Venture Zephyr 2013 - 2010 Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

Size 159

Days: 2

Conditions: Hard Pack Conditions on both days.

Riders: James, Peter, and Dylan

Bindings Used- Union Force SL’s and Flux SF45

Boots: Burton SLX, Burton Ion and Nike Kaiju

Set Up- Slightly set back about 22.5″ wide 18 front -6 back. 

Venture is a company that isn’t very well known outside of CO and doesn’t even try to market on the east or west coast which is a shame.  They make a good board but almost don’t even want to tell you about it unless you are in CO.  We were looking forward to riding the Zephyr but to our surprise, we found the Helix a lot more fun.

On Snow Feel: We found the Zephyr to be quite a different ride than it’s twin shaped brother the Venture Helix. This had an even more aggressive ride than the Helix and it felt like it was just too stiff/aggressive to have fun on. This board feels like it’s gone too far.  It would of been great to see a directional shaped Helix.

Powder:  We had no powder but could tell by our experience that this would be good to borderline excellent for a board of its shape.  There is a lot of rocker in the nose and the flat profile between the feet will keep the board planing well.

Turn Initiation and Carving– This took a bit of work to go from edge to edge.  Tight turn initiation took some work but we still liked the feel.  Some people want to work for their turns and this will suit those who do.  When it came to a nice big turn it was really fun.  It didn’t have that playful feel the Helix had but we were happy to lean into a big carve with the Zephyr and liked it’s all around directional feel.

Speed: We expected a fast board and we sure did ride one.  This was very damp and ready for any speed we could throw at it.  The base is fast and the board felt chatter free.  No clown shoe effect from the rather rocker nose.

Uneven Terrain: Its the kind of board that can handle chunder but hard uneven snow feels rough.

Approximate Weight– well built but pretty light.

Edge Hold: It held in the hard pack well and is definitely on the high end of good and maybe even borderline excellent.  We expected the edge hold to be like this and weren’t disappointed. It might be one of the best flat/rocker boards when it comes to edge hold that we have ridden.  All Venture boards seem to do this.

Flex: This is a pretty stiff flex.

Switch: There is a difference between switch and regular but you get used to it after a few turns.  The Helix was much better for this but of course, it will be better because it’s a twin.

Jibbing– No thanks.

Pipe: Many people like us prefer a more stiff board in the pipe.  This has enough edge hold to get up and down in the pipe.  Some might like a softer more twin-ish ride in the pipe but those that like the directional stiff ride will have fun with the Zephyr.

Jumps: Like the Helix we found it to be more poppy than we thought a flat/rocker board could be but it was still lacking when it came to generating your own air compared to other boards we tried that day.  The best jump to hit with the Zephyr is natural terrain but it will be ok off the kicker line in the park.