You’ve found the board and a pair of bindings you like. Now come the little bags of hardware: pucks, brackets, heel rests, disks. Which ones do you need, and which can you keep from your old setup?
The board’s mounting pattern and the binding’s connection system both matter. Spark, Karakoram and Union offer different ways to attach a binding for the descent and let it pivot for the climb. A part that bolts onto your board still needs to work with the binding above it.
Know what connects where
For riding, each binding sits across the joined board. For touring, you move it onto one half, facing the nose, with a pivot near your toes so your heel can rise as you walk. The hardware that makes those connections is the interface.
| Part | What it does | Where you’ll find it |
|---|---|---|
| Pucks or ride-mode interface | Holds the binding in your riding stance | Under each binding, across the board’s centre seam |
| Touring bracket or touring interface | Connects the toe end and lets the binding pivot for walking | On each board half, towards the nose from the riding position |
| Heel rest and heel riser | Supports the heel or raises it for steeper climbs | Behind the touring pivot; the climbing wire may be on the binding or board, depending on the system |
| Board clips and tip/tail hooks | Joins the two board halves | Along the centre seam and at the ends |
| Splitboard crampon | Adds teeth for grip on firm snow while touring | At the touring connection, extending around one board half |
With Spark’s T1 system, for example, the binding slides across the pucks for riding and into the touring bracket for walking.
Start with the board
Find the board’s model and year, then identify its mounting pattern: the arrangement of threaded inserts or channels used to attach the interface.
Spark Flat Pucks fit the standard splitboard insert pattern. They don’t fit channel-style boards or DIY boards without that pattern. For those, you’ll need mounting parts approved for that board’s layout. Spark’s puck page states those limits.
The word “Voilé-compatible” can describe the board’s insert pattern. It doesn’t mean every binding slides onto Voilé pucks. Karakoram’s interface mounts to the standard splitboard inserts, but Karakoram bindings use their own ride interface. Union Charger uses its own split disks.
Look at the board clips as well. Karakoram specifies its own splitboard clips and excludes Voilé Chinese hooks for use with its bindings. The Karakoram FAQ covers both the mounting pattern and this clip requirement.
Match the binding system
Use the model name on the binding and its year or generation to choose the row below. These are specific combinations, checked in October 2026.
| Binding | Connection for riding | Connection for touring | Crampon family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spark Arc ST / Surge ST, including PRO versions | Spark Flat or Canted Pucks on standard splitboard inserts | ST touring brackets and T1 heel rests | Spark Ibex ST or Ibex ST Pro |
| Karakoram Prime System bindings | Karakoram Prime ride interface approved for that binding generation | Matching Karakoram touring interface and heel risers | Karakoram Prime |
| Union Charger | Union Charger Split Disk | Charger touring brackets | Union Serrated Splitboard Crampon, with Charger handles |
| Union Explorer / Expedition 2.0 | Union Explorer Split Disk | Touring hardware for the Explorer/Expedition system | Union Serrated Splitboard Crampon, with Explorer handles |
| Union Expedition 1.0 | Union Explorer Split Disk | Expedition 1.0 touring hardware | The current Union Serrated crampon is not compatible |
Sources: Spark’s compatibility FAQ, Ibex ST, Karakoram’s system FAQ, Union’s disk guide and Union’s crampon fit list.
Can I keep my pucks?
If you’re replacing an older Spark binding with an Arc ST, you may be able to keep the ride-mode pucks. Spark lists both its own splitboard pucks and Voilé regular or canted pucks among the accepted options. The touring brackets and heel hardware need a separate look: an older pin-based setup uses different parts from T1.
Changing from Spark to Karakoram or Union Charger means replacing the pucks with the new system’s ride interface.
What about flat and canted pucks?
Canted pucks tilt the binding towards the centre of your stance; flat pucks keep it level across the board. Use the screws supplied for the puck you choose: Spark explicitly excludes Flat Puck screws from its Canted Pucks.
Buying used or updating an older setup?
Ask for a photo of the binding’s underside, its touring attachment and all the loose hardware. Those views help identify a generation when a listing only gives the brand.
Older Spark Blaze, Blaze TR and Burner bindings use the pin system and Mr. Chomps crampons. Arc and Surge use T1 and the Ibex family. Even within T1, replacement parts can differ: Spark’s ST bindings require ST Whammy Bars, while T1 bindings from 2021/22 and earlier require the standard version.
Karakoram Split30 is distinct from Prime and uses Split30 crampons. For an interface upgrade, Karakoram lists exceptions to the drop-in fit of Ride Mode 3.0, including some early Prime bindings and small women’s models. Identify the binding before buying the upgrade kit; the manual library separates the systems.
Regular snowboard bindings and hardboot setups
Compatible ordinary snowboard bindings can mount on a Voilé Slider Track with the standard-binding hardware kit. The binding stays on a plate that moves between modes, adding the plate’s weight to each foot. Hardboot setups use another combination of riding and touring parts and need their own component list.
Choose the crampons
Splitboard crampons add metal teeth beside the board half when the skin track is firm. They attach to your touring system, so choose the mounting family first, then the width.
For Union’s current Serrated crampon, the box contains different handles for the two supported systems: orange for Charger, black for Explorer. Choose the handle for your binding as shown in Union’s product details.
Will it clear the board?
The crampon needs room around one board half at the mounting position. Follow the maker’s width chart, then check that the fitted crampon moves through its working range without rubbing the edges or topsheet. Board shape and the location of the mount affect that clearance.
Spark offers an Ibex ST sizing chart for its Narrow, Regular and Wide versions. Union lists 140 mm and 160 mm options for its current Serrated model.
Check what’s in the box
A pair of bindings may come with the touring hardware while leaving the ride connection to a separate purchase. Here are three examples from the manufacturers’ lists:
| Package | Listed mounting parts | Separate purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Spark Arc ST 2025/26 | ST brackets, T1 heel rests, mounting screws and Pocket Tool | Ride-mode pucks |
| Karakoram Alpine Prime splitboard package | Ride and tour interfaces, heel risers and mounting hardware | Board clips |
| Union Charger 2027 | Charger Split Disk with magnesium adapter plates, touring brackets, mounting hardware and splitboard strap | — |
Crampons are a separate purchase for these examples. See the Arc ST package list, Karakoram FAQ and Charger 2027 package list. Compare these with the package being sold, especially for used bindings or a binding-only offer.
Karakoram’s Quiver bindings are a separate case: they come set up for solid boards. Add the Connect Split Kit to equip them for splitboarding. A set of solid-board Quiver-Connectors doesn’t supply the splitboard touring connection.
A complete Spark example
Say you’re starting with a bare factory splitboard with standard inserts and buying the Arc ST 2026. Its package supplies the brackets and heel rests. Add a set of splitboard pucks for riding. If you want crampons, choose Ibex ST in the width indicated for your board by Spark’s chart.
Put the setup together
Before the first tour, fit your boots in the bindings and adjust the straps. Run through both modes on a clean board. The riding connection should engage and lock as the maker shows; the touring connection should pivot freely and lock at the toe. Try the climbing positions and fit the crampons so you know how they attach.
If a binding jams, clear snow or ice from the connection and check its alignment. Spark’s setup guidance explains puck alignment; Karakoram’s manuals show how its interfaces seat and lock. Use the instructions for your system for screw length, tightening and locking checks.
Browse our splitboard bindings and parts and accessories. For help with an existing setup, send us the board and binding model, their years if known, and clear photos of the binding underside, board mounts and crampons. Include what you’d like to replace or reuse.