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I am going to get a splitboard this winter and I am lucky enough to get a deal on either Burtons or Voiles. Now that Burton uses Voile hardware is this the better choice? I currently ride a Burton Supermodel 168 and an Arbor Element. Just wondering what people experience is with both.
Thanks

I happen to own both of those boards. The Voile 166 is the older blue and white flame one(2002?) and the Burton 168 is a 2006. In powder, both boards work great of course. It's in variable or difficult steep conditions where the Burton has an advantage. It's just a higher quality board for a wider variety of conditions. Seems to work in our maritime snowpack better. It carves really well on groomers too.

Voile may have made changes(improvements) to the Freeride by now. The Voile hardware is the best and only.

Hi, I just bought a Burton 162, the red one. I wanted a Never Summer (or a Mountain Gun) but was under tight time constraints and just couldn't risk a late delivery so I had to go for the Burton. Splitboard range and selection is pretty limited here in Europe and getting down to the local shop to kick a few tires is also not an option for me. Bottom line: internet orders, buying blind.

Anyway, nice looking deck, it arrived today. But can someone please re-assure me that I wont break on the first big stomp! The split makes the tail halves seem so bendy and fragile. Obviously it isn't or else you guys would be snapping them all the time. Just its my first time to handle a board that's in two halves, joined down the centre.

That tail looks worrying..... Ahh, forget the tail

I am yet to take delivery of the Voile hardware and I am guessing that once installed it will add heaps of torsional rigidity. I sure hope so because those 4 clips by themselves are obviosly not up the job. Has anyone ever broken the plastic tail and nose clips?

Despite the nature of my first post I am not at all pessimistic, I'm really excited... just raised an eyebrow when I first saw it.

Once you add the slider plates it stiffens up the board dramatically. In fact torsionally I think my splitboard is stiffer than any of my solid boards.

I have broke a tail clip. I caught it on a tree branch while skinning and snapped it. That is the only one I have broke in over 5 years of splittin', you should be fine.

Thanks for the reply.

Did you fix the clip yourself or return to the factory?

I had ordered some spare parts from Voile and the tail clip was one of them. I stopped by the Denver REI and got it fixed on the spot. It was not a hassle at all. The only thing stopping me from doing it myself is that I did not have a rivet gun to do the job.