Hard Boot Splitboard Setups Sketchy??

[Scree Shredder]

Everything I read about hard boot splitboard set ups seems positive. The main two advantages I see being, more efficient skinning and able to use a pneumatic crampon. The one issue that really keeps me from trying to get into one of these set ups is fear of snapping my tib fib. It just seems like skiers snap their tib fib at the top of the boot pretty often. On a board where your boot doesn't release and all the pressure is coming at the side of your leg it seems the risk would be even higher. It would also seem to me that for this reason a hard boot set up would be sketch if you tomahawk going really fast or just even hitting bigger drops in the backcountry. Anybody have any experience on a hard boot split set up? Do you think they increase your chance of tib fib fracture? Thanks for the feedback.

[That was Pontus]

There's literally a billion threads on this topic over at splitboard.com. That & my soft boot set up is stiffer front to back than many hard boot set ups. The only person I know riding a stock 4-buckle boot is a giant, most everyone else is on a modified TLT5, F3, etc... Joey Vosburgh probably bucks bigger cliffs & rides steeper faces than most folks on this board in hard boots.

[Scree Shredder]

Ya sifted through some of those threads a bit, but didn't find anything talking about increased risk of injury in hard boots. Just seems like it might be a factor. Do you think there is a greater risk for a tib fib snap in hard boots?

[Jason4]

As a snowboarder who has had a tib/fib break using the old Burton Flex bindings it's something that I'm sensitive to. I'm in the middle of putting together a dynasplit setup and had not really considered that as a possiblity but the primary use of the hard boot setup will be in either mellower terrain or for split mountaineering where a fall is not an option anyways. For pow days and charging stuff I'll probably stick to my softboots.

[XXX-er]

I toured with a split rider last spring who was into the scarpa F3 or 4 AT boot and he used them with the bishop bomber tele binding which he has been using for 8 seasons and claims they are ... bomber

If you got hurt doing something in a hard boot wouldn't you also get hurt doing the same thing in a soft boot?

i've done a tib/fib in a plastic tele boot with non-releasable bindings

[Scree Shredder]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

If you got hurt doing something in a hard boot wouldn't you also get hurt doing the same thing in a soft boot?

I don't know? I just feel like you always hear about skiers getting boot top fractures and you really don't hear about that happening to snowboarders. It just seems to me having that hard plastic at the top of the boot would be less forgiving than leather and create a bad leverage point for a break. That said I have never worn any of the AT style hard boots and don't really know how much they give in violent fall type situation. So I guess that is what I am trying to determine. I just don't want to spend a shit ton of money on something that I don't feel comfortable charging on. I will gladly expend more energy on the way up to have a better ride down.

[adrenalated]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I don't know? I just feel like you always hear about skiers getting boot top fractures and you really don't hear about that happening to snowboarders. It just seems to me having that hard plastic at the top of the boot would be less forgiving than leather and create a bad leverage point for a break. That said I have never worn any of the AT style hard boots and don't really know how much they give in violent fall type situation. So I guess that is what I am trying to determine. I just don't want to spend a shit ton of money on something that I don't feel comfortable charging on. I will gladly expend more energy on the way up to have a better ride down.

Skiers also have a big long fucking lever attached independently to each foot. With both feet attached to the same board, I doubt you'd be able to get enough twisting motion to spiral fracture your tib/fib.

[Name Redacted]

Your probably gonna die, just saying, mixing ski boots and snowboarding is like oil and water.

[nickel]

Since I was a little kid, I do not remember hearing of one friend or acquaintance who broke their tibia/fibula at boot top. It happens, but so does ripping your leg off at the femur. I'm not convinced this is the common occurrence you guys are making it out to be. Skiers torch knees. That's the one that happens all the time.

Shredgnar's right, you're probably going to die, but your tib/fib will be fine.