Yeah, this thing is a weapon.
Spring can be a crazy time of year to ride snow in the backcountry. Temperature variances and intermittent weather can wreak havoc on plans, and conditions. But generally, it’s glorious out there. The snowpack has consolidated so avalanche danger is often mitigated. The sun sets later (and comes out more often), making for great visibility and easy line choices – and of course the days are longer. More often than not, you get plenty of surprise pow storms and a lot less people – because most have moved on to other activities. It’s special to shred in the spring.
It’s also a great time to test splitboards. You can get every type of condition known to man, so one can put a board through its paces. If something’s going to break down, freezing temps, followed hours later by extreme melt, can put even the hardiest of construction to the brink. So you know if you have a gem on your hands or not. For the last few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure to test out an absolute backcountry weapon: the Weston Japow Splitboard.
Weston’s Story
Weston Backcountry has been in the snowboard (and ski) touring game since 2012, developing a unique niche in the industry focused on wild snow. The Colorado-based brand has worked to create bomber products, and their own systems, to improve the game. They’ve also focused on backcountry education and the guiding community. Weston has spent years on its show, don’t tell environmental sustainability program. For example, the Japow is constructed with the certified B-Corp’s castor bean-based top sheet.
I found Weston through our work with Sam Thackeray, a Weston athlete who worked on The Inertia’s avalanche courses (find those here). His boards looked rad under foot. So we wanted to give the Weston system a try.
The Japow in a variety of conditions:
The Setup
I used the Weston Japow splitboard in a 159 length. The Japow features the Karakoram UltraClips 2.0 that – combined with the innovative Karakoram tip lock on the nose that has an extra mini-ratcheting device – keeps that spilt tight for the downhill, even before you put your bindings on.
For bindings, I used the new Burton Step On touring bindings, which rounded out this setup and really made it a dream. I’ll have more on the Burton Step Ons later, but the convenience and ease created an absolute A-plus setup that was super quick in transition.
The Weapon: the Weston Japow with Burton Step On bindings.
What I Loved About the Japow
The Japow has become sort of a classic shape for Weston (and the snowboarding world). The nose is wide, as you’ll find on many powder boards but the reverse camber works perfectly with the lovely fish tail (an excellent design), creating an unparalleled maneuverability with this board. The feeling under your feet is magic. The board is light (just under seven pounds) but less tail means it’s so easy to initiate turns, edge-to-edge. It lives to be effortlessly slashed in pow, but makes tight trees with bad snow conditions simple to navigate. I actually love this board in steeper, more critical situations as well.
I’ve got close to 10 trips on the Japow and one of the most telling was skinning outside a resort recently. The turns were stoke-fuel up high. As I descended, the fall line became cut off by thick brush, forcing icy traverses, quick airs into rideable sections, and quicker hockey stops to avoid exposed granite that’d come into play with the spring weather. But the consistent, heavy slop was made less stressful with the power I could quickly put into turns. A true weapon when the snow is ego friendly – or even when it breaks down and becomes workman like.
Freestyle riding is not what this board is meant for, obviously, but you can ride it switch, surprisingly, and can catch air with your off foot forward if the lip is manageable. But mostly, the Japow loves straight airs, grabs, and full spins – in case you’re that type of rider.
What I Didn’t Love Quite As Much
I really appreciate innovation in the backcountry. Do something different to make the pursuit easier for us. I’m all for celebrating that. And I like Weston’s proprietary system with a “Z-hook” on the tip of the skins that attach through a manufactured hole in the front of the board, which can help minimize skin wear that leads to delaminating (a real problem with splitboards).
The tail clips, however, could do exactly that: create rubbing, and delaminate the clip edge that’s built into the tail (I love to keep my boards pristine). But wear and tear is going to happen.
Weston also partnered with Pomoca Skins to create a proprietary package that comes with board and pre-cut skins when you purchase (as well as touring hardware). I love this. But I’ve had my moments with Pomoca in the past – one notable instance was a few years ago when a pair on a different setup altogether lost stickiness during a serious wind event deep in the Donner Summit backcountry. I had to bootpack from way down in a powdery hole. I was exhausted. Not good.
But I’ve moved on and made peace with Pomoca. The Weston version worked really well and I have yet to see any de-gluing. That said, I did use the Japow with a G3 skin, too, and that actually worked fine if you cut them yourself. But the delam problem persists, probably more so if you use your own skins. Note to industry: can someone make a hardy, felt-lined nose and tail clip to save these beautiful boards? But I digress.
The Japow Verdict
The title says it all. The Japow is a true backcountry weapon, a tool that can help you solve many of the off-piste puzzles you’re sure to come up against: deep snow, corn, ice, quick edge-to-edge transitions – the Japow is there for you. Even the firmer steeps are in play. But find yourself on a dry pow day and the Japow will help you ride like you would in your mind-surfing dreams: with confidence, speed, power and flow. This thing was designed to “slay pow.” I recommend picking one up, and you might find a great deal in the offseason. Thank me later.
Editor’s Note: For more gear reviews from The Inertia, go here. To find a review of the industry’s best pants, click here, or the best jackets, try here. Need gloves? We got you covered.
