US Outdoor Store and of course backcountry.com.
Next up in the look at 2011-2012 splitboards are the offerings from Voile. Voile took what I think is a surprising twist and are again only offering one board, but in four different lengths. I find it surprising as a few years back they had a deeper product line, and I know there are old OEM and newer one-off Voile swallowtails out there, I guess they decided the Mojo RX does everything well and there’s not enough demand for the others. UPDATE: Voile dropped me a line and they are actually offering two boards this year, the Mojo RX, and the limited release V-Tail (aka swallowtail)
2011-2012 Voile Mojo RX splitboard
The 2011-2012 Voile Mojo RX is the same wide nose/slight taper and setback shape as last year’s Mojo RX with a different topsheet. Yes, I know their website says ‘New shape, new profile…’ but I reached out to Voile to confirm before pushing this. However, one thing their website won’t tell you is that the topsheet’s difference is more than just visual. This year Voile is using a Carbonium topsheet (as does Never Summer), which Voile claims is not only more durable but also less likely to accumulate snow when touring. The Voile Mojo RX is available in four sizes (154, 161, 166 and 171) and a few configurations – board only (note that their definition of board only isn’t the same as others and actually comes with touring brackets, climbing heels and pucks/gaskets) for $695, board with all hardwear (aka just add bindings and go) and skins for $895, and the Light Rail package which includes everything plus their Light Rail splitboard bindings for $1095.
Mojo RX and Light Rail binding
Voile knew the world was clamoring for another topo themed splitboard and delivered
If your local shop doesn’t carry the Mojo, or is sold out of them, you can pick them up online here, here and here.
2011-2012 Voile V-Tail splitboard
Voile is offering a limited production swallowtail splitboard they are calling the V-Tail. It’s not currently on their site (yet IS available on REI’s site) and looks like it’s going to be hen’s teeth like the Jones line, so if you want one get ‘er now. Hoping to get some specs and info on this in a minute, if so will update.
Can’t find Voile at your favorite local retailer? You can pick them up online here, here and here.
Next in line at our look at 2011-2012 splitboards is the offering from K2, who is a newcomer to the factory splitboard game. Given the resources K2 has been pouring into their massively expanding backcountry ski line, and the fact that slack and backcountry riding is becoming more mainstream, it should be of no surprise to see K2 not just release a splitboard but also matching skins and other backcountry tools.
2011-2012 K2 Panoramic splitboard
The K2 Panoramic is K2′s first foray into factory splitboards but is far from a half-assed freshman effort, taking home an Editor’s Choice award from Backcountry Magazine. The Panoramic comes equipped with many of their high end technologies, including a strong ‘Bambooyah Blended’ core (which is just partial Bambooyah and doesn’t appear to carry the same 5 year warranty the other Bambooyah boards do) and their Carbon Web, which is essentially a slimmed down, less visually intrusive (sorry marketing department) 2012 version of the old school Zeppelin torsion forks to give you a little extra pop and feel.
K2 Carbon Web in their own words
The Panoramic is sporting a directional shape with a 1″ setback stance and a slightly wider nose than tail. K2′s All-Terrain Rocker, which is flat between the feet with a medium rise nose and low rise tail. work in tandem with the stance setback and slightest oftaper to help you slay whatever gets thrown your way without being intrusive.
*devil horns*
One thing you’ll quickly notice on the K2 Panoramic are the integrated tip and tail connectors (aka ‘hey, that board has holes in the front and back’ – think old school K2 Eldorado), which work in tandem with the new K2 skins to keep your skins securely attached to your board (aka no more tails coming loose because your glue is a little old and you’re too lazy to reglue your skins). I always thought it was odd that Voile never patented some tip/tail holes and connectors as part of their splitboard patent portfolio.
Photo courtesy of shayboarder.com, so click the image, check out her site and show her some love! She gets more days on snow than you, fact.
Available in four lengths (154, 158, 162 and 168), the Panoramic will be sold in a few configurations. For $599 you’ll get just the deck, which is a nice option if you’ve got newer skins and the Voile kit already. For $899 K2 is selling the whole enchilada – board, skins and Voile kit – which is a screaming deal courtesy of offshore manufacturing and the economies of scale that K2′s production volume allows.
If your local shop doesn’t carry the K2 Panoramic splitboard you can pick it up online from amazing Seattle retailer evo (and get free shipping) in board only or with hardware and skins. It’s also available online through backcountry.com.
Next in line for our 2011-2012 splitboard overview are the offerings from the Never Summer and the super Blaho bros. What started as a labor of love, custom built after hours by the Blaho brothers, the Never Summer splits are now done during the regular 9-5 (I think…will doublecheck with them to confirm) with the Blaho’s design input. Designed and made in the USA, if you ask 9 out 10 snowboarders about NS boards you’ll get a response along the lines of ‘bombproof…high quality’. The 10th guy doesn’t know there are companies outside of Burton, but if you ask him again in a few years he’ll say the same. Long story short: they make the goods, and if there’s a board in their line that fits your style it’s worth checking out.
Never Summer only has two boards in their splitboard lineup this year, but I’d bet a beer if you contacted them you can still get any of their other boards factory split (with inner edge) for you. Both of the boards utilize their patented R.C. (Rocker/Camber) Technology (read about the back and forth patent dick wagging between NS and Mervin) in tandem with their Vario Power Grip sidecut to give the boards that rocker feel and float without losing the ability to hold an edge and power out of turns. The best way I can describe VPG is it’s a progressive sidecut board without the smooth blending of the various radii – basically, the sidecut is straight right in the center, switching to a moderate radius sidecut underfoot to a deeper radius just outside the bindings. To put it in better marketed terms (that will likely raise hackles at NS), it’s Never Summer’s take on a multi-contact point edge aka Magnetraction – though when you see it in real-life it’s far more subtle than MTX. Anyways, on to the boards.
Never Summer Summit splitboard
The Summit is the big mountain pow/freeride board in the NS split lineup. Sporting a long wide nose and shorter tail, directional shape and flex, heavy taper and a damp (aka help avoid all those annoying stress fractures that build up and turn your feet purple after day in/day out riding in chopped up conditions) ride, the NS will help you slay whatever the mountain throws at you from pow to crud, then let you skin back up to get the goods again. MSRP $999. If your local shop doesn’t carry Never Summer you can pick one up online at backcountry.com.
Click the image to go to their site and click 'detail' - SIIIIICK!
A split version of Never’s all mountain freestyle board. Less quiver board than the Summit, more of a one board wonder. Less damp and more lively than the Summit, sporting a twin shape for backcountry spinjibbonking but a slightly setback stance to give your back leg less of a workout in the deep. MSRP $999. If you can’t find the SL locally you can get it online at backcountry.com.
Note that all Never Summer boards come with a 3 year warranty. At $999 they (like most manufacturers) include just the Voile tip/tail clips and hooks. Tack on another $300 if you want the full Voile splitboard hardware kit (touring brackets, pucks, slider tracks, pins, etc.) and climbing skins.
If you missed ‘em don’t forget to check out the rest of the 2011-2012 splitboards, and keep checking back as more get featured.
Up next in the 2011-2012 splitboard looksee are the offerings from Prior. Designed and built in Whistler, Prior takes a slightly different approach from most and sells custom boards direct to the consumer, as well as have a network of dealers so you can touch/feel/fondle locally. If your local shops don’t carry Prior splitboards you can pick them up online at REI.
Prior has two levels of customization. The first is their standard that you can order online – choose a topsheet, base graphic, core layup (a $200 XTC Carbon option in lieu of their standard Quadglass construction) and tune (optional $50 ‘Pro Tune’). But, you can get as wild as you want and unleash your inner control freak on your board with the ability to modify flex, width, taper – hell you can provide your own art for your topsheet and base graphic if you want to pay for it! Pretty insane when you think about it. A list of the price additions you can expect to see are below.
Description C$ surcharge
Custom flex (softer or stiffer) $70
Narrowing waist $70
Widening waist $150
Taper changes $70
Custom templates $200
Single topsheet $300
Custom base $300
Quadglass in their own words
XTC Carbon verbed and nouned for ya
Prior Fissile Splitboard
New to the Prior lineup this year is the Fissile. To me the shape of the Fissile is reminiscent of a good ol’ fashioned snowboard and wouldn’t look out of place with a nose rope, but in this day and age sounds like a quiver board. This is a powder whore’s weapon of choice – huge rockered nose, cambered tail and short radius sidecut – tree slalom to bowl slaying, the Fissile will get ‘er done for you. MSRP of $999, but depending on options can go up from there.
Prior Brandywine Splitboard
Next up is the Brandywine, an all ’rounder with Prior’s Hybrid Rocker construction which puts camber between your feet and rocker on the nose/tail. Prior designed the Brandywine for those smaller in stature (remember, the board doesn’t know your gender). Winner of a Backcountry Magazine Editor’s Choice award for 2012, where they said “If you want to ride harder and faster, this is your board. Quiver of one!” MSRP $899 and up
Prior AMF Splitboard
AMF stands for All Mountain Freestyle, the hybrid rockered/twin shaped BAMF in the Prior linup. Unchanged for 2012 this two-time BC Mag Editor’s Choice winner could be your savior if you’re a backcountry/sidecountry rider with spinjibbonking skills that I sadly lack. MSRP $899 and up
Prior Swallowtail Splitboard
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think swallowtail splitboard? Beardos in earflap hats grinning ear to ear with snow walrus tusks at the bottom of a big, fluffy bowl, obviously. ‘Nuff said. MSRP $999 and up
Prior Backcountry Splitboard
A classic (especially in the old black totem topsheet), the Prior Backcountry utilizes their hybrid rocker construction in a board built to take on whatever the mountain brings. Pow in the AM, crud in the PM? Check. A quiver board for those with a quiver of one. MSRP $899 and up
Prior Khyber Splitboard
A pow focused board with a traditional look to it, on first glance it doesn’t look much difference than the rest of their lineup. The Khyber has a long, fat nose and massive amounts of taper (25mm in the 165 board vs. 4mm in the Backcountry of the same size) to keep you on top of the fluff. MSRP $899 on up
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the 2011-2012 splitboards, and keep checking back a we’re adding more daily!
SAY WUT?