Venture Snowboards – Zelix Splitboard Review

Venture Snowboards continually win awards from Backcountry Magazine, Transworld Snowboarding, and Outside Magazine for their boards, which is very respectable coming from a small local run board manufacture in the USA.  Their quality control, testing, and zero tolerance for flaw makes them a strong contender for one of the best splitboards on the market today.

We had a chance to take the Venture Zelix out in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah backcountry to test out the Zelix for ourself and this is what we though of the board.

First Impressions

Reviewing splitboards can be difficult and you can I’m sure attest to by reading other reviews.  They are very subjective and hard to gather empirical evidence from.  There are the notorious regurgitated features that can be copied and pasted from the manufacture website, but there is also the relative review from the individual rider.  We try to give a good taste of both, with the goal in mind that this review will help someone make the decision if the Venture Zelix splitboard is the right board for them.

Splitboards are expensive, and the Zelix is right up there at the top, infact it is nearing the price of a carbon splitboard yet is not.

At first look the board reminded us of some of the older construction methods used for sandwich construction and p-tex sidewall.  And it was evident that it would reap the benefits and downfalls of such construction.  The benefit being that vertical or slanted sidewall sandwich construction is durable, and strong at the edge of the board.  However, top sheet and delamination are always a concern. Because the sidewall is carried all the way to the tip and tail, there is some additional noticed swing weight over a traditional cap construction, or tapered nose and tail.  Again, this is a catch because we feel that this brings overall durability to the board when a direct impact against the sidewall.  So the trade-off would be up to you, if you are riding in a known rocky area, where impacts are inevitable, the Zelix would be a great option.

The overall weight of the board feels very average to other splitboards on the market.  The flex however feels quite a bit noticeably softer than other boards we have ridden.

A parallel look down the base of the board, quickly identified that this was a flat camber with rocker nose and tail.  A great option for both touring and riding fun.

On the mountain:

Touring

We used the Venture Zelix with Volie (Black Diamond) Skins while touring.  The p-tex base held the skins well and provided a solid platform for uphill mobility, and skin adhesion.  The flat under foot is great for providing skin glide and grip without sacrificing ride on the way down.  A slight bit of camber might have helped with touring on conditions just to improve the surface traction and area .

Skins released easily, and transition with Volie standard hardware was as normal.  The tall inner sidewall made the board connection easier than some on the market that have a cap construction on both the inner and outer edge of the ski.

Riding

Dropping in with the Zelix, we noticed the softer flex tip to tail as well as torsionally in the lateral movement as opposed to most other splitboards we have ridden.  This makes to board feel very fun and playful in the powder, and not so fun in the rough hard chop.  With the softer flex, it’s a great board if you know you are going to be playing full time in the backcountry, and waiting for the storms to blanket with fresh snow.

Defiantly worth pointing out is that the tail is tapered slightly (The nose width is a bit wider than the tail width), again this makes for a super fun board in the powder, with effortless float, but not to the extreme of say a swallow tail.

Features:

• Seamless Split Technology aims to achieve zero tolerance between the two ski once they are together. This provides the most “Snowboard Solid” feel to a splitboard.
• P-Text Sidewalls and Base (Durasurf Sintered Base)
• Triaxial Fiberglass
• Cold Rolled High Carbon Edges (Rockwell 48 Carbon Steel Edges)
• Fusion Flex: flex and sidecut for stability and control
• Four waist width (24,25,26,27) for all feet sizes
• Castor Bean Topsheet (No petroleum products here)

Awards:

• 2014 Transworld Snowboarding Good Wood
• 2015 Transworld Snowboarding Good Wood
• Outside Magazine Gear of the Year
• Editors Choice Backcountry Magazine

 Sizes:

Review Points:

1. Weight: Average
2. Riding Style: Freeride
3. Riding Level: Intermediate, Advanced
4. Manufactured in: Silverton Colorado USA
5. Shape: Directional Twin, with taper from nose to tail for better float
6. Camber Profile: Straight-line Rocker (Flat in between feet, rocker in tip and tail)
7. Stance (Set back): 20 mm
8. Flex: 5/10 by our standards
9. Construction: Aspen, Poplar(Stringer), Ash(Stringer) with Sidewall
10. Warranty: 2 Year, only original purchaser from authorized dealer

 Conclusion:

We weren’t to stoked on the design for the top sheet, but thought the base was pretty good looking with it’s neon green and Venture snow flake accenting the base. The build quality seem superb when compared to many other splitboards on the market.   When in hand, the board boast a solid quality feel.  Having not spent more than a couple days on the board, it’s hard to say how it would hold up over the years, but based on other reviews we have read and speaking with Venture directly, quality and durability are #1 for them.

The only down side to the board would be the price.  It’s at the higher end of the price range and most defiantly out of reach for someone just entering the sport of splitboarding.  With a retail price close to $900 this board is made for someone that can’t sacrifice quality for cost.

The last interesting point that stands out for the Zelix is the flex. Having ridden many splitboards, it’s noticeably softer in the flex, which offers a smoother ride and a little more play in the pow.  However, chatter is a major problem for rough and hard conditions.

http://venturesnowboards.com/zelix-splitboard

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