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A splitboarder skins up a snowy mountain. Text overlay reads Splitboard Snowboard Guide, Gear For Going Your Own Way

Gear Up For Another Wild Ride
With Our Top Splitboard Gear Of The Year

Prepare for another best season ever with our Gearhead® Experts' top splitboard gear of the year.

How We Choose Splitboard Snowboard Gear

There are a lot of reasons to tour. Maybe the lift lines are feeling a little long. Maybe the $25 hamburger at the lodge feels a little out of reach. Maybe you just love the dopamine hit you get from the up just as much as the adrenaline hit you get from the surfy down. Maybe you just need a little more adventure. Whatever your reason for splitboarding, we’ve chosen these picks with backcountry performance and versatility in mind.

Snowboards

  • Length: The length of the snowboard helps determine maneuverability and stability. When you stand with your board vertical next to you, it should reach somewhere between your shoulder and your eye, but this size will also be determined by the style of riding you plan to do. Many riders pick longer boards for powder and freeride, while park riders choose shorter boards. All-mountain or resort boards are often in-between, or medium in length. Some beginners like the maneuverability of shorter boards, too, and larger/heavier riders might appreciate the stability of a longer board. Splitboards are often sized just slightly smaller than your resort board to perform better on the skin track.
  • Width: The ideal all-conditions board width will be just barely narrower than the length of the boot, meaning your heels and toes will hang over just slightly but not so much that they drag on the snow. The width of the snowboard, especially in the middle, influences how it performs in different snow conditions. Narrower boards are better for groomed runs, while wider boards provide better flotation in powder.
  • Profile: A snowboard’s profile refers to the shape of the board when viewed from the side, specifically the design of the underside from the tip to the tail, and it’s made up of a combination of camber and rocker.
    • Camber is the arch in the middle of a snowboard, which helps with grip, stability, and control, especially on hard-packed snow. Camber acts a bit like a spring and can ease transitions between turns and landings, and it’s particularly beneficial for making precise turns and maintaining edge hold on groomed runs. Do-it-all boards usually have some amount of camber for versatility. If a board does not have camber or is advertised as having full rocker or reverse camber, it’s usually a specialized tool for pivoting, slarving, and playful jibbing.
    • Rocker refers to the upward curve at the tip and/or tail of a snowboard. Rocker is especially beneficial for increased floatation or planing over deep snow and fosters easier turn initiation. The transition point between camber and rocker is usually where you’ll find a snowboard’s contact point, or where the edge hits the snow for turn initiation.

Snowboard Bindings

  • Strap in bindings are reliable and secure, and the most common type of splitboard binding you’ll find.
  • Rear entry bindings are made for ease of transitions. The highback pops down so you can slide your boot into the binding. When you step down the highback pops into place and the straps cinch down snugly over your boot.
  • Step On bindings are closer in design to ski bindings as the boot clicks into the binding securely when you step down. This system is super easy to use and minimizes the time spent sitting in the cold snow transitioning which can make it ideal for backcountry touring.
  • Binding flex is often on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being softest and 10 being stiffest. Splitboarders, freeriders, and powder hunters prefer bindings on the stiffer side to optimize precision.
  • Connection to the board will be similar across binding styles, with a puck system onto which the binding’s baseplate will slide for the way down and a toe pin onto which the binding clips for the way up.

Snowboard Boots

Just like every foot, every boot is different. It’s best to try boots on before you buy, but knowing what flex rating pairs with your style of riding will give you a good foundation of options.

  • Flex index refers to the stiffness of the boot. Most backcountry tourers gravitate toward medium-to-stiffer boots (ranging from 6–10). This stiffness will give you the responsiveness you need for tackling all sorts of unforeseen conditions in the backcountry.
  • Lacing systems most common on snowboard boots are lace-up and BOA. Lace-ups are less expensive but take more time to dial in. BOA systems take no time at all to achieve the perfect fit making them ideal for splitboarding. Some boots feature a combo of these two systems or a hybrid lacing system (such as speed lace) featuring a cordlock for cinching down a boots’ liner.

Splitboards are more than just all-mountain or freeride boards chopped in half—they feature unique construction techniques to optimize both uphill and downhill performance.

  • Weight: Most splitboards feature light woods like paulownia combined with carbon fiber and other light but strong composites to keep weights low.
  • Shape: Splitboards are usually directional, with a hybrid camber profile, not just because tourers don’t often ride switch but also because these features improve traction on the skin track. Backcountry adventurers will ride anything, but they’re often seeking powder, so they usually choose boards with a wide nose tapering narrower to the tail. If you’re not sure what kind of splitboard you’d like but you have a resort board you love riding, just match your splitboard profile to that one as closely as you can.
  • Uphill/downhill performance: Due to lightweight materials, splitboards won’t weigh you down on the skin track. These particular construction techniques also inherently give many splitboards a medium-to-stiff flex so many of them perform similar to all-mountain or freeride boards.
  • Transitions: Splitboard bindings should be light for the way up with metal baseplates that are responsive on way down. While regular snowboard bindings can be used with adaptors for splitboarding, it’s not recommended because today even the heaviest splitboard bindings are lighter than resort bindings. We recommend stiff and light boots for splitboarding so they’re easy on the uphill and responsive on the downhill. To minimize transition times BOA and speed laces are our preferred lacing systems for splitboarding.

Men’s Top Picks

Best in class, best for variable conditions, and best value setups.

Best In Class

Essentials for safe and fun mountain exploration.

Cardiff Snowcraft Goat Pro Carbon Splitboard
Well, it’s got goat in the name so we like it already, but what else is great about this ride? It’s a board with freeride roots and a little stiffer feel that’s made for the hardest-charging riders among us, those who desire to tackle the most rugged terrain in the most remote regions of the world. With a carbon, poplar, and paulownia construction with titanal stringers, it’s the lightest version of the Goat to date, coming in at 2,910g in a size 158 to keep you climbing like a mountain goat to the peak.

ThirtyTwo Jones MTB Boa Snowboard Boot
This boot is designed specifically for skinning and riding in steep, rugged backcountry terrain where uncertainty is around every corner. It’s stiff for efficient climbing and excellent energy transfer when descending. The full-zip front gaiter keeps snow out of the laces while the crampon compatible Vibram outsole caps the whole thing in rubbery perfection. And of course, it’s got Boa® and a hybrid lace system to dial in fit when you’re really putting in the miles.

Union Charger Pro Splitboard Binding
There’s a lot to love about the latest iteration of the Union Charger Pro Splitboard Binding, but we should mention the best stuff first. Transitioning with this binding is super quick and easy. It’s Charger Quiver Disk allows you to twist the binding 90 degrees, lock it down and your transition is done. And if you want to use this binding on more than one board (even solid boards) just buy some additional Charger Quiver Disks. On top of that, this binding is just a joy to ride downhill. It’s stiff and responsive, made of durable materials, and has exceptional uphill performance. This isn’t the lightest split binding in the world due mostly to its emphasis on balancing skinning with downhill performance and durability, but it’s still quite light and we think the compromise is totally worth it.

Best Powder Splitboard

Best Value
Keep that arm and leg for skinning—get gear that won’t cost you all you got.

Women’s Top Picks

Best in class, best for variable conditions, and best value setups.

Best In Class

Gear for heart-pumping ups and heart-thumping downs.

Weston Rise Women’s Splitboard
Whether you’re seeking steeps, cliffs, or pow-filled tree lines, the Rise Splitboard is built for the task. It’s a true all-mountain splitboard with a traditional camber profile, a rockered tip and tail, and a directional twin shape for those of you who occasionally switch it up (intentionally or not). 20mm of setback helps keep the nose above frozen water, and the touring bracket is set forward so the tail drops easily when you’re doing kick turns. The core is made of sustainably-harvested poplar and paulownia while carbon stringers run throughout, so the board is light for the ups and a pure joy on the downs.

Nitro Cave TLS Step On Women’s Snowboard Boot

A collaboration between Nitro and Burton, the Nitro Women‘s Cave TLS Step On® Snowboard Boot delivers convenience and comfort like you’ve never experienced before. An armored spine, flex link design, and anatomically shaped molded baseplate all ensure a stiff flex, which translates to turn-on-a-dime responsiveness. And new for this year, the boot has been upgraded with a BOA® ankle strap for extra foothold and support.

Burton Step On Women’s Splitboard Binding
This binding represents the natural evolution of snowboarding gear toward simplicity, ease of use, lower weights, and higher performance—and now this tech is in its second year of availability on touring gear. Step On and go means less sitting in powder, faster transitions, and thus more laps. Plus, the strapless design reduces wear on the boot and gives you a super efficient stride when you’re skinning.


Best Powder Splitboard

Best Value
Keep that arm and leg for skinning—get gear that won’t cost you all you got.

More Top Picks To Round Out Your Kit

Skins

Poles

Helmets

Goggles & Sunglasses

Accessories