Splitboard.com Forums

I usually ride a Burton Custom 166 for cruising on lift service mountains.

Should I be looking at a longer or shorter splitboard?

That depends,
Where are you riding (area and snowpack type)?
is your current board traditional camber?
Which board are you looking at for a split?
What is your height and weight?

I'm in the Northeast, so I usually scrape down the mountains on boiler plate ice, and death cookies.

When conditions are better I like to ride the groomed trails and a little fresh powder. The 166 I have now is an all mountain board with traditional camber, a great cruiser. It has worked for me in 18+ inches of rare NE powder a couple times, but needs a lot of speed to stay on top. I suppose I should be looking for as much float as I can get for ungroomed backcountry...

I don't have a preference for a board model - it just needs to be super inexpensive. So I'm probably looking at older stuff.

As of today: 6' - 200 lbs.

I think if I were you I'd go a little longer with an early rise nose. BUT I'm sure there are NE splitters out there who can give you better advise based on local conditions.

I believe in the northeast you will be riding more trees than open bowls. That means tight turns. If this is the case go smaller. plan to ride super steep stuff? go shorter.

Planning on riding deep powder on open slopes ? stay the same or a wee bit bigger

If it were me I would go shorter.

I went longer and stiffer then my resort board in my split. I wish I hadn't. It's perfect if there is room to hull or if the snow is light, even in the trees. HOWEVER, in my short splitboard career I found out last year especially, this is rarely the case. IMO, I'd go short and snappy for the trees. Big noses and short tails preferably. At 200 lbs, this might be tough. Talk to earthsurfer. He's got a sweet deal on a rome white room 164. That's going to be a lot of flex though. I've heard guys on prior kybers are super stoked around here too. With that board you'd be able to get a little more length, good flex for the northeast and great float. There might be a couple used ones in the swap. Happy Shredding.

At your size, I would not go much shorter… But for the NE, you probably want a board which will be very maneuverable, even at low speeds. I have ridden the Vermont backcountry, around Stowe/Mt Mansfield, for that terrain I would choose one of the tapered fish style boards, as they keep the nose up, even at low speeds, and allow for really quick turns. My favorite of these is the Chimera Unicorn Chaser.
Out here in the west, I choose a board which is larger, and offers more stability for riding at higher speeds.

http://www.chimerasnowboards.com/SPLITB ... HASER.html

go for the 161

Consider a Jones Hovercraft, I rode one last year (non split) and was surprised at the float. You can ride it a fair bit shorter than you normal board so it stll turns on a dime.

Also, magnetraction so it will work when things get a little icy.. and they are not that expensive.

Hey - Thanks everyone for all the advice.

I'll look for a board that is longer for good float, shorter for better maneuverability, and has a notched tail to help keep the nose up!!

Those really were all the things I was thinking about that might be issues to consider. Maybe the compromise will be to just find a board that fits my wallet. But, I think I'll probably lean towards going a bit shorter.

Sometimes people around here like to say just find something that fits the bill and get out and shred! That's pretty good advice too. I'd say low to mid 160's would be right in your wheel house. Barrows, we're riding Mansfield in the first week of November!
Maybe you should make a journey east! Dynafits and fruitboots at Stowe??

Glad you have snow… we do not. Climate change sucks...

while the Jones Hovercraft seems like a "fish" style board, it really does not have nearly as much taper as a true "fish". I believe the taper is what gives these boards their ability to turn very quickly when necessary, even at low speeds. This is because the tapered, and short, tail is easy to push around laterally: so instead of having to actually initiate a turn with the nose of the board, one can just pivot and push the tail out. This style of turning can be really handy in very tight conditions.
For those who are not familiar with the riding conditions in the NE: for the most part, riding is in the hardwood forests, and is often littered with many small technical features, rocks, small cliff bands, frozen icefalls, mini chutes, bushes, hardwood trees. The lines are often quite tight, and the room for error is small. Additionally, there is often not space enough to get up to speed like one would riding in the western US (even in the tight trees of Colorado there is much more room, relatively). So a board which keeps the nose up (to clear obstacles, as much as promote float) at even lower speeds is really beneficial. The Prior Khyber, and the Chimera Unicorn Chaser are high taper, short tail boards, which I feel suit those conditions best.
I prefer longer boards, designed for generally higher speeds here in Colorado. But if I was in VT, I suspect the Unicorn Chaser would be my go to board.

Agreed!

Stick with board and a length you are comfortable riding. I wouldn't change to many things at once. After you have been splitting for a while you will better know what you do and do not want out of your board.