Editor's Note, 3 October 2026: New review, from the field notes of our snowboard crews at Whistler Blackcomb.
Shaun and Tony toured the Weston Dream Machine Splitboard in the Whistler backcountry. It climbed icy skin tracks with real grip and rejoined without a rattle. It scores 82 out of 100 and ranks #10 in our best snowboards guide as our best Splitboard.
Best Splitboard
Weston Dream Machine Splitboard
Bottom Line : A strong rider's backcountry board: grippy on the skin track, damp in chop and poppy off natural features. Newer riders will feel its weight.
Pros
- Excellent skin-track grip on icy climbs
- Damp and composed in chop
- Halves rejoin tight, zero rattle
Cons
- Heavy on kick-turns for newer riders
- Needs speed and a strong stance
- More work in deep powder than a swallowtail
On the Mountain
On the way up, its camber gave Tony excellent skin-track grip on steep, icy ascents, and the clips pulled the halves together tightly with zero rattle. Shaun found the transitions at the top seamless.
On the way down, the camber between the feet held a solid edge on firm snow up high, and below the alpine it stayed damp and composed through variable chop.
Outstanding for backcountry freestyle. It tracked perfectly into side hits and popped huge off natural wind lips.
Tony, pro rider
Where It Asks Something of You
As a directional twin it takes more work to keep the nose up in bottomless powder than a dedicated swallowtail would. TheGoodRide's test of the solid Dream Machine also found its float limited.
It needs speed and a strong stance. Ryan and James found it a struggle: its weight wore them out on kick-turns, and on the low-angle runouts it felt sluggish unless they rode aggressively and fast.
Spec Sheet vs Our Test
- Camber-dominant profile: Excellent grip on icy skin tracks; needs speed to engage
- Clips and hardware: Halves rejoined tight, zero rattle
- Directional twin: Pops off natural features; more work in deep powder
Should You Buy the Weston Dream Machine Splitboard?
Yes, if you are a strong rider who wants a grippy, poppy all-rounder in the backcountry. Newer splitboarders will find it heavy going on the climb. Our crew rode the 158 cm. It is new for 2026/2027, so there are no owner reports yet on long-term durability.
Strong backcountry riders who want one splitboard for skinning, chop and natural features.
Compare With
- Jones Flagship Pro: our best Men's Snowboard.
- Rome Ravine Pro: our best Powder Board.
- Jones Howler: our best Board for Carving.
- Arbor El Camino: our best All-Around Performer.
- Arbor Rain: our top Board for Kickers and Cliffs.
- Rome Women's Ravine: our best Women's Snowboard.
- Lib Tech Dynamiss: our best Women's Board for Carving.
- Jones Women's Howler: our best Women's All-Mountain Board.
- CAPiTA Space Metal Fantasy: our best Women's Freestyle Board.
See all ten, and how we tested them, in our best snowboards of 2026/2027 guide. Heading out on two planks instead? Read our best all-mountain skis guide.
Our Testers
This review was edited by Sean Williams and tested at Whistler Blackcomb by our lead tester and snowboard crews.
- Sean Williams, Editor-in-Chief. Sean built the team of researchers and testers behind our reviews and edits every guide. His rule: we say what we actually found.
- Ryan Williams, Lead Tester. An aggressive, heavy charger on skis who hunts for steep, punishing terrain; on a snowboard, Ryan rides with our intermediate crew. He has led our field tests from Whistler Blackcomb to the shore of Lake Louise.
- James Warburton, Tester. An ex-racer on skis, James rides with our beginner to intermediate crew on a snowboard. He lives in Calgary and also tested our fat bikes at Lake Tahoe.
- Shaun, Tester. One of our pro snowboarders, aged 57.
- Tony French, Tester. One of our pro snowboarders. Tony lives in Morzine, in the French Alps.
- Ali, Tester. A pro snowboarder on our women's crew, Ali lives in Morzine, in the French Alps.
- Annie, Tester. An intermediate snowboarder on our women's crew, Annie lives in Calgary.
- Tom, Tester. Strong in bowls and glades, Tom took our powder boards into Symphony Bowl.
- Amy, Tester. Our strongest snowboarder, riding at pro level. On skis she is a progressing intermediate.
- The pro and intermediate crews. Riders from Calgary, the French Alps and beyond, who met up at Whistler to ride the same boards on the same runs.
