This boots feature in Ski Rando Mag has been long-awaited. And for good reason: testing splitboard boots is no easy task. You need to get your hands on enough models, in enough sizes, to try them on a wide variety of feet and testers. And, let’s be honest, brands are rather reluctant to send equipment to a print magazine. Nowadays, you’d probably have better luck being a TikTok influencer…
I would have loved, for this article, to use the great classics of the specialized press: “all our testers”, “here at the editorial office”, to present you with an exhaustive comparison of all the boots on the market. But the reality is a bit different and it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to test a multitude of boots in perfectly comparable conditions.
So, rather than selling you yet another sanitized test bench or a simple product catalog, let’s lay our cards on the table. I’m going to talk to you about my personal experience, but also about that of the many splitboarders I’ve met in the field. Kilometers of elevation gain, entire days on the snow, multiple transitions, and above all, a bunch of discussions among practitioners to compare sensations and feedback.
In short, no commercial bluster here. We’re talking about boots that really need to withstand daily splitboarding practice. So here is a selection of models that seem particularly suited to this activity. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the opportunity to thoroughly test each model in this selection. That’s why you may notice differences in the amount of detail or in the content of the information presented from one model to another. Brands are not always transparent about the specifics of each product, and it can, for example, be complex to find the actual weight of a pair without obtaining it yourself by weighing it on a scale. But in the end, it doesn’t change anything: our ambition remains to give you solid leads so that you can find the right boot for you.
► BRANDS & CATEGORIES
Hardboots
Dedicated Boots
Non-dedicated Boots
Key Equipment
K2
Salomon
Thirty Two
Nitro
Burton
Deeluxe
Union
…
1 Hardboots: It’s impossible to talk about shoes without mentioning hardboots! It’s clearly THE practice that has exploded in recent years. We will quickly go over the major advantages:
Firstly, the grip.
This is the main reason that pushes people to take the step towards rigid boots. Thanks to their excellent ankle support, the grip on hard snow traverses is greatly improved. No more slips that exhaust riders.
The range of motion.
Skiing being an older discipline, ski boot manufacturers have been working for…
