We’ve had our splitboards for years, and while they were awesome on the skin up, you could tell they weren’t specifically designed for the backcountry. Rather, it was a board cut in half and not much past that. As anyone has seen, there are A LOT of companies now making splitboards, and they aren’t cheap either. I wasn’t ready to drop a chunk of change on something that wasn’t what I wanted or only worked in certain conditions. I wanted a Leatherman or Gerber Tool for the job. Something that would work in pretty much anything Mother Nature could throw at me. Our good friend let us demo Weston Backwoods Splitboards. And the verdict? We were sold. In fact, we loved them so much we bought the solid version as well for our resort pow boards. Here’s our Weston Backwoods review for both the splitboard and snowboard versions.
A Surfing Snowboard
Most of the board shapes in my quiver are the classic directional twin shape. Good for carving, hitting the park, or even a bit of switch. As I’ve gotten older (i.e. a little more rusty in the joints), I’ve begun to chase the art of the turn more and more leaving my park rat days behind me. The Weston Backcountry is a volume shifted shape inspired by the short boards in surfing. And that’s exactly how it feels… like you’re surfing the mountain.
Not A Lazy Shape
Beginner to intermediate snowboards feel softer on the edges allowing for a bit of sideslipping in your turns. Not so with the Weston Backwoods. This snowboard is like a sports car. As Ken Miles in Ford vs Ferrari said,
So… that there, that is a sport car. You have to drive her like a sport car. If you drive her like a school teacher, she’ll clog up. All right? Try changing up at 5,000 RPM, not two. Drive like you mean it. Hard and tight. She’ll run clean.
You have to be engaged and ride it like you mean it. Focusing on each turn and pushing it to your limits. It really wants you to surf the mountain. If you do, you’ll love this board.
Turns Of All Sizes And Colors
Another great aspect of the Weston Backwoods shape is how easy it is to engage in any arc. A lot of boards due to their sidecut want to only make one style of turn and that’s it. You either end up chattering or sliding a bit. Yet somehow the Backwoods works well at short turns through tight quarters to big open trench carves on blank canvases. Once locked in, you’re confident that you can finish the turn and explode into the next.
Powder Killer
As you would expect from a company having Backcountry in its name, the priority of its design was to dominate powder fields. This winter was an absolute feast in terms of powder, and we sampled it in everything from slicing through birch trees in Japan to cold smoke at Kirkwood. Once you figure out how to get the balance in bottomless snow, the Weston Backwoods is something you’ll want on those gloriously deep days. I can’t imagine not being on it ever again.
For The Foot Endowed Person
One of the most frustrating things about snowboard equipment be it clothing, boots, or even snowboards is they normally design it for those who max out at 5’10” tall and a 10.5, maybe 11 boot. Perhaps because they’re based in Colorado, Weston snowboards are some of the widest on the market. The 167 Backwoods Wide comes in at a monster 28.1 cm allowing for a size 15 boot! Heck, even the normal 163 would be considered in the “wide” category with a 26.2 cm waist width. If you’re tall and have big feet, the Weston Backwoods is your savior!
Difference Between The Solid And The Splitboard
In the splitboard version and the solid one, the overall style of riding is very similar. They both want you to be engaged in the turn. The differences begin to show in the feel. The Weston Backwoods solid is a bit stiffer than the Weston Backwoods Splitboard and actually that little bit more of forgiveness when you’re out touring isn’t a bad thing. It rides and feels like a solid board giving you that added bonus of confidence on challenging terrain.
Jaime loves her Weston Eclipse Splitboard so much, she would actually use it as her resort board as well if it didn’t make her nervous leaving it at the lodge when she takes a break.
Splitboarding – Transitioning
One of the biggest challenges for splitboarders is how quickly can you transition. On our old splitboards, this was downright painful because the snow would stick around the baseplates and cause headaches. The Weston Backwoods Splitboard topsheet is designed to keep as much snow off it, and it’s really a timesaver.
Splitboarding – Climbing
When you’re out ski touring, climbing and traversing are the meat and potatoes of the meal. Our mentor who allowed us to demo it said it may not be the lightest, but it feels the lightest underfoot due to its strategic shape. The short tail helps make mincemeat out of kick turns. The planks also make you feel stable in any snow condition. If you’re the one setting the skin track, the design is made to be tail heavy allowing the nose to stay afloat in deep snow easily. Using the analogy above, the Weston Backwoods Splitboard is the filet mignon and roasted red gold potatoes of splitboards to us when it comes to climbing.
When Does It Not Work
After a full season on the board and trying it in every condition from icy slopes to waist deep blower, the Weston Backwoods did surprisingly well in nearly all conditions. It was incredibly easy to rail carves on corduroy. Absolutely crushed it in pow. Even chopped up snow it was a blast to ride through it. The only time I didn’t like having it under my feet was in ice. The short stiff board plus a wide nose made it a bit of a challenge.
Construction – Built Bomb Proof
After a full season and more than 50+ days on the snow, we can tell you that Weston didn’t skimp on anything with the materials and construction. The edges are still razor sharp after nearly a full season. The base is nearly all black making it easy to fix any dings you may get which would be tough due to it being a 4000 sintered material.
Rhino Liner Of Top Sheets
The top sheet feels like rhino liner for those high-end pickup truck beds. Even with skiers slashing across it and me being clumsy while skinning, the top of the boards have stayed nearly flawless. The rougher texture also helps shed a majority of the snow off it as well.
Splitboard Specific Tech
We wanted to specifically call out the features of the Weston Backwoods Splitboard. Our backcountry mentor who’s been in the industry for decades was impressed at the attention to detail. For example, the seam between each piece of the splitboard is pretty much nonexistent when it’s put together. The forged tip and tail inserts help reduce damage when skinning or riding. Even the Karakorum Ultra Clips are some of the best in the industry.
Who Should Consider Buying It
The Weston Backwoods is for the strong intermediate to advanced rider that wants something quality built that will last. It isn’t cheap, but what do you expect when everything used in it is the best in the class. At over 4 years, Weston’s product warranty is one of the longest in the industry.
The Powder Slasher In Your Quiver
When I first got on this board I didn’t think it would become my everyday ride. The big nose works well on days you need to float but I thought it was a hindrance on a sunny resort day with no fresh snow. I was wrong. After two seasons on it this is my “nearly” daily driver. Once I figured out how to engage the edges I realized that it’s a BLAST carving on corduroy. It just wants to explode from turn to turn. It’s also great go to on powder days, and we both love it for that reason. For those that skip hard pack days (i.e. icy) this can be a daily driver. While it works well in deep snow if you’re looking for a board that floats even better in bottomless powder without any effort consider the Hatchet.
Backcountry Touring
For backcountry touring, the Weston Backwoods Splitboard is the all arounder you want to have with you. Firm wind slab scoured traverses. Tight bushwacky trees. Double overhead pow days or even corn harvesting sessions, it will take it all, and you’ll love every moment of it.
