Tele skier turned split boarder, a few questions

Hey Geek, welcome to splitting. Most people swap the board half sides when skinning, so the left becomes the right ski and vice versa. As far as minor downhills, I guess it depends your level of skiing and how extreme the downhill. I figure that the straight edge has about as much sidecut as my old K2 TRComps

As far as bindings, I saw use what you've got. I'm using Burton Cartels this year as it's not in the budget to pick up the Sparks bindings. If I had the money I probably would spring for them though as all reports are that they are a substantial improvement, not just in weight but in the fact that your bindings is not standing 1/4" off your board.

For interface it sounds like you've got the old Burton interface. Voile has pretty tight patents along things split related, I'm not sure if Burton went with the Voile interface as a result of the patents or just a nod towards standardization, never really got the story as to why they quit making their proprietary system as it's not like Burton to go with a standard! As far as the icing, just thinking out loud, I wonder if something like nonstick spray could help out, keep the snow from sticking too much?

I'd say make the gear you have work for a year or two and just have fun til you get everything dialed. By the time you're ready for a new board they'll probably be a whole lot lighter and all have rocker!

... As far as the icing, just thinking out loud, I wonder if something like nonstick spray could help out, keep the snow from sticking too much?

I don't know about this situation, but silicone spray (and maybe Tri-Flon, the teflon equivalent) works very well (on for example, car door gaskets) to displace moisture and prevent icing that keeps you from getting back into your rig after a cold day, waiting for your return...

When approaching a questionable downhill section in split-mode follow these steps:
1. Pause, begin fiddling with some gear, clean your googs, adjust your bindings, etc.
2. Allow a few skeers to pass and navigate the terrain in question. Loudly praise their skill.
3. As the skeers become aligned with major obstacles/dangers, yell something, like, "hey, fellas, wait for the slowboarder", or "hey, did one of you drop this baggie?"
4. With skeers strategically placed, bomb the terrain. Use the hand-sticks for protection/defensive maneuvers.
5. Apologize as necessary.
6. Resume tour.

Obviously, this technique requires that you include bi-planks in your tour, or gather them in the bc. The numerous advantages to having these energetic and highly mobile individuals along for the ride cannot be over-emphasized. (A word of caution, the bi-planks will gang up and try to convince you to "spoon", better known as powder farming. Just keep saying "okay". then ride the hill how you please.)

Need I say, KIDDING. I use a slight tele stance, one foot forward. If need be I will leave the skin track to slow, or traverse-kick turn-traverse to get where I need to go. Just be prepared to be humble on the climb, cause you get to rumble on the ride.

I wasn't able to try this new split board last spring because of the tele induced injury.  But l got it out for a try Nov. 20 at White Pass. I rode the lift to the top with my skins in the back to try the whole concept out on the Hogback trail. But first I made a run down the inbounds stuff. I had heard that these boards ride almost as well as a unsplit board. And I thought I could notice a bit of awkwardness.  I looked down at the board as I was riding and it seemed like the nose was so short.  And it seemed like the tail was so long.  I started thinking about how I'd want to correct that before riding in powder.  I was trying to remember what I had read about moving the rings back.  I got on the chair for another ride up, and started thinking about how I'd do that.  Then I realized my problem.  When I was dicking around with the board in my GarageMahal, practicing with the conversion from climb to ride,  I had put the bindings back on in ride position but backwards! I am such a geek!

Hey there, guess I'm just a weird splitboarder but thought I would throw in another option almost no one uses. I also AT ski so have a pair of Garmont Dynamite boots (will work with Dynafit AT bindings) so didn't want to but multiple boots. I use the bomber splitboard bindings ( www.bomberonline.com/store/bindings/splitboard.cfm ) which I have enjoyed very much. I'm sure lots of people will tell me the cons of said system, but I have used them for 7 years in Alaska, BC, and Oregon without any complaints, and they are easy to disengage if you need to (avalanche for example) which the new Spark bindings are not. Voile has come out with a new binding system with an avalanche chord but I have not seen any reviews as of yet. I like wearing the AT boots in the backcountry because they are easier to walk in and kick steps up hard steep slopes if you need to. Anyways, I'm sure all the systems are good just thought I would throw out another option in case you aren't confused enough. ;) Happy splitting.

If you are an ex-tele skier and like your tele boots, voile used to make a binding compatible with them. Not sure if they still make it.