free at last

By alaskarunner Ranked #1211 - Backcountry Snowboarding September 16, 2005

After lugging my board on my back for a season and trailing far behind my tele friends on ascents, I caved in and bought the Voile Split Kit last season. I went to a swap and found a used wood-core board cheap and just swapped the bindings off my regular board. Compared to what you pay for a full factory set up, this was really affordable. I wasn't convinced of how sturdy it would be in its board formation, but my god I love this setup. It is so worth the money and time, especially compared to the price of factory split boards. I did splurge on snowboard skins, and highly recommend those. Now I can't see ascending any other way.

As many have mentioned, the instructions are vague. My friend and I completed it in about two sessions of three hours each. The only other hassles just have to do with the nature of split boarding. Like when you have rolling terrain after your descent, switching back and forth isn't ideal. So you have to snowplow awkwardly down little hills while your skiing friends are pulling off turns. Also, for longer, overnight trips, once you add the weight of a two-day pack and some hairy terrain, the extra weight on your feet while you ascend is a drag compared to a touring or tele ski setup. But, once you are riding, it is well worth the hoof. And for day trips, you are faster ascending than those on skis because of all the extra surface area. You float up. It rocks. I love my Voile kit.

View Details: Voile Split Kit (DIY)

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