So its been a little over a month since I first started riding the OZ Snowboards signature Alpenglow CQ Splitboard design and so I feel like its time to write up a little review. With over 50k vertical feet and many miles already logged on the board I feel as if I can now provide a pretty strong review. Riding an early Colorado snowpack with conditions varying from blower bottomless pow to 45 degree steeps this board has performed fantastically. There is a reason why this splitboard was chosen by Backcountry Magazine as "Top 20" splits of 2014/2015!
So first things first, these boards are made 100% in the good ole U.S of A. No outsourcing to China with this company. Nothing but American sweat (and sometimes blood) come with an OZ Snowboard or Splitboard. If that alone doesn't set this company away from the corporate snowboarding world of today then I don't know what will. Within the OZ factory located right in Denver, Colorado you will find everything you need to build a complete snowboard. From cutting their own cores, to dye sublimating all the graphics, to laying out a board for the press, this factory can produce whatever they deem necessary. Building a better snowboard and doing so in an environmentally friendly way! |
So for this review I am not going to get super into depth of dimensions and sidecuts of tri-axial flexes in conjuction with the bi-lateral cut of the radial turn. Im going to keep it simple. How does the split tour and how does the split ride?
Tour Mode: So being that in the backcountry realm of skiing and riding you are spending close to 85% of your day going up-hill, the performance of a splitboard in "Tour Mode" is very important. How does the splitboard skin? How does the splitboard ski? How good of traction is the splitboard going to yield in conjunction with the camber? Is the splitboard going to be too flexible in ski mode? These are all good questions to ask yourself while testing/touring on a board. So now you ask, "how does the OZ holdup with these questions?" The answer is outstandingly! First off how does the OZ splitboard skin. I have had the chance to skin in a multitude of conditions on my OZ from breaking trail in boot deep pow to side-hilling on steep spring-like crust and with the Alpenglow CQ camber design I have been able to hold edges and maintain excellent traction throughout. The micro traditional camber between the bindings is exactly what I feel is needed when skinning in a variety of conditions providing more points of contact and more surface area than say a fully rockered or flat camber board. How does the OZ split ski? Well I can safely say that it has been the best skiing split that I have been on. The carbon fiber reinforcements in the board really keep the split with a stiffer flex without making the board too stiff in Ride Mode. Another reason for this is that they use full wood cores through tip and tail without finger joints which prevents any inconsistent flex patterns and weak points in the board. Also, with the fully wrapped edges of the ski's I feel like I tend to have better edge-control when skiing. Overall, I have been very satisfied with how the Alpenglow CQ performs in Tour Mode.
Then next you have to ask yourself, "how does the splitboard ride?"
Ride Mode: And so as with Tour Mode the performance of a splitboard in Ride Mode is of upmost importance. How is the board going to ride in a variety of conditions? How does the camber and flex affect the ride? How well does the board hold an edge and how well does the board initiate and hold a turn? All of these are very valid questions to ask. First of all, how does the OZ hold up in a variety of conditions? Well, it does great in all the conditions I have had it in. Starting with powder, the camber and flex on the OZ help provide excellent float in soft and deep snow. The early rise rocker on the nose and tail of the splitboard help keep the board lofty and on top of the snow even deep snow and having traditional camber between the bindings. A directional shape with slightly setback inserts also help float in the deeps and helps provide for a more stable landing off cliffs, ect. Then as the snow conditions start to lend to more crust or hard pack the traditional camber between the bindings comes back into play giving you better edging and carving ability. Initiating and holding turns comes very easy with the OZ as again the traditional camber between the bindings really grabs ahold. The medium flex of the board provides a stable and chatter free ride while at the same time feeling a little playful. Its not completely "dead" as some stiffer boards tend to feel. Overall, the OZ Alpenglow CQ split design has in my mind has provided me with an excellent "Ride Mode" feel in a variety of Colorado conditions. If you wanted you can even get a little freestyle going on your OZ splitboard! Here is some more pics of shredding on the OZ Split.
Recap: So hopefully this little review helped highlight some points of this amazing splitboard. A few side-notes; One of the first things I noticed was how light the board felt. Feather-weight carbon fiber construction means less pounds. This in return leads to less fatigue and more time for pow! Another thing worth mentioning is how well the topsheet sheds snow. OZ uses a semi-textured topsheet and I think that it has been doing a great job of again shedding snow. On the flip-side the Dura-surf base has been holding up great to the early season Colorado conditions. All in all, the OZ Alpenglow CQ Splitboard design is the shiz. If you are in the market for a split, just getting into splitboarding, or a seasoned splitter looking for the new best thing then the OZ Alpenglow CQ Split is for YOU! Cheers and thanks for reading