Splitboard.com Forums

Hey bdub,
Another thing to consider with a wide board is that crampons may not fit on the board. I've heard that split crampons will not fit on some of the wider never summer's (and maybe some of the Prior boards?). Anyone with first hand experience on this. It may not be a deal breaker for you depending on where you ride and the conditions you may encounter. I've found that crampons help a lot.

powder junkie,
i'm not a fan of crampons on my skis or board. if it's icy i'll just go climbing, i've become a bit of a powder hound these days. i doubt that i will split my old board. leaning towards buying something with the voile hardwear. just haven't decided on which board, but really interested in the prior.

Sup Guys,
The Voile crampons work fine on the biggest, widest Never Summers(174 legacy) and I never leave home without them.

Yo Bentley! Love my NS T5 17? and I'm thinking about the split equivalent this season. Gonna be at the SplitFest with some demo boards?

Sup Matt,
Glad to hear you like your 172 T5.
We will try to make it to the splitfest this year with some demos if all goes well.

Outstanding, Sir Bentley. Looking forward to meeting you and others.

... highly recommend splitting your own, especially if it is your first. *best* split I ever rode and still have is my Shift 166...possibly one of the single most \"DIY splits\" ever since Salty Peaks in SLC had like 200 purchased on closeout and ended up retailing them for $100/deck....I ran into one for sale @ Bar X in Silverton last Feb, even the tails had been squared off on this particular version. that board was built by Mervin Mfg.... Lib Tech and Gun rulers of the NW. easiest boards to cut into since no unnecessary full-wrap steel edges on tips and tails. super lightweight too...my 66 Shift w/ Voile hardware and Clicker HB bindings noticeable lighter than the Burton 65 [?] Voile 73 and Prior 68 during Mt Tallac Expression Session Feb '04. funny thing is didn't ride it that day it sat in the car.

go with as light a deck as you can if not in hardpack/icy/gnar a lot. cap boards work great. you can brush on varnish or liquid urethane to exposed wood sidewalls and re-apply when necessary. works fine.

cut your old favorite, if you liked it you'll still like it and will be real comfortable on it. minimal dollar outlay to start.

got to check on the new Libs to make sure the center of the core isn't the rib-tech grooved out part, if so splittin one could be a trick... word up on splitting anything with honeycomb/ribs/hollow parts.....

and speakin of Lib Tech check out their new serrated-edge boards, the Magne-Traction models...mind-blowing progression from the wickedly twisted brilliant minds @ Mervin.......

KK

man, that 169 is hot hot hot...

i think i know the answer already, but that 4-5 yr old burton supermodel would be the schizz-nit to cut, right?

Probably... just be sure to use a carbide blade, and don't freak out at the heinous wailing sound produced by cutting through the inserts. Wear appropriate protection (eye, skin, lungs, anything else you want to protect from tiny flying fiberglass particles).

That was a classic freeride board in the 90's. I'd think it would be great for splitboarding.

Using a thin kerf saw blade is good - less waste

Carbide blade should cut through everything (including inserts - see below)

I suggest pre-cutting the steel edges in the tip and tail with a grinder or band saw - if edges heat up too much (i.e. glowing hot) they burn out the resin in the area which can lead to delamination. Because steel conducts heat very well the area effected can extend a ways down the edge away from the actual saw cut.

Boards without full wrap around steel edge (Mervin as some here have suggested) and boards with aluminum tip/tail protectors avoid the above issues (the heat is still an issue with the aluminum but because you can cut through it very quickly you can avoid excessive heating - plus you can put a pretty nice finish on the tips and the tails after splitting)

Burton boards have inserts down the middle of the board (3D pattern) and will need to be cut through. Not impossible but not ideal.