Kronicle - the first mag dedicated to backcountry snowboarding

Height of Land Publications (HOL), the parent company of Backcountry, recently announced that it will be releasing a new backcountry snowboarding dedicated title this fall called Kronicle!

Kronicle is a backcountry snowboard publication tailored to riders with a thirst for untracked snow, untapped lines, and exploration. We’re employing the richest stories, images and design to chronicle the people and places of backcountry snowboarding. That’s not all—we also report on the gear and skills riders need to reach their mountain objectives.

In 2011, snowboarding’s limitations are dissolving on the up and down. Athletes with star power, from Johan Olofsson to Xavier de Le Rue to Jeremy Jones are developing new backcountry gear and shining the spotlight on bc riding. Now more riders than ever are heading out of bounds, splitboarding, taking snowcat and heli trips, and putting new lines on the map. Getting out there.

During its relatively short lifespan, snowboarding has covered a lot of ground and backcountry is the next frontier. It’s a homecoming of sorts, coming back to where it all began, bringing the sport full circle and leading us to Kronicle. This is our story, and it’s just the beginning. —Mike Horn, Editor

Johan Olofsson Joins Venture Snowboards

One of snowboarding's most sustainable companies is super stoked to announce that big mountain legend Johan Olofsson has joined their team as a product tester, and will be contributing to product design and development at Venture Snowboards.

Initially an accomplished freestyle rider, Swedish-born Olofsson is renowned for being one of the first snowboarders to take freestyle tricks out of the terrain park and into big mountain environments. According to an interview in White Lines, "What followed was nothing short of mindblowing...he tackled lines which veterans of the Alaskan heli scene had only contemplated in their dreams, with a speed and fluidity that would change the concept of freeriding forever."

In 1996, Olofsson shook the very foundations of snowboarding with his descent of the Cauliflower Chutes in the Standards Films movie TB5. The ride took him down an Alaskan slope of over 40 degrees and 3,000 vertical feet in just 35 seconds, averaging close to 50 miles per hour. This feat landed him in the 1996 Guinness Book of World Records and solidified his status as a living legend of big mountain snowboarding.

Olofsson's involvement with Venture began last spring when we sent him a splitboard while filming in Glacier Bay National Park for the Teton Gravity Research movie Deeper. After riding Venture's Storm splitboard in some of Alaska's most remote and inaccessible terrain, Olofsson was impressed. "I like the solid feel of Venture boards and the first try at riding the Storm was a blast. The rockered shape and snappy turns make it a fun freeride board. You can slash and throw the tail around in all kinds of places. I like to have fun on my board and this one helps."

The primary role Olofsson will play with Venture will be to influence product design and development. "I'm super stoked to have Johan riding our boards and am looking forward to working with him on continuing to improve our designs," says Klemens Branner, Venture's founder and co-owner. "It's going to be amazing to have one of the world's most accomplished freeriders collaborating with us."

Olofsson is also excited about the opportunity, especially in regard to developing splitboards. "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. The split theory speaks for itself. Working on this level with Venture makes it possible to create and shape boards quickly, and I hope to get some good shapes out there for you all."

venturesnowboards.com