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I installed the Split Kit on my 'retired' Santa Cruz board and Switch step-in bindings without any problems. It took about 4 hours (but would probably have gone a lot faster if I'd located all the tools I needed before starting ... it took me a while to find the correct size drill bit for some of the holes, and my center punch--an essential item for getting all the holes exactly positioned for the hardware to line up properly.
I tested the board the next day on an outing with some friends who were just out for a short snow-shoeing trail. Although I have never snow-shoed before, nor ever had a pair of skis of any type on my feet before, I found the split board (with skins) so efficient on the ascent (about 900 ft vertical in 1.6 miles) that I was leading the way, breaking the trail through the fresh, virgin snow well ahead of my snow-shoe-experienced friends. About half of the trail was rideable on the descent and with the skins removed and the board assembled for snowboarding it behaved exactly as it had before I cut it in two. On the flatter parts of the descent I decided to try the "skis" without skins and my lack of skiing experience gave me a few tumbles and my friends a few laughs. (some learning ahead of me there:-)
I found the change-over from skis to snowboard and back as quick and easy as advertised (taking little more than one minute to assemble the snowboard at the top of the trail, on firm ground, to about 3 minutes to split back to skis in soft, deep, off-trail snow on the descent, when the slope became too shallow to ride.
Overall, with regard to performance, the split kit works well with my Burton BMC 166 (better than the Voile boards) and although I am proud of the job that I did, I think that the value is not comparable to buying a factory-assembled setup (i.e., when you add up the cost of the split kit, the extra labor & parts cost at the ski shop, the time spent assembling the kit, and the cost of the board.)
The instructions are very, very poorly written (e.g., what size countersink bit should be used?), several parts were missing or didn't match the instructions, the T-nuts are very poor quality, and the wood screws for the mounting plates are too short. I had to pay $40 to have the board split and to replace the crappy T-nuts with P-tex covered T-nuts and have heli-coils inserted to hold the too short screws. I never did receive the longer screws from Voile as promised. Although I was given a $10 discount for all my troubles, I spent much more buying different size bits and having the better T-nuts and wood screws/heli-coils installed.
This split kit is the best thing I have purchased yet this season. I tried to perfect my skiing but there is nothing like carving pow on a snowboard. I think the voile split kit is a good idea/alternative for snowboarders who dream of doing any backcountry touring on their decks. A MUST BUY IF YOU WANT TO SNOWBOARD THE BACKCOUNTRY- GET RID OF THE SNOWSHOES.
After lugging my board on my back for a season and trailing far behind my tele friends on ascents, I caved in and bought the Voile Split Kit last season. I went to a swap and found a used wood-core board cheap and just swapped the bindings off my regular board. Compared to what you pay for a full factory set up, this was really affordable. I wasn't convinced of how sturdy it would be in its board formation, but my god I love this setup. It is so worth the money and time, especially compared to the price of factory split boards. I did splurge on snowboard skins, and highly recommend those. Now I can't see ascending any other way.
As many have mentioned, the instructions are vague. My friend and I completed it in about two sessions of three hours each. The only other hassles just have to do with the nature of split boarding. Like when you have rolling terrain after your descent, switching back and forth isn't ideal. So you have to snowplow awkwardly down little hills while your skiing friends are pulling off turns. Also, for longer, overnight trips, once you add the weight of a two-day pack and some hairy terrain, the extra weight on your feet while you ascend is a drag compared to a touring or tele ski setup. But, once you are riding, it is well worth the hoof. And for day trips, you are faster ascending than those on skis because of all the extra surface area. You float up. It rocks. I love my Voile kit.
Bought this kit a few years ago so I could join some buddies on their regular snowshoeing trips in Yosemite without using snowshoes, and with the added benefit of riding the downhills. I had already retired my old Santa Cruz board that had become a little too convex underneath, so it was an ideal candidate. The kit not only provided me with a faster, more comfortable mode of travel on the snow trails than showshoes--I was always way ahead despite never having trekked snow before--but also breathed new life into the board; by using a couple of strategically placed shims under the pucks I was able to take out the convex and restore a slight concave to the bottom surface, when assembled as a snowboard.
I found the instructions perfectly easy to follow.
If it was not for the killer tech support supplied here, I would have been deep in the weeds! Voile does not share enough info so you must search out help and experience. The biggest shocker is even if you do everything right you will end up with 10 new 3/4" holes all the way through your board. You need tee nuts with base material attached or bring it to a shop and have them do a base weld in the holes. The rest of the project is reasonable, even cutting the board in two. It's hair raising but doable. I used a jig saw and long flexible fence clamped to the board to make the cut.
I'm very impressed with the quality of this kit. The instructions are very, very clear, and the kit is high quality. Keep in mind: splitting a perfectly good snowboard is not for the squeamish, but for backcountry forays with a snowboard, there is no other way to go!
The product works great. If I were a better craftsman it wouldn't have taken me five hours to assemble after I got it. The only problem I had was the instructions were very vague and based upon a different version of the kit, different parts and types of screws, etc. This led to some hang-ups. Besides that, I love my split board! It rocks! I use regular ski skins with it which doesn’t work well in the steeps. I would recommend getting the snowboard skin if you’ve got the dough.
I cut my Burton Malolo powder board and turned it into a backcountry machine. The kit is better than I expected. However, if you don't have skills with your hands, get some help, it's not for the faint of heart. I would also advise looking at threads online that explain better how to do it yourself, there are lots of resources available, even on this site. You must use precision when drilling and mounting the pucks or you'll have problems like my buddy did. The provided instructions are minimal, but sufficient if you do your research first. The whole system isn't exactly light, but you don't notice it when ripping down the steeps, it performs exactly as my Malolo resort board in pow. However, it doesn't perform quite as well when riding inbounds icy hardpack conditions or moguls, edge to edge is a little slower and less precise possibly due to the additional height above the board. If you want to work a little for sick lines without long lines you must get a split and feel the freedom to explore. Just make sure and get avy and first aid training first, most backcountry is self rescue and the risks can be fatal.
Excellent kit that included everything except for the tools in the ski shop that I happen to work for. You'll get better results if you've worked on skis and snowboards before, or have some do it yourself skills.
Great product! If you follow the instructions carefully and have all of the equipment & tools, you'll have a splitboard in no time. For me it took about 10hrs. to do it (more or less depending on organization). Instructions are pretty clear, they skimp in places. But a lot easier then i thought it would be. Just be careful, don't go too fast, and make sure you got all of the hardware (i'm missing one bolt and T-nut, don't know if it was them or me?). I give the kit a 10! I just might do another one!
Since I had an old board laying around it was a no-brainer to avoid the cost of a new split board. Took the Ryobi and parted my 95 Burton right down the middle. The Voile kit and instructions were complete and paying close attention to the details helps. Will skinny up the Gulf of Slides the first chance.
I started splitting my board a few weeks ago and just filled in the holes with epoxy a few days ago. Splitting went pretty well, but I definitely needed a lot of info from the forums on splitboard.com. The main bummer about splitting your own board is the stance is not adjustable. I didn't realize this till after I got the kit. Aso, I don't think the board rides exactly like it would've unsplit. My first skinning experience was interesting. The climbing bars are tricky to flip up and down (I'm gonna add webbing loops) and there was an established boot pack so my post-holing buddy actually beat me up the hill. I'm sure I would be at a much greater advantage on a pow hike though.
Hey this kit is awesome, It is exactly what they say it is. The product is great. I am a machinist and had not a bit of trouble with the directions. The split board turned out great. Very satisfied to say the least. Me and my climbing partner skinned up Mt, Hood in Oregon and we summited that day and used the board to board down and it worked just as planned. The kit took me about 6 to 8 hours to do, but well worth the time spent in my opinion..
The instructions could be much easier, but I just copied what my buddy did. The splitboard worked outstanding, as my girlfriend used it for our three day ski trip at Stevens Pass in JUNE 2008!. We made several runs up and down, and she could easily go straight up a steeper section just as easy- if not easier- than I did on skis. The splitboard looks and feels solid! I was impressed. The only bad part was the instructions. Oh, also, it would be nice if they added the epoxy and the Verathane with the kit, but I can't have it all I guess! JD
I split an M3 millenium.. a very stiff board. Made an excellent splitboard.
Beware though with your mounting of the pucks. If you will be riding conditions where the board will be experiencing some abuse, or where equipment failure could mean serious injury or death, I advise epoxying the screws (as recommended in the instructions) and also epoxying the pucks to the topsheet.
I had a complete failure of two of the pucks during a wreck, when I cratered board first into a drainage that I didn't see coming at a pretty good clip. The two rear pucks ripped completely out. They had been screwed and glued carefully, and I've never had any problems with telemark bindings that I've mounted.
I filled all the damage with epoxy, and remounted the pucks (and epoxied them to the topsheet) and haven't had any problems since.
Also, many of the components can likely be reused. If you live on the EC like me, you may need to do a new split every 1-2 years due to damage. I have heard that Voile is open to selling the components ala-carte, so you can replace components that are broken or not reuseable (like the rivets for the tip and tail hooks).
well, i didnt do it myself, but the guy that i had to 'help' me me really had no troubles doing it quickly..and the season is still on! i have used the gear with my tracker skins and it all works perfectly..i love it..and have plenty of season left for pow!
The Split Decision Kit works wonderfully. I cannot believe I used snowshoes as long as I did. I split my own board, and these skins work wonderfully. Even though they don't have the back clip, the glue is super sticky. Never worried about the skins coming off. Get a split board and work for your turns.
The kit was fantastic! I used my old powder board (Ride - Mountain) and "split" it. The results were even better than I hoped for. The directions were good; however, a little more in depth research on the Web ensures the highest quality result. Plugging the T-Nut holes is challenging. I used plugs (3/4") that I cut from P-Tex base material and epoxied in. Again, it worked great.
First trip is planned in a couple of weeks in Teton Pass. I'm certain the board will perform great!
This Kit exceeded my expectations and was really enjoyable to install.
The kit is mediocre for the price. All parts work well, but instructions are minimal. If you have a regular 8 hole binding mount(not burton) then you may want to look into voile's option for that instead of epoxying the mount plates down and locking yourself into a stance for good.
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So much better then the old Burton system... 12-05-06
Ripped that Burton system off my split and replaced it with the Split Dec. Kit... Was skinning and riding with a friend on Mt Washington (NH) when I knew it had to happen.. Took me 6 times as long to switch with Burton then my friends Voile' system... No brainier..
This split kit is awesome! Voile does a really excellent job providing detailed instructions and user-friendly templates, not to mention excellent post-service for any extra individual parts needed. I definitely recommend this kit to those brave souls that are very mechanically-inclined and on a tight budget with a spare powder board that can be hacked in half. Make sure you take your time and get it done right.
My new splitboard works beautifully and cost way less then buying a new one. The center cut line is not perfectly straight which makes it more endearing. The only trouble is that the binding puck hardware doesn't use a T-nut like all the other mounted stuff and the puck ripped off at the end of the day. But I think this will be easily remedied by buying some screws and nuts from Voile. Then it will be perfect. Super easy.
This kit is great fun. It was pretty easy to cut the board up and get everything lined up correctly. I threaded one of the T-nuts, called Voile and they just sent me out a new one the next day - very nice service. I'm really impressed with the way it turned out. Skiing is super stable and riding feels just like my old snowboard. It is so much easier (and faster) to get up the hill without carrying it!
