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Best Splitboards For 2023-2024

The Whitelines Team select their favourite splitboards for all abilities, riding styles and budgets

Splitboarding sales went through the roof last winter, and the trend looks set to continue for winter 2023/24. There has never been so much choice on offer when it comes to buying a touring setup and the idea of earning your turns has become entered the mainstream in snowboard culture. If you’re hesitant about stepping out of the lift queues and onto the skinning track, don’t be — we reckon there has never been a better time than now.

While we won’t pretend the initial cost outlay isn’t significant – remember, you’ll also need all the essential avalanche safety gear and the required splitboard accessories, we guarantee that the views and lines you’ll be rewarded with at the top of a long skin are a worthy return on your investment.

“If you’re hesitant of stepping out of the lift queues and onto the skinning track, don’t be — we reckon there has never been a better time than now”

Social Distancing done right. Neil McNab and Rob McCreath venture off the beaten track on their splitboards.

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).

In the list below, we’ve highlighted some of our favourite splitboards for the 2022-23 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!

Amplid Surf Shuttle Splitboard 2023-24

PRICE: €890 / $940

Amplid has always walked a fine line between tech-boffin wizardry and raw passion. In the former category, the brand’s crowning glory is its brace of ultra-light splitboards – the Milligram and Millisurf. While their performance is undeniable, not everyone wants or needs something quite so fine-tuned, especially when it means shelling out more cash.

Who Is The Amplid Surf Shuttle For?

There are so many options for splitboarders these days, and the majority of what’s on offer still has a fairly conventional outline for that ‘all-mountain’ appeal. If you’re sick of those, the Amplid Surf Shuttle wears its freeride-purist credentials firmly on its sleeve.

MORE INFO:
AMPLIDSNOWBOARDS.COM

 

Selected for The Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2023-24 Amplid Surf Shuttle Splitboard

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Korua Shapes Transition Finder Splitboard 2023-24

PRICE: €749 / $799

One of our pet peeves is when a brand takes a board from its solids line, cuts it in half, and then gives it a different name along the lines of ‘Powhunter Deluxe’. The guys at KORUA have a bit more respect for us consumers, offering up a splitboard range consisting of one purpose-built shape (the Escalator) and three others borne from their main line.

Who Is The Korua Shapes Transition Finder For?

KORUA boards on the whole are still all about carving, but this one doesn’t require as much proficiency in that area as some of the other shapes. If you’re still sussing out – or reconsidering – what kind of riding you want to do, but know it involves the backcountry, the Transition Finder’s relative accessibility leaves lots of options open for you.

MORE INFO:
KORUASNOWBOARDS.COM

 

Selected for The Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2023-24 Korua Shapes Transition Finder Splitboard

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Nidecker Escape Split 2023-24

PRICE: £675 / €700 / $680

There’s a reason your typical splitboarder is older. No, it’s not just that – to paraphrase Renton in Trainspotting – we all get old, we cannae hack the park any more and that’s it. It’s because splitboards and the associated touring paraphernalia are expensive, especially considering you don’t use them every day. That’s all changed with the arrival of Nidecker’s Escape Split. It’s a genuinely affordable platform for backcountry exploration that comes complete with skins. Best of all, it offers near-as-dammit the same friendly performance as the best-selling Escape.

Who Is The Nidecker Escape Split For?

Jones still dominates the splitboard market, and realistically, hardcore tourers and Jeremy fanboys will probably turn their nose up at anything without a certain mountain logo on it. The Escape Split will appeal instead to the army of folk who, since the pandemic shut lifts, have been inspired to dip their toe in the splitboard waters but don’t want to break the bank. It’s also likely to gain cult status amongst more open-minded freeriders who appreciate Nidecker’s manufacturing pedigree. Whisper it quietly but Nidecker owns Jones anyway (shhh)…

Buy the Nidecker Escape Split: £650 at Blue Tomato UK

Buy the Nidecker Escape Split: €730 at Blue Tomato EU

 

Selected for The Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2023-24 Nidecker Escape Split

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