So far I have been riding my Voile splitboard with Burton’s Mission binding. For a while those were my only bindings so I have been changing them from my pow-Tanker to splitboard and back. Quite annoying. When I heard that Spark is going to release a new dedicated splitboard binding, the Fuse, I decided to get those for my splitboard.

Our dusty but beautiful floor and the Spark Fuse splitboard binding

During the fall I checked the Spark website every now and then and each time it was telling that the bindings were coming soon, just hang on tight and wait. Then one day, the binding was there!  But what a disappointment, my size was sold out, just minutes after the bindings went on sale. No worries as there was an announcement that more bindings will soon be on their way. The next date for the bindings to become available was a finals day, so I had to leave one of my final exams earlier just to get online to buy some bindings. And I did get them.

What’s the main difference between the Fuse and the old Voile baseplate plus normal snowboard binding combination? The Fuse combines the slider track, gasket and baseplate into one plate. When all the parts are combined, the binding itself is closer to the board than it was before with my old system.

Using the Spark Fuse splitboard bindings

I’ve had about 20 days using these bindings so far. First thing which I noticed about the binding was the weight. They are said to be lighter, and they really are. My Burton Mission weight 45.6 oz (1291 g), plus the Voile binding plate. The Fuse on the other hands weighs just 34.6 oz (980), and there’s no extra weight of the plate. You can feel this difference, especially on the uphill.

For the ascent the Fuse doesn’t provide many surprises. The first times I used the bindings the pin didn’t slide smoothly into its place, but after a couple of touring days the problem is gone. The bindings do come with a piece of sandpaper to sand the holes for the pins on your board larger if needed to accommodate the pins. The pin system is different from the Voile baseplate so that there is no need for the second part of the pin that was used to secure the baseplate to the board, which makes assembling the board from ascent to descent mode (and vice versa) a bit faster.

What comes to riding with Fuse, that really surprised me. My Voile is so much easier to handle with the Fuse. It feels more a lot more solid because the unneeded, sloppy connection between the baseplate and the binding is gone. This is clearly the biggest improvement of the binding. Before Fuse I sometimes felt that when riding my board it felt a bit sluggish, but now the problem is gone.

Fuse’s polished surface is supposed to resist snow and ice. With my other bindings I often have to scrape ice and snow away with ski pole tip, with Fuse the problem is not completely gone but things are a bit better.

With the Fuse binding you have to use the Spark Crampons, called “Mr. Chomps”, so my old Voile splitboard crampons are now useless. Spark’s website says that they are currently sold out of Mr. Chomps crampons, so I haven’t had a chance to try them. What I’ve read though is that you can remove and attach them on the fly which is definitely a big plus compared to the Voile crampons. With the Voile crampons you always had to not only take the binding off but also change the pin for a longer one. The Mr. Chomps are also available in many colors so you can get one to match your jacket. Yey.

Pros:

- far better riding performance compared to the Voile plate system
- lighter weight
- resists ice and snow a bit better than a normal binding

Cons:

- supply problems (still not resolved)
- somewhat high price

P.S. Have you heard that Voile is also launching a new splitboard binding? It’ll be interesting to see how it compares.

For action shots of me riding the bindings check this or this trip report, or check all the trip reports on Homeboyski.com here