Jones Splitboarding F/W 2026/27 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Splitboarding F/W 2026/27 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: JONES
Interviewee: Xavier Nidecker (Jones Brand Manager)

How would you describe the 2024/25 splitboard season in terms of market performance and consumer demand?
Splitboard participation is at an all-time high and continues to rise. Sales in this category are also showing encouraging signs of growth due to the post-COVID product surplus easing. We remain a leader in this space, offering one of the most extensive collections of sustainably built, high-performance splits in the market and we’re fully committed to meeting renewed demand in the seasons ahead.

What major trends are shaping the splitboard market (pricing, consumer preferences, backcountry participation)?
Splitboarding’s in an exciting place – not only down to the number of participants, but also the diverse mix of riders sharing the skin track. Just like resort riders, today’s splitboarders are no longer a niche, one-dimensional group. It’s an experience-driven category, ranging from high-alpine “shralpinists” to deep powders seeker, local explorers to fitness focused tourers. The splitboard community is a broad cross-section, and our 26/27 line reflects this and meets riders where they are.

From changing consumer behavior to tariffs and supply chain stress, what’s been the biggest challenge for your brand recently?
Pricing will continue to shape the splitboard market. The biggest challenges haves been navigating ingoing macroeconomic shifts –from rising raw material and labor costs, to unstable exchange rates and evolving U.S tariffs. The landscape is changing constantly, making it harder to build reliable-long term plans That said, we’re in a strong position thanks to our manufacturing partner, SWS, which is outside of China, and only minimally impacted by tariffs. We also keep the U.S and European pricing strategies clearly separated to ensure transparency. Europeans are not bearing the costs of US tariffs. Despite the uncertainty, demand for splitboards is rising, and our line is built to meet that momentum.

How are you supporting retailers in selling this category?
Retailers are our main focus. We seem them as long-term partners and we’re fully committed to supporting their success, season after season. That starts with a responsible sell-in model: no overproduction, clean inventory, and strong margins. We prioritize early deliveries to give shops the best full-price window, and we support them with detailed product training, and compelling storytelling around our sustainability and innovation. Our sales teams stay close to each retailer to offer tailored support, from clinic hosting to assortment planning. Partner results drive a healthier snowboard market and snowboard scene. That’s our shared focus and goal. In the splitboard market specifically, we responded to early market saturation by carrying over most models rather than forcing yearly updates and major discounts. This helped protect shop margins and reset the market sustainably. It’s a long-term strategy, and one that’s been highly appreciated by our partners.

SPLITBOARD SPECIFIC

What trends or innovations in construction, shapes, or functionality (skinning, transitions, riding) are you highlighting in your 26/27 range?
For 26/27 we’ve adapted our hugely successful Howler snowboards into split-specific models. The new men’s and women’s Howler Splitboards are designed for confident freeriders who want to unlock their freestyle instincts deeper in the backcountry. We wanted to remove that “either/or” mindset in splitboarding, where riders often feel they must choose between a split geared towards bigger, more technical terrain vs. a platform under their feet that inspires full-throttle freestyle. The Howler Split fuses the two perfectly.

Are you using new materials in your splitboards (inserts, edges, cores, sidewalls, resin, glues, wood types, bases, top sheets, wax, etc.)?
The new Howler Splitboards feature the same Koroyd core in the nose as the solid versions, reducing swing weight and enhancing nose damping. Last season we introduced Bcomp carbon/flax stringers across much of the split line to improve vibration damping and torsional flex in both touring and ride modes.

What new approaches are you taking in design — graphics, patterns, collabs, or limited editions?
We’ve turned up the volume on some of our split graphics. Both the men’s and women’s Howler Splitboards carry a modern interpretation on late-’60s/’70s psychedelia. The Storm Chaser Split also winds the clock back, as Chris Christenson’s 26/27 Surf Series honors Peter St. Pierre’s pioneering airbrush work coming out of San Diego’s Moonlight Glassing’s. Outside those updates and new arrivals, many of our splitboards continue carry a clean, enduring graphic language.

Are you putting a stronger emphasis on particular ranges (e.g., freeride, expedition, lightweight touring, women’s-specific, entry-level) for 26/27?
We’re really pleased with where our splitboard line is today. Our range includes men’s, women’s, unisex, and youth models, catering to a wide spectrum of riders. From recreational backcountry enthusiasts earning their first turns to powder hounds seeking deep turns away from the crowds, right up to cutting-edge designs built for multi-day high-alpine expeditions, our 26/27 splitboard line reflects the diversity of riders exploring the backcountry.

Key Products:

Howler Splitboard:
The Howler Splitboard takes the original design of the next-level directional freeride board deeper into the backcountry. Based on the best-selling snowboard developed with Victor de Le Rue, its minimal taper and high-camber profile deliver pop, stability, and edge hold, turning technical terrain into your playground. It floats spine lines and stomps huge airs with authority.

Men-Howler-Split

Frontier 2.0 Splitboard:
The Frontier 2.0 Split is built to be the perfect split for the backcountry rider who wants a high-performance directional freeride shape with a friendly flex. Featuring a long nose, a tapered tail and a directional rocker profile, the Frontier 2.0 offers epic float in pow and solid edge grip on hardpack.

Men-Frontier-Split

Solution Splitboard:
The Solution Splitboard is the ultimate all-terrain split offering unrivalled backcountry performance in any snow condition. It’s floaty and playful in soft snow, yet stable and grippy on steep, hard snow, so you can venture deeper into the mountains and ride dream lines with confidence all season long.

Men-s-Solution-Splitboard-White