Its popularity might have peaked back in 2010, and the original pioneers are likely parents with ACL injuries and a greater sense of self preservation these days, but snowboarding remains the most fun you can have with your feet strapped together. 

Yes, ski technology has caught up, and tribal divisions have blurred between skiers and riders (FYI it’s rider, never boarder), but the snowboarding industry continues to innovate, with touring kit that gives you the chance to explore deep into the backcountry, boards that can’t help make you smile, and bindings that clip in so fast your skiing buddies will have nothing to complain about. 

A splitboard, for the uninitiated, is a snowboard, split in half lengthwise and used like a pair of skis to hike uphill to escape the resort and find the freshest tracks. Once you’ve reached the summit, the board clips together, ingenious lightweight bindings swivel sideways, and away you go. 

The combination of this Vertical Split and Union Explorer bindings offers the best of both uphill trek and downhill thrills. The binding, when mounted for touring, pivots at the toe, for more natural walking motion, while Kevlar and carbon fibre runs the length of each “ski”, keeping things light and powerful. And the off-centered camber makes bouncing over powder a dream. 

Just remember, before you ditch your lift pass, splitboarding is 90 percent hiking, 5 percent tinkering with kit, and 5 percent riding. And don’t forget poles and skins if you want to climb. Once pulled over the splitboard’s base, the hairs glide with forward movement and grip with backward pressure. Without them, only gravity wins.

Price: Board, £710 | Slash Snow | Bindings, £340 | Snow & Rock

Armed with a copy of this season’s snowsport jargon dictionary, we’ve carefully translated the techy buzzwords Vans love to use. The V3 Ultra Cush TNF FlashDry for instance is a heat-moldable, extra comfy liner made with The North Face premier moisture management fabric technology, while the V3 POPCUSH footbed, is a moisture-wicking, impact-absorbing insole. Combined, it adds up to a supremely comfortable fit, with BOA lacing eliminating any chance of pressure points. And, to cap it all, the tongue comes with a Hytrel stiffener insert that gives you the chance to tweak the flex of the boot to suit both your style and the conditions.

Price: £410 | Vans | Ellis Brigham

This beast of a board is designed for experienced all-mountain riders who demand power, pop and control in all conditions. Unlike many boards which tinker with zero- reverse- wonky- profiles to the base, Jones sticks to a traditional full-concave-camber for maximum power transfer from edge to edge. Full-camber boards aren’t especially forgiving though, but the introduction of a fibreglass and carbon-reinforced 3D Contour Base 2.0 magically helps reduce the chances of catching an edge and eating the snow, while also minimising board chatter (vibrations). The scooped-on tip and tail, combined with the twin-directional shape, makes it a joy to carve around on piste, park or deep powder.

Price: £499 | The Snowboard Asylum | Ellis Brigham

It’s the board you wish they’d had in the rental shop when you were learning. This is an exceptionally good-value kid’s deck for anyone between 1.45 and 1.60m who happily tears up the piste and enjoys a play in the park and weaving through treelines. With a flat camber design, this board won’t throw them off everytime they catch an edge on the flat, and being a true twin-tip (symmetrical) shape, it doesn’t make it harder for kids to adapt their stance to whichever way feels right on the day. And don’t discount the adult versions either, with the All Mountain models in both men’s and women’s racking up the awards for unbeatable value.

Price: £120 | Decathlon

WIRED has tested virtually all the strap-free, slide-in, stomp-down binding systems, but Burton’s Step On is the only one we’ve found that doesn’t compromise performance for convenience. Now a few seasons old, they’ve expanded the range, tweaked the binding system for the better, and offer something for all abilities—the Kendo is a boot for those who like their cutting-edge tech wrapped up in an old-school package. Standard lacing gives great feel, and while the lack of traditional binding straps mean these aren’t a stiff boot, the combination of dual-density tongue, heat-moldable liners and rubber Backstay interface between the boot and the binding highback, ensures none of your energy is wasted.

Price: £310 | Snow & Rock

Tired, aching feet are the curse of the modern snowboarder, but by introducing an ingenious pivot system to the binding—based around the fulcrum of a skateboard truck kingpin—Now claims that energy from your legs and feet is transferred from edge to edge, rather than being wasted in the middle of the board. The result should be less exertion, more comfort and ultimately longer rides, especially as they also feature a seam-free, supremely cushioned, super-light foot strap and contoured toe-straps.

Price: £145 | Snowboard Asylum | Ellis Brigham

REVIEW: Solid value, feature-packed play thing that manages to offer both a powerful and forgiving ride. It’s not designed as a big mountain power house, but push it on piste and the profile makes it fast and fun. 

Yes, it would prefer to be messing about in the park rather than hurtling down the piste, but if you want to push it—in our case, to prove a point to some rapid alpine skiers—it is more than capable. 

Available in eight lengths, this unisex design’s wonderful rideability comes from the combination of a soft-to-medium flex and the use of carbon stringers and camber profile that helps it be nimble and poppy across all terrain, without feeling like you’re ever our of control. 

Score: 7/10

Price: £379 | Slash Snow

This article was originally published by WIRED UK