Of course, there’s a lot of technology and information to grapple with compared to your average day blasting around the resort and finding the odd stash of untracked snow. Splitboarding in the backcountry – or even just a few hundred metres from the lift lines – means venturing into an uncontrolled environment where you’ll need your skinning technique and your senses all finely tuned into to the ever-present danger.

If it all seems a little overwhelming, don’t fret. We’ve teamed up with the splitboard masters at Jones Snowboards and compiled these super helpful ‘How To’ videos on our Splitboard Hub to get you started (or even just to brush up on your knowledge and technique).

• Guide To Splitboarding

• How To Setup A Splitboard
• How To Transition On A Splitboard
• How To Skin On A Splitboard
• How To Ascend In Avalanche Terrain On A Splitboard
• How To Descend In Avalanche Terrain On A Splitboard

In the list below, we’ve highlighted some of our favourite splitboards for the this season. Whether you’re looking for your first splitboard with a more forgiving flex, something to take to serious lines over multiday objectives, or even some of the more creative and original looking shapes that continue to grow in popularity, we’ve got you covered.

Happy shopping, folks. We’ll see you on the mountain!

Best Splitboards and Splitboard Gear For 2024-2025

Amplid Milligram Splitboard 2024-2025

PRICE: €1250 / $1250

Ask any splitboarder what would make their life easier, and the answer will usually be the same: a lighter setup for the way up that still rips on the way down. Each year, tons of work goes into cracking this particular nut, but few have managed it quite like the Amplid Milligram.

These days it’s undergone a bit of a facelift, borrowing elements from the now-retired Millisurf, including the urethane-coated inner sidewalls. Those ensure that both halves fit together perfectly in riding mode, and stay that way until you’re ready to transfer again – a process which, thanks to the skin-hook holes in the nose and tail, couldn’t be easier.

Overall, though, it’s got the same weight-saving properties that have made it a hit for years – from the insanely light core to the carbon laminates. The topsheet even reflects heat, preventing snow from sticking to it and adding unwanted grammes for the skin up.

When you’re all about shaving weight, there’s always going to be a little bit of a trade-off in terms of stability when riding, especially in crud or heavy slush. But our tester’s verdict was that it was one worth making, and would opt for this over the alternative every time.
Top

Moonchild Atlas Hybrid Splitboard 2024-2025

PRICE: €1199
Powsurfing is great in theory – who wouldn’t want to release their feet and unlock tons of fun even on the most mellow of pow meadows? – but in practice it’s tricky to get into. It’s quite a substantial investment for something you won’t use all that often, and conditions need to be just right (not to mention easily accessible on foot).

Moonchild has done away with all that by creating a splitboard that can be quickly and easily converted into a powsurfer – bindings off, pads on, and you’re good to go. Plus you’ve got the ability to skin up to the most appropriate terrain, or just use it as a splitboard when conditions are a bit less favourable.

Each Atlas is custom-made for each rider depending on their vital statistics, so there’s a few weeks’ lead time on top of the not-inconsiderable expense, but if our tester’s verdict is anything to go buy, what you get in return makes it comfortably worth it on both counts; a nimble, stubby splitboard that’s great in the trees one minute, and a joyous powsurfer the next. If you’re feeling a little jaded about snowboarding and need something to shake things up, the Atlas’ double life may be the answer.

Top

Burton Step On Splitboard Bindings 2024-2025

PRICE: €550 / £490 / $520

The last few years have seen nothing less than a revolution in resort riding with the arrival of two speed-entry systems: Burton’s Step On and Nidecker’s Supermatic. Now the big B looks set to do the same for the backcountry.

Based on Spark’s tried-and-tested Tesla T1 system, these bindings offer quick transitions between skinning and riding. But it’s the Step On tech that really sets them apart. As our tester Tristan put it, “Splitboarding involves enough faff as it is, and anything that saves time is welcome.” In fact the ability to click in and out without fiddling with straps is a godsend, especially when you’re racing to keep up with ski tourers.

The Step On’s genius also shines through in those unexpected backcountry moments. “On one particularly deep day, I fell in a snowdrift with my board above my head – and instantly discovered that clicking your feet out is so much easier than undoing binding straps,” Tristan reports. It’s way better on flat sections too, where quickly freeing a foot (or stepping back in) can save energy and frustration.

Burton hasn’t forgotten about the ascent either. A negative lean highback design maximizes your stride while skinning, then locks in place for the ride down. The secure heel connection in tour mode also promotes an efficient stride and reduces boot wear.

Of course, this being Step On, the cost is more eyewatering than a pair of ‘dynamically priced’ tickets to Oasis. But the verdict from our tester is clear: “They’re worth every penny.”

Buy the Burton Step On Splitboard Bindings 2024-2025: $519/£490 at burton.com

Top

Spark R&D Arc ST Splitboard Bindings 2024-2025

PRICE: €549 / $459
If you’ve been a regular visitor to the //Whitelines// gear pages over the years, then you’ll already know how highly we rate the stuff that comes out of a particular factory in Montana – and the Spark R&D Arc ST splitboard bindings are the perfect case in point.

The winning combination of high performance and ease of use has made Spark binders the go-to for splitboarding, and the Arc is the brand’s most ‘gateway’ model. It’s robust enough to handle any terrain (which is just as well, given where you’re likely to take it) but is at its best on slightly mellower pitches and softer snow. Thing surfy turns rather than pointing it down route one.

That’s largely down to the highbacks, which are medium-flexing and are flat at the top for a slightly more freestyle feel than you might expect. While we’re here, let’s not forget that Spark’s ‘Rip ‘N’ Flip’ system lets you change between riding more and touring mode in abot two seconds flat. Sure, the system has been around for a while now, but it’s yet to be bettered.

Whether you’re new to splitboarding or have sworn off chairlifts for life, the Spark R&D Arc ST is likely to be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Buy the Spark R&D Ark ST Pro Splitboard Bindings 2024-2025: $619 at evo.com

Top

Spark R&D Surge ST Splitboard Bindings 2024-2025

PRICE: €579 / $489
The Spark R&D Surge ST splitboard bindings feature all the same benefits of the brand’s industry-leading system, but in a package that’s even better suited to hell-for-leather freeriders than the Arc.

These are designed to be thrashed in the kind of terrain you only encounter when way out of bounds, with an emphasis on light weight (for the ascent) durability (no-one wants a gear fail in the arse end of nowhere) and performance (remember, splitboarding isn’t just about the way up!).

The baseplate, highback and straps tick every box, thanks to the liberal use of aluminium, thermoplastics, and some secret recipes. The toe strap of the Spark R&D Surge is emblematic of the whole thing – there’s barely anything there, but it’ll still keep you feeling secure, and it works like a charm.

The ST stands for ‘Smooth Touring’, something which did not come as a shock to our tester; while they had already been a fan of Spark since first using their binders a few seasons back, they were taken by how both the binding-bracket interface and the function of the retractable ‘Whammy Bar’ climbing wires had become even easier in their latest iterations.

Buy the Spark R&D Surge ST Splitboard Bindings 2024-2025: $489 at evo.com

Buy the Spark R&D Surge ST Splitboard Bindings 2024-2025: £350 at blue-tomato.com

Top