Hard Boot Splitboarding Part 2: The Gear
This blog post is meant to be a continuation of a piece that was published on our website last winter titled My Season As A Hard Boot Splitboarder. If you haven’t read that article, and you’re still trying to decide if it makes sense for you to make the switch to hard boot splitboarding, I recommend you start there first.
For this post, I wanted to go a bit deeper into the different hard boot splitboarding setups that we offer to help you decide which option will work best for you. First, a warning: it will be number dense. I've spent the last two seasons figuring out my own setup, and I’ll share what I've learned from that process. Spoiler alert: it’s still ongoing, and likely will be for some time since I love to tinker so much. The goal will be to navigate through the setups the way that I usually filter my shopping, “Price: Lowest to Highest.”
Without getting too deep into it, I will start by saying that in the time since the last article was published, I changed most of my kit, except for the board. I spent two full seasons on the Spark setup and was really quite happy with it 90% of the time. The rest of the time, I was pretty over the pucks. On east coast hardpack, pucks allow the board to flex more than I wanted, wet snow iced them over, and extreme temperatures would create small tolerance changes that affected how solidly the binding was attached. If this hasn’t ever bothered you with your current setup, it likely still won’t bother you. It was enough for me to close my eyes, insert my debit card and finally pull the trigger to try the Karakoram Guide HB with Light Ride Mode.
The improvements are noticeable. The question is, is it worth it for everyone?
The Setups
These items were all weighed out of the box in our service department using a Park Tools branded scale. Some numbers vary from what you’ll find online but these are the numbers we saw in person. It left me wondering if some companies weigh their items with hardware and some without. I included the weight of the hardware.
VOILE MTN Plate ADS
- Price: $265 MSRP
- Weight: 1203g
- Price: $55 MSRP
- Weight: 289g
Total Weight:
1492g
Total Cost:
$320
Voile has always done a great job at offering backcountry touring equipment at a better price than their competitors and I applaud their efforts. It’s pretty safe to say that the cost of backcountry gear is prohibitively expensive for many people, so offering a functional setup at half the price of some of their competitors is a step towards increased accessibility–a win in my eyes. Also, consider pairing their other hard boot products with Spark R&D Tech Toes for better touring performance.
Pros: Price, ease of setup, everything in one box.
Cons: Pin-style touring bracket leaves room for play in the interface. The package includes a lot of plastic materials that may be prone to durability issues. Less aesthetically pleasing.
Spark R&D Dyno DH Setup
For the Spark setup, you'll have to make a few separate purchases:
- Price: $299 MSRP
- Weight: 818g
- Price: $189 MSRP
- Weight: 290g
- Price: $60 MSRP
- Weight: 196g
- Price: $80 MSRP
- Weight: 289g
Total Weight:
1593g
Total Cost:
$628
Spark has more or less become the industry standard in splitboarding gear and with good reason. Their equipment is lightweight, well-designed, easy to use, and they offer the best warranty and customer support in the industry. I know this from personal experience, so interpret that as you may. For a final price of $628 and weight of 1593 grams, you’re getting a terrific setup.
Pros: Lightweight, easy to use, lots of adjustability with the binding, excellent warranty.
Cons: The puck interface in general allows more flex in the system, making parts (more) likely to break. I broke a tech toe two consecutive seasons. Each broke where the pins are inserted—the casting breaks and this causes the pins to fall out. Remember: never go into the backcountry without a contingency plan. On the plus side, replacement parts take less than a week to arrive.
Karakoram Guide HB Binding With Light Ride Mode
As far as what we sell, this is about as performance as it gets. Karakoram is famous for its active joining technology, and I can now confirm that it is not a gimmick—the improvement to board feel on descents is the real deal. Let’s break it down:
- Price: $505.95 MSRP
- Weight: 826g
- Price: $299 MSRP
- Weight: 290g
In my mind, this is where the end-user should get more creative with sourcing the other odds and ends to complete the setup. If you’re willing to pay the extra price for the reduced weight and improvements in ride feel, I think it’s worth it to explore other options for tech toes, heel risers, and board clips. I’ll cover three thought-provoking examples, two of which use Phantom's Heel Risers in lieu of Spark's to save 40g at the cost of an extra $60:
Option #1
- Price: $189 MSRP
- Weight: 290g
- Price: $60 MSRP
- Weight: 196g
Total Weight:
1602g
Total Cost:
$1053.95
Option #2
- Price: $315 MSRP
- Weight: 172g
- Price: $50 MSRP
- Weight: 86g
- Price: $119.95 MSRP
- Weight: 156g
Total Weight:
1530g
Total Cost:
$1289.90
Option #3
Dynafit Superlite 150 Toe Pieces
- Price: $360 MSRP ($180 / Each)
- Weight: 140g (Pair)
- Price: $45 MSRP
- Weight: 116g
- Price: $119.95 MSRP
- Weight: 156g
Total Weight:
1528g
Total Cost:
$1309.90
That would have probably bored another splitboarder to tears, but you, the HB-curious backcountry enthusiast, loves numbers and counting grams, right? So you can take this Karakoram setup from $1054 all the way up to a little over $1300 if you want to save an additional 74g.
When we crunch the numbers we see that, regardless of the final decisions re:uphill accessories, a Karakoram setup hovers around twice the price of the Spark setup. So again, the question is: Is it worth it? I’m very happy with the improvements in downhill performance, but for a lot of people, that might not make up for the extra expense.
On my first run down, I immediately noticed the difference in board feel. The way the board/binding interface locks together adds a ton of torsional rigidity that really helps you to load up the board and spring out of your turns with more power and precision—it’s a ton of fun! Another feature that I appreciate is how easy it is to drop the binding down into place on the interface and lock it.
The Karakoram setup could really be ideal for people who just haven’t enjoyed how splitboards ride—and there are plenty of those folks out there. You know, your friend who would rather tote around drift boards just to be able to ride their solid deck down the mountain. It wouldn’t hurt to recommend Karakoram's traditional split bindings to that friend, too.
Pros: Best board feel on the market, clears ice easily for quick binding attachment. No more messing around with sliding a binding over iced-up pucks.
Cons: Cost is the biggest. Also, be ready to have your engineer friend on speed dial to set this stuff up; the binding comes unassembled, and the only instructions are a QR code that links to a video that starts with an assembled binding—so you’re already a few steps behind. Same for the Light Ride Mode. Instructions basically read: Step 1: Open box, Step 2: Complete. I had to search the internet for a photo of someone's setup to try and understand what went where. Though, once it’s all together, you’ll laugh about how simple it actually was to set up. Maybe.
Summing It Up
I won’t be switching back from a hard boot setup. For me, the touring experience is so much more enjoyable—and that’s how I spend the majority of my time in the woods. My setup is about 550g lighter per foot than my previous soft boot setup, which allows me to spend long days touring with less effort. For me, the Karakoram setup offers me the type of response I want on steep technical terrain and fun powerful carving on firmer snow at speed. If you’re reading this article, you’re probably already spending enough time touring to justify the expense, and if that’s the case, just know that it’s worth it.
If you're still in the process of getting into hard boot splitboarding, you’ll be happy with whatever setup you choose, so don’t worry about getting your kit totally dialed in all at once. If lighter boots are all that's in the budget for one season, then use the Voile setup for a season or two to see if you like it. The best reason to switch to Karakoram is for the improved board feel. If you’re just trying to save weight, you’re better off doing it by buying a lightweight split like the Weston Carbon Backwoods, Pomoca Free Pro skins, and a nice light boot like an Atomic Backlands or Dalbello Quantum.
I realize this is a lot to digest, so I’ll be happy to chat with anybody who wants to talk about the gear mentioned above. Just shoot me an email at [email protected].
Anthony's Stats and Current Setup:
- Height: 5’9
- Age: 33
- Weight: 160
- Years Snowboarding: 20
- Board: Weston Carbon Backwoods 157
- Binding: Karakoram Guide HB with Light Ride Mode
- Touring: Spark R&D Tech Toes and Phantom Rocket Heel Risers
- Add-ons: Spark R&D Fixie Clips
- Skins: Montana Skins Montamix Adrenaline (Glueless FTW)
- Boot: Dalbello Quantum Asolo Factory with Phantom Link Levers
