equipment

ISPO 2015 l Part 5: Splitboards, snowboards, boots and binding systems

News from the snowboard sector for winter 2015/16

by Patrick Wehowsky • 02/12/2015

The splitboard trend, which was already apparent at ISPO 2014, is continuing in winter 2015/16. Every brand, no matter how small, now has at least one splitboard in its product portfolio. Product differentiation continues to make inroads among established brands - more or less in line with Porter's business management textbook and the competition matrix it contains. Roughly speaking, the motto is more and for all groups and budgets.

The use of a crampon-compatible Vibram mountain sole has now become the standard for touring-oriented snowboard boots; next year, however, this will be in the integrated version, which will significantly reduce the sole lengths of the boots (in some cases by more than 1 cm) - a hope for all men and women who live on a large foot.

In terms of binding systems, there are mainly small but sensible improvements: Spark will also have a women-specific version of their bindings on offer next year (which won't please supporters of enlightened gender theory, as it cements the prevailing discourse, but that's another story).

Striking and therefore included as an add-on in this report is the new retro must-have from many snowboard brands - the powder board. Mostly classic in powder gun style without a swallowtail but with a long nose, almost every company now has a product for the light, white dream material on offer, which we are chasing after after Oracle's announcement

Splitboards

Rossignol

The XV Split remains the only splitboard in the Rossignol range. There are no major changes, only a suspension for attaching the pre-cut Pomoca skins has been added to the tail. In addition, the XV Split will be available in 164 cm as a wide "wide" version. In collaboration with Plum, there is an XV Splitboard binding with its own straps and highback.

Amplid

Amplid has two new products in its range: The Creamer is a real all-rounder. A balanced shape that works well in powder and also in hard snow. Camber under the bindings and a moderate nose rocker in combination with the tapered tail is the formula for a board that goes everywhere.
The Miligram is the logical continuation of the Carbon Lab. It has the same outline and camber profile as the Creamer. Radical weight savings (no topsheet) and generous use of carbon make it the lightest splitboard currently available on the market at 2.3 kg.
Also in the range is the Morning Split with a new color.

Venture

The Zelix has been given a deeper sidecut and a longer nose, resulting in a more playful board. The carbon version of the Zelix is available with the promising name "Black Magic".
The Euphoria is still the board for really deep snow, but with a normal sidecut it has now become a little more universal. The solid version has additional inserts so that it can be ridden with a pad as a snowsurferThe Odin remains the big mountain weapon in the Venture line-up. It should be noted that although the Odin has last year's outline, it has the stiffer core of previous years. Anyone who may have stumbled across this year's American reviews of the Odin, watch out!

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Völkl

New from Völkl is the splitboard version of the Alright: the Xsight. The contact points offset to the rear shorten the effective edge length, resulting in a very maneuverable and playful board. Thanks to the camber underfoot, the Xsight has enough edge hold on the ascent and descent. Völkl offers a "very innovative" metal pin, which is inserted into the Voile touring brackets for the descent and is intended to additionally stiffen the splitboard halves.

The Untrack remains unchanged in the range.

Jones

The Aviator will also be available as a splitboard next season. With the edge grip of the continuous camber, it is ideal for hard snow and steep terrain. The edge is raised at the contact points (a kind of 3D base), making the Aviator less prone to jamming.

The Solution features a new ECO-plastic topsheet, which is designed to be lighter yet more durable. It is also said to be more snow-repellent. In 2015/16, the Solution is available in three new wide lengths: 159w, 165w and 169w.

The Explorer is still the entry-level model in the Jones splitboard world: it is slightly cheaper and softer than the Solution. The combination of freeride nose and freestyle tail results in a very playful board that invites you to butter and jump.

With new designs, the Carbon Solution, the Hovercraft and Ultracraft split, as well as the Discovery split are still in the range

In 2015/16, all Jones splits are available with notches in the tail for skin attachment.

Nitro

Nitro is launching the Doppelganger, a new all-round splitboard with a very interesting nose and tail shape. The nose shape, which is based on normal skis, is designed to make the ascent easier. There is also a camber in the middle which, together with the hike pods (they couldn't explain to us exactly what these are, but they sound good), should improve edge hold on the ascent and descent. Rocker in the nose and tail should still provide plenty of float. Despite claims to the contrary, it didn't feel really light.
With the Nomad and the Volta, Nitro also has two affordable entry-level splitboards in its range.
All Nitro splitboards have their own hook system, which has no advantages over the Voile system.

Gara

The young Czech splitboard label was represented at ISPO for the second year in a row. Gara offers 4 splitboards:
The Classick is an all-round board that feels comfortable in all snow conditions. The Duck is a freestyle-oriented version of the Classick with more pop and a twintip core.

The Ranger from Gara picks up on some trends in freeride board design. For example, the Ranger has an extended radius to make the board less susceptible to cutting at high speeds, although it is questionable whether you can speak of an extended radius at 9 meters.The Capitan, the fourth board in the range, is the classic surfer for really deep days. The Capitan is optionally available with a fish or pintail.

Burton

Burton introduces the Fish Split, a splitboard for the really deep days. After the first prototypes and self-split fishs appeared more than ten years ago, Burton is now jumping on this sensible idea with a "slight" delay. There will also be the Custom Splitboard with camber and the promised strong edge hold. Both models are split versions of the corresponding solid boards.

The Landlord and the Anti-Social split will remain in the Burton splitboard range.

Elan

Elan has also discovered the splitboard market and will be offering a splitboard next season.

Plum

.....still has the Prems and Talps on offer.

Flow

is launching a split-ready snowboard with the Soltitude, which has an additional, central sidewall to make it easier to split the board.

Only K2, Libtech, Gnu and Arbor have made design updates.

Furberg

Furberg has added a slight camber to its Freeride this year, which should significantly improve climbing ability. Otherwise, the shape is the best thing that has happened to snowboarding in recent times in terms of innovation and consistency.

Boots

Deeluxe

After things went rather quiet around Deeluxe last year, this year's innovations are all the more impressive. Firstly, Deeluxe has succeeded in better integrating the Vibram sole into the shoe, resulting in a sole shortening of approx. 1 cm. Ladies and gentlemen with larger feet can now also take hold. Furthermore, there is a cover for the lacing system in the forefoot area, which is designed to protect the lacing system from getting caught in adverse conditions. The real highlight, however, is a kind of walking mechanism that Deeluxe has added to its top model, the Signature Boot by Xavier de le Rue. A simple slit on the back of the boot in combination with ankle stabilization through the BOA system promises a much more comfortable walk. The "conversion" to downhill mode works simply and effortlessly using the existing power strap. Deeluxe has done its homework!

ThirtyTwo

Now that freeride god (or already great -)father Jeremy Jones has been welcomed as a new team member, ThirtyTwo is not to be outdone and is launching the Jones Signature model, a top-notch touring boot. ThirtyTwo also manages to integrate the Vibram sole into the boot, and the lace cover also resembles an alpine mountaineering boot. The Jones boot also has a walk function, but this is closed with a BOA and is not as deeply cut as the Deeluxe boot. From a consumer perspective, it can only be seen as positive that ThirtyTwo is another competitor in the small but fine segment of touring boots.

Not represented at ISPO, but still worth a mention

Fitwell

The Italian mountain boot company Fitwell has also been active in the snowboard segment since 2012/2013 and launched the Backcountry, a very hard and torsion-resistant soft boot with a Vibram sole, at the same time as the Deeluxe XV. It should be well known to those video junkies who have watched Jeremy Jones' latest flicks. There, the gentleman also wears the Fitwell Backcountry. The newer versions now have a powerstrap compared to the first version.

Binding systems

As already mentioned above, there are small improvements to the binding systems rather than a big leap, which is not surprising given the system changes from Spark and Karakoram last year.

Spark R&D

Spark is saying goodbye to the Tesla series after just one year and is now calling its new line of bindings T1?! A pure marketing gag, because the Snapramps remain, the new bindings are called Surge (a.k.a Afterburner) and Arc (the former Magneto). The improvements here are in the details, but they make sense: Firstly, instead of two riser bars, there is now only one (T1), which can be locked in two positions. The baseplate has been adapted and there is also a new, simple heel lock mechanism. The old Heel-Lock has been slightly modified and will continue to be produced (for Afterburner- and Magneto- owners). New are two slimmer, smaller bindings for the light and small people among us - Spark brands them as specific women's bindings. The crampon has been stabilized at the former weak points and there is a new insertion angle (now 90 degrees) to prevent accidental shifting. Spark has also finally listened to users' requests and presented an easy-to-use highback setting called "Rip'n'Flip Highback". These can also be retrofitted to older bindings. The range also includes the Blaze and the Burner as classic pin bindings including the crampons.

There is also a real improvement for all splitboard owners outside the K2 and Burton world. Thanks to the newly designed pucks, the stance adjustment is much easier, faster and more precise.

A nice video about the news at Spark from the colleagues at Splitboardmag.

Spark R&D ISPO 2015 from Splitboard Magazine on Vimeo.

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Karakoram

There is much less to report about Karakoram. There is a new, self-designed, lighter top strap and pictures of their Prime Ride interface as a carbon version are circulating on the Internet. Otherwise, a little tweak here, a small change there.

In the video, it looks like this:

karakoram ISPO 2015 from Splitboard Magazine on Vimeo.

Plum

Plum remains more or less the same as last year. Easy to operate in dry conditions, but with gloves, snow and ice the whole thing can look different again. The small operating lever in particular is cause for concern. On the other hand, the crampon mount has been solved better than on the Spark, not so much jerking and pulling - insert at the top - pull to the side - fits!

Interesting is that Plum has entered into a cooperation with Rossignol and will sell the XV Splitboard with a modified Plum binding (other straps, branding). Perhaps this will give them a wider market reach - time will tell.

Not represented at ISPO

Ranger

Ranger, founded as a New Zealand garage workshop brand, has been working on its binding for several years. It should now be available. It looks pretty, but doesn't offer any fundamental advantages over the other bindings.

Phantom

Phantom is the one-man hobby brand from John Keffler, who has been turning the hardboot splitboard world on its head for the past two or three years. His hardboot bindings are light, durable and tailored precisely to the requirements of snowboarding (lateral flex). As he produces the whole thing out of passion alongside his actual job, the whole thing is not a cheap affair, but this is perfectly understandable from the above explanation. If there were finally optimized snowboard touring hardboots off the rack, I'd be tempted to get my hands on a pair of Phantoms.

Splitsticks

Splitsticks have been around for a few years now. A drawing of the next binding version called "Sway 2.0" has recently emerged. Judging by the pictures, there is a new connection for the binding suspension in split mode as well as an automatic locking function for the binding. In addition, the future binding should fit on the normal Voile pattern, which would be conducive to wider distribution. Let's see! Unfortunately, the binding has not yet been available to buy separately.

In the picture galleries you will find the remaining splitboard and powderboard pictures

Photo gallery

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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ISPO Report 2015 | Part 4: Clothing

Johannes Wolf • 02/09/2015

In the fourth part of our ISPO report, we present the new products and trends in the textile sector. The trend from last year continues: it remains colorful, even if the colors will be a little more subtle and no longer so bright. Every manufacturer now has a selection of colorful high-tech textiles in its range. Manufacturers who have long been known for their love of color, such as Norrona, have already passed the peak of colorfulness and are back to more muted colors. Groundbreaking innovations are not to be expected, especially in the textile sector, but many materials are being combined and product lines and production processes are being further developed. The issue of reducing the environmental impact of textile production is becoming increasingly important. This is also reflected in the fact that more and more natural materials such as wool are being used.
ISPO Report 2015 | Part 3: Ski

Tobias Huber • 02/08/2015

$Scott Super Guide 88 & 95, Cascade 95 & 110, Fly\' Air, Surf\' Air, Rock\' Air$

The third part of our coverage of ISPO 2015 deals with the new products in the freeride and touring ski sector. As in previous years, a slow evolution continues to take place in the ski sector. We didn't see a revolution in ski design at the trade fair, but we didn't expect one either.
ISPO 2015 | Part 2: Freeride boots & bindings

Lukas Zögernitz • 02/05/2015

In the second part of our report from ISPO 2015 in Munich, we also present the new freeride ski boots and bindings. One thing up front: there weren't many real "bangers". Most manufacturers have limited themselves to product maintenance in the boots segment, but especially in the bindings segment. However, we did find a few goodies. Here is an overview of the most interesting products for the 2015/16 season from the various manufacturers.