Backcountry

X Burton Promise Land Splitboard

With Backcountry's more than 30 years of experience shaping the outdoor industry landscape, and Burton setting the gold standard in snowboard design for 40-plus years of their own, it's only fitting that we teamed up with the big B to create the Promise Land Splitboard. And with the legendary Utah backcountry just a stone's throw from our offices here in Salt Lake City, it's even more fitting that our Gearheads designed this split with the terrain of its namesake—one of our favorite zones in the Wasatch—in mind.

Just off of Peak 10420, the wooded area known as "Promise Land" has steep clearings, low-angle options in tight trees, and plenty of protected powder thanks to its thick Evergreens, to make for a natural playground that this split thrives in. Light, fun, and surfy, the medium-flexing Promise Land starts with a directional swallowtail shape and 15mm of taper to help sink the tail and buoy the larger nose for effortless float, while also turning on a dime between tight trees and maintaining stability at speed in those steep sections. The Directional Camber profile adds even more float while giving extra power to our deep-driving turns on the descent, then makes for a smoother glide when we're on the skin track back up.

As light as it is strong, the splitboard-specific wood core provides pop, strength, and reduced weight to help us ollie surprise downed trees and make easy work of the uphill. More weight savings and lightning-quick response come courtesy of 45° Carbon Highlights that balance a twitchy, responsive feel with power and aggression in choppy, tracked snow. While it does boast almost two inches of setback, the Balanced Freeride Geometry makes for a twin-like, freestyle feel on flat while still turning tight and fast with the surfy, float we expect from a directional pow deck. Among our favorite features is the Split Channel, giving us one of the strongest, fastest, easiest, and most adjustable mounting systems ever offered on a splitboard, and the pre-mounted pucks make the setup a breeze right from the jump.