Accent skis for snowboarding?

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OK, a friend I work with got a decent pair of skis on ebay for 50 bucks. I was thinking about getting a pair and trying to rig up some kind of foldable ski thingy for backcountry accents. PS- I want to ride my board down! So I was thinking maybe it would be possible to cut the ski in 3 pieces and put them back together with some type of hinge system. I would also need some type of binding that would accommodate a snowboard boot; maybe like a modified snowshoe binding that could be attached to the ski. Anyway if anyone has advice or suggestions to make something like this work I would appreciate your feedback. Or am I just high?
 
definately! the chron has done it's damage.

a splitboard is the trick, but if you don't have the funds for such an
essential piece of equipment for the serious(or even casual) bc rider, then
slowshoes are a good bet. the inbetween are approach ski's.

http://www.backcountry.com/store/K2S002 ... h-Ski.html

sling 'em on your back as you would with snowshoes. you can skin faster
than slowshoeing, but you still have to carry them on your back. you'd
wish you just had a split. get a split. voile prior and neversummer make
em. OR spilt an old board of your own. a shop around here does if for a fee. i
don't know what that fee is. the split kit from voile is about $200 i think,
then whatever the shop would charge to split it for you......if you don't
want to chop your board in half yourself. it's kind of hard to stomach i
would imagine.
 
I'll second that. The only way to go is a split board. It's true that's its more expensive, but after you've tried everything else you'll eventually break down and get one (then you'll have spent money on a split, and snowshoes, and acent skis.....).

I've heard mixed success on the cut-your-own method. The biggest downside is that you don't get that inside edge that comes with factory splits. As more people are buying them, more are selling them used (ebay etc.). I picked up a Doutone (actually made by Voile I think) with all the Voile hardware, crampons, and skins for $350. Which was a steal, but deals are there if you are patient.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I have never really heard good things about split boards, but most of the opinions I have heard were from people who had never tried them or tried them when they were really new. Anyway maybe I can find a demo or rental set up I can try. I have only ever used snowshoes in the past, but I get real jealous when my friends go swishing by with their skins. Overall I really don't mind hiking it, so I would have to give it a go a few times to see if I liked it enough to drop some cash. I have never done any cross country type skiing and haven't been on skis for 15 years so it may take some getting use to for me.

Cheers!

P.S. Hamdog, I never heard of any shops spliting boards, I would love to see that! I also didn't know never summer made a split board. I have a few friends who love their NS's so maybe I will check that out.
 
Ok two questions.

First, neversummers website doesn't have split boards, but I did find a reference on the web to a guy that does custom splits of neversummers. Do you have more info on this? Anyone.

Next, the Voile site says you can use any binding with their system and a softboot. I don't understand how this works? Do they mean any plate binding? Do i need some special boots? I only have regular softboots no clickers, etc.... Anyway I don't get it???

This must be a job for chronic man!

Thanks again, cheers!
 
First, neversummers website doesn't have split boards, but I did find a reference on the web to a guy that does custom splits of neversummers. Do you have more info on this? Anyone.

Two brothers down in CO, Bentley and Justin Blaho, have been making
splits on the side for about 5 years or so now. they've been working for
NS for over 10yrs i think. the NS owner lets them use the shop and
all the equipment for this, after hours. the split ski's have the ptex
sidewalls on the inside too, as well as edges. (something you wouldn't get
if you split your own board. this kit is on sale right now actually. cheap cheap.
http://www.backcountry.com/store/VOL001 ... n-Kit.html )
pick a board from the NS line. indicate your specs if slightly different from
the stock board. you can get whatever you want. pick your board
construction, base graphic, topsheet graphic, sidewall color from any
board you want (in the NS line). board comes with voile hardware
installed to the stance width and angles you tell them. you can adjust
these later if it's not what you want, but i would suggest getting this
hardware installed so you can see how it all goes together. i played
around with my angles for two days until i got it right. it's not that easy.
to much to explain. the dolla price is a bit more expensive than what you
would pay for a prior or voile, but they are just simply better......if you
are familiar with the NS boards. nothing beats em. contact bentley to get
a direct price. that's not my deal. board should also come with skins.
crampons will most likely be extra. these crampons are essential
when climbing hardpack at higher elevations above treeline.

i worked with Bentley. great guy and he'll make you whatever you want
to exactly what you tell him. long story, but he had to actually make me
two boards cause the first one had a waist width 3mm to wide for me. i'm
picky like that, so he made another one with a few graphic adjustments
too. needless to say, he sold that first one to a shop here in Bozeman so
it didn't go to "waist" :roll: . yo, he might be able to hook you up with some
softgoods too for a nice price if you ask him. stickers are a given. it'll
feel like the best christmas you ever had (or will have) when you recieve
that box with your first split in it......since you put in all the effort to get
exactly what you want. it's kind of addicting to see what goes into making a board of your own, and choosing what's right for you and your
riding style. let them know if you plan to hit a lot of big bc booters with
the board. he'll make it even stronger with some extra carbon strips in
the construction, just for you. keep in mind though, the board will also be
stiffer in flex. almost as satisfying as the turns you'll be taking on it.

if you're serious about looking into a NS split and need contact info for Bentley, then PM me.
ok, enough about NS.

Next, the Voile site says you can use any binding with their system and a softboot. I don't understand how this works? Do they mean any plate binding? Do i need some special boots? I only have regular softboots no clickers, etc.... Anyway I don't get it???

nope, no special boots and no special bindings. it's hard to explain the
specifics. you need to see how it works rather than just be told but i'll
give it a whack without getting to tech.

there are two pucks per binding. the halfmoon looking things. screw
these to your ski and line them up with the other one to the angle you want.

then there's the slider plate that slides on to these pucks. the pucks must
be alighted exactly perfect. this slider plate is permantly attached with
screws to the bottom of each binding, with a rubber gasket inbetween the
slider plate and base plate of your binding.

put the board together in board mode. slide each binding onto those
pucks. then there's a pin you need to slide through the front holes of that
slider plate. you'll see. the pin slides through the slider plate and right in
front of the puck to hold the binding in place. the back of the plate has a
fixed stop on it. you'll see. the binding is secure and solid.
drop in bro. :?

in tour mode: there is a bracket that is fixed to the board. slide the pin
through the slider plate holes and this bracket. your toes of your binding
are now fixed to the board and ready to skin.....once you put your skins on.
no, you can't make tele turns with these. also, the inside edges of each
ski is straight. they don't hold a very good edge on hardpack, unless you
have crampons.
have a board split for you:
http://www.worldboards.com/shop.html

voile splits are great for pow. not really that solid in hardpack or spring
snow. prior splits are a little better in hardpack and just as good in fresh.
NS splits are solid no matter what you ride, but these are not made for
the resort. you will be dissatisfied with performance of any splitboard if
you take it to the resort to ride courdaroy. how the hell do you spell
courdaroy? haha. oh, and Burton makes splits too. they are switching
over to use voile hardware along with thier boards. their own interface
has had a lot of different failures and issues. keep this in mind if buying a
split off of ebay or something.

hope that helps. :lol:
 
HUGE props to H-dog for spend the time to put that post together. He covered it all. And he's right, it's hard to explain the the binding system, but it works. As he said, these boards really don't perform well at the resort, even on a pow day the weight of the thing hanging from the lift will do a number on your FS knee.

Don't forget to factor in a good set of telescoping poles when deciding what you can afford (but you were already going to pay for that w/ the accent skis, so....)

A couple of extra ideas/techniques I've learned that don't show up on most directions:
- Make a little "leash" out of kite string or wire for the pin that holds the binding in place. If you drop that puppy in the pow...you are forked!

- When in ski mode, use the split sections on the opposite feet from what you'd expect. This provides a sidecut on the inside...where you need it for making the occasional tele turn on rolling terrain.

Couloir mag has a good article about splitting your own, using JD as anesthesia.
http://www.couloirmag.com/gear/snowboard/split_a_board.htm

This is an OK synopsis of splits. It includes my Duotone, but not the NS boards that HD is so justifiably proud of:
http://www.pistehors.com/articles/backcountry-snowboarding/split-boards.htm

Voile used to have a cool little video showing how the hardware works. I didn't see it when I looked quickly, but dig into their site you might find it
http://www.voile-usa.com/splitboards/splitboards.html[/url]
 
Again, thank you both for such detailed answers and advice! I am definitly interested in a neversummer split, I have never heard anything but good things from the people who ride them. Unfortunatly I just dropped a pretty penny on new boots and a few other things so I am a bit strapped at the moment. I may go ahead and get the voila kit now since its on sale and split an old board I have, at least that way I can give it a go this spring. We've had a lot of snow this year in the southern rockies so hopefully the riding will be good for awhile.
 
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