How To Make A Splitboard
By: Adventure Goodtimes
Tags: Snowboarding, Snowboard Tutorials, Adventure, Splitboarding, DIY

We used the Voile DIY kit

And followed this YouTube video (Thanks John Horn!)

Part 1

Part 2

For more info on our specific build, read on, but first…

Meet Moa, Moa is a Viking who lives in the North Pole. [actually Sweden]

This hard working, well traveled young lady did not have an extra 15,000 Kronas [$2,500] to drop on a brand new splitboard set-up. So we set out to find an alternative — let the old become the new and go adventure!

Moa and her homemade splitboard

Let’s go!

Now we can access some cool places

Reusing an old board is a more sustainable way to beat the crowds, stay COVID safe and immerse yourself in natures tranquility. It’s also

Healthy — Splitboarding is easier on the joints and a good workout

Cheap — Build yourself a way to enjoy the outdoors for years

Leads you to support local communities

HOW TO BUILD

The video above makes it look straight forward and very simple, however, even with some DIY constructing experience, you’ll still need a bit of patience and skill to create a high quality board. You’ll also want to make sure you have all of the tools referenced in the video, the main ones being

Drill — we were able to use a friends drill press

Saw — we found the jigsaw worked best for cutting the board in half

This fancy drill press was very helpful!

I would recommend having a ‘Plan B board.’ It is VERY easy to make a mistake on an important step. If you aren’t picky about your final product, then don’t sweat the details, a gap here or an ugly mark there won’t matter when you’re out there (people used to hand make their skis from wood planks) and there’s always spray paint :D

The living room is not necessarily the best place for construction but she’s looking good!

WHAT MOA SPENT

Voile Kit +150$ [new]

Skins +100$ [new] ** Very possible to get these used! While not ideal skins do not have to be cut exactly to fit, you can make almost any set work, most of the time, you don’t even need that back clip if your glue is good!

Bindings +20$ [used] **Any old binders with a plate fit this kit!

Board +free [used]

Moa had the board that she learned to snowboard on… which would have been a great board to breath new life into… until we put a big hole through the middle of it

Ruh Roh

2nd Board +10$ [used]

Because splitboards lose a lot of strength when you cut them down the middle, take a look through the back rack of the used snowboard store, many of the old boards are stiffer than a diving board (not those old lib tech noodles though :P). The stiffer the better…

Spray Paint +8$ [new]

Moa, looking for that new board finish, grabbed a can of high heat mat black.

The last piece of advice is to measure twice and cut once, then get out there and have some fun!

Enjoying the hard work!

Disclaimer

Although DIY splitboards are great tools, they can NOT fly over avalanches. So be safe, do your homework, and bring a friend!

Useful Links

Karakoram Splitboard Bindings FAQ

Instruction videos

Base Plates

Voile — Split Kit DIY

Instruction PDF

Voile Parts Sold Separately

Crampons for Icy conditions

Skins…. +200$