If you’ve ever ventured down the road of building your own splitboard, you’re well aware that the process can be an…uphill battle, as there are multiple components to the puzzle. If you don’t have a snowboard shop near you that specializes in backcountry gear, you’re going to find yourself scouring the internet to piece together your setup. Ride has everything figured out for you, though. Buy a Splitpig, receive board, pre-cut skins, pucks, and uphill hardware. All you need is a pair of splitboard bindings.
While we’re going to focus on the A-BC binding here, it’s worth noting that Ride had already put themselves ahead of the curve by offering a complete splitboard setup with the versatile Splitpig, a spatchcocked Warpig. Available in a 148 and 154, the Splitpig comes with everything you need to venture out on the skin track, minus bindings (read on). We can’t state it enough though, that the most important piece of any splitboard setup is knowledge of the backcountry. Safety is no accident.
So, Ride has just released their A-BC touring binding, and to put it simply, they’re amazing. My weed scale is broken, so while I’m unable to get an accurate weight on them, take my word that they are featherweights. The rails, which are of the Voilé Speed Rail variety, slide on any Voilé, Spark, Burton, or K2 pucks, either non- or canted. In touring mode, the toes of each binding simply snap into the toe pivot, and two heel risers are ready to deploy from the board’s hardware to support your heel on the climb.
Walk mode on the A-BC gets even more comfortable, thanks to a simple and intuitive forward lean block, which quickly and easily disengages, freeing up more range of motion in your ankle for longer, smoother strides.
The A-BC is fashioned after Ride’s “A” (aluminum chassis) line of bindings, which have a responsive feel, but have been tooled to remain flexible for your board to flex freely, and be forgiving on your feet. The A-BC is outfitted with a nylon highback that is supportive on hard heel-edge turns, but is laterally flexible enough to allow for getting loose while riding down lines.
While the aesthetics of the A-BC’s chassis are all forward-thinking, the straps are the icing on the cake. The Minimalist 2.0 toe strap easily wraps over the toe of any boot, and as you can guess by the name, is very light, which adds (or subtracts?) to the featherweight-ness of these bindings. The heel strap is derived from the A-8 and C-8 binding; a dual-density strap which can be flipped based upon your preference. Leave it in the stock position (black on top), for a more supportive, responsive feel, which can be helpful on wider boards like the Splitpig, or other wider splitboards, or to a softer flex (white on top). This depends on your boots and preference, but it’s always good to have the option.
