Uncategorized

frequency Approved: Venture Storm-R Splitboard

My first run ever on the Venture Storm-R splitboard was in Tahoe with Jeremy Jones during “Deep Week” in 2010—what Jones was calling the best snow he has ever ridden in Tahoe. Yet, on that first turn, I smashed a jagged Tahoe boulder—hard. Expecting my brand new splitty to be totaled, I surveyed the damage: nothing but a small gouge in the base, not even a core shot.

Relieved, I dropped in to some of the deepest turns of my life and quickly found that this was the Storm’s element: deep, deep snow. With rocker, taper, and a significant setback, the bombproof Storm planes like a surfboard in deep powder and is lightning quick when transitioning from toe to heel—enough so that on that day with Jones and the Deeper crew, one of the cinematographers told me he had nicknamed it “the cobra.”

Now well into my third season on the board, it is just starting to show signs of wear, but is still a pleasure to ride in the deep. From northwest concrete to Tahoe blower, summertime slush, corn, ice, and everything in between, I’ve put the Storm-R through its paces. In terms of performance, powder is clearly its niche, and the generous nose and medium-stiff flex wades through chundery runouts with ease. If I had one knock on the board, it may be in spring/summer conditions when it would be nice to be a little more centered and have a little more drive in the tail. However, since my sample was produced, Lisa Branner, co-owner at Venture Snowboards, explained that they had tweaked the rocker and taper profile in the tail a bit for more drive without sacrificing float.

It is clear that the Venture crew’s dedication to snowboarding shines through in their designs and the fact that they tailor every board to the individual rider with a variety of waist width and length combinations available shows they understand we aren’t all built the same—my board, for instance, is a 161 with a 25cm waist, something that’s quite hard to find within the stock offerings of most other companies. The Venture crew rides nearly every day in Silverton, CO, and they are in tune with the ever-changing needs of the growing splitboard community.

The Venture Storm-R, which is also available as a solid deck, is undoubtedly frequency TSJ approved and we look forward to future offerings from their factory in the San Juan Mountains.

CLOSE

The Snowboarder's Journal mailing list

We respect your time, and only send you the occasional update.