Boa is pleased to welcome back and announce the hiring of action sports industry sales veteran Vin Connolly as Global Category Manager.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to reunite with the Boa team here in Colorado,” says Connolly. “Boa operates on great leadership, collaboration and passion with infinite possibilities evolving and innovating the closure business. To be blunt, I’m stoked to be back on board with Boa.”

In his new role as Boa Global Category Manager, Connolly will manage relationships and sales from new and existing partners in Boa’s Athletic category.

“We’re thrilled to have Vin back on the Boa team,” says Chuck Mason Boa Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “Vin has a great understanding of our technology, products, and culture and knows many of our brand partners extremely well. Linking all of this with his inexhaustible energy, this means even more great things in the future for Boa and our partners.”

Launching his action sports sales career at the age of 16, Connolly cut his teeth as a sponsored snowboarder and tech rep for Ride, Nixon and Smith before moving on to general manager and snowboard buyer for legendary Princeton Ski Shops in New Jersey. For the last two and a half years, Connolly had served as Burton’s Snowboards’ The Program Sales Director, re-launching Foursquare, Forum and Special Blend to North America. Prior to his time at Burton, Connolly worked at Boa Technology for two years in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, handling sales, marketing and account services.

Welcome back Vin!

Our friends over at The Gear Junkie just posted a great Boa mountain bike shoe review. Editor T.C. Worley had nothing but high praise for Boa cycling technology on the 2011 Specialized BG S-Works MTB shoe. Here’s the text of the Boa review below.

Text and Images from The Gear Junkie.com

It wasn’t until three or four years ago, when I began seriously training and racing, that I could truly appreciate top-end, expensive gear. My latest mountain-biking shoe, the Specialized S-Works MTB Shoe, is a perfect example of this: Though it costs a staggering $350, like most every product that bears the company’s “S-Works” badge, this shoe represents the latest, hottest technology and “raciness” that Specialized can muster. Pros in the most prestigious races will wear this shoe, and now — for 350 big ones — you can, too.

I got a test pair a few months back. My first impression? The shoes seemed incredibly lightweight for a mountain-bike model. At about 11.8 ounces (335 grams) apiece in Euro size 42, they are closer to road than mtb shoe weight. No doubt, the full-length carbon midsole is partly responsible. But the uppers are also airy and light.

On the bike, the shoes are comfy yet high performing — the uppers feel supple while the sole is stiff. Pedaling efficiency, with the shoes’ combined weight, stiffness and tuned-in fit, is probably the best I’ve ever experienced.

Instead of Velcro straps or a ratchet-closure system, Specialized employs Boa Technology’s lacing system, which gives a solid, precise fit via its tiny, twist-to-tighten braided steel laces. Another nice extra: The tread over the carbon sole, a thermoplastic grip, is replaceable when worn down. In the past, I’ve tossed out shoes when the tread had worn away while the rest of the shoe had plenty of life left. Too bad this feature is often only available on top-of-the-line shoes.

The Specialized BG S-Works Mountain Bike Shoe with Boa