Weston Japow Split
The best splitboard for powder from the Fall/Winter 2018 Gear Guide.
The foot-wide, rockered nose on this classic swallowtail board floats on anything from chop to chunder to powder. With the rear foot inserts set at the tail, the Japow rides the back seat and maneuvers like a dream. “This board floated so well that I was able to keep gliding through a flat spot where I usually get stuck,” said our 6’1”, 190-pound tester after a backcountry tour through Cardiff Fork in Utah’s Wasatch Range.
THE DETAILS
Steel edges extend across the tail for added weight, which causes the nose to rise out of deep snow during kick turns when skinning. Testers reported that the long, 123.5-centimeter effective edge holds strong on steep, icy slopes.
TRAIL CRED
“I was nervous about the short size of this board in deep snow, even with my back foot right up against the tail,” one tester says. “But its 26-centimeter waist width meant the length didn’t diminish the float at all.”
Weight: 7 lbs. 5 oz.
Length: 159