Fjell M1542S Splitboard

The only thing identifying Fjell’s lightweight, directional MT1542s model is a “^” and coordinates for Ålesund, Norway, the home of their showroom—that’s it. This muted marketing left testers unsure of what they were riding, but they were damn sure that they liked it.

“Like Otis Redding, this board will stand by you through anything due to tip-to-tail stiffness and playful torsional flex,” one freerider claimed. Another all-mountain rider chimed in, “Wannabe racers will be inspired by the response under torque and feel totally comfortable embracing their need for speed.” The “S” rocker puts uphill-inclined camber underfoot, while the early rise nose absorbs chop like the prow of a Viking vessel. Testers found that the slightly tapered, minimally notched tail muscled through sketchy landings, and most agreed that the poplar core possesses ollie power necessary for lining up mandatory cliff drops. A few felt, however, that the board didn’t inspire creative jibbing, one commenting, “Freestylers will find that the board is pretty unfriendly to their line of thinking.”

That said, a couple of testers went so far as to describe the directional deck as “surfy,” but with a caveat—the MT1542s was more tuned to heaving, heavy Pipeline than waist-high Waikiki. Due to a larger 9.5-meter sidecut, testers found the deck performed best arcing turns at high speeds, with one commenting that it hiccuped during slower, surgical jump turns. “This deck feels at home in steep and aggressive terrain,” he said, “and will rip through corn like a geriatric at Golden Corral.”

$1,100
fjellsnowboards.com
6.8 lbs.*
Length: 160