Venture Odin Bags Backcountry Magazine’s Prestigious “Editor’s Choice” Award

A couple of months ago Snowboard-Review posted the exciting news that backcountry snowboard specialists Venture Snowboards had teamed up with Swedish big mountain legend Johan Olofsson to create the Odin. We suspected that the fusion of one of America’s only backcountry dedicated snowboard manufacturers and the man who pointed 1000 meters of vertical in 35 seconds in the memorable TB5 video would be rather good. Now, thanks to Backcountry Magazine the board has been certified good, winning the coveted Editor’s Choice award. Being across the pond and without European distribution it’s a little hard for Snowboard-Review to get hold of Venture boards, but we’re happy to concede that Backcountry Magazine do a good job of reviewing boards so their opinion is as legit as it gets without our seal of approval.

As the premier backcountry skiing and snowboarding publication in North America, Backcountry Magazine’s endorsement is highly coveted within the snow sports industry. This year’s annual product test was held at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, where a selection of boards from top manufacturers were put through their paces both on piste and off by a crew of 35 independent testers. When the powder cloud settled, Venture’s Odin Splitboard emerged as a top choice.

According to Backcountry, outstanding tester response, exceptionally high scores, and category-leading overall performance contributed to their selection of the Odin as a 2012 Gear Guide Editors’ Choice. Additionally, testers gave it the “Best in Pow” award, and said, “When the stakes are high, you want the Odin underfoot.”

The Odin is the result of a close collaboration between legendary rider Johan Olofsson and Venture’s founder and design engineer, Klemens Branner.  Dubbed Odin after the Norse god of war and wisdom, this big mountain beast is a nod to its creators’ Viking roots and is the ideal choice for hard charging freeriders who like to pull out all the stops.

Tailored to Olofsson’s riding style and preferred terrain, the Odin combines all mountain precision with powder specific features for uncompromising performance across the full range of big mountain conditions.  Moderate sidecut delivers wide arching turns and quadratic sidecuts offer plenty of grip, while a rockered shape and serious stance offset promise plenty of float when Mother Nature gives up the goods. As with all boards in the Venture line, the Odin is available both solid and split.

The Odin is the third board in the Venture quiver to receive an Editors’ Choice Award, following close on the heels of victories by the Zephyr Splitboard in 2011 and the Storm Splitboard in 2010. “Three Editors’ Choice awards don’t lie,” says Branner. “To receive such an incredible honor three years running is a huge statement about the quality and performance or our boards. Clearly the backcountry community feels we’re doing it right.”

Olofsson agrees, and is excited be pushing the boundaries with innovative new designs. “I’m always looking into projects that will progress the sport, in this case freeride boards which are getting to be a rare breed in the industry. Working on this level with Venture makes it possible to create and shape boards quickly, and I hope to get some more good shapes out there for you all in the future.”

The Odin Splitboard will receive special coverage in this year’s Backcountry Gear Guide which will hit the newsstands in September.

The Odin is also available for pre-order through the Venture webstore.

Founded in 1999 by the husband and wife team of Klemens and Lisa Branner, Venture handcrafts premium quality freeride boards and splitboards from scratch in Silverton, Colorado using sustainably harvested woods and wind power.  Learn more about the company at www.venturesnowboards.com.

 

Posted by Rich Ewbank in Blog & News.

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