2025 Editors’ Choice Splitboard Reviews

I had the pleasure of attending two splitboard festivals last season. Highlights included a mellow, fjord-side party wave with 29 international shredders in Norway and a family-style feast in Italy I’ll forever remember. Both were community gatherings that welcomed new splitboarders to the skintrack, forged friendships and connected riders to local ranges, rituals and gear makers.

Our annual split test, in many ways, is diametrically opposed to such events. Split brands are welcome to submit gear, but they can’t sponsor our test or shmooze the crew. And we certainly don’t roll out the red carpet for first timers, relying instead on experienced veterans. 

In other ways, test is no different from fest. We forge friendships, in mountains and over meals. We steep ourselves in local culture (shout out Shooting Star Saloon). And we celebrate split gear, demoing piles of it, albeit more critically. But the biggest similarity is simple: We ride, hard as hell, for the love of snowboarding. —Drew Zieff

Cardiff Snowcraft Bonsai Enduro Split

cardiffsnow.com | $950 | 3,379g (158) | 154, 158

Like a wide-body Cadillac with souped-up suspension, the directional, floaty, freeride-bent Bonsai Enduro is the definition of smooth. Cardiff’s Enduro construction once again scored high with testers who value shock absorption and the ability to charge in subpar snow. The build consists of a stalwart poplar and paulownia core reinforced with substantial tip-to-tail carbon stringers, while damping comes courtesy of wrapped urethane sidewalls.

“Great for variable snow if the rider is strong enough to charge chop,” diagnosed a PNW doctor and powderhound. Upon further dissection, he judged the flex extra stiff in the tail and stiff through the nose, resulting in powerful ollies and reliable landings. He suggested “bring your leg game,” as there are much more forgiving decks on the market. That said, some riders did report ollies were harder to come by. “Tail struggled to really snap, but it crushed chunder landings and straightlines,” said an all-mountain rider who was still ready to make this “predictable, dependable line slayer” his daily driver. 

Between the overall stiffness and the buoyant, mid-wide chassis, the Bonsai isn’t the easiest board to get on rail, but once it’s tipped, it’s guaranteed to rip thanks to camber underfoot and a blended sidecut that excels at medium-to-large-arc turns. “Loves being on edge, especially on steeps. Driving power through the tail was an electric experience,” waxed a Wasatch charger. A cruisier Colorado rider did warn, “Turning takes more initiation than expected. It can hold an edge once it’s there, but it takes a beat.”

“Best in test. I’d trust this board in any risky scenario. The dampness made bad snow better. You can really dig into the front and trust it won’t give out on you.” —John Lauer

Cardiff Snowcraft Swell Enduro Split

cardiffsnow.com | $950 | 3,284g (160) | 156, 160, 164

With a nose like a big wave gun that tapers a whopping 30 millimeters down to a stepped pintail borrowed from saltwater surfdom, the Swell seems like a one-trick surf machine, right? Sure, it happily hacks windlips and floats through bottomless glades, but, per one tester, “Don’t pigeonhole this to powder—it’s way more fun, reliable, versatile and high-performance than I initially imagined.”

The Swell is camber-dominant, with camber running from the first tail indentations up past the front inserts, while rocker lifts the nose well before the wide points. “The combo provides locked in carves in powder, corn and choppier conditions at speed, while the early rise helps the Swell feel narrower and shorter when weaving through trees,” reported a besotted powderhound. An impressed all-mountain rider appreciated the versatile sidecut, too, which Cardiff blended from seven radii. He noted the pintail makes the Swell “quick to adjust or release in the middle of your turn. It’s great to charge—and to slash.”  

The shape alone is worth celebrating, but Cardiff’s Enduro construction makes this board an Editors’ Choice winner. The slightly heavier, more durable, affordable and dynamic build centers around a poplar and paulownia core with nose-to-tail carbon stringers. Multiple riders called the flex “stout” and “damp” enough to handle variability. “Build quality was excellent, with barely any flexion between board halves,” commented a Tahoe tester. Demerits were few: Some riders noted a lack of switch skills and underwhelming ollie power, and a hardbooter reported front binding positioning was limited by the insert configuration.

“The beautiful Cardiff Swell cuts a balance between charger and surfer, with a tapered shape and directional flex that likes to go fast and slash.” —Dr. Jedediah Doane 

WNDR Alpine BelleTour

wndr-alpine.com | $999 | 3,200g (156) | 148, 152, 156, 159, 164

Set aside for a moment the commendable environmental qualifications of the BelleTour, which features algae-oil plastics and epoxies and an insert retaining plate made of recycled materials. Before WNDR Alpine’s B-Corp certification can be celebrated, its products must rip. “A light splitboard for long days without sacrificing anything on the way down,” a Sierra freerider called it.

Now, a clap for sustainability. The BelleTour’s Algal Core is a vertically laminated blend of aspen and weight-reducing algae-based polyurethane foam. WNDR’s prokaryotic Algal Tech sidewalls replace fossil fuel-laden plastics and, according to internal research, absorb more energy than the planet-warming version. In a word, they’re damper, a fact borne out by tester sentiment. “She handled the chop well and set me up for fun regardless of snow conditions,” the Sierra freerider’s wife said.

Its shape is classically directional. Setback camber underfoot leads to an early rise nose, and the wide waist and slight swallowtail offer some float, though one tester said, “Deep pow will be challenging without pitch.” On the skintrack, where the BelleTour handled deep snow and techy sidehills, the “balanced composition made travel easy,” one gal said.

WNDR doesn’t assign a flex rating, but this puppy is stiff, with just enough torsional flex for releasing and initiating turns, and it requires a snowboarder willing to push it. Some testers didn’t like that. “This board wants to take you for a ride,” a smaller lady shredder said of the 152. Many did. “Full speed through chunder or huge turns on a firm volcano,” one added, “this board has had my back.”

“WNDR dialed it in with this board. It’s fun for the whole family, from the hard charger to the playful pow princess.” —Jerrica Lavooy

Stranda Biru Backcountry

strandasnowboards.com | $890 | 3,160g (154) | 154, 157

Volume-shifted decks are all the rage, but many are relegated to being pow sticks or carvers. However, Stranda’s new Biru will not be put in those boxes. “I wouldn’t be sad if this was my ‘everything but big mountain’ split,” a guide said. 

Stranda achieves versatility by not leaning too hard into any one design feature with one notable exception: the massive 6-millimeter camber pocket that ends well past the inserts. “It’s incredibly overstable,” one Wasatch rider said. “Does it have a gimbal installed?” Otherwise, the nose rocker is gradual, and the tail rocker is sharp but short, creating stability without being hooky. Said a former boardercross racer, “It’s stiff and damp tip to tail, and softer torsionally, which makes for easy turn initiation.” That profile, according to testers, also serves it well on the skintrack.

True to its name, which translates to devil in the northern European Sámi languages, the Biru is a trickster. “The longer tail allowed for consistent big pop and landings,” a Tahoe freestyler said. “Fun to spin on and land switch.” A paulownia/poplar core with ash stringers and carbon inlaid for pop keep the skateboard-like Biru lively, testers say, despite the large overall width (270-millimeter waist in the 154 we tested). 

Is it a knock to say that something that exceeds expectations isn’t also a big-mountain board? No, says one tester, who disagrees with the premise. “I took this on Teton couloirs, Colorado faces and Utah pow meadows,” he explained. “It has yet to fail me.”

“True to the roots of snowboarding. Like Beethoven, you might not see something this well composed for generations.” —Kordell Black

Chimera Backcountry Snowboards The Hermit 165

chimerasnowboards.com | $949 | 3,145g (165) | 165, 165W

The Victor Wembanyama of splitboards, the Hermit is huge and nimble, an astounding performer that left testers agape. “The most impressive super-large board I’ve seen in a long time,” our test’s Slender Man said.

A 5’10”, 155-pound rider with a penchant for short boards caved and gave this 165 Wide a go. His verdict? “Even little, old me could ride this anywhere—short turns, long turns, alpine, meadows, wherever.” With flat camber and rockered ends, the Hermit relies on micro-camber pockets under the inserts for grip and its insanely long turning radius (12 meters) for stability. “Good at speed in multiple snow types,” a tall charger said, while a 200-pound Frenchman found it “playful in the trees.”

Like Frankenstein’s monster, it’s big but alive, testers said, thanks to an aspen/poplar core and triaxial fiberglass layup that is stiffest between the feet. Though the torsional stiffness made testers feel secure at speed, the Hermit wasn’t so stiff that it locked into carves. One tiny tester found it a bit much to get off the ground, but anyone approaching 6 feet or 200 pounds said it was lively enough for cliff drops and freeride. “A big, damp, tapered charger that’s air-ready and send-ready,” one called it.

For big riders, our testers say this is your ticket. For smaller ones, if you’re scared of hopping on the biggest split you might ever ride, they would tell you to come out of your cave and try it.

“Radical performance. Rad graphics. An all-mountain ripper for the large fellas out there.” —Chris Bush 

Jones Snowboards Storm Chaser Split

jonessnowboards.com | $950 | 3,100g | 152

The Storm Chaser is a cult classic from Jones’ Surf Series—a collaboration between splitboard godfather Jeremy Jones and surf shaper Chris Christenson. When the pudgy swallowtail was launched in 2015, it was inspired by Christenson’s compact, high-volume, fast-gliding Ocean Racer surfboard. This year, Jones overhauled the shape, stretching out the swallowtail and replacing rocker with traditional camber.

“The camber adds versatility. Traverses and chunder were more pleasant,” voiced a tester well-versed in Jones splits. But fear not, Storm Chaser loyalists! “The swallowtail hasn’t lost its slash-and-turn chops,” affirmed another. The 152 sports a tight 6.9-meter sidecut, 20 millimeters of taper and a short effective edge. Between those surfy specs and a medium flex biaxial glass and a two-to-one poplar-to-paulownia core, testers reported backcountry barrel-chasing is still in the cards. And camber runs from the front inserts to the swallowtail apex, adding bite to turns. “You can actually take surf-inspired turns on this bad Larry,” reported our Truckee correspondent, content to lay trenches in corn and windbuff if pow isn’t firing. 

“Wiggle and float are the name of the game. It slashes like prices at Walmart on Black Friday,” raved a landlocked Wasatch couloir fiend. “Lickety split edge-to-edge,” commented a hard-to-please Colorado tester, appreciative of the spooned nose’s ability to roll in and out of turns, although he did call the tail “squirrely” when landing. 

Tester’s biggest gripe? The update is one size only. That said, Jones often adds lengths after a limited release.

“The spooned nose is buoyant and surprisingly nimble. The most fun I had at the test was riding this in tight, mellow pow glades.” —Drew Zieff