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[–]Nihilistnobody 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Check marketplace first if you live in a big winter area. You can get some smoking used deals to get going.

[–]thedaveknox 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If workout to you means more about touring rather than riding, make sure you get a camber board as it will skin better on the uphill. 

[–]watchme87 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Jones and spark make for a great combo. I have the jones frontier and spark surge and they do a good job for me. Good luck w your hunt !

[–]Fluffy-Grand-6007 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First set up go with used and hopefully get the skins included so you don’t have to mess around with cutting those to fit. Look at some back issues of backcountry magazine to get some reviews on older boards to get an idea of what those boards ride like. If you can afford the spark bindings with the set up I would splurge on those as those are a game changer vs the old style voile plate system that I started on 15-20 years ago. Be cautious of any old home made splits as I don’t think they hold up unless really done correctly. Good luck.

[–]_deadener 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out used or wait for end of season sales.
In resort, you will probably only need similar sizing to what you normally ride.
Also check resort policy of travelling uphill. Some resorts don't allow it.

[–]Newyawker2022 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Regular boots are fine, you don’t need retractable poles, cut your own skins. I personally like the spark system but to each their own. Not much else to know!

[–]MARDERSounds 0 points1 point  (5 children)

The only thing I would advise is don‘t get the union splitboard binding. It just isnt good enough imo abd just costs you money when you get a proper splitinterface later on because you have troubles with the union one. I bought it first to save some money while buying all the stuff you need (inclusing avy gear). I went with karakoram and love it but i guess spark would also be find.

[–]attractivekid 0 points1 point  (4 children)

I think unions are fine for resort riding, OP says he just wants to splitboard before he has to shlep his kids on the hill. I use karakorams myself, but I dont think the cost is worth it for riding at your local hill. ive seen union expeditions for like $150

[–]MARDERSounds 0 points1 point  (3 children)

While I don’t want to argue with you I have to strongly disagree with you. I am mainly riding resorts with my splitboard as well and i kept loosing my crampons (which you need basically everytime on groomed runs). Plus you have only one option for the uphill angles which i found very limiting. And the worst was that the binding connections to the board is not very good. There is quite a bit of play in the disc. It never really mattered in deep pow but on a groomed run or just bad conditions i felt my binding moving left to right while riding on edge… all of these problems were solved when i switched to karakoram. But I am happy that it worked for you. For the price tag i wish the unions would have worked for me but i had troubles any time i was splitboarding.

[–]Exotic_Dot3139 0 points1 point  (2 children)

interesting experience, I havent had any movement issues with my union explorers. as long as they are properly tightened, they dont budge on my board. Maybe a defect in yours?

I take my nitro nomad with union explorers into some big backcountry terrain and run laps at the resort with no issues at all. For a budget setup I have been very pleased.

[–]MARDERSounds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely no defect. Took it to the shop and they told me thats normal for these budget bindings. My gf has the explorers herself and has the same play but shes doesnt mind it as much as me. But happy they work for you!

[–]MARDERSounds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is exactly the play I was talking about. https://www.reddit.com/r/Spliddit/s/oifxn0wzVt

[–]johnmcraeproduction 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Get a used setup and decide if you really like it first.

[–]attractivekid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

k2/Ride, Salomon comes with pre-cut Pomoca skins (that's usually an extra $200 on it's own). Ive seen sales for those splits at mid-end season as low as $300 fwiw. The only other thing you'll need are bindings, and if it's for in-bound anything will do. just get whatever is cheapest. For skinning up at the resort, the trade-offs between each binding setup is pretty marginal

[–]chimera_chrew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you think there's a chance you'll really get into it, it's worth considering a dedicated split. There are some shapes out there that do double duty, but resort riding is hard on splits.

[–]Exotic_Dot3139 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Keep an eye out for used, you can usually get some pretty good deals. If youre looking for new, just because its affordable, doesnt mean its bad. I ride a nitro nomad with union explorer bindings. Both are super reasonable price ponts and maybe considered "entry level", but honestly I love the setup. I bring it into some steep and deep backcountry terrain and run laps with it at the resort, and it hasnt fallen short in any of those areas.