Portland, Ore. - Continuing its philosophy of supporting and building from the team up, Chorus Snowboards has announced that it will further engage its core team by granting partial ownership to each of its athletes. The team, which includes world-class professional snowboarders Leslee Olson, Cara Beth Burnside, Roberta Rodger and Tomo Yamakoshi, will thereby acquire greater control of the direction and future growth of the company.

"We always felt like we owned the company before and we worked just as hard with as much passion then as we will now. But, it's a nice compliment and it makes us even more dedicated to the success of this company," said Leslee Olson. "I just got back from tuning and waxing 22 boards and delivered them to a camp, so you can see I'm more than just a rider."

Moving into Chorus Snowboards' second successful season, plans are in place for the company's continued growth and expansion. In response to the many hits on the Chorus website - over 400,000 visitors visit the Chorus site every month, many of whom are beginners anxious to get involved with snowboarding - Chorus has plans to develop an entry-level board for beginners for winter 2003. The company will also expand its soft goods line to include more rider-designed street wear and accessories.

Since the brand's emergence into the market one year ago, Chorus has made a considerable impact on the women's snowboard market. As seen by the response from its consumers, the popularity of the brand lies in the strength of its team. Chorus, in turn, provides consumers with extraordinary access to the team through special events, the company web site and other channels.

One example is the Chorus Nights program at High Cascade Snowboard Camp located in Bend, Oregon. During Chorus Nights the Chorus team answers questions, shares stories about snowboarding and spends time getting to know the campers during dinner. In response to last season's program, a majority of the repeat campers brought along their newly purchased Chorus snowboards this season.

The team also spends time throughout the summer guest coaching at summer camps and this spring hosted a women's 3-day camp at Mt. Bachelor. All levels participated with campers aged 9-60. "There were even mom's out there riding the halfpipe!" said Olson.

Chorus is the first-ever snowboard company founded in October 2000 by five professional, world-class female snowboarders that manufactures progressive, innovative product for women only. Chorus snowboards are built with women in mind, offering customized flex and shape with a strong focus on freestyle performance. Although each rider works with artists to design a graphic to suit her personality, Chorus boards are not signature models. The team works closely together to test, ride and collaborate on design of the entire line. Chorus offers cap construction snowboards in five lengths from 142cm-157cm with a suggested retail price of $385 and sidewall boards in lengths of 145cm, 150cm and 155cm with a retail price of $435. The company also offers a girls' collection, featuring boards in lengths of 118cm and 128cm, retailing at $199. Chorus snowboards and apparel are sold at select specialty snowboarding stores worldwide. For more information visit www.chorussnowboards.com.

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Gear Editor