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Spark R&D's NEW Unisex Sizing Chart

For the 22/23 season, we have combined our men's and women's sizing charts into a single unisex chart.

The 22/23 season is upon us and there are big things happening at Spark R&D. The introduction of our ST Tech and NEW Asym Highbacks has splitboarders super stoked this season! These updates have taken our industry-leading tech to a new level, but that's not the extent of the changes. We’ve also made some important updates to how we’re organizing our sizing chart. Beginning in the 22/23 season, we are combining our men’s and women’s sizing charts into one unisex chart. That means we will no longer be offering a women’s specific binding.

Before we get to the why …

 

Some context and history:

We began offering women’s specific binding options and colorways in 2015. Since then, we’ve watched the women’s splitboard category takeoff! It’s been amazing to witness, and we couldn’t be more proud of the small part we’ve played in getting more women in the backcountry. There were several advantages to starting the women’s line including specifically calling out “women” in splitboarding; but the biggest factor when we introduced that line was we saw the need for a smaller binding that fit smaller boots. The women’s XS/S had a shorter and narrower baseplate, and a highback that sat lower on the back of the boot thanks to a shorter heel loop. The women’s M/L was identical to the men’s small sizing. In addition to the sizing specs, the women’s line also received its own unique colorways.

 

Why we wanted this to change going forward:

After many internal deliberations, and a literal pros and cons worksheet, we ultimately decided to combine the men’s and women’s sizing charts into one unisex chart. Below are the main factors that went into this decision:

1

Sizing, in general, from a binding perspective is much better discussed in terms of boot length and bulk, rather than men’s or women’s.

2

Having the men’s and women’s chart was tricky for certain riders. Some female riders were a better fit for a men’s medium, and some men were a better fit for a women’s XS/S. We now have a single chart that accommodates all boot sizes, regardless of sex.

3

We’ve seen a lot of younger splitboarders in the last few years. Regardless of sex, they tend to have smaller feet and fit better in our smallest binding. Having a unisex option for them is better than immediately angling them to a women’s binding.

4

Some of our Male customers were jealous of our women’s colorways! And some of our female customers were jealous of our male colorways! Why not offer all colors to everyone?

5

The final big reason comes from the manufacturing and production side of things. As most of you already know, splitboarding has exploded over the last five years. Simplifying the line and sizing chart streamlines our manufacturing and allows us to produce bindings more efficiently. This means we can get them off to our dealers and customers more quickly.

So, here’s the big change:

spark unisex sizing chart

It’s important to note that the new chart and line covers all the same boot sizes as the men’s and women’s lines did. What has changed is that we will no longer have a W’s XS/S we will just have size XS, and we no longer have a W’s M/L and a M’s Small, we just have a Small. Additionally, there won’t be women’s or men’s specific colors, but we do offer three unique colorways for each binding, both Arc ST and Surge ST. We believe there will be a good color option for all splitboarders.

 

We will continue to promote and support women in splitboarding! This will never change! We are excited to see more and more women on the skin track and enjoying all the great things that come with human-powered shred missions. Going forward, we just won’t have women’s specific bindings, we’ll simply have splitboard bindings for splitboarders.

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