Motiv Sports of Anaheim, Calif., the new owner of Chorus Snowboards, co-founded by riding pro Leslee Olson of Bend, plans to expand the Chorus product line and market it through larger retail stores.

Motiv, a 16-year-old company that also owns the clothing line Gouge, The Realm surfboards and apparel, Neptune wakeboards and Motiv bicycles, bought Chorus at an undisclosed price last fall from Junki Yoshida of Portland, owner of Millenium Three and MLY snowboards, said Jim Alfaro, Motiv brand manager.

Motiv plans to continue Chorus’ pioneering style of manufacturing ”women-specific” snowboards and will also add surfboards, skateboards, and outerwear, not just logo wear, to the Chorus line, said Alfaro.

Alfaro said Motiv wants to expand on Chorus’ niche designing boards that function well for women’s dimensions, not just making smaller versions of men’s boards, which has been the case with many women’s boards.

For example, snowboards for women should be narrower because women have smaller feet and the boards should be more flexible because women weigh less, he said. The nose of women’s surfboards should be fuller because women have less arm strength for paddling out and the board length should be narrower, he added.

”Its a very women-oriented board company. It has it’s own flavor that’s more hard-edge than, let’s say, a Roxy (brand),” Alfaro said.

Chorus snowboards were originally made in a Portland factory, said Georell Bracelin of Bend, who did most of the Chorus original marketing. Motiv is in the process of selecting manufacturers for the boards in America and overseas, Alfaro said.

Most of the Chorus original snowboard team, which included Olson, Cara-Beth Burnside, Roberta Rodger and Tomo Yamakoshi were based in Bend in 2000, she added.

Olson was one of five professional, world-class women snowboarders who founded the company in October 2002, according to the Chorus Web site.

Bracelin said she will continue as a consultant for the company.

”We want to keep the same feeling and vibe,” Alfaro said.

Olson and Burnside are part of Chorus’ Founders Board and will review new products, Alfaro added.

Cathy Carroll can be reached at 541-383-0304 or at ccarroll@bendbulletin.com.