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Splitboarding, a question?

3K views 21 replies 10 participants last post by  atr3yu 
#1 ·
Ok, so I know there is a whole forum for splitboarding, but I thought I would ask my question here instead of pestering an entire new forum for one question. This is a complete “Could I” question. Not a “Should I” or “Is this the best option?” I am just trying to understand the process a little bit I guess. Anyways, could I buy a used snowboard, apply the Voile DIY kit, use normal bindings and slap some skins on? Would that get my spiltboarding? Yes, I am fully aware that this is nowhere near ideal, but I am thinking of making it my summer project for next season. I would just deal hunt like crazy and do it for as cheap as possible while trying to get better than average gear. Plus, the idea of kind of making it myself seems pretty fun. Sorry for the kind of pointless question, but curiosity has a hold of me on this one! Thanks everyone.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I don't have a splitboard, and I haven't ridden one yet, but to answer your question, yes, people make DIY splits. In fact, I'm pretty sure if you search around here hard enough you can find some threads where people have done just that.

EDIT:Or you can just look at the post above mine. That should answer it for you. :laugh:
 
#3 ·
Do it man. i split one of my old boards this fall and it turned out great. I messed up a bit with the cut(not my saw, unfamiliar with it) but it still turned out solid. Skinning sure beats snowshoes or bootpacking it. It makes the touring part actually somewhat enjoyable.

Its a good way to see if the splitboard is really the way you want to go without spending alot of money. I spent like $250 for the kit, supplies and skins.

I dont find the bindings/with plates to be too heavy(not that i have anything to compare it to) but it would be nice to have a dedicated set for both the solid and split so i wouldnt have to change them out so often.

The DYI is nice cuz you can take pride in the fact that you created such a nifty device that levels the playing field with the two plank wankers in the BC. I am however still a bit skeptical about its longterm durablity but I got 4 days with it so far and no signs of wear.
 
#5 ·
Thank you Snowolf and everyone else for all the info! I really do appreciate it. Got way more info than I expected, but that is just awesome! I am feeling way more stoked now that I know that it really is just that easy! Now the plan is to wait for the season to die down in a few months and start hunting for killer deals. Next season I'll be in the snow earlier due to my DIY split!
 
#6 · (Edited)
For lower start up and saving in the long run....what do know?...first season and haven't even started splitting, yet fucked the whole hog. Do a diy split but spend the money on the sparks or k's and you can use them later if you go to a factory split. As for cutting, my friend that I have been bring up to the hill for 9 years, he started cutting his own board 2-3 years ago when he was 15 and has done a few. He uses a plywood jig, table saw and a fine cut blade
 
#8 ·
Ah ha! That may explain it then. Mine are definitely stainless steel and very heavy! I have had no evidence of cracking. I am thinking then that this issue that Killclimbz was telling me about may be the result of them switching to alluminum ones if they have but I don`t think any of the slider plates are made of aluminium; it`s too soft of a metal to hold up to the pins. I believe stainless steel is non magnetic so you cant rely on that. I would be surprised if they did switch to aluminium really. Check the weight, I am thinking you will agree that they are too heavy to be made of aluminium.
my volie kit is over five years old and my plates are alum. There are a couple people that will weld a ride or a bentmetal with a aluminum baseplate to the volie plate. cant weld stainless to Alum.

any way, id look for a ride binding to put on the volie plates they are the lightest binding with a metal base to it. Plastic bindings flex a lot more than designed on a volie plate as the outside edges are unsupported.

shoot me a message if you have questions about building a diy splitter i've done more than 10 now and have figured out some good tricks.
 
#9 ·
Sweet, awesome guys, thanks again! Yeah that Slack Country is awesome, it is a board high on my list for sure. Thanks for the tip on alum binders as I was going to try to find some cartels. I have brand new Capos on my Berzerker, but I'll try to hunt down some used ones end of season. So stoked for this already, but it's still very far away.
 
#10 ·
Ah ha! That may explain it then. Mine are definitely stainless steel and very heavy! I have had no evidence of cracking. I am thinking then that this issue that Killclimbz was telling me about may be the result of them switching to alluminum ones if they have but I don`t think any of the slider plates are made of aluminium; it`s too soft of a metal to hold up to the pins. I believe stainless steel is non magnetic so you cant rely on that. I would be surprised if they did switch to aluminium really. Check the weight, I am thinking you will agree that they are too heavy to be made of aluminium.
Mine are black anodized aluminium. Ill get a weight on them when I get a chance. I work with metal all day so I can tell its aluminium just by holding them in my hand, the weight, the grain structure on the folds and also by the fact that they are hard anodized

3xx series stainless is non magnetic so yeah if they are general grade stainless they wont stick
 
#11 ·
Are they polished or clear anodized? If they are not anodized then the surface hardness is reduced.
If they were stainless they would be fkn heavy. One cubic inch of 304 stainless is .29 lb and one cubic inch of 6061 aluminium is .0975 lb. That works out to be 2.99 times heavier!
 
#13 ·
Well since this topic ended up sparking more interest that I anticipated I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on boards I should be keeping my eyes out for over the up coming season? I am thinking of trying to finding something with some sort of hybrid camber at least. Clearly I am not going to be to super picky as I will just be deal hunting, but knowing what to look for would be good ^_^
 
#14 ·
considering that you will weigh 10-20lbs heavier with a backpack/shovel/probe and there are no groomers in the backcountry you're gonna wanna size up 3-8cms or so for more float. hybrid camber like ns or lib works well for adding some float while maintaining good edge hold, magnetraction, etc. are good in the bc for sure...burton boards can be a bitch to cut i hear cuz they have a metal insert pack to cut thru, but it can be/is done. hybrid cambers like jones with camber underfoot and raised tips works also...with more and more split-specific bindings coming out you will see deals on used sparks and karakorums if you keep an eye on splitboard.com and maybe tgr/etc.
 
#16 ·
Don't split a Charlie Slasher to have as your main split. I have a CS and I fucking love it. It absolutely slays the shit out of some powder. However, in variable conditions, it pretty much sucks. It's a dedicated powder board. Not only that, but I don't trust it to hold up. Mine has done just fine, but I only take it out on deep days, so it doesn't take too many hits. Splits take a terrible beating. Split something that'll take it. I just can't imagine a board that light would hold up. The CS is shockingly light. My 164 CS is easily the lightest board I own and I own boards that are 8cms shorter.
 
#18 · (Edited)
My CS is a solid, but yeah, no way I'd split it to have as my primary split. If you had one laying around, sure, go for it. But I wouldn't get it to split it.

Oh, and TGR = tetongravityresearch.com, home of some very knowledgeable cats but also a ton of blowhards and djngleberries. Just sort through the bullshit because the good stuff over there is worth it.
 
#19 · (Edited)
In you area, I'd look for some old circa 2005-07 top of the line Option, like a Northshore, Pintail, they are cambered but the highend ones made in Vancouver were built like tanks with good materials. A local splitter has been begging me for my Northshore 162...shovel-nose pintail that was my first pow board...a very decent pow board for 8" to 14-16" of fresh that does alright on the groomed except for a bit of rear leg burn in the further deep of 18"+; however if you were splitting it for deep poo, you might consider adding a bit of swallow tail cut. But ride it first before you split to see what you think.

On another note: Highly recommend the k clips to put it together.
 
#20 ·
One thing to note about K-Clips on DIY splitboards is they have a tendency to pull the two board halts together so tightly that it "hulls" the base of the board. To get it right you have to make sure the clips are installed in PERFECT location. My DIY has K-Clips that were installed professionally and even so it hulls the base slightly. I'm not saying to stay away from them, just FYI.
 
#21 ·
Cool, thanks for the tip! Are the k-clips really that much better that it is worth the risk of bowing the board? I know that I will have no issue with the DIY kit, it make take me longer than some people, but I'll get her done. I just don't want to do all the work and then on like a small piece to the puzzle turn my split into a trough.
 
#22 ·
Omg, so I walked up the summit side of Whitewater today to get my first run of the season...... my legs!!!! I was barely able to get down the hill after the hike. Needless to say that a split is now super high on my list of things to get. On a side note my Berzerker was a beast!
 
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