Splitboard vs. Ski Touring Skis: The Great Schism of 2026

So I wouldn't be talking to myself, I invited Monika. Monika has been skiing and snowboarding for a good fifteen years or more, and she kitesurfs too, so wind, glide and riding on a single plank are no problem for her. On the resort slopes she always picks the board, because it's simply more fun for her. Last season she rented a splitboard and did her first ascent. Now she's facing the question: what should she invest in, a split or ski touring skis?

I'm bringing more to this conversation than just an outside opinion. After well over a decade of snowboarding, I switched to skis, specifically with touring in mind. I had to learn from scratch. It wasn't easy, but I don't regret it. That doesn't mean the board has no strengths, and we'll talk about those too.

"Can I trust my habits?"

"The problem," Monika begins, "is that I don't know if I can rely on my habits from the resort. Choosing a board on a resort run is pure pleasure. I have no idea whether that same preference will hold up in the backcountry, where conditions aren't always perfect."

"If I went only by what was more fun on the slopes, I'd still be on a board today. I switched because in the mountains, more than just how much fun you have on the way down matters. It also matters how tired you are before you even get to the descent."

Weight: a difference you feel in your legs

"For me, this is the biggest difference, and it affects the whole experience in the mountains, not just the descent. A complete splitboard setup, with board, bindings and soft boots, really does weigh more than a ski touring setup. After a long ascent, that difference becomes brutally noticeable: your legs are wrecked, and you have less left for the descent than you did at the start of the day."

"So even if I love the board, after a three-hour ascent I might be too tired to feel it?" Monika asks.

"Exactly. The fun of riding assumes you still have the energy to enjoy it. Another thing is the group's pace. Splitboarders are usually the ones everyone waits for."

Lesson one: A heavier setup means less energy for what was supposed to be your reward.

Powder and tough snow: this is where the board makes up for it all

"Before we go any further, I have to stop you here, because otherwise it'll sound like the board is nothing but trouble, and it isn't. In deep powder or heavy, sticky snow, the board has a natural advantage. The larger surface area keeps it on top where a narrow ski wants to dive. You can make up for it with wider, heavier skis, but then you quickly reach split weight and lose exactly the advantage I mentioned earlier."

"So in really deep snow you'd prefer a board?" Monika presses.

"In pure powder, with no long, flat approaches? Yes, without hesitation."

"There's one more thing hardly anyone remembers: when you fall in deep snow, splitboard bindings don't release. You won't lose your board under the snow. On skis it's the other way around: the binding releases the boot, the ski comes off and disappears into the bottomless snow, and finding it is often impossible."

Lesson two: in deep, light snow the board wins twice: it floats better, and you don't lose it in a fall as easily as a ski.

Poles, skating and deep, heavy snow: what you can't do on a split

"Back to the downsides of the split: on a flat traverse or a gentle rise on skis, you simply push off with your poles or skate. On a split you don't have that option. You have to unclip."

"That's not a big deal, is it?" Monika asks.

"On hard snow, no. In deep, heavy snow, yes. You unclip, try to stand, and sink in up to your waist. A flat stretch of terrain turns into fifteen minutes or so of struggle, while someone on skis just glides past."

Lesson three: terrain that looks harmless can be the most frustrating part of the day on a split, right where nobody on skis would even notice a problem.

Transitions and the little things

Transition time is the least important of the differences, but it's real. On skis, switching from ascent to descent is quick: you pull the skins, flip the bindings, buckle your boots and go. On a split, in nice weather, it's no problem. In a snowstorm or strong wind on the summit, the iced-up edges of the board halves refuse to join together, and the wind won't wait for you to finish.

There's one more small thing: for ski touring boots, you can buy light, compact crampons. There are crampons for snowboard boots too, in a "wide" version, but they're noticeably heavier and bulkier. The same goes for ski crampons.

So it's not that simple after all

"Okay," Monika says, "because now it's really not clear-cut. The board wins in powder, and skis win on the flats and in bad weather."

"And that's the whole schism in a nutshell. There's no single right answer, only the question of what terrain and conditions you ride most often. If your dream outings are steep, deep descents without long, flat approaches, the board makes sense. If you're counting on long traverses, changing weather and different snow within a single day, skis give you more peace of mind."

In the end, Monika says she probably won't buy anything before her next rental. This time she wants to try a longer tour on skis, to feel the difference on her own legs before deciding which side of the schism she wants to stay on for longer. That's probably the most honest answer she could give today.

See you on the ascent, whichever side of the schism you end up on.

Illustration: generated using artificial intelligence.