TSBS Hope you are well. Just wanted to drop you a note following first runs with the board. It was a bit hard to set up 'action' shots as it got a bit crowded but hopefully the notes and pics of the setup give a general idea of how things went.
Overall the splitboard performed very well. We went to Thredbo, NSW, Australia towards the end of August. Thesplitboard was tested across varied terrain from fresh powder, groomed hard pack and slush, and the odd patch of ice and dirt. Unfortunately the runs with deeper powder were a bit out of my skill level so that will have to wait for the next time.
On groomed runs, the ride was quite firm (as one would expect from the board) and you’d be working your legs a bit with the bumps.
On the icy patches, no particular problems with rigidity. Quite impressive seeing as I didn’t have the pucks aligned flushed the first time round and resulted in a bit of split. The plate bindings and 3 ying-yang hooks really helped hold things together.
Most of the week was spent trying to find a binding setup to work (for the given conditions).
First setup was the Voile Mountain Plates with plastic mountaineering boots (ASOLO AFS Evolucione). This setup probablywould have worked for deep powder but on groomed runs, it’s very hard to get any edge on the heel side … which leads to the second setup.
Second setup was the Voile Mountain Plates with plastic mountaineering boots and a cord that clipped in from the toe bails to loop just below the knee. The cord setup was very ad hoc and essentially comprised of a tea towel tied around the legs anchored to a shoelace with cable ties and tied into a carabiner. The cord helped put some leverage on the heel side and allowed to sit back without completely straining the shins.
Problem with the second setup was the strain on the boots. On the heavier turns, the heel end of the boot sole would separate resulting in the heel bail cutting into the boot resulting in a loose binding and the board just popping off. Having tried to superglue, and then epoxy and gaffa tape the heel, I had to come to a stark conclusion that I will have to get new bindings. In hindsight, the toe and heel bail setup probably would have only worked with hard boots that have a one piece molded construction.
Third setup was the Voile Mountain Plates less the toe and heel bails with softboot step-in bindings (Flow Flite). These worked very well. Held the boot securely and were able to be attached to plates to retain the touring mode function. As the bindingswere used on hard boots, lacing technique was particurly important to ensure the entire setup doesn’t come off your feet on the lifts!
Hope this helps. Pei Zhi
