Aaron Brill, founder of the rogue ski area Silverton Mountain, has long dreamed of designing his own snowboard. Now his ideas are becoming reality through a partnership with Venture Snowboards.
Started in 2002, Silverton Mountain is the highest ski area in North America with a peak elevation of 13,487 feet. The mountain boasts over 1,819 acres of skiable terrain, a base elevation of 10,400 feet and over 33 feet of average annual snowfall. Ranked No. 1 in Steeps and No. 1 in Powder Snow in the United States  by Skiing Magazine, Silverton Mountain has quickly gained a global reputation as one of the best ski areas in the world, and has become the ultimate destination for expert powder skiers and snowboarders.
Venture Snowboards is an independent, grassroots manufacturer that has been handcrafting superior performance snowboards since 1999. The company builds its boards from scratch in Silverton, with premium materials and meticulous attention to detail. Over the years, the company has received accolades for its use of wind power and sustainably harvested hardwoods, and has been recognized internationally for its green design practices. With a no-frills aesthetic and an emphasis on performance over hype, Venture’s audience matches that of Silverton Mountain — expert snowboarders looking for a genuine, down-to-earth mountain experience.
With Venture’s recent move to Silverton, a partnership between the two businesses seemed a natural next step. Both Silverton and Venture are run by dedicated husband-and-wife teams, both sets of owners are diehard snowboarders, and both companies eschew the glitz so often associated with snow sports in favor of a hardcore, no-frills approach.
“They have the exact same mindset as us, so it's a good fit,” said Jenny Brill, co-owner of the ski area.
Venture has become the ski area’s official snowboard sponsor and maintains a fleet of demo boards at the mountain. In addition, Venture's founder and design engineer, Klemens Branner, has been collaborating with his counterpart at Silverton Mountain to develop a big mountain deck, influenced by the terrain that is fast making Silverton a legend.
“I’m really excited to be working with Aaron and to tap his expertise.  Our initial prototypes have performed well, and I think some revolutionary designs will come out of this partnership,” said Branner.
Last winter, input from Brill was used to develop Venture's big mountain board, the Storm. For this winter, they've tweaked the Storm's design by adding a modified swallowtail.  "The tail is forked as with any other swallowtail, but it curves upward like a standard board rather than being flat," says Branner. "This means you can ride switch, which is damn near impossible on a traditional swallowtail, and still have all the powder-specific benefits."
After putting the board through its paces on Silverton Mountain, Brill seems happy with the design.
“This board rips all big mountain conditions with no loss of torsional rigidity typically found in other swallowtails, and when it gets extra deep the unique tail kicks in for optimum powder riding and no leg burn.”
The limited edition Silverton Mountain Swallowtail features custom Silverton Mountain graphics, and is available exclusively at Silverton Mountain. Venture will have the board on display at the SIA show in Las Vegas.
 (Booth #H86, Section C).
For more information on Venture call (970) 387.5078 or visit the company online at www.venturesnowboards.com.  To find out more about Silverton Mountain, call (970) 387.5706 or check out their Web site:  www.silvertonmountain.com.