I have not been impressed! The hardware is too complex, the board too heavy, and the binding choices limited. Too much potential for field failure. Burton has made such great products in the past it is hard for me to understand how they goofed so bad. Oh, I just figured it out – all their riders used helicopters to get to the ridge and then skinned 50yds to the chute entry! 😉

one of my buddies is riding a burton split. he had all sorts of trouble with the moving parts freezing up and generally being difficult to put together. he put a coating of canola oil on all the parts and says that it works like a charm. plus his dog can now lick the board.

I have a Burton split & every time I get to the top & go from split to board I find myself wishing I had the voile hardware. It is just too cumbersome and must be cleaned thoroughly of ice & snow to work(not great fun when its blowing 30mph & all your friends are already locked & loaded & headed down.
Bought the board because I got a great deal on it as its not a popular thing where I live & the shop had been hanging onto it for a couple of years.
To Burton’s credit though – initially there were some hardware problems that they really were great about taking care of(not the shop where I bought it) so their customer service is great for a big corp.
There is a spray-on teflon thats supposed to really help with the mechanics of linking the board.

Here’s an odd idea – I’m wondering if anyone’s tried? Are there any problems or has anyone tried remounting a Burton split with the Voile hardware? Since there are a variety of holes drilled for the Burton Hardware I was afraid – if tried – that the holes needed for Voile might end up in awkward spots in proximity to the existing holes?

I have been on a Burton custom 165 for two seasons now, and I have to say that I am overall pleased. I don’t think the Burton interface deserves all of the bad press it has gotten. I agree with the majority of the complaints, but I think they are over-exaggerated and can be easily fixed. Let me address each problem.

Nose and tail clips falling off: They can work loose over time, if you don’t pay attention. Just make sure you check them before you go out each day. This takes 10 seconds out of your day. If the clip spins without much friction, it needs to be tightened. In my two seasons, I’ve had to do this twice and haven’t lost one yet.

Interface icing up: I learned that spraying down the interface with silicon spray (non oil-base) does the trick. In fact, now I spray the deck too. Just make sure you wipe off the excess, and avoid getting spray on the rubber donut thingy that keeps the lotus from rotating against the plate, or else the binding will rotate in ski mode. I usually wipe the donut with rubbing alcohol when I’m finished. This trick works so well that I only used that scraper thingy like 3 times ever. I honestly have virtually no problems with icing. Sure this takes some time, but I kind of like stroking my board at night with a beer. I’ll lube it up after about every 5 days out or when I wax it.

Reliability: I’ll admit the interface is not simple. Voile does a much better job at the K.I.S.S. principal. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with the Burton, but luckily, I have only broken one little plastic lever thingy. And this didn’t even affect my day. Just be gentle with it and don’t force parts. This thing wasn’t made for a boy scout. Use common sense; if something is torqueing in a weird way, then it will probably break.

Transition time: Anyone who says that the Burton takes more time to transition than a Voile, must be doing something wrong. Nine times out of ten I am faster than someone with a Voile, and occasionally I’m faster than tele-skiers. Dealing with the skins takes more time than the transition. Yesterday I took 5 runs and the board went through every transition like butta, and my tele friends never had to wait for me. The silicon spray is the key.

Binding slop in ski mode: This is the one thing that I am unhappy with. The binding moves from side to side, making traversing, an already impossible task, more difficult. I think the newer models fixed this problem with a better locking mechanism. I have the older version without the pin receptors.

Price: What can I say, the thing is frigging expensive. I got a smoking deal on mine. It is well worth what I paid for it, but is it worth $900+? I don’t know.

Weight: It doesn’t weigh that much. In fact it weighs less than a pair of tele-skis. I can honestly say that I have never been bothered by the weight. The thing shouldn’t be on your back that much any way.

The overall pros are: a solid board that feels like a normal snowboard. My Burton split does just as well in crud, corn, or crust as my normal boards. I think the interface is slick and efficient and capable of fast transitions. The skins hook to the nose and tail for a more bombproof connection. The Ying/Yang hooks near the front and rear seem more bombproof than the Voile’s. The Voile hooks look like they bend and get sloppy over time. The stance angle can quickly be changed.

The overall cons are: The design is complex and requires a little more TLC and maintenance than Voile’s. The older models have way too much slop in ski mode at the bindings (this has supposedly been fixed in the newer models). It is expensive.

Unlike most of the Burton-trashers, I am in no way affiliated with either company.

jlag,
By donut thingy I’m talking about that the area were the lotus (the thing that fites into the female version on the board and keeps the binding from rotating in board mode) is pulled against the bottom of the plate. This is also the piece that the bindings screw into. The only thing keeping the lotus and the binding from rotating in ski mode is the friction generated by torqueing the binding screws down. On my interface there is a thin rubber donut on the underside of the plate that helps to increse friction. When I’ve gotten lube on this in the past, the binding has rotated on me in ski mode under force. I hope that makes sence.

I use soft boots and old bindings. I think they are Lamar strapins with a 4-hole configuration. I’m just using the same bindings I’ve had for 5 years – nothing special.

Mofoco – just drop Burton a line Their Customer Service is excellent in Europe (I know of one person having the original interface replaced for no charge) – maybe it’s the same in the US.

Well if you put in more than 10 days on the burton the double pin system (in split mode) starts to wear, and the result is tons of lateral movement. Movement that makes me cringe when i’m out in the BC, because the binding has popped out, and if it breaks…….
I have dreamed about creating a hybrid, because i do like how the burton rides in board mode, So I want to keep the burton system in board mode, and use a pin system in split mode. I have had some pins turned up, because voile pins are 1/4″ and burton are slightly smaller in diameter, and the pin itself needs to be longer. But i have not assembled it yet (for several reasons), but i plan on doing so soon!
scon

I have a 04 Split-170.

I find that the board rides really well. Its a solid ride and torsional stiffness is surprisginly good for a split. It even rides well out here on the east coast within the resorts, and we don’t see a lot of powder on the pistes so that’s saying a lot. It tracks well, and carves well even on icy east coast runs. I find it a very stable ride. But I would not call it nimble.

I have experienced the snow buildup when going from skin to snowboard mode, but I attributed that to my newness to the concept of breaking it down and re-0assembling. I just assumed I was doing something wrong.

The problem I find is that the length is too long. as soon as I leave the resort and hit the trees in VT or NY, its a real beast to turn in a pinch.

In fact, saying all the above. I’d probably keep mine if it was 5-10 cm shorter… I just made a bad decision on length.

[insert picture of monkey getting back up on your back] 😀

I find that for overnighters, the splitboard IS the best option. I hate putting my board on a full overnight pack with snowshoes. 😕