There’s a lot to look for in a splitboard deck—pop and playfulness, weight, carvability, switch-riding prowess. Then, there’s the question of what to pair it with. Soft- or hardboot? Our split testers range the gamut of riders from splitboard mountaineers to pleasureseeking pow lappers, hardboot fanatics to softboot adherents and everything in between. After Gear Test Week, almost every splitboard goes on to be tested for the rest of the winter, along with the boots and bindings that need further assessment. From California’s Sierra Nevada to the French Alps, testers put split gear through the skintrack wringer, compiling what they observe and experience into forms. Those findings are the core of our splitboard reviews. But in case you want to know what construction drives that performance, we go deep on that, too.
Note: Splitboards are organized by descending weight.
United Shapes Covert Splitboard
unitedshapes.com | $899 | 3,160 grams (157) | 153, 157, 161
Covert operatives (read: Backcountry testers) confirmed United Shapes’ mission to make a lightweight, buoyant, fun, capable ATV was a success. “Thanks to a broad waist and big, rockered nose, the Covert had me tubed like a culvert,” claimed a Tahoe tester after scoring pow at Powder Mountain. He analyzed the Covert in spring glop and refreeze at home and reported that camber underfoot and an easy-entry, midlength sidecut make the Covert a “smooth, graceful turner on hardpack that excels at short-to-medium arcs.” Said tester also found that the squared, stable tail and sprightly torsional flex facilitated techy turns in steeps. A Wasatch ripper agreed, calling it “adaptable.”
We wouldn’t consider the Covert ultralight, but the uphill-ready build is trim for the price (sub-four-figures) and width (26.4 centimeters for a 157). More specifically, a thinly milled poplar and paulownia foundation is buttressed by ash stringers, woven carbon and a new, lighter, bio-based topsheet. Unfortunately, the exaggerated nose dipped on kick turns.
Carbon layups aside, a maneuverable medium flex generates ollies that start soft and end with a snap. “Pops like a smelling salt on a cold winter morning, and stomps harder than I do,” commented another Tahoe tester after putting a solid, natty backflip to bolts. A taller, more built tester wanted more stiffness for full-gas ripping. “Not versatile enough to be number one in my quiver,” he explained. A similarly strong Colorado rider called it “lively, playful, predictable and versatile,” but agreed the deck wasn’t for burly, straightline-seeking freeriders.
“I could trust it during moments of spice and let it flow naturally on open canvases. Exactly what I want in a daily driver.” —Drew Zieff
Where to buy
United Shapes Covert Splitboard
Chimera Backcountry Snowboards The Hermit 165W
chimerasnowboards.com | $949 | 3,150 grams (165W) | 165, 165W
It’s rare we see a 12-meter sidecut. Rarer still? A deck that only comes in a 165. Chimera’s Hermit is an alpine anomaly—a lightly tapered, broadbellied, elephant gun built with big-mountain ripping (or big rippers) in mind. “It’s ready to send anything. The best big board out there,” commented an XXL Wasatch freerider.
In addition to a shallow, fall-line-filleting sidecut, the Hermit features a 4-centimeter setback, 11-millimeter taper and 26.8-centimeter waistline, providing float and a distinctly directional point of view. Combined with a midstiff but torsionally workable flex from an aspen and poplar core and camber pockets underneath each insert sandwiching a flat section, the Hermit loves to rail medium-to-large arcs and straightline at speed. “Solid platform—I sent it big with confidence,” commented that Wasatch rider.
A more freestyle-oriented tester felt the big waist and torsional stiffness translated to “sluggishness” when carving but loved the powerful board’s ability to boost ollies and straight line out of cliff drops. “It’ll land any cliff or side hit you want to,” agreed a more average-sized freerider who was impressed with the deck’s versatility after testing the Hermit all spring in the Tetons. He felt there was enough edge-to-edge energy for “quick jump turns and pivots in steep, technical terrain and variable snow,” although he warned that the Hermit is heavy on the uphill. As a hardbooter, he did appreciate Chimera’s toe mount hole patterns for compatibility with ski tech toes. “Anyone of normal size looking for a damp, fun, big mountain board should look no further,” he recommended. “And if you’re a giant, this could be your daily driver.”
“For a heavy rider or someone with big feet, I think this is the best quiver-of-one for your buck.” —Kordell Black
Where to buy
Chimera Backcountry Snowboards The Hermit 165W
Burton 3D Fish Directional Flat Top Splitboard
burton.com | $1,000 | 3,060 grams (156) | 146, 151, 156
Thanks to a surfy swallowtail shape, forgiving flex and 3D curvature in the early rise nose and tail, Burton’s 3D Fish was one of the most fun and floaty boards at this year’s test. Zoom out, and it’s one of the softest splits we’ve ever given Editors’ Choice honors to—a testament to the sheer joy this ride sparked in deep snow and playful glades.
Testers loved the buoyancy provided by the Fish’s 3-centimeter taper and rockered shovel of a nose. “Unsinkable,” commented a Tahoe rider, who also credited the rollable, spoon-shaped beak, torsional bounce and an hourglass-like sidecut as delivering instantaneous short-to-medium turns. “Whippy kitty!” agreed a Vermont splitter, judging “rapid edge-to-edge energy” as perfect for the tight trees.
Burton laminated a dual-density wood core with carbon glass, adding snap and saving weight. “Impressively light—great powder board for long tours,” commented a Teton freerider. She judged the flex bendy and intuitive and recommended the 3D Fish for “beginners, intermediates and anyone looking for a chill, easy powder board.”
Tester consensus: The Fish is best treated as a quiver board instead of a daily driver, as the softer ride doesn’t handle chop or tech terrain well. “Fun in powder, but I want something that’s more capable in other conditions, too,” opined a Colorado tester. That said, freestyle-oriented powder addicts found the Fish more rippable, and the softer flex was jibby and butterable. “Super balanced, solid ollies, pressable nose—I loved playing on this one,” commented one.
“Very surfy, easy going and fun, whatever the terrain. Great carving game for a soft board with lots of rocker.” —Mathieu Ros
Where to buy
Burton 3D Fish Directional Flat Top Splitboard
Rossignol XV Slashimi Split
rossignol.com | $800 | 3,000 grams (158) | 152, 155, 158, 161
A new, slightly slimmer spliteration of Xavier De Le Rue’s fat, floaty XV Sashimi, the XV Slashimi is versatile enough to be considered a daily driver and still heaps of fun in deep snow. “I dropped cliffs into a couple feet of fresh and tackled less-dreamy drops with chundery exits, too. In both cases, the pintail held up well,” reported a Tahoe tester. He gave the nod in part to a damp construction, which comes courtesy of shockabsorbing polyurethane strips wrapping the perimeter of the sustainable wood core. Additionally, he felt float supplied by the tapered shape and substantial, rockered nose was more than enough to “satiate Japow-bound powderhounds.”
Testers usually dig De Le Rue’s go-to reverse directional flex pattern, which prioritizes power under the front foot and encourages engaged, committed freeriding. The Slashimi was no exception. Along with camber underfoot and a reliable multiradial sidecut, the midstiff Slashimi is “fun to rail turns on,” according to a Colorado tester. Despite a wide waist, the Slashimi’s dynamic torsional flex offers quick turn initiation, while the sidecut is “stable on edge,” said another Tahoe tester.
For the most part, our crew found the Slashimi less forgiving than advertised. “Too stiff to be playful—no forgiveness if you make a mistake,” voiced a Wasatch rider. However, a heavier rider who maxed out the 158 disagreed. “I could use this on 80% of my tours. I like that it’s playful yet can go pretty much anywhere.” One thing testers agreed on: unreliable hardware that merits replacement.
“Rips tight carves and dives into the sidecut like Rodney Dangerfield doing a triple lindy.” –John Lauer
Where to buy
Rossignol XV Slashimi Split
Get the 2026 Gear Guide
Published here are just some of the 144 best skis, splits, boots, bindings and outerwear from our 2026 Gear Guide. To check out the full range backcountry gear we reviewed, pick up a copy of the 2026 Gear Guide, available in print and PDF versions.
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