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I didn't look at the pictures in the review for very long but i'm not seeing much beard in there.

Not that you can't trust all splitboard reviewers without beards.....just sayin'.

I would trust you though Don based on those creds.

Yeah, this is pretty ridiculous. Bordering on slanderous... Reviews published in widely distributed rags should hold themselves to much higher standards than this, a small company might live or die based on a haphazard "review" such as this-it is just plain irresponsible.
There are plenty of real splitboarders out there with the experience, and the backcountry days to do real reviews, there is just no excuse for this poor example of journalism.

I would love to hear what the deal is. So many people have been rocking them with very few issues. They flat out suck for posting that with no explanation.

My

Last year I picked up a set of K's and put over 50 days on them (only 5 of those inbounds). Conditions were all over the map, powder to bullet hard snow. I split skied the crap out of them too. I did break a few parts here and there, but I was not left stranded nor did anything break while riding. I'd say they are a reliable system and the company has great customer service too.

-Kef

Best post I've seen on this site........





STOP THE POOP!!!!!

Heya splitboard.com folks -

Mike Horn here - I was just alerted about this thread and apologize for not commenting/clarifying sooner. In addition to my duties at Kronicle I've also run the Backcountry Mag snowboard test the last 6 years or so.

First and foremost, my apologies for any confusion or harm caused by said blog post—Karakoram is a proven system, and I have a ton of respect for what the Kloster brothers have accomplished and are contributing to splitboarding. I personally know several splitters that are very happy with their Karakoram bindings/interface over the long term. The article BC Rider posted to kick off this thread is from a tester's personal blog, and does not reflect the opinions of myself, Backcountry Mag, Outside or the other 30-plus testers that just spent the last 10 days testing backcountry gear (and will continue to test that which is made available to us through the spring).

As for the swirling opinions about our test crew ... it includes a substantial crew of very experienced splitters, others who are newbies and still others with a few years experience. Our test crew represents a variety of experience levels and regional diversity, and 100's of hours of work go into making all this happen from testing through publication.

Thanks for putting all this through a hefty debate, and sticking up for the Kloster Bros/Karakoram. Again, my apologies for any confusion and negativity caused by all this, and feel free to contact me at the email address below, anytime.

-Mike
mike[at]holpublications.com

Whew. Sanity reigns again.

splitters shouldn't be getting gear reviews from Outside magazine anyway... shit is like Maxim for hikers. All fluff, ads and lance fucking armstrong.

speaking of testers.. I'm 6'2", 260 and haven't tuned a board in 3 years (that's when my home mtn went douche and I stopped working in the shop). I come dirt cheap, just the cost of the test gear. If your product is going to break, I'm the guy to do it.

Hey, hey hey...

We'll have no bashing of Lance Armstrong here....

Being a relatively new splitboarder, I just wanted to give a quick perspective. I heavily rely on product reviews for deciding what to buy. Since I have very little personal experience, I have to rely on more experienced folks opinions more so than others. On the other hand, I have been buying outdoor gear long enough to know that review such as these and those in other mags are just one piece of the puzzle of what gear is good.

My breakdown for a decision is probably something like:
10% Mag Gear Reviews
40% Reviews from "actual" people on sites like splitboard.com
49% Reviews from friends and partners who use the stuff and show me what is right and wrong with the product
1% If it looks frickin slick

So overall, the Mags just get me an idea of what is out there and maybe the specs, otherwise its all based on "real" people.

I agree and disagree with this point. Companies definitely need experienced splitters giving input on their products, but a fresh point of view is always a good thing, provided it's coming from an experienced rider. With the amount of people I see on here talking about riding long boards (165+) and very narrow stances (remember that thread about the minimum stance width on the Solution?), I'm glad that you guys aren't the only ones giving input on splitboards. Not hating on your preference at all, different strokes for different folks and all, but they are trying to appeal to a wider audience, not just the ultra-core backcountry riders.

Totally agree with you grubbers, balance is always the key. I was just ranting and I'm not very good at using words to make a point. Jcocci I just pulled that % out of my ass, totally agree and respect your opinion very much. I would say the 15 yrs says a lot more than the # of days in the BC. What's the saying "you gotta know where your coming from to know where your going".

My point though Grubbers and I did a horrible job of communicating it obvously is that so far the direction of splitboarding has been defined by what will appeal to the wider audience. What the splitboard industry lacks right now is the perspective of the hardcore BC rider. It's all about guys who ride resort first and BC second. That's exactly what bugs the hell out of me and it's exactly why the "Poop" today requires so much "Tweaking". Shit shouldn't need "tweaking" were not "tweakers" here. Were motivated individuals involved in the only part of the industry thats seen any significant growth, yet rather than seeking the input of those individuals with experience who understand the "whole picture" they go to the over the weekenders trying to make a living out of this shit, bugs the crap out of me. Sparks could have given there boots to any hardcore splitter and they would have got more than there moneys worth of feedback on their boots. Super Obvious shit but instead-POOP, lost my business and took all my money, I worked hard for that, every dollar and it disappoints me.

And Don actually, funny yes but you make a lot of sense to me. Send this guy some gear.

UTAH: well said. I would have to agree. Look at the huge boom in AT skiing, and then consider the guys (on this continent, Europe is on a whole 'nother level) that are helping AT companies push the envelope on gear: guys like Greg Hill (how many million feet of vert!!!) and the recently deceased Steve Romeo. Skiers like this are hardcore, and this is who the manufacturers go to to get their gear right. Add to that the rando racers, and core ski mountaineers like Kristofer Ericksen, and the manufacturers know how well their gear is being tested.
Splitboarding is at a turning point in my mind, where the real backcountry riders (not the guys who get a few self powered BC days a season and ride the lifts/helis/sleds/snowcats the rest of the time) need to be the ones evaluating gear. Kyle Miller seems like one of the first splitters to really promote himself to this level, and Jeremy Jones also appears to be getting in a lot of split days. We know there are HC folks on this site who get a lot of days as well, but might be doing so in relative anonymity. I personally have reached out to manufacturers to offer free opinions and advice on board, boot, and binding design-and on occasion, some of the "better" folks have listened.
Hopefully splitboarding is approaching a point of critical mass, where the serious riders will be the ones testing and developing and consulting on the gear, rather than resort based marketing geniuses.