# Questions about first time splitboard riding



## sm0ke (Mar 21, 2011)

i went out in an intro to backcountry a couple weeks back with my new splitboard and just had a hell of a time dialing it in. Standing on the board in my garage it really felt like it was my normal stance, but when i got out there it seemed nearly impossible to make turns on it; what i cant figure out is if it was just me being so tired from skinning all day for the first time or if it was the metal plates under my bindings preventing me from really flexing the board

i used the voile DIY kit, goofy rider with angles at 9 and 12 and a wider than normal stance - i was thinking about opening up my stance a bit more to see if that helps but im curious if it just takes some getting used too

i will most likely take it out this weekend to my local hill and just bomb around to really get a feel for it before i go BC again


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Honestly, I'd be willing to bet it was primarily due to dead legs after skinning. There's riding and then there's riding after major hiking or skinning.

I'd ridden on Voile sliders and haven't noticed a huge difference in terms of riding ability. However, after a few skins up, I'm riding like a flailing fucking idiot. It isn't due to the equipment, it's due to my legs being fucking shot.


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## Supra (Jan 11, 2012)

yeah, you've got the right idea. go to a resort and do some runs on it. Bring your tools for adjustments. It's got to be dialed in for when you hit the bc. 
and start walking up every stair you can find to get your legs in shape


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## snowvols (Apr 16, 2008)

I think snowolf nailed the problem on the head. When I used to have slider plates I used to HATE the trees. It seemed my board never gave me the desired response. Now that I am rocking some Sparks all of my problems have been solved. They sit much lower on the board than the slider plate and then regular bindings on top of them. If you can get a deal on them locally like on CL do that.


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## mjd (Mar 13, 2009)

sparks binders slide right over the pucks and help out a lot with response. also try swapping out the chinese hooks for karakorum clips as this will bring your boards halves together much tighter and add to the performance. my first year splitboarding taught me how out of shape i was. two laps up the mountain and i was toast. so yea, lift-service legs and splitboarding legs are two very different things.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Your legs were probably shot. It takes awhile to be able to do a grueling hike and then turn around and ride right back down it. Good news is that you'll get there fairly quick if you keep splitting. 

Do yourself a favor and get some Spark bindings or go full on with a Karakorum kit. Although Spark is introducing a new interface for next season that looks absolutely amazing. The difference in performance is huge with splitboard bindings, I don't know if that is truly your problem but it will make your life easier. Skinning, weight, power transfer are all better with splitboard bindings. 

K Clips are pretty decent. I am using them on my SL Split and they are pretty great. The thing is torsional wise, Voile Chinese hooks are better. So there is give and take. I guess I am not going back to Voile Chinese hooks on my main ride, so that speaks volumes as to how I like K Clips.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

I'm gonna take my k clips off of my sl... I don't like how they hull the board or how tight they pull the sidewalls together... I will save them for a DIY board down the line. Ymmv


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