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Venture Paragon Review

A user-friendly, high-performance ride
venture paragon snowboard review
Credit: Venture
Price:  $649 List
Manufacturer:   Venture Snowboards
By Isaac Laredo ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Dec 8, 2022
76
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#12 of 17
  • Edging - 25% 7.0
  • Float in Powder - 20% 7.0
  • Stability at Speed - 20% 7.0
  • Playfulness - 20% 9.0
  • Pop and Jumping - 15% 8.0

Our Verdict

The Venture Paragon is built with versatility in mind and can cater to the seasoned all-mountain freestyle rider or the weekend warrior. This board has a responsive ride that is easy to get on edge to rail a turn, yet it can slash at any moment. It prefers quick edging down the fall line. It's impressively stable and handles chunder with a few bucks here and there. The shape and flex enable this board to butter and play until your legs can't anymore. Its ease of edge engagement and release make it an excellent board for high-level beginners to the 100+ days-a-season rider.
REASONS TO BUY
User-friendly
Versatile
Responsive
REASONS TO AVOID
Nose and tail are soft for harder riding
Editor's Note: This review was updated on December 8, 2022 to reflect design updates and new graphics for the Paragon since our test period.

Compare to Similar Products

 
venture paragon snowboard review
This Product
Venture Paragon
Awards  Editors' Choice Award Top Pick Award Top Pick Award Best Buy Award 
Price $649 List$700 List
$559.93 at REI
$550 List$679 List$500 List
$349.93 at REI
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Pros User-friendly, versatile, responsiveGreat edge hold, lots of pop, incredibly stable, torsional flex patternFloat, precise edging, good construction, playfulUser friendly, turning experience, versatile, playfulGreat value, pretty easy to ride, versatile, stable, beautiful graphics
Cons Nose and tail are soft for harder ridingNarrow waist width, hard to butter, suited toward advanced riders, limited size offeringsSwitch performance, harder to control in uneven terrainTopsheet scratches easy, topsheet is slipperyPlank-like feel, decent edge hold in hardpack
Bottom Line A user-friendly, high-performance rideOur first pick when we demand exceptional performance anywhere on the mountain and won't accept many compromisesOur board of choice for advanced riders on groomer and deeper powder daysHas a playful merit to its high-performance abilitiesA great value option for those looking for an engaging ride on a budget
Rating Categories Venture Paragon K2 Alchemist Yes. Optimistic United Shapes Cadet Jones Frontier
Edging (25%)
7.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
8.0
Float in Powder (20%)
7.0
8.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
Stability at Speed (20%)
7.0
9.0
7.0
7.0
9.0
Playfulness (20%)
9.0
6.0
8.0
9.0
7.0
Pop and Jumping (15%)
8.0
9.0
7.0
8.0
8.0
Specs Venture Paragon K2 Alchemist Yes. Optimistic United Shapes Cadet Jones Frontier
Riding Style Freeride Big mountain Alternative Freeride Freeride All Mountain
Shape Directional Directional Directional Directional Directional
Camber/Rocker Straight-line Rocker Rocker/Camber Hybrid-Rocker/Camber Camber Hybrid-Rocker/Camber
Flex Medium Stiff Stiff Medium Medium Stiff
Weight 6.72 lbs 6.8 lbs 6.2 lbs 6.22 lbs 6.44 lbs
Tested Length 156 cm 157 cm 151 cm 156 cm 159 cm
Available Lengths (cm) 156, 157, 160, 161, 165, 166, 170 154, 157, 159W, 160, 163, 164W 151, 154, 157, 161 144, 152.5, 156, 159, 162 152,156,158W,159,161W,162,164W, 165, 167W
Construction Type Sandwich Sandwich Sandwich Sandwich Sandwich
Core Material Wood Bamboo, Carbon, Wood Carbon-wrapped wood A11x (poplar, bamboo) Wood
Waist Width 25 cm 25.0 cm 26.6 cm 25.6 cm 25.4 cm
Radius 8.18 m 7.8 6.5 m 7.5 m 7.5 m
Taper 7 mm 6 mm 6 mm 20 mm 0 mm

Our Analysis and Test Results

Product Update Note — December 2022
The Paragon received some updates since our test period, namely in the addition of TX30 glass and a more mellow core profile, which were designed to decrease the weight of the board and increase flex for a poppier ride. There are also new graphics. The version we tested is pictured on the left, followed by the updated board on the right.

The Venture Paragon has a rockered tip and tail, with a flat camber in the middle. This gives the board a playful and versatile persona that we came to really enjoy. The Paragon is versatile in its use and user ability level.

Performance Comparison


venture paragon snowboard review - the versatile directional shape of the paragon is suited for lots of...
The versatile directional shape of the Paragon is suited for lots of terrain types and rider styles
Credit: Isaac Laredo

Edging


The Paragon has a medium flex complemented by tip and tail rocker with flat camber between the bindings; this makes the board incredibly easy to turn. Both beginners and advanced riders can enjoy this benefit. The rockered tip and tail allow the board to exit and enter turns with ease, and the profile feels like you are riding the edge that is in between your feet. The in-turn experience is very center-weighted, creating a very playful ride where we were able to make a variety of turns.

It also has a fun pivot point underneath the front foot to slash out the tail for surfy-style riding. In particular, it excelled in short and medium radius arcing turns as well as slashing and bashing in the slush.

As a medium flexing board with a rocker in the tips, there are a few trade-offs. The first is an obtainable power threshold of the nose before it was overwhelmed. We were able to overpower the nose while carving hard arcing turns on groomers. The provided stiffness of the nose is more than enough for the average user, especially when focusing on quick edge transitions down the fall line. In certain cases, rocker in the tips can threaten edge security in firm snow conditions. While it did not provide camber-like security, we were pleasantly surprised by the edge and stability at speed hold, even on morning frozen corduroy in the spring.

venture paragon snowboard review - the paragon likes slow speed arcing turns or quick edging down the...
The Paragon likes slow speed arcing turns or quick edging down the fall line.
Credit: Isaac Laredo

Float in Powder


The Paragon's profile provides lots of floatation and easy steering capabilities. The flat rocker in the middle allows this board to turn easily in powder, making it great for all snow conditions and ability levels. The rocker in the tip and tail works to promote flotation and have the board work for you. The Paragon is very well-rounded and can easily act as a quiver of one based on the above-average amounts of powder floatation.

Stability at Speed


We were impressed by the Paragon in all forms of stability. Given its flex pattern and profile, it outperformed our expectations. When straight-lining, we observed small levels of nose chatter on groomed surfaces. The Paragon prefers to make quick edge-to-edge movements when trying to hit top speed as opposed to flat base straight-lining. In bumpy and cruddy areas, the board could easily be knocked off its line due to its softer flex. When these areas were encountered, it was best to leverage the quick edging to find the smoother zones within the bumps.

Playfulness


This easy-to-ride and versatile board bodes very well in providing a playful ride. Its rockered tip and tail make it easy to disengage the edges to slash your buddies. Additionally, the medium flex makes initiating butters easier but has a smaller balance, which makes them harder to hold. Its playfulness makes popping off all size side hits a no-brainer.

Popping and Jumping


Pop and landing stability are not inherent features of rocker or flat camber. That being said, this board was very easy to pop. It could easily be popped with limited loading or preparation. When it was loaded, it provided decent pop due to its longer and stiffer tail. When landing, it provided a solid platform to land on, but backseat landings were more challenging to recover from.

venture paragon snowboard review - the flat camber profile has impressive pop.
The flat camber profile has impressive pop.
Credit: Isaac Laredo

Value


The Paragon comes at the market standard for performance snowboards. It's even a little more affordable than most craft boards that are handmade in the US. It performed well, and for the right rider, is definitely worth the money.

Conclusion


The Venture Paragon features a versatile and easy-to-ride shape that can handle most situations. Based on the design, its performance outdid our expectations, and it's a fun board to ride. It can be overwhelmed in powerful or bumpy moments. It's good for beginners to advanced riders who want one board to have fun and charge straightforward advanced terrain.

venture paragon snowboard review - the versatile shape makes this a great board for spring riding.
The versatile shape makes this a great board for spring riding.
Credit: Isaac Laredo

Isaac Laredo
 
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