Splitboard.com Forums

Nice work, can't wait to get some on my board, and thanks for keeping us posted. This looks like the biggest inovation in splitboards since the splitboard itself. What's next?

nice work will. I just saw the article the other day while mowing down a pita(mmmm chicken crave.......drool). hopefully it snows soon this smoke is killin me

sign me up for a pair, im going back to softboots for most of the season.

I need t find the warmest softboots made, id like 'em stiff too, anyone have recs for this years boots?

Im running out of drool

Malamutes are definitely warm and stiff ones. (Careful ladies...)

I saw that Burton actually has a boot with heaters in them. Sounds gimmicky, but they are designed for those who have problems with circulation and keeping their feet warm. Not cheap, but probably worth the money in your case. I have no idea how stiff they are.

Do tell more!

ps - send me your addy and shirt size...I still owe you one for that hardboot contest.

pss. A lot of folks love the Malemutes. Burton also makes great boots although they aren't super durable. They make two models now with Vibram soles.

Serow
http://burton.com/Gear/Default.aspx#/me ... 9/B8187101

Driver X
http://burton.com/Gear/Default.aspx#/me ... con=icon_0

bottom line they arent as fun. Comfort and manueverability in the trees, trying to sit up on your board in deep not steep powder, trying to scoot in the flats, and lastly getting some air again without the fear of snapping my tibias.

I will miss their superiority in touring, warmth, zero calf fatigue and crampon climbing.


does that answer your question?

those new driver X's look sweet, as do the 08 malamutes

I have '06 Burton Cartels, but I really want some Spark R&D's!

Will, nice work on your design! I like it. I personally don't like strap type bindings but since there are so many people who do your design makes a lot of sense.

What material will you use for the shim between the lower lip and the binding base plate? I'm talking about the two pieces that the pin will slide through. It looks like it will need a longer pin then the stock one? Hard to tell from the drawings though.

Also, keep in mind that when you slide the binding over the mounting blocks, the rear portion of the sliding mechanism should be open so that any packed snow around the mounting blocks on the board will eject itself.

Looks like you've got a great start. Did you use any last winter?

Hey splitters,
Thanks for all the good words. I've got new sheetmetal on order and should have the first two of what are hopefully production sets this week or next. Then I'll head up to the university and do some destructive testing. A mean thing to do to a binding that's never even been on the snow but I've gotta be sure they're up to snuff before I start shipping them off. I've been in touch with a few manufacturing types around here about producing the various parts, seems very doable in the short term.

I welcome your thoughts on "The ignite" or "the ignition" splitboard binding by spark R&D. Thought of that one on the road bike ride today.

Hikeforturns: I rode a set of Driver X's this last season and really liked them. Still mega stiff at the end of the year, I usually don't fully cinch them down. They have lost a bit of their prettiness since I bought them but I'm usually kind of hard on my gear.

Cowboy: Great to hear from the guy that started it all. The spacers are UHMW plastic (PTEX is UHMW with some additives to make it slippery on snow for those that don't know). I dig the UHMW because it makes a great bearing material for the pin, which won't oval out and get sloppy. UHMW also doesn't absorb water like some other bearing materials (nylon). The price is good too.

The rear of the binding is open to vent snow per your suggestion, which you can see here, the black plastic puck is visible


I've been riding four different versions of these bindings over the last two seasons. Last season I had people out on a limited number of demos, and got lots of good feedback, and a few tips to improve performance.

These do use different pins than the standard Voile ones. I'll show more on that end tomorrow. Have a good one everybody!

UHMW is great stuff Will. Good bushing material for the pin was my first thought. Those who walk with the splits enough know that the pin holes in the tracks do "waller" out and can break if they're pushed to long. Surprisingly, this is not a big enough issue for Voile to screw with which indicates that the majority of the boards that go out of the shop don't get that much use. Only a small amount of folks end up replacing tracks.

Keep us informed on your project. Thumbs up!!

Hey all,

I just discovered Will's innovations at Spark R&D and I'm pretty sure I will be riding his system this year. After a few calls to Will about this years status avail etc. we got to talkin about what equip I will need from Voile if I were to receive a split that came with only Tip Clips and Split(Chinese) Hooks as this is the way I will be receiving my Divide from Venture. Afterwards I called Voile directly and talked more shop, Venture, and Spark R&D.

Dave, the knowledgeable rep I spoke with was familiar with Will's new tack for shaving weight off a strap binder set up and is pretty psyched to see how it goes this year. Anyway we talked about all the stuff I would need from Voile to outfit a board that came with only Tip/Split Clips while implementing Will's set up.

Here is the list and $ of the hardware needed:

Touring Brackets (pair): $32
Climbing Wires (pair): $10
Heel Pads Factory Issue (pair): $8
Pucks (4 pcs): $16
Puck Gaskets (4 pcs): $8
Parallel Discs (2 pcs): $8
In Line Discs (2 pcs): $8
Puck Mounting Screws (1 Set) : $2.40

Total: $92.40

*Bonus - Free Shipping over $50.00 purchases

The Whole "Factory" Split Kit is $150 so you save about $57 by going piece by piece - not bad, I'll take it.