Weston Hatchet Splitboard

The core is Westons Freedom Wood Core which combines paulownia and poplar wood in order to maximize performance while minimizing weight. Paulownia offers the best strength to weight ratio while poplar is the jack of all trades, offering excellent durability and response. The Hatchet’s build offers a slightly softer flex, ideal for those who want to play.

Camber underfoot ensures lots of pop and quick response throughout your turns on the way down and maximum skin contact for the way up. This also provides the best edge hold for both the uphill and downhill.

Weston’s Split Tech provides a full-length inner edge complete with sidewall and dampening tape. They also designed the tail to be slightly heavier than the nose to help out with kick turns on the skin track.

Rooted Inserts increase strength and durability; these are flax inserts used as reinforcement in specific areas of the core. The use of flax instead of petroleum-based alternatives is more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Tri-axe Glass is also used in the Hatchet’s core and is a triple axis stitched fiberglass that increases stiffness, precision, and response in any snow or terrain. 

Carbon is weaved through the core from the top sheet to the base and back again, essentially acting as a built-in spring. This S Weave of Carbon is an innovative technology designed to increase pop

Ultraclips from Karakoram are the strongest splitboard clips on the market with the lowest profile and keep the board pulled tightly together. They not only offer impressive compression between the two halves of the board but can be easily adjusted so that that compression is maintained as the board and clips age. The levers lockdown in split-mode to eliminate rattling and unwanted movement while walking or skiing. The hardware features hole-less tech that eliminates the usual holes in the base of the snowboard, leaving the base smooth.

The tip and tail clips are Karakoram Tip-Locks which feature active joining tech. The small slider pulls the board together similarly to the Ultraclips. The result is the elimination of the rattling, shearing, and rolling associated with passive slip-fit connections.

Stainless steel tips on the nose and tail add durability in otherwise vulnerable areas, and the metal edge runs the full length on both inner and outer edges. The tip and tail spacers are stitched to the core, further enhancing the durability of the board.

The Hatchet’s base uses an Electra Sintered Base and is Weston’s fastest base. Carbon additives in the base are used to distribute static friction across the base and promote a more even film of water for you to glide on. In order to maintain the integrity and speed of the base, Weston offers a Boltless Base, which also makes tuning the base easier. 

The Hatchet’s sidewalls are made from polyurethane, offering increased durability and dampening. All this goodness comes wrapped in recyclable packaging and is the product of carbon-neutral manufacturing and features VOC free inks and epoxies.

Weston offers one of the longest warranties in the industry, an impressive 4 years on manufacturer defects. Should your “defect” not be due to a manufacturing mishap, but due to shredding your board to death, they also offer the Board Slayer Program. If you destroy your Weston snowboard doing “something cool”, Weston will consider giving you 30% off a new setup. 

Last but not least, Weston takes part in 1% For the Planet. This means that 1% of their total sales go to offsetting their carbon footprint. They also donate to the National Forest Foundation and AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education).

Veneer: Maple
Core: paulownia and poplar
Sidewalls: Polyurethane

• Freedom Wood Core
• PU Sidewalls
• Tri-axe Glass
• S weave carbon
• Electra sintered base
• Maple veneer
• Stitched tips
• Rooted inserts
• Forged tips
• Split tech
• Karakoram Ultraclips

The folks at Weston seem to have a pretty good handle on making snowboards. This is the third board we have reviewed and all have been really quality rides—both the Weston 10th Mountain Split and the Weston Range. Each board I’ve tried has had a very unique personality and excels at its designed purpose.

The idea of a volume-shifted board is one that seems to work quite well. Short and fat means it’s easy to maneuver and spin around but still floats effortlessly in deep powder. I found that turn initiation was pretty slow and this is likely to do with both the twin shape and the extra width. This isn’t really an issue as the board can be forced around quickly due to its short length, meaning that there isn’t really a big impact on maneuverability. It caught me by surprise trying to lean into a turn and not having the quick response but with a quick pull it can still turn on a dime. 

What really surprised me was the effectiveness in hardpack. The Hatchet is designed for powder but I found it to be quite stable and grippy on hard snow surfaces. It was super fun to carve on and was nice and agile for flat ground tricks. 

It comes as no surprise that this is a weapon in the powder, effortlessly floating and playful for spins and butters. The ride is poppy and fast!

One disadvantage to the unique nose and tail shape is that standard skin clips may not fit very well. I use G3 skins and the nose clip essentially didn’t really grab. It held out ok for the days that I rode it, but I would suggest getting the skins that are designed for the board. Weston suggests using Pomoca skins with this splitboard and they’ve even designed their own tail clips so you get the best grab on their boards.

All in, this is a pow-slaying machine that will bring a smile to anyone's face who likes a playful ride.