Getting Started with Splitboarding: Essential Gear and Costs

I started out on Pilsko with a regular board and snowshoes: snowshoes on my feet, board on my back. Then I started renting splitboards, mostly in Szczyrk, and figured out what kind of riding I enjoyed. I bought gear piece by piece, and only put together a full avalanche safety kit before my first trips in the Tatras.

f I were starting today, I'd do pretty much the same thing, just a little faster. Don't rush into buying a board. Start by sorting out your clothing, swapping your insulated resort snowboard gear for technical mountain layers. Then borrow a splitboard until you know whether you're hooked. A used setup costs up to about 2,600 PLN and pays for itself after fifteen-odd days in the mountains.

The Beskids, not the Tatras

I'd spend the first season in the Beskids or the Bieszczady. Long, gradual climbs, descents through forest or across a wide clearing, no steep couloirs. Crampons and ice axe stay at home. For a first outing I recommend Pilsko or Skrzyczne.

At the start, most of your time goes on transitions. You split the board, stick on the skins, and at the top you do it all in reverse, usually in the wind with frozen fingers. So practise switching between touring and riding modes at home, on the carpet. Your first outing might be at -15°C, in wind and blowing snow, and then there's no time to stop and read the manual. You can't practice uphill kick turns on the carpet. You learn those out on the hill, ideally on a gentle slope.

Practice riding off-piste at a resort: take the lift up, ride alongside the run, and get used to how your board handles variable snow and powder. On a splitboard, each descent would mean another hour of climbing on skins. Another good option is to skin up alongside the piste and ride back down on the groomed run. You still get the full splitboard touring experience on the way up, but an easy descent on the way down. Your legs will thank you for it.

If you're not sure yet whether to go with a splitboard or ski touring, check out "Splitboard vs ski touring skis".

What's in the kit

A regular snowboard is a board, bindings and boots. A splitboard adds quite a bit more:

1. a board that splits lengthwise into two halves: on the ascent you walk on them like skis, and before the descent you clip them back together,

2. pucks screwed to the board: in ride mode you slide the bindings onto them, and they hold the two halves together,

3. splitboard bindings: in touring mode, they're mounted lengthwise on each half of the board, with a free heel. For the descent, you switch them into ride mode and mount them across the board on the pucks,

4. skins, meaning strips of fabric with a mohair or nylon pile that you stick to the base so the board doesn't slide backwards,

5. poles, which work like ski poles on the ascent and ride in your pack on the descent,

6. ski crampons, meaning blades that attach under the bindings for hard, frozen snow,

7. boots: your snowboard boots to start with, later splitboard boots with a walk mode,

8. a pack for clothes, poles and avalanche gear,

9. avalanche safety gear, meaning transceiver, probe and shovel, whenever you're heading into avalanche terrain.

I'd choose a board that comes with skins already cut to its shape. You can trim universal skins yourself, but it takes a whole evening and it's easy to botch. Also make sure pucks are included in the set. They aren't always in the box, and without them you can't ride down.

Splitboard bindings have a free heel on the ascent, with a heel riser that you flip up on steep sections. You attach the ski crampons to the bindings. Before buying, check the mounting system, because not every set of ski crampons fits every binding.

I wouldn't buy dedicated splitboard boots at the start; soft snowboard boots are enough for your first outings. Dedicated splitboard boots come with a walk mode and a Vibram sole, making long climbs more comfortable and providing better grip on rocky terrain. Some models also feature attachment points for semi-automatic crampons.

Telescopic or folding poles work well, so you can stash them in your pack before the descent. I'd buy ski crampons later. In gentle terrain you rarely need them, but on a frozen morning traverse your edge can slip out without them. A 25–35 l pack holds your clothes and, on the descent, your poles, shovel and avalanche probe.

I carry avalanche safety gear whenever I'm heading into avalanche terrain. Remember to stay out of nature reserves, so check the map before you head out. Regulations usually mention skiers, but they apply to splitboarders too. On Skrzyczne, remember to skin up outside the resort's runs. Before every outing, I check the route for potential avalanche exposure and read the latest GOPR avalanche bulletin. Based on that, I decide what safety equipment to take. You can borrow the kit at first and buy it once you start regularly heading into avalanche terrain. For me that was the Tatras. An avalanche airbag pack only makes sense in the big, open terrain of the Tatras and the Alps.

Borrow first, buy later

Prices are ranges from Polish shops, rental places and classified ads as of October 2026. I don't name specific models, because collections and sales change every season.

A day with a splitboard, skins and poles costs 140–350 PLN to rent. Zakopane has the widest selection of splitboards available for rent. There are some near the Beskid resorts too, but call before you go. Some rental shops ship gear by courier, for about 100 PLN round trip. You can rent an avalanche safety kit for 50–70 PLN a day.

A used splitboard from a classified ad costs 1,000–1,800 PLN, often with skins and pucks included. Add bindings for 450–800 PLN, and you're at about 2,600 PLN total. A new setup runs about 4,300 PLN: board 1,600–3,850 PLN, pucks about 330 PLN, skins 500–600 PLN, bindings 1,300–2,400 PLN.

When does it pay off? Just divide the price of the gear by the daily rental price. A used setup at 2,600 PLN pays for itself after 13–19 days in the mountains, a new one after 22–31. If you rent with shipping, each rental costs around 100 PLN extra in delivery fees, so you break even a few days earlier. At 6–8 days a season, that's 2–3 seasons for a used splitboard and 3–5 for a new one, and you can always sell the used one later.

I'd buy in this order: first the board with bindings and skins, since that's where most of your rental money goes, then poles (200–750 PLN) and ski crampons (about 350 PLN). Splitboard boots are 1,100–1,500 PLN second-hand or 1,350–3,000 PLN new, and an avalanche safety kit is 1,550–2,450 PLN. I wouldn't buy a second-hand transceiver, because I don't know what it's been through or how the battery holds up. Avalanche airbag packs start at around 3,600 PLN.

You can buy new gear from mountain and snowboard shops online. They stock few splitboards, so it's worth hunting for sales on previous seasons' models. You'll find used gear in classified ads and in splitboard groups. With a used board, check the edges where the halves join, and see whether the hooks and clips have any play. The skins should still have good adhesion, and the plush shouldn't be excessively worn.

Layer up

On a splitboard there are two states: on the ascent you're boiling, and on the summit a few minutes later you're freezing, so dress in layers and adjust your layers several times throughout the day.

A merino base layer next to your skin: a T-shirt, and leggings too when it's freezing. It keeps you warm even when wet and doesn't stink after a full day. I wear hardshell pants from morning to evening and only change my top. When it's cold, I add a thin fleece for the ascent. The down jacket waits in the pack, and I put it on straight away at the summit, before I start the transition. I put the hardshell jacket on for the descent, and I only skin up in it when it's very windy or snowing.

Gloves are a separate matter. I take two pairs: thin ones for the ascent and warm ones for the descent. In thick gloves your hands will sweat on the way up, and wet gloves don't keep you warm on the descent.

I skin up in sunglasses, and for the descent I put on goggles and a helmet. Snow reflects a lot of light, even under cloud. I haven't included clothing in the cost estimates, because you probably already have some from hiking trips, or snowboard gear from the resort.

Before you head out

Before every outing I read the current avalanche bulletin: in Poland TOPR and GOPR, in Slovakia HZS, in Austria and Italy the regional avalanche services. EAWS maintains a combined map for Europe. In avalanche terrain, the safety kit is in my pack and I know how to use it. Practice searching for a buried victim on an avalanche course, before you need it for real.

In Poland you don't pay for a rescue operation. In Slovakia and Austria the rescued person or their insurer pays, so check your policy before your first trip abroad. Łukasz broke it down country by country in Ski insurance. Who pays for mountain rescue in Europe?.

For your first day in the Beskids, pack:

• splitboard with skins and poles, and ski crampons if it's frozen

• boots, your snowboard boots to start with

• a merino base layer, a thin fleece, a down jacket, and a hardshell jacket and pants

• two pairs of gloves: thin and warm

• sunglasses, goggles, a helmet

• avalanche safety gear, if the route goes into avalanche terrain

• a headlamp, a first aid kit and a fully charged phone

• water and a few energy snacks

I started on Pilsko with a board on my back and snowshoes on my feet, and I picked up the rest piece by piece. You don't need to have everything from day one either. Borrow a splitboard for a weekend, practise switching between touring and riding modes on your living room carpet, and see if you get hooked. There'll be time to go shopping once you know what you're missing.