About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the splitboard, which I purchased with my own money in February of 2022.

My take

The 2022 Burton Family Tree Hometown Hero Split Snowboard is built to charge, loves speed, and delivers on responsiveness. This split is an epic choice for an intermediate to advanced rider looking to get into the backcountry.

About the splitboard I own

• Model: 2022 Burton Hometown Hero Splitboard
• Size: 150cm

About me

• Height: 5’5”
• Weight: 150 lbs
• Experience: 20 years of snowboarding

Test conditions

• When I bought it: February 2022
• Days tested: 12
• Mount position: +15, -6
• Boots: Ride Hera Pro
• Boot Size: 9.5
• Bindings: 2021 Spark R&D Arc Bindings Womens
• Where I’ve used it: Snoqualmie and Crystal
• Terrain: High alpine, off-piste, groomed runs, trees, and literal ice

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was looking for my first splitboard, and I had my eye on the Hometown Hero for quite some time. My main focus was finding a lightweight, durable splitboard that can handle any backcountry terrain in the PNW.

Why I chose this gear

I went with the Hometown Hero for my first backcountry setup because I like the fact that it is more camber dominant for quick responsiveness while carving and directional shape for float on the deep days. I also have a friend that hyped up the resort version of this board—so another reason to try the split version. I also considered the Weston Riva, but ultimately wanted to try Burton’s splitboard line. The Hometown Hero checked all the boxes for what I was looking for.

What I love about it

• Speed: This splitboard thrives at speed; a high-quality sintered base for faster glide and a camber-dominant profile makes it feel responsive while charging hard.
• Turns: The turn initiation with this splitboard is great, and the directional camber profile gives me quick response, especially at higher speeds. It’s awesome to carve with.
• Groomers: I really enjoyed cruising on some groomed runs with this board, even though it's meant for backcountry. It definitely likes snappier carves and really thrives at speed.
• Powder: Overall, it’s a really-solid feel charging through deeper snow, and this is where the board thrives—especially with its stiffer-flexing feel. 12mm of taper helps add more float to this deck, so I don’t sink on the deepest of days.
• Trees: The directional nose on this board helps navigating deeper terrain in the trees, and camber underfoot helps with snappy response. It's not as nimble as my volume-shifted snowboard, but overall performs well in the trees.
• Backcountry: This board was built to ride the backcountry; the camber-dominant profile paired with the stiffer flex gives me plenty of control when charging steeper runs and riding in deep pow.
• Weight: Overall, this splitboard doesn’t feel heavy. A big selling point for me was the built-in carbon to give a lightweight feel, and more pop for jumps and quick maneuverability.
• Switch riding: This board is switch friendly compared to something like an Orca. The tail is rounded but the directional camber profile definitely prefers to ride frontward.
• Stability: Overall I’ve felt stable with this board in a wide range of conditions, and have experienced minimal chatter underfoot. It is more hard charging than it is playful.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Edge hold: The edge hold on this splitboard does the job in most conditions. The days that I rode it on a literal sheet of ice through the trees, the edge hold just wasn’t there. A splitboard with some Magne Traction (Lib Tech and GNU) would be more ideal for riding those types of conditions.
• Moguls: This splitboard is stiff, so maneuvering through moguls isn’t exactly ideal when I encounter them riding the resort. Honestly, it’s rare to ride moguls, since this split spends most of its time in the backcountry, so this is not a big issue.
• Park: This splitboard is designed for backcountry touring: off piste, skinning, trees, and pow stashes—so park riding isn’t its thing.
• Durability: The lack of durability of this splitboard surprised me for being a Burton product: it has already chipped and got scratched up a bit. Realistically, this split is meant to be lightweight (built-in carbon highlights with a super light core), so for the most part, it's holding up well for a little over 10 days of backcountry touring.

Favorite moment with this gear

I spent a weekend doing an avalanche-safety course after only two days of testing this splitboard out on my own. I felt confident on the uphill with Spark bindings and Kemper skins. Once I got into board mode and started cruising, this split got me stoked. It really thrives at speed and in powder.

Value for the money vs. other options

Overall, taking the leap into buying one’s first splitboard is an investment; so for my first setup, I really took my time to research each piece of gear individually. I’m really happy with the overall performance of this splitboard. The lightweight feel paired with the response is really solid for backcountry performance. Burton gear typically comes with a higher price tag, so a more budget-friendly option to get into the backcountry would be something like the Jones Frontier Splitboard. It’s a bit less aggressive compared to this splitboard, but of similar quality and features.

Final verdict

Burton continues to deliver on creating quality gear that performs. I’ve always dreamed of getting my own touring setup and the Hometown Hero does not disappoint. This split is a solid choice for anyone looking to get into the backcountry and have a board they can count on.