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Bindings

Spark R&D Arc 2021-2022 Splitboard Bindings Review

  • Price: £371 / €429 / $385
  • Sizes: Small, Medium, Large
  • Weight: 1.38lbs/ea (626g) – Medium
  • Entry System: Classic

Splitboarding is in its golden era. Products for getting out on the skin track have never been in such demand and Spark R&D continue to break trail with their incredibly popular and intuitive splitboard bindings. The men’s and women’s Arc binding remains their most affordable and accessible binding for anyone looking to earn their turns this season.

“Spark’s T1 baseplate is at the heart of their innovation and user-friendliness”

Who Is The Spark R&D Arc For?

Honestly? Pretty much everyone. As the only soft boot splitboard binding option that comes in under the £400 mark, they tick the affordability box that will be paramount for anyone investing in their first setup, without compromising on comfort, response and lightweight performance. There are stiffer and lighter options in the line, but for the vast majority of riders looking for big days, overnighters and surfy powder turns in the backcountry, these are just the ticket.

Baseplate

Spark’s T1 baseplate is at the heart of their innovation and user-friendliness. It’s CNC machined and does away with a huge amount of weight without compromising its structural rigidity. The toe ramp at the end is what’s used to lock you into the touring brackets and the pucks, so transitioning between ride and touring modes takes only a matter of seconds.

Underneath you’ll find the Whammy Bars, which can be easily adjusted with your touring poles. When the trail begins to steepen up you can adjust the bar from its stowed position to both 12° and 18°.

“transitioning between ride and touring modes takes only a matter of seconds”

Straps and Highbacks

Compared to the Surge bindings, the Arcs offer a more surfy, forgiving feel in both the highbacks and straps. There’s no shortage of toe to heel response in the highback, but it has a good amount of torsional flex to free up some movement around the ends of the board and get you laying out your turns with some added style.

The Rip ‘N’ Flip highback has tool-free adjustment to dial in your forward lean when you’re out on the trail, and when you’re making strides on the trail you can tuck the FLAD into the highback and open up a negative flex of 13° for some added mobility.

Finally, the straps have been meticulously fine tuned for splitboard specific performance. Waterproof, supportive, comfortable and impossibly lightweight. They’re made from a single piece, 3D injection mould construction that offers plush cushioning on the inside with added structure on the exterior. The Arc heel strap also features a small cut-out through the centre and a smaller footprint than that of the Surge – both of which allow for increased ankle flexion which helps to mellow out the overall response and create that more fluid, freeing sensation throughout the turn.

“For the vast majority of riders out there, the Arc will cover all bases… and then some”

Roundup

Anyone who has ridden Spark bindings will testify to their reliability and performance on both the ascents and descents. Of course, anyone who is interested in splurging a little extra cash on something stiffer and/or lighter, you’ll be well catered to with the Surge and Pro models, but for the vast majority of riders out there, the Arc will cover all bases… and then some.

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