How to Choose a Splitboard for Men for Backcountry Snowboarding

Splitboards are expensive, and it makes a lot of sense to put some time into researching the field. At the resort, you often have the luxury of being able to demo snowboards to find what you like, but in the splitboard world, those opportunities are harder to come by. Going to Splitfests is a great opportunity to get on some boards, but outside of that, a fair amount of internet research will come into play. But rather than relying solely on niche internet forums to guide your decision, you found us! We purchased, tested, and compared some of the most popular models available today, to provide you accurate specs and information on each board. If you want a breakdown of specific boards we have tested, check out our Splitboard Review. If you want a back-to-the-basics overview of splitboard styles and construction considerations, continue reading.

Riding Style

Within splitboarding, there are many different avenues and end goals. Snowboarders don't fit neatly into one box, so we can't make blanket statements about what's good for every rider. Take some time to reflect on your goals as a snowboarder and the reality of the terrain and style you ride. For some, that could be dropping pillow lines after snowmobiling into a zone, for others, it may be several-day-long approaches to remote mountain summits, and everything in between. The proper gear for each of these riders will be very different.

Freestyle

Freestyle boards are good for turning the backcountry into a terrain park. We often find that, as much as riders think they fit into this category, it is seldom that we see riders truly freestyling in the backcountry that often. It takes a very talented park rider at the resort to transfer those skills to the backcountry. When we do see this, it is pretty special to watch, and for the folks who can do it well, the right board will make all the difference.

Boards in this category are going to lean toward a twin-type shape, but for backcountry riding, a bit of directionality often makes life easier. Usually, freestyle splitboards have a slightly longer nose than tail and very little or no taper from tip to tail. The flex pattern of these boards is closer to the twin side of things, but may stiffen up in the tail for support when landing backseat. Narrower waist widths help reduce swing weight, and tighter sidecuts improve maneuverability. These boards often feel familiar and are comfortable to ride, but suffer a bit in the powder category.

Freeride

Freeride snowboarding is the more likely category for many expert-level snowboarders to end up in. These folks usually have some skill as park riders at the resort, but lean more towards all-mountain riding. Freeriding is largely characterized by aggressive riding in big terrain, but the freestyle elements are limited to straight-airing cliffs or transitions, with maybe the occasional spin or more advanced freestyle trick. The freeride category of splitboards is the largest concentration of boards we see on the market, and they tend to be versatile across a variety of terrain and snow types.

Freeride boards are more directional than freestyle boards, and there is no mistaking what end is the nose and what is the tail. The noses are longer and tails shorter, with more taper from tip to tail, usually in the 8-15mm range. Often freeride boards have a bit of kick in the tail to help with the occasional switch landing or takeoff, but they prefer a directional ride. Often these boards have a medium to stiff flex and like a bit of speed to start turning. Freeride boards are more capable in powder and will save you from burning out your back leg on the deep days.

All-Mountain

The all-mountain category is a good catch-all for riders who just like to enjoy varying terrain. They may not be seeking out much freestyle riding or huge big mountain lines, but they like to ride a lot of different places and seek out adventure or soft snow. All-mountain riders may be expert level or more intermediate; the large majority of folks in the backcountry fall into this category.

Boards good for all-mountain riding tend to be freeride boards. For most all-mountain riders, a more forgiving freeride board is going to suit their needs best. Compare this to a super stiff expert-level freeride board, which can be fairly unruly. Something more forgiving will be fun for the majority of days you get out, but won't be much of a problem on the few days a year you get into bigger terrain or choose to ride faster.

Powder Specific

Some of us are just in it for the soft turns, and there is nothing wrong with that. Or maybe you have a daily driver freeride board but are looking to add a pow-specific shape to the quiver. If you're riding powder, chances are there is elevated avalanche hazard (new snow is one of the five red flags remember), so powder boards are designed to elevate the experience of riding deep, lower-angle snow conditions, but still be capable if you get the rare chance at riding the steep and deep. Powder boards are great fun, and the right shape can change your life, but it's worth noting they tend to lack versatility and will punish you in the wrong conditions, so choose wisely.

Powder boards tend to have the most taper of any board shape; anywhere from 15-30+mm of taper is not uncommon in this world. This taper helps trim the board out, like a surfer would say, so the board planes with a high nose over the snow. Good powder performance is all about reducing drag, if you can keep your boots out of the snow and float as high on top of the snow as possible you'll accelerate and cruise through lower angle terrain. For this reason, these boards tend to have wider waist widths, which feels less fatiguing to turn in deep snow, compared to firm snow. Reducing tail surface area also helps the tail to sink and further trim out the board angle in the snow. Swallowtail shapes achieve this goal, but still give you some effective edge in case you run out of powder and need some grip. Powder shapes are great in deep snow and crusts, but are challenging in firm conditions and lack versatility.

Splitboard Mountaineering

For some, the draw of big mountain lines, technical terrain, and jump turns is a strong force. This terrain requires precision and the utmost reliability in your gear to get through. This category is growing, and seeing people mix climbing skills with snowboarding is more common. Splitboard mountaineering is not for the faint of heart, but for those who enjoy it, the right gear makes life way easier. Many freeride boards work well in this terrain, but choosing specific features can optimize performance.

Weight savings are huge for splitboard mountaineering; not lugging a heavy board on your back while climbing technical ice or rock is not only comfortable but also a risk-management tool. Lighter boards are also nice when making jump turns, as there is less weight to swing around the turn. The snow you'll be riding in this terrain is often on the firmer side and will require slower, more methodical riding. Longer effective edge lengths help increase stability on edge, while short overall length reduces swing weight. Finding the balance of a board wide enough that you don't boot out, but narrow enough to achieve a high edge angle is paramount. Boards that score high in firm snow and variable snow metrics are your friend here.

Sizing

Getting the right fit is the difference between enjoying your turns and loathing them, get too small of a board, or too soft, and you'll spend your powder day flipping over the nose. Get too big and stiff a board, and you'll be fighting to make every turn. Board sizing charts on company websites are getting better and better, and we recommend starting with their recommendations and then adjusting based on personal preference or experience. When sizing boards, we recommend looking first at waist width and recommended rider weight, and length last.

Waist Width

You could argue endlessly about whether waist width or rider weight is more important when purchasing a board, but we would just say they both need to be considered equally. Sacrifices in either category will degrade your experience in the end. Waist width is incredibly important; if your boots hang too far over the edge of the board, they will drag and reduce your speed in powder, or you could boot out on a turn, which can be deadly in consequential terrain. Thankfully, brands are recognizing that board width matters to consumers and are offering more variety than before.

The general rule of thumb is that your boots should overhang 1-2mm past your board edge. Less overhang and your board becomes challenging to turn, more overhang and you boot out. Waist width doesn't always perfectly correlate with underfoot width, so we measure underfoot width specs in our reviews so you can do the math with your specific boots. Ideally, the companies you buy from provide the same info.

Historically, most snowboards fell into the middle of the 25cm width range, which is great if you're an average American male with a size 9 boot, but for everyone else, this is going to be a problem. A full shoe size increase adds at least a centimeter to each boot, but board brands tend to increase waist widths by mere millimeters from one size to the next. In general if you're smaller than a size 8, try to go below 25cm, 8.5-10 can fit from 25-26cm's, 10.5-11.5 fits 26-27cm, any bigger may need over 27cm of width. If you want more details, check out this website for sizing.

Rider Weight

You need a board that flexes well for your weight. Every board has a different flex rating, but it may not feel accurate if you get the wrong size. A board that is given a 9/10 flex may feel soft if you size down too much, or a board that is supposed to be a 6/10 could feel like a plank if you oversize too much. Most manufacturers will provide recommended rider weights on their spec sheets, and you should pay close attention to them. We recommend aiming for the middle of the weight range, or slightly to the heavier side. Going to the lighter side usually means the board will be quite stiff for your weight and could feel unruly.

The unfortunate truth is not every manufacturer is going to have a board that will fit you; some boards may be the perfect waist width and length for you, but the weight is off, or vice versa. Thankfully, there are many options on the market so you can get as close to perfect as possible, but some boards just won't work out.

Length

Snowboard length has slowly become one of the least useful metrics to base your purchase on. Our lead tester averages around 162cm on most freeride boards, but owns snowboards ranging from 151cm to 164cm. Based on the board's flex and waist width, you could end up on a shorter board if it is stiff and wide. More important for floatation is really the nose length of the board; we have ridden 162cm boards that struggle to float, and 157cm boards that are effortless. The 157cm had a far more pointed nose and a stubbier tail.

When considering snowboard length, focus on stability. In general, a longer board will have a more effective edge and more support in front of and behind you. If you like to go fast and stomp big airs, having extra length can increase your stability. On the flip side, if you want to wiggle through tight trees, or spin off sidehits a smaller board will increase your maneuverability. As long as the width and the flex are right for you, you can play around with length to get different results in stability and maneuverability.

Profile and Construction

Carbon vs. Non-Carbon Construction

The biggest construction decision most of us will make is whether or not to get a carbon board. Carbon boards are often a hefty price increase from their non-carbon counterparts, and for a few riders, may be worth it. The benefits of carbon boards are largely that they are lighter and often retain their stiffness better. If you are doing days with big vertical and riding upwards of 80 days a season on your splitboard, the weight savings and flex retention will likely be valuable to you. For the rest of the splitboard community, a non-carbon board will be more forgiving, easier to ride, cheaper, and often more damp and fun in bad snow conditions.

Camber vs. Rocker vs. Early Rise

Most splitboards employ a combination of camber, rocker, and what we call early rise. Camber is the bow under your board, which, when placed on the ground, lifts the center of the board off the ground. This uplifted pocket provides structure to the board's flex, but it also increases the amount of edge that touches the snow at lower edge angles, which improves grip. In general, camber will increase grip and add pop to a board, but also increase drag in powder.

Rocker, or “reverse camber,” is the opposite. By giving a board rocker, you add lift to the tip and tail, as opposed to the center of the board. A fully rockered board will glide easily in powder and be easy to turn compared to a camber board, but at the expense of grip. For splitboarding, this is especially true in the skintrack. Rocker simply reduces the amount of board touching the snow while skinning, which means your skins also have less contact with the snow. Rocker makes skinning more challenging, and splitboards are already challenging for skinning as it is.

Early Rise and Rocker are often used interchangeably, but early rise refers specifically to a gradual rise near the tip or tail of the board. Most boards have an early rise (or it's referred to as rocker at times) that begins near the contact points on the board, usually closer to your feet. This early rise lifts the contact points off the snow, making the board less hooky. The closer the camber pocket is to your contact points, the more your board will want to lock into turns. Early rise also helps lift the nose for better float, contracting some of the camber pockets' drag.

Sidecut Radius

The sidecut of your board determines how tight a turn the board will naturally want to make. The sidecut is measured as a radius, and common splitboard radii are between 7 and 10 meters. Smaller sidecuts will be better for quick turns and tight places, whereas a longer sidecut allows for more open turns and higher speeds. This matters most in firmer snow conditions and is a bit less noticeable in powder, but it's still a consideration.

Taper

Taper is the difference in width from the nose to the tail. The more taper your board has, the better your tail will sink in powder, and the nose will float. Taper also helps quicken the turn initiation of a board and can make it easier edge-to-edge. In powder, this is especially noticeable. The downside of a steeper taper is that the tail can start to feel washy in firm conditions, especially on steeper terrain. Heavily tapered boards require a more backfoot-driven approach to riding, which can be an odd sensation for riders used to more classic twin shapes. For powder days, this makes sense, but in firmer snow, we are fans of a more moderate taper. Very little taper = 0-5mm, moderate taper = 5 - 15mm, heavy taper = 15mm+.

Effective Edge

The measurement of the edge length from contact point to contact point. Longer effective edge lengths are more stable, while shorter edge lengths tend to be more maneuverable.

Setback

A board's setback refers to the rider's position relative to the effective edge. Most splitboards put the rider back a bit from center of the effective edge, this adds length in front of you for better stability, and often helps increase float. Being closer to the center of the effective edge puts you closer to the front contact point, which can make turn initiation easier. Some powder boards have you centered on the effective edge, even though there is significantly more nose than tail, making for good float and quick turn initiation. Setback is not a measurement of your position relative to the length of the board (at least not for most manufacturers, though there unfortunately isn't a true industry standard).

Hardware

In general, we are fans of simple hardware that provides active locking of the board. Active locking is any feature that actively pulls the two board halves together to create a better connection and torsional rigidity. These components are subject to getting knocked around while skinning, so we prefer metal for durability on the mid clips. Tip and tail clips tend to be plastic, but are subject to less abuse than mid-clips.

Skin Attachment

Splitboards have weird shapes, and for decades, we have been relying on technology developed for traditional skis to attach our skins to our boards. Any board that foregoes this old tech for dedicated skin attachment holes or notches gets bonus points from us. At the very least, having a tail notch to slot a piece into saves a lot of headache over traditional splitboard tail clips. Having both a nose and tail connection point, instead of a loop for the nose, is the ideal world. Nose loops get caught on your tip clips and bend easily, and can sometimes fit improperly depending on your nose shape.

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Luckily, the splitboard industry was able to agree on the Voile mounting pattern as the standard for creating binding inserts, so you can mix and match brands (we think it's about time an industry-standard skin mounting pattern was agreed upon). Fitting skins is often the worst part of splitboard setups. If a brand has pre-drilled fittings for skins and pre-cut skins, that's a major plus to consider.

Rider Ability

Expert snowboarders and expert splitboarders are not the same animal. The simple fact of the matter is that wild, ungroomed, and seldom tracked snow is a beast within itself to learn how to ride, and the resort does not prepare you for it. At the resort, it snows, and people get powder riding in, and before the wind and sun can change that powder, it has been skied and stomped down. In the backcountry, that powder can sit for days, exposed to the elements, before anyone gets to it. In that time, it gets crusty, hammered by the wind, and generally less easy to ride as time goes on.

We like to think of riders' backcountry ability levels in terms of their ability to ride different kinds of snow, rather than terrain. Your ability at the resort dictates the kind of terrain you can ride in. Your ability to ride that terrain doesn't change in the backcountry, but your ability to handle the snow conditions does change.

For this reason, no matter your resort ability level, we like to recommend that new splitboarders always lean toward more forgiving splitboards for their first season or two. After that time, you'll have gained more experience in backcountry snow, and if you want a more aggressive board, you can feel confident in getting it. The good news is that most splitboards are capable of riding far more aggressively than their rider can, so choosing a more forgiving option won't limit you much even as you progress.

Terrain

You should buy the splitboard for the conditions you do ride in, not the conditions you want to ride in. Many of us dream of that big Alaskan powder riding trip, but the reality is that it only happens once every few years, if we're lucky. The board that is great for Alaskan powder is simply not going to be the board that is good for most people's daily splitboarding. Take serious consideration of the terrain and snow conditions you ride on regularly.

Our lead tester has this bit of advice from his experience, “I grew up riding and splitboarding on the East Coast and favored trees and park riding, so I often rode a shorter snowboard that was easy to turn. In my 20's, I moved to Oregon for a few seasons, and after flipping over the nose of my splitboard every powder day, I realized I needed to upsize my board. Today, where I live in Colorado, many of my days are spent riding low-angle terrain at an abandoned ski area, waiting for the spring when it is safer to venture into big terrain. My daily ride has gotten shorter again, because it's more fun in those trees and tight places, the big board comes out if I go on a trip away from home, or it's stable enough to venture into the high peaks.”

Conclusion