Ski Builders Forum

finally finished our first split here at nightmare labs.

poplar core (6mm at bindings)
vds
4abs sidewalls
4edges
entropy resin (compression molding formula CPM)
asymmetrical rocker (+15mm at the tip, +7 at the tail)
fing inserts EVERYWHERE
used the voile split kit (i have been using it for 3 years on various snowboards)

results:
for our first totally custom board it came out great!
i did everything that should be done by a machine by hand. core shape, base, tip/tail spacers all done with an xacto without a template. hand measured all the inserts out too.
sidewalls bonded great and held up thru profiling and flame treatment.
small ammt of core shift during pressing (did not have custom cassettes for this project). all the hardware mounted, good not great.
man there is a lot of work that goes into finishing a split, sidewalls, base and edge grind, measure and drill out the final hardware. pretty much took one whole workday.

trip report:
i attached the bindings to the plates and stuck the skins on. set out right from my back door and headed up buffalo mtn (probably 7 miles to the summit from my house).
it skins like a dream, lightweight, mad flexible (the tips stay on top of the snow no matter how deep i sink). i got to around 12,000ft and one of my skins fell off. they have been sitting for almost a year and were covered in snow on the sticky side, so i gave up the uphill journey.
switched to snowboard mode and managed a few nice pow turns in the pine forest before i got back to my trail and rode hardpack all the way back to my house.
cant say anything conclusive about the way it rides yet, maybe next trip i will be able to put it through its paces.
im excited about the prospects with this deck, everywhere we can not get to with snowmobiles is now open and ready to be conquered.

pics for your eyeballs

splitshred by strangesnowboarding, on Flickr

entropy by strangesnowboarding, on Flickr

thanks to desi at entropy, i enjoyed working with their product and dig the flex patterns that we are getting. green hardner!!! lets u know how serious they are.

They look....strange(to me)...
I've followed the other "split builds", and as I said before I don't know anything about snowboarding. How do you ride those? Don't you have any action pictures?

That thing looks pretty cool ). I love the idea of green hardener...no more wondering if you did or didn't mix it...easy to see on the base for grinding too.

Cool looking shape. Done one split with the entropy resin and it seems to be good stuff, might you I don't have the experience to say I've tried many different epoxies.

so i have put some decent mileage on the setup in many conditions. 4-5mi uphill climbs, easy traverses, quick laps, i have ridden it in the slackcountry for multiple runs as well as at arapaho basin on groomers. on gaper day (april 1) i rode it as tele skis all day long. hard to see it but it was a rad day.

it is responsible for some of the most quality pow runs of the season but also one or two broken ribs and some really scary moments.
it is a true pow longboard, not great on hardpack but a dream in the deep. overall one of the most difficult snowboards i have ever ridden.

as a splitboard it works great but the next project will be a twin tip. i need to feel comfortable in the backcountry in all conditions, its hard to huck and ollie without a tail and there is no way i can ride switch with the current setup (groomers only).
that being said pow board like this (or swallowtail) always has its place in the backcountry and i think its really cool for a split to look like a crazy snowboard and not just a covert backcountry tool.
getting some video together of recent excursions.

Looks awesome. I love the topsheet. Sorry to hear about the ribs. I need to go look at your build thread to see your process on the inserts. I intend to make a nice long splitty as one of my first projects but as I've thought about it, getting those inserts the exact distance from the inside edge seems like it will be the most difficult part.

Btw way I totally know what you mean by needing a tail. Although I do love my swallowtail.

pine
yeah the setup of the inserts requires a lot of math and scary small measuring. luckily everything lined up pretty well for me this time around. i spent the better part of a day checking and rechecking the placement before drilling holes. make sure to dryfit before layup too, any small imperfections are best dealt with at the beginning and not end.