TORSIONAL RIGIDITY FOR THE ASCENT!

By Stephen Koch Ranked #14 - Backcountry Snowboarding December 20, 2011

I have a K2 Panoramic Split 168 that I have used a few days so far this lean season. To test it out properly I headed south at Teton Pass for a tour which involves much sidehilling, normally a dread for splitboarders with soft boots, but not this time. The Panoramic held steady on the firm slope due to the torsional stiffness, which I believe K2 has focused on having incorporated into their splits for this very reason. Well, it works. The Spark Boots and Bindings helped as well.

The special skin clips that come with the K2 Split make the transitions that much faster and they are bomber!

The Panoramic is a bit heavier than I would like but that being said, this board is built to last many seasons of backcountry schralping. I have ridden lighter splitboards and they end up breaking after a couple seasons. Strength to weight is always the trade off and when I am on a serious slope with cliffs below, I will take a little extra weight to have the confidence and security of a solid ride underfoot.

The torsional stiffness of the Panoramic made the ride feel a bit less playful than I like for a powder stick. But I can see how that same stiffness could save a ton of energy on a big ascent, possibly even facilitating the window for the summit before having to descend.

Bottom line: a reasonably priced and stout splitboard that will last many seasons of splitboard adventuring.

View Details: K2 Snowboards Panoramic Splitboard

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