Who’s the Korua Elevator Break up For?
Korua’s founders Nicholas Wolken and Stephan Maurer have been already of their 30s when the model began, and particularly got down to construct boards aimed toward riders their age and above. The idea was impressed partially by a visit to Japan, the place they have been wowed by the homegrown, snow surf tradition, with its emphasis on carving (each on piste and off) versus typical freestyle.
All Korua boards are constructed primarily for turning, and the Elevator Splitboard isn’t any exception. What units this aside is that it’s been formed not simply for the descent, however for the climbs too. An evolution of the model’s Escalator splitboard, it’s tremendous light-weight. (The 162cm model weighs simply 2.6kg, nearly a full kilo lighter than the Korua Dart splitboard, for instance). It additionally includes a sidecut designed to make the cut up skis simpler to deal with on the climbs.
Should you’re somebody who spends lengthy days within the backcountry and values climbing effectivity—and even in the event you’re simply sick of falling behind your mates on touring skis—then the Elevator cut up is for you.
Form, Profile and Sidecut
The notches on the tip and tail and the holes for the z-hook skins (bought individually) are probably the most clearly distinctive options of the Korua Elevator Break up. The nostril notch, lined with metallic on the bottom, helps the board deal with extra like skis on the climb and prevents the sharp corners from snagging, whereas the tail notch acts like a miniature swallowtail. The z-hook pores and skin holes, in the meantime, make getting your skins on and off simpler. As helpful as all of those are, it’s the much less apparent options of the board’s form that basically make a distinction to the way it behaves.
The sidecut is shallow, with a prolonged, 9.4m common radius on the 162 that we examined—over a metre longer than the common radius on a “regular” board, like a Burton Customized, of the identical size. What this implies in apply is that the board favours lengthy carves, making it excellent for hooning it down open faces or straight-lining couloirs.
The shallow sidecut additionally helps if you’re skinning again up, permitting the cut up skis to deal with extra like, nicely, skis. They grip higher on icy pores and skin tracks, and aid you really feel extra assured on sketchy, steep kick turns.
There’s a major taper to the form, with the nostril a full 20mm wider than the tail. This helps the nostril float and the tail keep down in deep snow, and like most splitboards, it’s directional, with a 35mm setback stance, which helps to scale back the dreaded again leg burn additional. The profile options traditional camber between the bindings, and a rockered rise in the direction of that large, floaty nostril.
Development & Supplies
The Elevator cut up options the identical Paulownia/Poplar wooden, light-weight core featured on many Korua fashions, and the model’s quick, ‘Perlatech’ sintered base. However there are a few intelligent little split-specific additions that set it aside.
One is the usage of a hybrid carbon building within the glass-fibre layers across the base, which helps hold the burden down. The opposite is the model’s new, snow-repellant topsheet, designed to cease heavy, moist snow sticking and including additional weight when you climb.
The Union Professional Splitboard Clips holding it collectively are a comparatively new mannequin from the Italian binding model, and really feel stable.
Roundup
The Elevator clearly represents a step ahead for Korua’s splitboard line. Relatively than taking an current form and sawing it down the center, they’ve thought by way of each factor, and it reveals, each on the climbs and the descents
Should you’re on the lookout for a cut up that’ll do super-deep days reducing between tight bushes (in British Columbia, or Japan, for instance)) then different fashions, with tighter sidecuts, could also be higher suited. However in the event you’re splitboarding within the Alps, or actually anyplace that boasts high-alpine terrain, that is the canine’s bollocks.
Professionals
Carves like a dream on the downhills, floats like a ship in powder, and handles ice and crud with aplomb. On the uphills, the light-weight supplies and split-specific sidecut and form make a discernible distinction.
Cons
It’s not low cost, for starters. And whereas it’s completely able to dealing with all circumstances, it’s clearly optimised for open alpine touring over lengthy distances. So if all you’re prone to be doing is brief cut up laps by way of tight bushes, you could be higher off wanting elsewhere.
Tester’s Verdict 2024/25
Tristan Kennedy, former Whitelines deputy editor
Dimension: 162
“I’ve owned a Korua board—an early mannequin known as the Puzzle—for about 10 years, and have ridden it on a few of my best-ever days within the backcountry. I wouldn’t name myself a complete stan, however I like what I’ve seen of the model and the merchandise they’ve put out within the years since. So I undoubtedly got here into this take a look at anticipating to get pleasure from their newest splitboard providing, and I wasn’t dissatisfied.
What I wasn’t anticipating was how completely different it might really feel to the Puzzle. The pair share an analogous tapered form, however you might really feel the longer sidecut on the Elevator cut up immediately—its ‘pure’ flip radius was for much longer, making it really feel tremendous comfy on extensive, sweeping turns.
The primary time I rode this was on a heliski day within the Accursed Mountains of Albania (I do know, I’m a fortunate bugger, not all Whitelines take a look at days are like that!). We had about 50cm of deep, recent snow, however there have been wind-scoured patches, so that you needed to be in your guard. The Elevator dealt with each the scratchy surfaces and the smooth powder simply, feeling stable underfoot in a method I wasn’t anticipating for a light-weight board.
Whereas I didn’t use it in cut up mode that day (for apparent causes) I’ve subsequently taken it out a number of instances on a backcountry run I commonly experience in my ‘residence’ resort of Passo Tonale, Italy. It climbs superbly, dealing with ice with ease, and makes kick turns really feel simple.
That is the primary board I’ve ridden with Union Professional Splitboard clips, which felt stable on the downhills and have been easy to control on the changeovers. And I actually favored the pre-cut z-hook skins—made by Austrian model Kohla—that Korua despatched over with it.
I’d say this board would swimsuit riders who’re critical in regards to the uphills, and anybody who spends numerous time touring within the Alps.”
Ranking: 10/10
Header Picture : Aaron Scwartz
