First things first—if you discounted this boot last year because of how it looked, shame on you for being so superficial. Second, consider that problem (and it was one) solved—the Venture 130 is back, as strong and comfortable as ever, but in a proper and respectable cosmetic cloak that everyone can love. And they should, because this boot has everything going for it.
Though the Venture 130 was not one of the narrower 98 mm boots we tested, it fits snugger than it looks—a testament to the dense and fully moldable Perfect Fit liner that fills the gaps here. More Audi Q5 than sleek R8, the Venture 130's secret weapon is the fact that you'll ski it all day in comfort and warmth and expend less energy devastating the whole mountain than the rest of your crew. The Venture 130 is a balanced and strong all-mountain machine, built to hammer the off-piste with a well-padded shin fit and a cushioned bootboard for sucking up flat landings like a Shop Vac, but an easy one to operate, testers said.
Testers liked its damp, dependable demeanor—citing race boot level power on edge and bombproof stability at speed. They complained of a little turbo-lag, especially those testing within the Head family who'd just come off a Raptor, but for most the micro-second delay was a fair trade for the high comfort level and forgiving off-piste suspension that's characteristic of the Venture 130.
Kudos
Caveats