First of all, I have the slightly older 166 Split board and below comments refer to that.

Pros are obvious:
-no more snowshoeing!
-quick swap between board and skis
-factory made with warranty and quality
-while riding, could tell no difference from my normal boards, other than stiffness, weight, can still carve up the groomers
-performance was high

Cons are not so obvious:
-basically the same others mentioned below
-heel supports failed in the middle of a steep ascent in the Alps
-ToeLocks (for ski mode) broke and are next to impossible to fix (I bought updated baseplates used)
-baseplates a clever design, but frequently jam with ice, delaying conversion back from skis to board
-triggers for baseplate broke as described below
-weight is substantially more than my 173.

Overall, I love it and am very happy to use it, and like an old car, when you get used to the drawbacks and be careful, the thing works. I am looking for one of the Omen Splits to buy, 170+ in size, to replace this one.
With a little more engineering this could be the perfect backcountry product.

Customer Service

None as product was bought used.

Similar Products Used:

Voile Split Decision on my Burton Supermodel 173, Burton Omen 163, Burton Supermodel 173 (non-split)

the ride

to complex toe attachment! heal riser

Burton 170 Omen Split RIP Craig, you will be missed!!! I have been all over on this thing and i do love it. I have been on both the voile model and burton's, neither are perfect. I have always have had a problem with the heal riser system. It gets worn out and slips. This is very frustrating when climbing the steeps and your heal constantly slips. Also the attachment mechanism at the toes (in split mode) gets worn out too. I have way too much play, and i constantly worry that it is going to break in the backcountry without a easy way to fix it. Most likely there is no easy way to fix it in the shop! I also think the voile skins are better as well, but his is probably a matter of opinion. I must say the mechanism that holds the boards together is much more sturdy than voile resulting in a more solid ride. The board rarely feels like a split when riding. I have been on the phone with burton getting replacement parts a few time, and i need to call them asap, snow fell in shasta, and tahoe and it is only oct 20!

Similar Products Used:

voile split

Very versatile board (from crust to powder). The ascent mode is very easy and fast to prepair. The skins are large (too much going up the prepared slopes) and the crampons are very easy to mount. I feel this board reliable on ice/crust and enjoyable in the powder.

Descent mode quite difficult to prepare. You need a lot of lube for this switchgear not to breake the levers. The halfboard is quite large so you have some difficulties in crustly and icy traverses if long or steep. Burton assistance do not exist for this product!!

I used this board on all terrains and all types of snow. It works great in any snow conditions.

Responsive, very little flex along split seam, ski-mode works well, board construction solid

Binding/Conversion system, levers too small, levers broke off after first use, heel lifts would work better as varied heights (heel lift excessive for all but extremely steep terrain)

Ok so I am not sure what's up with 2 supposedly different people writing the same reviews. Uh Burton, if you are trying to plant phony reviews on a site make sure it at least comes across as legit. We aren't morons. The first trip out this board sucked. Within the first few runs both levers had snapped off in the cold (-17 C isn't cold either). But that was OK because the levers were way too short to be effective anyway. There was little opportunity to get enough leverage to lock the system down. After WD-40ing the binding plate it was somewhat easier but I had to do it every night or there was no way I could close it. I used opposite ski's so I didn't catch the latches on every step which was OK but the constant contact of each ski wore dow

Similar Products Used:

K2 Split, Voile Split

sintered base holds wax like you wouldnt believe. rides like a dream

none

This snowboard rocks. allows for you to ride anywhere. i have tried to go back country on snowboards before and it was a lot harder that on this board. dont get me wrong, it was still challenging, but the board did a lot of work also, so i didnt get as tired, so i could ride longer. i have rode K2 and similar boards from them, and they do not compare.

Similar Products Used:

none

sintered base holds wax like you wouldnt believe. rides like a dream

none

This snowboard rocks. allows for you to ride anywhere. i have tried to go back country on snowboards before and it was a lot harder that on this board. dont get me wrong, it was still challenging, but the board did a lot of work also, so i didnt get as tired, so i could ride longer. i have rode K2 and similar boards from them, and they do not compare.

Similar Products Used:

none

Pretty lightweight (w/C14 bindings). Fully edged. Ski-mode works great. Huge skins let you climb up a wall. Rides a solid board.

Interface isn''t the easiest to use when putting into board-mode. The lock-down lever is small, and is almost recessed under a regular strap binding plate.

I actually have the SPLT66, which is last years version of this board. This board rides like a solid board. I''ve not been on any terrain yet where I could tell any difference between this and a regular board. It even works OK going downhill in "ski-mode". Going up in ski-mode with the skins on is great. You can motor up almost anything. Converting the board from board-mode to ski-mode is a snap. Takes only a few minutes, and that includes putting on the skins (IF, you didn''t make them too short that is). Converting from ski-mode to board-mode takes longer. It''s kind of like a step-in binding: everything has to be lined up just right, and all snow must be brushed away. Not an easy task in a blizzard. I was having problems fully locking down the engagement mechanism, until I lubed it. Night and Day. It works very easily now. Time will tell how it holds up... BTW, the $900 putchase price included the C14 bindings, skins, and crampons.

Similar Products Used:

None

Pretty lightweight (w/C14 bindings). Fully edged. Ski-mode works great. Huge skins let you climb up a wall. Rides a solid board.

Interface isn''t the easiest to use when putting into board-mode. The lock-down lever is small, and is almost recessed under a regular strap binding plate.

I actually have the SPLT66, which is last years version of this board. This board rides like a solid board. I''ve not been on any terrain yet where I could tell any difference between this and a regular board. It even works OK going downhill in "ski-mode". Going up in ski-mode with the skins on is great. You can motor up almost anything. Converting the board from board-mode to ski-mode is a snap. Takes only a few minutes, and that includes putting on the skins (IF, you didn''t make them too short that is). Converting from ski-mode to board-mode takes longer. It''s kind of like a step-in binding: everything has to be lined up just right, and all snow must be brushed away. Not an easy task in a blizzard. I was having problems fully locking down the engagement mechanism, until I lubed it. Night and Day. It works very easily now. Time will tell how it holds up... BTW, the $900 putchase price included the C14 bindings, skins, and crampons.

Similar Products Used:

None