PUBLISHED BY ACTIVE INTEREST MEDIA THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE 2016 SIA SNOW SHOW
INDUSTRY GATHERS IN DENVER FOR THE EVENT OF THE YEAR
Tech + Snow
Latest high-tech gear is designed to keep users connected & safe. (p. 12)
Backcountry Bonanza
Brands up their game with gear for the more than 2 million going off-piste. (p. 44)
Denver Dining Guide
Where to eat in the Mile High City. Plus, get the scoop on where to find the best late-night grub. (p. 54)
QUESTION OF THE DAY
“We’re from Jackson Hole, so when we come to the big city, we go wild.”
—Jane Smith, AION (p. 67)
Get Social
Stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter during the Snow Show, Industry + Intelligence and On-Snow Demo: #SIA16, #SIAintel
POLARIZED
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PHOTOCHROMIC
OPTIMIZED
WELCOME TO | SIA PRESIDENT’S LETTER THE SHOW
Welcome to the 2016 Snow Show AFTER MORE THAN 40 YEARS WITH SIA, THIS WILL BE MY LAST SNOW Show as president. My first Show was as a shop rat for the Ski Barn in Massachusetts. The Show was close by in New York City that year, so another mechanic and I stayed at the YMCA for $2.50 a night. That was the Show that made me want to work in this industry. I was in awe of the aisles of new gear and the athletes that graced the trade show stalls. My first Snow Show working for SIA was in the late 70s. It was also my most memorable, speaking before President Gerald Ford. Since then, a lot has changed, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is the shared passion this industry has for snow sports. People are the foundation of SIA, and it’s been a true honor – not to mention a lot of fun – dedicating the last 40-plus years of my life to this organization. On the last day of this year’s Show, I will be handing the reins to my successor, Nick Sargent. I know he will help push forward the evolution of SIA along with the industry. Reflecting back on my time as president of SIA, a few initiatives stick out. Getting snowboarding involved was incredibly important for this industry. I’ve loved the time I’ve spent talking with reps and retailers; it’s one of my favorite parts of this job. And our investment in
research has made market intelligence one of the strongest elements of SIA. Of course, I can only list a fraction of the valuable programs and initiatives SIA has pushed forward over the years. SIA’s strength is that it has been able to evolve to the current pace and demands of the industry, and lead when it needs to. Competitors are working together for the good and development of the industry, setting aside their own individual needs – which is incredible. I can honestly say this has been the best industry to work for, and that’s in large part thanks to you. I’ll see you on the mountain! Respectfully,
David Ingemie SIA President
Bienvenue au Snow Show 2016!
Willkommen zur Snow Show 2016!
欢迎参加2016 滑雪展!
APRÈS 39 ANS À SIA, JE VIVRAI CETTE ANNÉE MON DERNIER Snow Show en tant que président. À mon premier salon, j’étais mécanicien pour le magasin Ski Barn, au Massachusetts. Cette année-là, le salon se tenait près de la ville de New York, et un autre mécanicien et moi étions restés au YMCA pour 2,50 $ la nuit. Ce salon-là a eu un tel effet sur moi que j’ai eu envie de travailler dans cette industrie. J’étais au septième ciel devant les allées remplies de nouvel équipement et les athlètes qui nous honoraient de leur présence aux kiosques. Mon premier Snow Show en tant qu’employé de SIA, vers la fin des années 70, a été le plus mémorable parce que j’ai eu l’occasion de prendre la parole en présence du président Gerald Ford. Depuis, les temps ont changé, mais la passion commune de l’industrie pour les sports de neige, elle, est immuable. Les gens constituent le fondement même de SIA, et ce fut un grand honneur pour moi – et un réel plaisir – de dévouer 39 années de ma vie à cette organisation. Cette année, à la dernière journée du salon, je confierai les rênes à mon successeur, Nick Sargent, qui, je sais, aidera à faire progresser SIA et l’industrie. Lorsque je pense à mes années à la présidence de SIA, quelques initiatives se démarquent. Arrimer le secteur de la planche à neige a été extrêmement important pour l’industrie. J’ai aussi adoré les moments passés à parler avec les représentants et les détaillants : c’était l’un des aspects qui me plaisaient le plus de ce travail. Les informations commerciales issues de notre investissement en recherche s’avèrent l’un des éléments les plus forts de SIA. Évidemment, je ne peux qu’énumérer quelques initiatives et programmes importants que SIA a mis en place au cours des années. La force de SIA repose sur sa capacité à s’adapter au rythme et aux demandes actuels de l’industrie et à diriger lorsque nécessaire. La concurrence collabore pour le bien et le développement de l’industrie, mettant de côté ses propres besoins, ce qui est incroyable. Je peux dire en toute honnêteté que cette industrie est la meilleure où travailler, et ce, grâce à vous. Au plaisir de vous voir sur les pistes! Salutations distinguées,
NACH 39 JAHREN MIT SIA WIRD DIES MEINE LETZTE SNOW SHOW als Präsident sein. Meine erste Show erlebte ich als Shop Rat für die Ski Barn in Massachusetts. Die Show fand im selben Jahr praktisch gleich um die Ecke statt, in New York City, sodass ich zusammen mit einem anderen Mechaniker für 2,50 US-Dollar die Nacht im YMCA übernachtete. Diese Show hatte mich dazu gebracht, unbedingt in dieser Branche arbeiten zu wollen. Ich war begeistert von den Gängen voller neuer Ausrüstung und der Sportler, die die Messestände zu besonderen Anziehungspunkten machten. Meine erste Tätigkeit auf einer Snow Show für SIA hatte ich in den späten 70ern. Dies war gleichzeitig mein unvergesslichstes Erlebnis, denn ich sprach damals vor Präsident Gerald Ford. Seitdem hat sich viel verändert, aber unverändert geblieben ist die gemeinsame Leidenschaft dieser Branche für den Wintersport. Menschen bilden das Fundament von SIA, und mit Leib und Seele 39 Jahre meines Lebens bei dieser Organisation dabei zu sein, war mir eine große Ehre – abgesehen davon, dass es mir auch Freude bereitet hat. Am letzten Tag der diesjährigen Show werden ich das Zepter an meinen Nachfolger, Nick Sargent, übergeben. Ich bin davon überzeugt, dass er SIA und die gesamten Branche voranbringen wird. Wenn ich an meine Zeit als Präsident von SIA zurückdenke, waren einige Initiativen für mich von besonderer Bedeutung. Die Teilnahme von Snowboarding war für diese Branche von unglaublich großer Bedeutung. Ich habe es genossen, mich mit Vertretern und Händlern zu unterhalten; dies war ein Teil meines Jobs, den ich besonders mochte. Und unsere Investition in die Forschung hat dazu geführt, dass die Verarbeitung von Marktdaten zu einem der stärksten Standbeine von SIA geworden ist. Natürlich kann ich nur einen Bruchteil der wertvollen Programme und Initiativen auflisten, die SIA über die Jahre vorangetrieben hat. SIAs Stärke besteht darin, sich analog zum derzeitigen Tempo und entsprechend den Anforderungen der Branche zu entwickeln und bei Bedarf auch einmal die Führung zu übernehmen. Wettbewerber kooperieren zum Wohle von und für eine Entwicklung innerhalb der Branche, indem Sie dabei ihre eigenen Bedürfnisse hintanstellen – einfach unglaublich. Ich kann nur konstatieren, dass dies das Beste ist, was der Branche passieren konnte, und dies zum großen Teil dank Ihnen! Wir sehen uns in den Bergen! Hochachtungsvoll
在 SIA 任职 39 年之后,今年将是我最后一次以协会主席身份出席滑 雪展。我首次参加滑雪展时,是马塞诸塞州一家Ski Barn的技工。因 为那一届展会离纽约市很近,我就和另一位技工花了 2.5 美元在基督 教青年协会住了一晚。就是因为那届展会,我决定投身于这个行业。 当时展会上琳琅满目的新装备以及到场的运动员们带给了我深深的震 撼。我在 SIA 任职期间首次出席滑雪展是在70年代后期。那次我在 Gerald Ford 主席面前发表的演讲,是我印象最深的一次。 从那以后发生了翻天覆地的变化,但唯一不变的是业内人士对滑雪 运动共同的热情。 SIA以人为本,能在此度过我职业生涯的最后 39 年,让我倍感荣幸,也乐在其中!在今年展会的最后一天,我会将接 力棒交给我的继任 Nick Sargent。我深信,他将助力SIA 与滑雪行业 一同前进。 回顾我在担任 SIA 主席的这段岁月,有几项倡议给我的印象尤为 深刻。单板滑雪运动的兴起对这个行业极为重要。我很高兴能与各位 销售代表及零售商交谈,这也是我热爱这份工作的一个重要原因。我 们在研究方面的投入也让SIA在市场情报上拥有核心竞争力。 SIA 这些年来提出的颇具价值的计划和倡议数不尽数,我只能略 举一二。SIA 的强项在于它始终能跟上行业的发展步伐并满足最新需 求,并及时引领行业发展潮流。在这个行业内,相互竞争的企业能够 抛下一己之私,齐心协力推动行业的良好发展,这是非常了不起的。 我可以很肯定的说,这一直是一个最值得为之奋斗的行业,而这一 点很大程度上归功与你们。 各位,让我们山上见! 谨上
David Ingemie
David Ingemie
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SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
David Ingemie
UP FRONT | IN THE ISSUE
Contents 2 From the President
Top Trends:
Suppliers showcase latest in raw materials, eco-friendly focus.
38 Alpine Bindings 40 Ski Poles 42 Gloves 44 Backcountry Skis & Boots 46 Backpacks 48 Women's Ski Boots 49 Travel Bags
12 High-Tech Accessories
50 Snowboard Rentals
20 Market Overview
54 Dining Guide
4 Show News
Industry + Intellligence highlights.
10 Sourcing Snow
The future meets snow.
SIA's research on skier participation and specialty shop rentals.
22 Spotlight on Leaders
2016 Women to Watch and Retailers of the Year.
26 Snowboarding News
The rise in backcountry riding; Oakley's new helmet line.
30 New Exhibitors
Meet the new faces at the Show.
34 What's Hot
A rundown of key trends at SIA.
ATOMIC CLIFFLINE STORMFOLD JACKET
A progressive approach.
From breakfast to late-night.
58 Exhibitor Listing 60 Event Schedule 64 Show News
State of the industry, and more.
66 Wish List
Product pics from the Show floor.
67 Question of the Day 68 Heard in the Aisles
Quotes from the floor, Twitter, Instagram and more.
ON THE COVER: Photos by Julie Ellison and Alton Richardson
PUBLISHER Andy Hawk EDITOR Lindsay Konzak ART DIRECTOR Jackie McCaffrey Bradley PHOTOGRAPHERS Julie Ellison, Alton Richardson CONTRIBUTORS Kailee Bradstreet, Eugene Buchanan, Krista Crabtree, Connor W. Davis, Greg Ditrinco, Jordan Gaines, Ben Gavelda, Courtney Holden, Crystal Sagan, Eric Smith, Michael Sudmeier, Morgan Tilton, Bevin Wallace, Dave Zook ADVERTISING SALES Sharon Burson, Andy Hawk ADVERTISING COORDINATOR/EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Lori Ostrow GROUP PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Barb Van Sickle PRODUCTION Caitlin O’Connor PREPRESS TECHNICIAN Idania Mentana Read the digital version of the Snow Show Daily at snewsnet.com or snowsports.org. Snow Show Daily is part of Active Interest Media’s Outdoor Group Kent Ebersole, Vice President, General Manager Allen Crolius, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Active Interest Media 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301 EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN Efrem Zimbalist III PRESIDENT & CEO Andrew W. Clurman EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & CFO Brian J. Sellstrom EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS Patricia B. Fox SVP, DIGITAL & DATA Jonathan Dorn VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE Craig Rucker VICE PRESIDENT, CONTROLLER Joseph Cohen VICE PRESIDENT, RESEARCH Kristy Kaus
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AT THE SHOW | SHOW NEWS
Content is King CHRIS DAVENPORT JOINS GOPRO VP TO TOUT DIGITAL REVOLUTION IN INDUSTRY + INTELLIGENCE KEYNOTE WHEN TRAVIS RICE THREW TOGETHER A 20-SECOND TRAILER FROM BRITish Columbia with GoPro’s new Session camera, it garnered a half million views in just nine hours. “That kind of exposure is huge,” says Bryan Johnston, GoPro’s Vice President of International Marketing, who hosted Wednesday’s Industry + Intelligence keynote lunch with athlete Chris Davenport about the power of user-generated content. “In the olden days that would’ve taken forever to reach. We’re in the golden age of user-generated content.” Co-hosting “A Million Warren Millers: How Digital Media is Revolutionizing Winter Sports,” Davenport, one of the most prolific content producers in the industry, says “the content world has been flipped 180 degrees in a very short time, to where everyone can now be their own producer.” As recently as 2006, he says, he was filming in Alaska with a giant, 8mm counter-weighted, neck-tweaking Volex camera strapped to his helmet. Now, with GoPro’s new smallerthan-ever Session camera combined with such innovations as Twitter’s new live-streaming Periscope platform, which he plans to use to broadcast in real-time at the Show, “people are their own ESPN Sports Center.” With all of today’s content-outlet options, Johnston adds it’s best, for both your business and the sport, to focus on two or three and do them well. When it comes to creating videos, he adds, incorporate different shots and angles, create a storyline before you shoot, and don’t be afraid to experiment. “You don’t know what’s going to get people’s attention,” he says, referring to recent viral GoPro footage of a kitten, found freezing in snow and brought back to life on camera. “If it’s interesting to you, it likely will be to others.” That said, no matter what platform it ends up on this content can do wonders to help grow the sport. “Today’s social realm is a very competitive landscape,” he says. “It’s a war out there. To promote snow sports we all need to get people to watch it. Otherwise, they’ll watch something else.” To fuel the stoke of snow sports, he advises everyone in the industry — retailer, man-
ufacturer, athlete, rep and more — to become digitally active and not shy away from letting the world in on our snow sports secret. “No matter where you share it, every single one of us should take 15 seconds to tell and show people how much fun this sport of ours is,” he says. Following a hands-to-the-ceiling Q&A session, he then gave away a GoPro 4 to a lucky winner, who by now has likely already posted a clip of the keynote. —Eugene Buchanan
The Datebook
Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the U.S. EPA, Mile High Ballroom, 7:30 a.m.
In partnership with Protect Our Winters (POW), special guest Gina McCarthy will start the Show with a keynote on climate change, a critical topic for the industry.
The Future of Backcountry Research & Technology, Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657), 2-3 p.m.
A discussion on better decision-making through gains in research, tech and education.
OIWC Happy Hour, Women's Lounge (Booth 548), 4:30-6 p.m.
The Outdoor Industries Women's Coalition ends Day 1 right. Stop by for beer or wine, and get a 50% discount off Giro helmets and goggles to benefit the organization.
End-of-Day Happy Hours, Show Floor
SIA Research Identifies Market Trends
SIA RESEARCH DIRECTOR KELLY DAVIS PRESENTED TRENDS IN HARDgoods and softgoods Wednesday during Industry + Intelligence. For the latest on trends in skiing, snowboarding and Nordic markets, the Snow Show Daily outlines data and analysis from SIA in each issue. For Day 1, learn about growth in alpine skiing participation and the role of rentals in specialty shop success on page 20.
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SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
Check out page 60 for a guide to booth happy hours, from cupcakes (Krimson Klover) to those benefiting non-profits (High Fives Foundation/Phunkshun) and many more!
House of Vans: 2Chainz, Fucked Up & The Blackouts, 9 p.m., Ogden Theater
House of Vans presents an epic night of hip-hop and hardcore at this free show, which will also feature photography and art by Lucas Beautfort and Aaron Blatt.
FRIDAY: Protect Our Winters Breakfast, Mile High Ballroom, 7:30 a.m.
Diarmuid O'Connell, vice president of Tesla Motors, will speak on The Future of Energy & Transportation and the need to transition to 100% clean, renewable energy.
PHOTOS BY (FROM TOP) JULIE ELLISON; ALTON RICHARDSON
TODAY’S NOT-TO-MISS EVENTS
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AT THE SHOW | IMAGES
▲ ALISON VANKEMPEN OF KRIMSON KLOVER IS READY TO ROLL.
▲ SEEING GREEN AT THE ELECTRIC GOGGLE BOOTH.
▲ GRANT BURROW OF HELLY HANSEN SHOWS HIS TRUE COLORS: GO BRONCOS!
▲ MIKEY FRANCO OF FRANCO SNOWSHAPES TAKES CARE AS HE SETS UP HIS SPACE IN CRAFT @ SIA. THE AREA ON THE SHOW FLOOR (BOOTH 4469) IS DEDICATED TO INDEPENDENT SKI AND SNOWBOARD BRANDS THAT HAVE A HANDCRAFTED TOUCH.
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▲ THE LIGHTING NEEDS TO BE JUST SO AT THE SNOW SHOW.
PHOTOS BY JULIE ELLISON AND ALTON RICHARDSON
▲ STOP BY THE COLLECTIVES MEETING SPOTS ON THE SHOW FLOOR THIS WEEK TO RECHARGE.
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Early Alpha® prototypes were developed in conjunction with the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass. Combining durable lofted-knit fibers with a solid mesh core created a new insulating fabric with warmth, breathability and dry times never before recorded with down feathers and synthetic fills. While traditional insulation warms by trapping heat (and causes instant overheating), Alpha® was completing its mission by continuously keeping excess heat and moisture vapor moving away from the body. This creates a more consistent temperature range both during times of great exertion and times of little movement. The result is greater comfort without having to change or adjust your clothes.
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AT THE SHOW | SHOW NEWS
Sourcing Snow: Tomorrow's Technology SUPPLIERS SHOWCASE LATEST MATERIAL ADVANCEMENTS ON SHOW FLOOR MATERIAL INNOVATIONS ON DISPLAY AT THIS YEAR'S SOURCING SNOW – held all four days on the main floor of Snow Show – are further proof the industry is hearing consumers' demands for warmer, drier, lighter and more breathable apparel. Exhibitors from near and far are on hand this week to discuss raw material and supply chain issues, as well as showcase the latest technologies that will help snow sports enthusiasts brave the coldest temperatures, fiercest winds and gnarliest whiteouts. Building on the success of 3M Thinsulate Featherless Insulation that mimics the performance of 600-fill down, featured in the Rossignol Emerald WD Jacket, among others, 3M Apparel and Textiles unveils a synthetic insulation that performs like 700-fill down. "This year we're stepping it up a notch," says Erik Iverson, marketing supervisor for 3M Apparel and Textiles. "We're going up in performance and warmth." 3M has prototype samples at Sourcing Snow, and Iverson is eager to show brand-specifiers the product's benefits, including the ability to maintain loft and warmth when wet. "Loft is key, because when you keep that loft it allows for warmth capability," Iverson says. Concept III Textiles International is focusing ▲ ROSSIGNOL EMERALD WD WITH 3M on wool blends for both active and lifestyle clothing, THINSULATE FEATHERLESS INSULATION according to Chris Parkes, partner and director of sales. "Wool is not going away, and it's being incorporated in so many different ways," he says. "Our nylon-wool blend offers the performance of nylon with much more durability." SympaTex is showcasing its Moisture-Tech for apparel, according to the company's business development manager, Heather Santos, who is seeing a number of material trends emerge for 2016-17, including more waterproof laminates with stretch fabric. Paltex has a collection of high-performance fabrics on display, including a synthetic insulation called PAL-Padding, which integrates the company's PAL-TECH with other materials and is "designed to keep the body warm with breathability and an active channel that offers support through core stability," says the company's Fino Wu. And Global Merino is "pushing the envelope on weight," says President Josè Fernandez.
GLOBAL MERINO LIGHT MESH BASE LAYER MATERIAL
"We're doing some true featherweight base layer fabrics. On the other end of the spectrum, we have some heavy thermal fabrics that would be used for extreme cold." While these innovations will benefit anyone who needs different features for variable weather conditions, often on the same day, retailers must know how to best promote these breakthroughs. Santos' advice: "Educate your sales team, who can, in turn, educate your customer about the latest material innovation and why it’s a must-have item. In-store animations on iPads are a great way to educate the customer." —Eric Smith
▲ TOBE OUTERWEAR CAPTO UNDERCUFF USING SYMPATEX CORDURA LAMINATE
Eco-Friendly Focus As climate change intensifies and customers demand more eco-friendly outdoor apparel and gear, the industry is responding with greener processes and products, some of which are on display this week in Sourcing Snow, all four days on the Snow Show floor. 3M Apparel and Textiles is debuting an improved Scotchgard Protector and a 700-fill down equivalent Thinsulate Featherless Insulation, both of which are bluesign-certified. The bluesign certification promotes sustain-
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able textile production by eliminating "harmful substances right from the beginning of the manufacturing process and sets and controls standards for an environmentally friendly and safe production," according to the bluesign website. "This not only ensures that the final textile product meets very stringent consumer safety requirements worldwide but also provides confidence to the consumer to acquire a sustainable product." Paltex is another supplier promoting sus-
SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
tainability. The Taiwanese company brought a host of fabrics to the Show that meet bluesign and OEKO-TEX standards, according to Fino Wu. "Paltex plays a role in making our environment safer by strictly supervising the manufacturing process of manmade fabrics to avoid hazardous chemicals, such as the derivatives from C8 and PFCs," Wu says. "We are seeking the balance between sustainable products, eco-friendly production processes and environmental initiatives." — E.S.
WWW.HELLYHANSEN.COM
Visit the Helly Hansen booth #1720
FEATURE | TECHNOLOGY
The Future is Here
TECHNOLOGY MEETS SNOW IN 2016-17’S NEWEST HIGH-TECH ACCESSORIES
BY BEVIN WALLACE
PHOTO COURTESY OF RECCO
RECCO AVALANCHE RESCUE TECHNOLOGY TAKES TO THE AIR WITH ITS LATEST HIGHTECH INNOVATION, THE SAR1 DETECTOR, A HELICOPTER-ENABLED SEARCH DEVICE.
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SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
ATHLETES: Alex “Chumpy” Pullin / Owen Leeper / Ryan Stassel
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FEATURE | TECHNOLOGY
As in all other aspects of life—and whether we like it or not—high-tech gadgets are here to stay in snow sports. And the way skiers and riders are using technology on the snow is changing as fast as the tech itself. What seemed like science fiction just a couple seasons ago is now not only reality, but reasonably affordable and accessible to the average participant. LEFT, SNOWBOARDER TEMPLE CUMMINS MODELS ABOM'S FOG-FIGHTING GOGGLE, WHICH USES PATENTED TECH THAT PLACES AN INVISIBLE HEATCONDUCTIVE FILM BETWEEN A TWO-PART LENS; BELOW, BACKCOUNTRY ACCESS'S TRACKER3 IS THE THINNEST MULTI-ANTENNA AVALANCHE BEACON ON THE MARKET AT 0.9 INCHES.
No longer do we risk dropping our phone in the snow to answer a call or switch playlists. Heck, with new communication software, we don’t even need to use our phones at all. And it’s no longer sufficient to have the ability to take professional-quality video on the slopes or listen to music wirelessly through our helmets. Now we want to instantly share those videos with our social media followers and use that helmet-audio setup to talk to people all over the mountain and beyond. In the very recent past, techy gadgets were often more annoying than useful on the slopes (smart phones and ski gloves that don’t play well together, and we’ve all had to listen that guy screaming, “Get me a meeting!” into his Bluetooth earpiece while in the lift line.). However, many of today’s gadgets aim to enhance the mountain experience rather than be a hindrance. Retailers appreciate these advances, too. “Kids are talking about this stuff, so people come in looking for cam-
eras for their kids. And helmet audio kits have been very popular,” says Michael Stachan, hardgoods buyer for Cole Sports in Park City, Utah. “The new technology is easier to control and has come a long way. Whether it’s an addon with a helmet sale or a separate purchase, it’s up to our salespeople to be knowledgeable and upsell this stuff.” The newest crop of tech gadgets offers seamless connectivity, hands-free functionality and greatly improved audio capability—all allowing skiers and riders to keep in touch, enjoy their tunes, and capture and share their experiences without missing a turn. Here’s a sampling of some of the nifty things you’ll find on the Snow Show floor this week.
REAL-TIME MOVIE SHARING
"Imagine being able to share your extreme-sports adventures in real time, without the hassles of downloading, editing and uploading your videos," says David Abramowski, general manager of Sioeye, Inc., whose Sioeye Iris4G, the first unlocked 4G LTE action camera, enables you to do just that. The Iris4G integrates a high-performance smart capture device with live-streaming cloud services and interactive mobile apps. Snow riders can broadcast their powder shots in real time via the camera’s “Livecapture” button or through a mobile app. Friends and family can
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SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
PHOTOS BY SCOTT SULLIVAN FOR ABOM; COURTESY OF BCA
MANY OF TODAY'S GADGETS AIM TO ENHANCE THE MOUNTAIN EXPERIENCE RATHER THAN BE A HINDRANCE.
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FEATURE | TECHNOLOGY 1) SEIRUS SOLARSPHERE GLOVES 2) KEL52 POWR 3) SIOEYE IRIS4G LTE ACTION CAMERA 4) BCA TRACKER3 AVALANCHE BEACON
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5) ZEAL HD2 CAMERA GOGGLE 6) ABOM GOGGLE 7) RECCO AVALANCHE-RESCUE DRONE
Not only is tech affecting the experience after the sale, it’s changing the way brands, retailers and reps do business. Attend one of many tech-inspired seminars this week, including “Learning the New Digital Playbook” at 2:30 today in I+I Live.
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Beyond Fun and Fame: Using Tech for Safety and Comfort in the Mountains Technology continues to vastly improve how skiers and riders keep themselves warm and safe. Seirus’s new SolarSphere gloves use new solar-absorbing insulation to harness sunlight, convert it to heat and transfer it to skiers’ hands. According to the company, the new product amplifies heat within the glove by 10 degrees. If you can’t see you can’t ski—at least not safely. To that end, Abom uses patented technology in its snow goggle that places an invisible heat-conductive film between a twopart lens; a battery sends a current through
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the film to heat the lens and eliminate fog. For rapidly changing weather conditions, the Uvex Snowstrike Variotronic goggle features an internal light sensor and liquid crystal lens film that instantly reacts to variances in light and activates the appropriate lens technology in one-tenth of a second. Backcountry Access’s new Tracker3 is the thinnest multi-antenna avalanche beacon on the market (0.9 inches). The new transceiver features the same ease-of-use, high performance and reliability as the Tracker2, but weighs 7.6 ounces, 20 percent less than its
SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
predecessor. Finally, Recco Avalanche Rescue Technology introduces the SAR1 detector this week, a helicopter-enabled search device that works in the backcountry. The company is also testing an avalanche-rescue drone equipped with a RECCO detector. “The drone with a RECCO detector is set up and airborne within three minutes,” says Pascal Duvillier, the French mountain rescue professional who developed the system. “Searching three victims in a 2,500-square-meter area takes only about four minutes.” – B.W.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ZEAL OPTICS; SIOEYE; SEIRUS; KEL52; BCA; ABOM; RECCO
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watch instantly, and videos are also saved in the cloud and available for instant replay, eliminating the need to offload and upload videos from the camera for sharing.
LIMITLESS WALKIE-TALKIES
Outdoor Tech, maker of the popular CHIPS Bluetooth wireless helmet audio drop-ins, is demoing its new “mountain-optimized” app for Android and iOS at the Show. The app allows for unlimited walkie-talkie range with no extra hardware (sorry, walkie-talkie manufacturers). Users can use the CHIPS’s glove-friendly controls to communicate with multiple groups (i.e. family in one group, friends in another) whether they are at another part of the mountain, in a condo at the base, or at home across the country (assuming all parties have cell phone service).
WHETHER IT'S AN ADD-ON WITH A HELMET SALE OR A SEPARATE PURCHASE, IT'S UP TO OUR SALESPEOPLE TO BE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND UPSELL. snow sports goggles. Now the updated HD2 is here, with a smaller and lighter frame and longer battery life. It also features WiFi connectivity via Zeal’s HD2 app, so users can easily share photos and videos.
ACTION CAMERAS SALES (IN DOLLARS)
HANDS-FREE IMAGES, NO WIRES
When Zeal Optics introduced its HD Camera Goggle a couple of years ago, it rightfully stole the show. It shoots HDquality video and 12-megapixel HD photos with a wide-angle lens, instant light-level adjustment and in-goggle viewfinder—all built into photochromatic, polarized, anti-fog and scratch-resistant
11%
BACKCOUNTRY-WORTHY AUDIO UPGRADE
A new take on wireless helmet-audio kits for snow sports is KEL52’s new POWR, which installs in any helmet and allows for onebutton smart phone control. For communication where there is no cell service, the POWR fully integrates with walkie-talkies, allowing users to keep their devices in their pack or pocket and talk via the POWR headset. The POWR also features a built-in external microphone interface for GoPro, so riders can record their voices or music directly into the camera instead of adding voiceovers and music after the fact.
ZEAL OPTICS'S HD2 CAMERA GOGGLE IS ONE OF A GROWING NUMBER OF OPTIONS TO CAPTURE EXPERIENCES ON THE SLOPES.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ZEAL
FEATURE | TECHNOLOGY
MARKET SPOTLIGHT | OVERVIEW
More Skiers on the Slopes AN INCREASING NUMBER IDENTIFY AS BOTH ALPINE AND FREESKIERS THE NUMBER OF DOWNHILL SKIERS REMAINED stable and even grew in 2014-15, by about 500,000. About 11.7 million skiers hit the slopes last season; 9.4 million identified as primarily alpine skiers. And a growing number, 4.5 million, identified as freeskiers (there is some crossover with the alpine set), who ski all-mountain terrain and park features, according to SIA Research. About 68% of those who identify as freeskiers are younger than 35-years-old, and most (59%) are male. Nearly half of freeskiers live in households with incomes greater than $100,000 a year, and about a quarter live in the middle Atlantic states. Some other interesting facts uncovered in SIA Research for 2014-15: About a quarter of alpine skiers are 17 or younger; 37% are 35- to 54-years-old. About 2.2 million alpine skiers participated nine or more times in 2014-15, making
OF ALPINE SKIERS ARE 17-YEARS-OLD OR YOUNGER
IDENTIFY AS ALPINE SKIERS
them “core” skiers. Nearly half of all core alpine skiers are 35-years-old or older. In the 2014-15 season, sales of alpine equipment were $525 million, down in single digits from the 2013-14 season, according to data from The NPD Group for SIA. Ski sales fell 5% in dollars sold; boot sales fell 15%; and bindings sales were down 1%. Pole sales dropped by 5%. Ski sales peaked in December last year, and sales of flat skis increased from December through March. Sales of men’s skis and women’s skis were both down roughly the same amount. According to SIA, about 58% of alpine skiers were male, and 42% female last season. A bright spot in sales was alpine touring equipment, with sales up 18% in dollars in the 2014-15 season. Women’s alpine touring boot sales were up 34%, and AT skis sales more than tripled to the fairer sex. About 14% of alpine equipment was sold online, and
the remaining sold in chain stores. Online, sales of alpine equipment were down 7%, and in chain stores sales were up 5%. By channel, alpine equipment is still sold primarily in specialty shops. About $423 million was sold in specialty shops last year, or more than 80% of all alpine equipment in dollars sold. That’s due to in-store expertise on bootfitting and binding mounting. “The complete lack of expertise and personal service online, and the limited expertise available in most chain stores, makes specialty a more attractive sales channel for most snow sports consumers,” according to the SIA Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report. Midwestern specialty shops saw the strongest sales in the 2014-15 season, with dollar sales for alpine ski equipment up 5% to $90 million. —Lindsay Konzak
IDENTIFY AS FREESKIERS
Rentals Bolster Specialty Shops AT EQUIPMENT SALES ALSO STRONG IN STORES SPECIALTY SHOPS CONTINUE TO BRING IN MORE THAN HALF THE SALES in the industry, accounting for 52% of the total. But sales fell 4% in 2014-15 season in specialty shops to $2.4 billion. That compares with chain-store sales that were up 13% to $1.2 billion and online sales, down 4%, according to data from The NPD Group for SIA. At specialty shops, consumers bought more outerwear in 2014-15 – about 5% more, to $720 million. Apparel accessories were close to flat, down just 1%. Rental equipment was a bright spot for specialty shops in 2014-15, up 14% to $219 million. According to SIA, specialty retailers rented 5.3 million units of equipment in 2014-15. Rental equipment sales vary by region; nearly 90% of all rental units and 70% of rental dollars are sold in the West, where rentals were down 5% in dollars in 2014-15. Specialty retailers’ service revenue was down 5%. And sales of alpine equipment (down 10%), snowboard equipment (7%) and cross country equipment (12%) declined. Accessories, including helmets, goggles, pads and others, dropped 7%.
TOTAL SALES IN 2014-15 SEASON
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SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
SIA has several seminars for specialty shops all week. Friday check out “Best Practices in Retail Training for Maximum Sales” at 10:30 a.m. in Room 207. That said, the shops’ customers bought more alpine touring equipment in 2014-15 than they did the year before, reflecting continued growth in the backcountry market and perhaps the desire by consumers to buy more technical equipment locally. Sales were up 18% at specialty retail for AT equipment. While the online channel is growing, it matched specialty shops’ drop in 2014-15 in overall sales. The strongest category sold online was in outerwear, up 11% to $487 million, which was about half of all snow sports Internet dollar sales. Select apparel accessories also grew; handwear sales were up 17%, and headwear was up 10%. Helmet sales also enjoyed growth online, the only distribution channel to see an increase in helmet sales in the 2014-15 season. In comparison, outerwear ($506 million) and apparel accessories ($202 million) were both up in double digits in chain stores. Most of the $1.2 billion in sales at chain stores in 2014-15 were in apparel. Also up: alpine equipment (5%), cross country equipment (27%) and winter footwear (8%). Chain stores are a primary channel for action camera sales, which grew by 35% last season. —L.K.
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SPOTLIGHT | INDUSTRY LEADERS
Women to Watch
With the Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition (OIWC), SIA is proud to recognize the 2016 Women to Watch, outstanding leaders working for brands, reps, retailers, resorts and non-profits.
Kirsten Lynch
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Vail Resorts Years with current job: 4.5 Number of years in snow sports industry: 4.5 Average days on-snow: 25
Favorite place to ski, and why? I ski at all of our resorts, but my current favorite is Beaver Creek. I love the aspen trees, the intimacy of the resort, the variety of terrain, the village and the service we provide our guests, including the warm chocolate chip cookies served at the end of each ski day. It’s an incredible experience.
How did you get your start in this industry? I grew up in downtown Chicago and started my passion for skiing at age 6. … Five years ago, I was CMO for a division of PepsiCo in Chicago when my husband and I decided to quit our jobs and move to Colorado with our 1-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. So I landed in Colorado based on my passion and then was fortunate a few months later to join Vail Resorts. It still feels like a dream come true.
What are 3 things people don’t know about you?
1. I learned to ski when I was 6-years-old at a small ski area in Wisconsin wearing blue jeans and pink powder cuffs. 2. When I turned 16-years-old and got my very first car, my car license plates were personalized with “SNO SKI 1.” 3. I started my marketing career with Ford Motor Company in Detroit and had the amazing experience of learning to take apart a car engine and put it back together again!
What is the industry’s most pressing challenge, in your opinion, and why? The industry needs to find ways to make skiing and riding accessible to more people, in particular women and families. We have created new programs to help with this. In Colorado and Utah we launched Epic SchoolKids program that gives free skiing/riding, free lesson and free rental to all kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. Our intention is to build the next generation of skiers and riders by making it affordable and accessible. We have also created programs for women because we know that the majority of people on the mountain on any given day are men. After talking with women guests extensively we have created a program to try to help address their challenges with getting back on the mountain: time, skill and camaraderie. Specifically, our Women’s Ultimate 4 program, offered through our Ski & Snowboard Schools, is designed for women with a maximum of four women per group and led by a woman coach; participants have access to state-of-the-art women’s-specific equipment; and the program is offered at a time of day that’s most convenient for our women guests. Congratulations to the 2016 OIWC-SIA Women to Watch: Stephanie Bennett, K2 Sports; Julia Blumenfeld, Head/Tyrolia; Wendy Carey, Seirus Innovation; Donna Carpenter, Burton; Katie Hawkins, Marmot; Annelise Loevlie, Icelantic Skis; Kirsten Lynch, Vail Resorts; Kathy McGuire, K2 Sports; Amy Ohran, Boreal Ridge Corp.; Linda Rodney, Giro; Claire Smallwood, SheJumps; Kim Walker, Outdoor Divas
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SPOTLIGHT | AWARD WINNERS
Retailer of the Year
Each year, SIA honors outstanding retailers in the snow sports industry. These are the industry proponents who rise above and beyond to build relationships, engage customers and support brands, all the while promoting passion and growth in snow sports. Snow Show Daily spoke with some of the winners. Celebrate the Retailer of the Year Awards on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Snow Show entrance by the bridge.
Pacific Retailer of the Year
evo
Bryce Phillips, Owner and CEO Years in business: 14 Locations: Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Ore. Favorite thing about the snow sports industry: Working with people that share our passions. Why you like going to the Show: SIA for evo is all about relationships. It’s a time to come together, talk business and build bridges with people throughout the industry. We see a ton of value in that and, of course, enjoy the social aspect of getting together with people that we enjoy working with.
What’s it like balancing evo’s physical stores and the online store? We love the combination that it delivers by far the best customer experience. The way in which the web and stores correspond is really amazing to see firsthand and while many asked why we continued to operate a store while the web was growing as quickly as it has, we always maintained that stores would always be a critical piece of the puzzle.
How does evo go about picking its products in an increasingly gearheavy world?
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It’s always a mix of analytics and artistry. There are the intangibles that great merchants have to see having an impact in the market, often products that customers do not yet know that they want and of course the data that we look at when analyzing how our customers respond to products that we have purchased.
evo does a lot of charity work. How has this helped the company? It’s central to who we are. Being able to leverage our business to give back is arguably one of the most extraordinary opportunities at evo. We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the impact that we can have, but we are very excited about how we can work to make the evo brand synonymous with our cause of working with underprivileged children in the years to come.
What’s different about evo this year compared with one year ago? We continue to improve in the way that we run the business on so many fronts. We also have an entirely redesigned site and new store in Portland among a long list of other improvements that we’ve made from a customer-facing perspective. That said, staying true to the root of our name “evolucíon,” you will see continual improvements and a lot of new initiatives in the years to come. —Connor W. Davis This year’s Retailers of the Year: Alpine Ski Shop, Sterling, Va.; Aspen Ski & Board Co., Lewis Center, Ohio; Buchika’s Ski & Board, Salem, N.H.; Cole Sport, Park City, Utah; Colorado Ski Shop, Springfield, Mass.; evo, Seattle, Wash.; Freestyle, Charlottesville, Va.; Neptune Diving & Ski, Nashville, Tenn.
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SPOTLIGHT | SNOWBOARD NEWS
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Eye of the Buyer
#Trending: Backcountry Gear
Backcountry riding has an allure that continues to attract participants and drive product inno- in backcountry gear? vation. Ski and outdoor shops have traditionally laid claim to this offering at the retail level, but KN: Carrying the brands and products that are tested, splitboard and snowboard-based brands and retailers have been taking a bite in recent years. used and supported by actual snowboarders is a good start. The specific considerations that come with snowAccording to specialty retailers, this is what’s driving it. boarding can be quite different than those of other back-
country alpine activities. Having a staff of hyper-knowledgeable salespeople who actually utilize the product and really know the regions in which they’ll be used is also super important. My shop even goes as far as offering free classes to educate the public about avalanche safety, rescue techniques, snowpack and backcountry product use.
Jay Moore Owner, World Boards, Bozeman, Mont.
Which specific backcountry products or brands are getting a lot of attention?
KN: Spark R&D bindings due to continued upgrades
and solid price points. G3 skins. MTN Approach kits for total convenience, speed and pricing relative to full splitboard kits. The new ThirtyTwo Jones snowboard touring boot.
JH: Jones continues to get a lot of attention on his splitboards and packs. Spark R&D also crushes it for us in the splitboard binding market.
Kevin Nimick Snowboard Supervisor, evo, Portland, Ore.
Brett Sanford Wizard, The Source, Calgary, Alberta
specialty level, either through distribution or intelligent segmentation, tend to see the most attention. The folks buying this stuff are either already educated or eager to become educated on both how and what to ride when they venture out. Backcountry products have seen a sharp rise, and it’s important to separate the ones who are true to the category as opposed to those who have taken a ‘me too’ type approach. The authentic brands connect with their customers and in turn see the most attention.
Which stock pieces do well in this category for you?
JM: Spark continues to rock. Of course, since it’s local, and
KN: The obvious crossover and more dynamic products
BS: In our market, backcountry snowboarding carries a different vibe from traditional ‘outdoor.’ These are snowboarders, plain and simple. Brands that resonate at a
How do you think snowboard shops can compete with traditional ski and outdoor retailers
we are dealer number one, we have the line top to bottom. People are willing to upgrade to the Tesla system in the new models, the Arc and Surge. We sell the Arc and Surge equally well.
like stiffer snowboard boots, K2 Thraxis and Salomon Malamute. There’s more acceptance of higher-end laminated outerwear systems and layering. Dakine Heli-Pro packs, Jones splitboards, Spark R&D bindings, MTN Approach kits, BCA Tracker 2 beacons and BCA airbags.
▲ JONES STORMCHASER SPLITBOARD
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JM: If snowboard shops haven’t had BC gear then I guess
they would have a hard time selling it. It is pretty late to enter the game in backcountry gear if you ask me. We have had it covered since the beginning, so 22 years into it we have all the parts and brands you need or want, with the service to back it up.
BS: It boils down to having the right product assortment and an educated, passionate staff. If you walk into a retail store and talk to a salesperson who can offer you the right product, is excited to be there and can either offer guidance or act as a fellow snowboarder to talk to about your purchase, then it’s hard to see a reason why go somewhere that cannot offer that kind of experience. —Ben Gavelda
▲ BCA FLOAT 32
Joel Handschin Owner, Jackson Treehouse, Jackson, Wyo.
JH: I think for core shops like us who have employees that go out into the backcountry and use these products, it gives us a huge advantage because we know what riders are looking for and how to properly set up your rig. Setting up splitboards, splitboard bindings and skins takes some knowledge to make sure everything is working properly. Having it set perfectly to begin with is important to maximize one’s experience in the backcountry. We also really try to help the customer learn about what they are buying so they have the knowledge to pass on and understand what they are dealing with in case they have situations in the backcountry.
▲ SPARK ARC
The Buyers
SPOTLIGHT | SNOWBOARD NEWS
POWERED BY
Oakley Unveils New Helmet Line ICONIC BRAND EXTENDS INNOVATION TO NEW CATEGORY OAKLEY HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED WITHIN THE action and adventure sports industry for many breakthroughs throughout the years—innovation within the goggle market being a prominent one. Today, the company is officially unveiling the next level of that technology within a new frontier that has, until now, been untouched by the Oakley logo: helmets. “We see this as an opportunity with enormous potential,” says Hans Arnesen, Oakley category manager (left). The decision to expand its offering stemmed from indicators that the market is on the rise, with the adoption rate for wearing safety tech intensifying every year. That, coupled with requests from its retail base, led Oakley to put serious thought into the research and development involved in entering a new category. Over the past three years, the company has been conducting extensive fit trial and field test studies, analyzing leading competitor helmet models paired with Oakley goggles, according to Arnesen. “This research helped us identify the key problem statements that we then set out to solve,” he says. As most dedicated riders recognize, helmet/goggle compatibility is key to comfort, performance and safety on the hill, and Oakley set out to create technology that addressed those needs. The result is Oakley’s patented Modular Brim System (MBS), a helmet/goggle integration that offers small- and large-brim options, and is meant to provide the right fit with any goggle, regardless of size. The Mod3 also features a no-pressure ear cup, lightweight in-mold shell, and an integrated anti-fog system that channels hot air from the goggle through the brim and vents in the helmet. The Mod5 has been designed with a dual construction shell that boasts durability coupled with a lightweight feel.
THE DECISION TO EXPAND ITS OFFERING STEMMED FROM INDICATORS THAT THE (SAFETY TECH) MARKET IS ON THE RISE. Oakley’s MBS will be rolled out in the Mod 3 ($140) and Mod5 ($200) helmets, set to hit retail September 2016. In addition, Oakley is also introducing its Prizm Inferno heated lens technology for 2016, which will be compatible with its new Line Miner goggle, a cylindrical shape designed for the ultimate peripheral view. The technology was developed to combat goggle fogging, enhancing vision, and providing a new level of performance and safety. With many of its key retail partners excited for the brand to move in this new direction, Oakley hopes to ▲ OAKLEY’S HELMETS ARE DESIGNED draw on its well-established base of loyal goggle and WITH GOGGLE FIT IN MIND. eyewear customers, aiming to deliver the same innovative qualities in its new line of helmets, says Arnesen—a goal that he feels confident about. “The Oakley 2016-17 snow collection includes the most innovative products in Oakley’s snow history to date,” he says. “We have a range of new tech and products that we want to share with the world, and it’s pushed us to be that much more strategic and creative with each story.” —Kailee Bradstreet
OAKLEY IS ALSO INTRODUCING ITS PRIZM INFERNO HEATED LENS TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT FOGGING, COMPATIBLE WITH ITS LINE MINER GOGGLE (BELOW).
THE NEW MOD3 (LEFT) AND MOD5 (ABOVE) HELMETS INCLUDE OAKLEY’S MODULAR BRIM SYSTEM, WHICH PROVIDES THE RIGHT FIT WITH ANY GOGGLE. THE MOD5 HAS A DUAL CONSTRUCTION SHELL FOR DURABILITY AND LIGHTNESS. THE MOD3 FEATURES A NO-PRESSURE EAR CUP AND INTEGRATED ANTI-FOG SYSTEM.
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* SIA Epic Pass only available to show attendees, exhibitors and buyers with valid show credentials. Must be present to purchase. Adult passes only. SIA Epic Pass valid for the remainder of the 2015/16 ski season, starting February 1, 2016. Does not include summer 2016 or international partner resort access. © 2016 Vail Resorts Management Company. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
TOP TRENDS | NEW EXHIBITORS
Show Newcomers NEW EXHIBITORS INCLUDE APPAREL-MAKERS AND GEAR INNOVATORS
Look for this icon in our reviews!
BY ERIC SMITH
BLANC NOIR ADVENTURE BEGINS WITH STYLE
AGENT OUTERWEAR SPREADING WARMTH
The "one-for-one" business model made famous by shoe company TOMS has inspired a Detroit, Mich.based ski apparel company to launch a similar charitable campaign. New exhibitor Agent Outerwear's "Get Warm. Give Warm." program donates a winter coat to a child in need for every qualified purchase. Company Founder Lindsay Pavlich, who also works as ski patroller, began the initiative to blend her love of skiing and snowboarding, her need to stay warm during harsh Michigan winters and her desire to give back. "The idea is to create a sustainable solution for an ongoing problem," she says. "It's not just donations or hand-me-downs, which are limited. We can give for every purchase made." The company partners with One Warm Coat, a nonprofit organization that determines areas in need. Agent Outerwear then hosts a giving event at a community center or school to distribute the coats while Pavlich and volunteers entertain children with games and activities. Agent Outerwear's Liberator 3-in-1 jacket (pictured) combines an outer shell with a light down liner, and the pieces can be worn separately, offering versatility in places where skiing is only a part of the winter scene.
High-end women's apparel designer Blanc Noir understands that many people visiting a ski resort will spend only a few hours on the slopes, so the company makes and sells products that provide a stylish answer to the question: "What will I wear the rest of the day?" "When you're not on the slope, you still need that functional fashion," says Burt Damsky, the company's brand vice president. "You still want to look like you belong, you still want to have the comfort, range of motion and adaptability – and also bring a fashion component. We know that ski fashion and resort fashion is a big part of the lifestyle in that community." New York-based Blanc Noir brings a "signature city style" to contemporary women's styling and fuses it with performance features, fabrics and attributes, says Damsky, as opposed to starting with a ski aesthetic and then bringing a city or urban look to it. The company is showcasing four products at the Snow Show, including the Mesh Puffer Inset Vest, new for 2016-17. Composed of cylinder down and pieced together with power mesh insets to allow ventilation and breathability, the vest is DWR-coated, comes with its own stuff sack and features rubberized hardware to avoid hard edges. Blanc Noir will also display its 3-in-1 Packable Moto, as well as an après ski jacket and pant, all designed to outfit a "community that demands authenticity and individuality while ushering in a new modern era of functional fashion." "We are embracing a major shift in the industry," Damsky says. "The consumers we cater to are trailblazers. They work, they ski, and they take care of themselves and families." PICK OF THE DAY: Visit booth #1311 to see the perfect blend of form and function in Blanc Noir's Mesh Puffer Inset Vest.
ENVY SNOW SPORTS SOLID FOOTING
Anyone who has peeled off a pair of ill-fitting ski boots after a long day on the slopes will understand the complaints that Chris Schroeder's mother and sister routinely lodged during family ski trips. Cold, cramped and painful feet prevented them from skiing as long as Schroeder and his father snowboarded. So Schroeder and his father invented a binding that would allow skiers to wear snowboard boots. Their creation, the Envy Ski Frame, looks like a snowboard binding and is designed to fit a snowboard boot, but its base is built like that of a ski boot and clicks into alpine ski bindings. The Schroeders, whose company is called Envy Snow Sports, developed a prototype of the ski frame two years ago and later 3D-printed an updated version of it. After another redesign, they tested the product last Thanksgiving in Summit County, Colo., where Schroeder said the binding performed well, maintaining stability all over the mountain and, most importantly, keeping his feet pain-free. The Envy Ski Frame is not in production yet – the company will see what kind of interest it garners before moving forward – but positive reception at the Snow Show would prompt Envy Snow Sports to start selling the frame for the 2016-17 ski season. Schroeder fully expects skepticism at the Snow Show, but he also believes "this will perform just as well as an entry-level ski boot."
PICK OF THE DAY: Learn more about Agent Outerwear's mission by visiting booth #435.
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PICK OF THE DAY: Visit booth #4448 to see a prototype of the Envy Ski Frame.
TK CAPTION
CARBON ALLOY MATRIX
photo © Blake Jorgenson
AMPLIFY YOUR SKI OUR BEST-IN-CLASS PERFORMANCE NOW IN Engineered to amplify the best on-snow behaviors, Rossignol’s ultra-lightweight Carbon Alloy Matrix injects the new 7 SERIES and EXPERIENCE collections with ground-breaking, High-Definition energy, mobility, and strength. ANOTHERBESTDAY
TOP TRENDS | NEW EXHIBITORS Look for this icon in our reviews!
More Newcomers 1. LACROIX SKIS
High-end luxury gear- and apparel-maker Lacroix Skis is highlighting a special “capsule” collection at this year’s Show. The MACH by Lacroix collection is rooted in the brand’s history; Lèo Lacroix founded the brand in 1967 after competing in the ’64 Olympic Games and ’66 World Championships. Lacroix’s first MACH racing skis were released in the early 70s.
2. ELM COMPANY
Elm Company is a lifestyle-inspired outdoor headwear and accessories business that embraces the philosophy “Rooted in Life.” On the Show floor, check out Elm Company’s fresh approach to headwear, the Lewis Claw Hood, a pullover hood with a 20,000mm waterproof/breathable nylon outershell, and a 310g microfleece inner lining and forehead upper shield. The lower facemask is made of a windproof and water-resistant 100% polyester woven softshell bonded to a polyester microfleece inner.
3. VAPUR
Vapur’s Anti-Bottles stand when full and can be rolled, folded or flattened when empty, making them easy to tote
on any snow adventure. The brand is showcasing its diverse offerings today, including its 1.5L Vapur (bigger is better); the DrinkLink Hydration Tube (converts into a hydration bladder with the change of a cap); and the Break-Up Infinity Bottle (weighs just a few ounces).
4. DMOS
DMOS has spent the last year re-designing a shovel for skiers and snowboarders: The Kicker Tool. It is built with aircraft-quality aluminum alloy and features a shovel head that moves, packs and rakes large amounts of snow to build and sculpt the perfect jump. The packable unit fits into any backcountry pack and at 3.3 pounds, doesn't weigh much more than a full water bottle.
5. RUROC
UK-based RUROC sells full-face protection against backcountry rocks, terrain-park rails and sub-zero wind chill with its integrated ski and snowboard helmets, which combine the functionality of a mask, goggle and helmet. Stop by the RUROC booth to lay your eyes on the RG1-X Helmet System, designed by boarders and freestyle skiers and featuring integrated goggles with RUROC’s Aeroflow Anti-Fog System.
The helmet can be worn in full-face cover mode or as an open-face helmet.
6. NORTHERN LITES SNOWSHOES
Wisconsin-based Northern Lites believes that snowshoes should not weigh you down. Made in the USA since 1992, the brand’s snowshoes use advanced aerospace materials, providing the same durability and strength of aluminumframe snowshoes, while weighing in up to 75% lighter. Stop by the Northern Lites booth to see its recreational, racing, youth and extreme models.
7. EMU AUSTRALIA
EMU Australia, a premium footwear brand designed in Australia, is showing off its fall-winter 2016 collection at the Show today, including its largest waterproof collection to date. Independent SATRA accreditation places the waterproof range up to 150,000 flexes with a thermal rating of -22F. The brand combines that innovation with homegrown craftsmanship; it is influenced by nature, featuring earth-inspired palettes and natural materials including authentic sheepskin products. —Lindsay Konzak
For a complete listing of new exhibitors, see page 58. Watch for additional coverage of new exhibitors in tomorrow’s Snow Show Daily.
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TOP TRENDS | WHAT'S HOT
The Rundown
LOOK FOR THESE KEY TRENDS AS YOU PERUSE THE SNOW SHOW AISLES THIS WEEK Here’s what you can expect to see on the Snow Show floor. Get more in-depth coverage in each of these categories in the Snow Show Daily this week or check out the Snow Show Preview online at SIAsnowshow.com/showdaily. — Lindsay Konzak
ALPINE ABOVE, ICELANTIC SKIS' NEW SABRE ALLMOUNTAIN COLLECTION RAILS ON GROOMERS AND BLASTS THROUGH CRUD. THE NEW DYNASTAR SPEED ZONE ON-TRAIL COLLECTION PROVIDES POWER ACROSS CHANGING TERRAIN AND SNOW. LEFT, THE APEX XP SERIES IS LIGHTER AND MORE COMPACT FOR 2016-17; THE DESIGN INCLUDES A REMOVABLE INNER BOOT AND OPEN CHASSIS DESIGN. DALBELLO IS OFFERING SWAPPABLE SOLES THAT WILL WORK WITH MARKER'S NEW GRIP WALK BINDINGS. SHOWN, THE DALBELLO LUPO CARBON TI.
SKIS ARE ON A DIET FOR 2016-17, AS THE ARDOR for powder boards seems to have cooled, if temporarily. While some brands are introducing new fat skis, expect to see narrower waists on the Show floor, including a slew of new mid-fats in freeride collections. Also expect a fresh embrace of the high-performance carving ski, with several brands introducing new narrow-waisted offerings. The goal: to meet the needs of most skiers – no matter the skill level – who spend most of their time on groomed snow. On the boot front, consumers continue to spend more in part thanks to the desire for a more customized fit. And brands are responding with their own approaches to the task, from easy-to-soften plastics to heat-moldable shells. Easy-walking rockered soles are making inroads, and manufacturers continue to prioritize lightness and comfort.
Read about backcountry ski and boot trends (p. 44), as well as poles (p. 40), in this issue of the Snow Show Daily.
SNOWBOARD
HYDRODYNAMIC SHAPING, RETRO INFLUENCES AND CREATIVE RIDING STYLES ARE INSPIRING THE 2016-17 lineups from board-makers. On the Show floor today, expect a selection of powder boards from brands like Capita and Dinosaurs Will Die, unique shapes from Never Summer and Salomon, and the use of advanced materials in new boards from Ride, Jones and Niche. For boots, consumers are looking for perfect fit right out of the box. And both boots and bindings are benefiting from a renewed focus on flex beyond just stiff or soft. Manufacturers are making adjustments to flex while improving the fit and durability of their boots, leveraging heat-moldable liners, improved foams, ergonomic footbeds and soles from third parties like Vibram and Michelin. Brands are focused on response and customization with the newest lineup of bindings, resulting in streamlined baseplates and smaller mountain discs, as well as systems that enable riders to precisely adjust the placement of their straps.
Throwback
Nick Wittman, salesman, Aspect Boards and Brews, Bend, Ore. Q: How would you describe the current state of the snowboard industry? NW: The sport is maturing, looking back to the roots for the answers that were there all along. Brands are tightening up their offerings. We're seeing classic designs, patterns and colors, and camber resurfacing as a staple shape, as well as other shapes finding their place and best uses.
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JONES PRODIGY IS THE BRAND'S NEW YOUTH BOARD. BRANDS ARE AMPING UP THEIR LINES FOR YOUTH AND WOMEN IN 2016-17. LEFT, THE DC SCENDENT BOOT.
SOF T & HARD SNOW PERFORMANCE With the superior stability of Spaceframe Woodcore construction, charging in every condition has never been more fun.
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The lightweight agility and engaging performance of CFX Superfiber brings Carbon construction to the next level. Now you can have it all.
TOP TRENDS | WHAT'S HOT
NORDIC
DRAGON ALLIANCE X2S, A NEW STYLE FOR FALL 2016, FEATURES THE SWIFTLOCK LENS SYSTEM FOR A QUICK LENS CHANGE.
HEAD TO THE NORDIC CENTER TODAY TO GET a glimpse of key trends in the cross country market, including lighter boots thanks to more carbon, a focus on weight savings overall, new binding interfaces and more. The goal: making the sport easier and more efficient for everyone. Brands are also delivering gear for 2016-17 that bridges the gap between light backcountry and alpine touring. For skate skis, the emphasis is on weight, glide and stability. Expect that and a focus on grip and price point in classic models. Manufacturers are using more traditional ski tech in their grip areas. And in response to growing demand from the fairer sex, some brands are releasing women’s-specific models.
ACCESSORIES
THE REDSTER CARBON CLASSIC FROM ATOMIC IS THE BRAND'S LOWEST-PROFILE SKI EVER. BELOW, THE SALOMON S-LAB SKATE PRO PROLINK IS DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE POWER TRANSFER.
SWEET PROTECTION OFFERS THE MIPS PROTECTION SYSTEM STANDARD ON ITS ROOSTER MODEL (ABOVE), WHICH ALSO INCLUDES A RACE-SPECIFIC MULTI-DENSITY EPS LINER.
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CONSUMERS WANT LESS HASSLE, BUT MORE TECH IN THEIR gear for 2016-17, and that extends to accessories. On the Show floor today, look for goggle features combatting low visibility and fog – in other words, quickly adapting to changing conditions with little to no work required on behalf of the wearer. And many of the features that just a few seasons ago were new and pricy are starting to become standard, even dipping down into lower price points to make them accessible to a larger customer base. Helmets are also integrating more technology, as consumers become more aware of the dangers of head injury. In response to this demand, brands are touting their individual safety features like never before for 2016-17. In addition to MIPS and other proprietary protection systems, brands are incorporating newer safety features into their brain buckets. This includes a tracking light system to make the user more visible in low light (Slokker) and a Safety QR code for EMTs (Bollè). Also expect to see a more aggressive freeride look reflected in helmet colors and designs.
APPAREL
THANKS TO LOW TEMPS THROUGHOUT THE country last season, apparel sales saw some of the strongest gains of any snow sports category. Ski and snowboard apparel continues to follow the way of the backcountry, with new features that provide both comfort, warmth and agility no matter where you ski or ride. As you explore the aisles today, look for freeride designs with packable and lighter materials (without sacrificing durability). Other features that are backcountry-friendly: high-visibility details, pockets that account for a backpack’s waist strap, seam-free shoulders, super-durable fabric to resist tree snags and easy-access pockets, and spots for everything, including a radio antenna. Other trends to watch for include ongoing inspiration from streetwear designs (especially in snowboard apparel), growing transparency from brands on where they source their raw materials, and more options designed especially for women and youth.
Stay tuned for the Day 3 issue of the Snow Show Daily, where we'll dive deeper into fashion trends. STRAFE OUTERWEAR'S MINIMALIST CHAM2 SKI AND SNOWBOARD JACKET AND PANT (LEFT) AND SALOMON'S QST CHARGE GTX 3L JACKET AND PANT (RIGHT) WERE DESIGNED FOR MAXIMUM MOVEMENT AND COMFORT IN THE ROUGHEST OF CONDITIONS.
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TOP TRENDS | BINDINGS
Well-Rounded Performance
▲ TYROLIA ATTACK 14
2016-17 BINDINGS ARE VERSATILE AND COMPATIBLE WITH MORE SOLES IN TODAY’S SKI BINDING WORLD, IF IT’S NOT about touring functionality, it’s about compatibility with all the different, more “walkable” soles now on the market. “The increased availability of new boot sole norms has created the need for bindings that accommodate multiple soles at all price points and performance levels,” says Look brand manager Nick Castagnoli. (Rossignol-brand bindings will no longer be available; instead Look will be representing bindings for the brand going forward.) Look embraces the compatibility trend with its new Pivot 12 Dual WTR (Walk to Ride), featuring a new Full Action toe piece and Dual Standard Concept, enabling skiers to use both Alpine (ISO 5355) and WTR rocker soles without compromising performance. The Pivot 12 Dual WTR will be available throughout 90 percent of its line in 2016-17, integrated into the Pivot, SPX and select NX bindings, as well as Look’s new Konect integrated binding system, the first integrated binding system to feature the technology. Tyrolia also invests in the trend, rolling out its new Attack 14AT to meet today’s multi-sole configurations. While not a touring binding, the fixed-heel Alpine binding, which maintains a lightweight chassis and low stand
YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT BINDINGS WITHOUT TALKING BOOTS. height, is compatible with all WTR, AT and Alpine soles, thanks to a fully adjustable AFD. “It’s all about enabling more versatility and compatibility between boots and bindings,” says alpine product manager Andrew Couperthwait. Marker brings all bootmakers into the fold with its new Grip Walk bindings. To date, says brand manager Geoff Curtis, walkable soles have been restricted to touring boots. Not anymore. “It’s a chicken and egg thing,” Curtis says. “You can’t talk about bindings without talking about boots. Most things happening in boots are impacting bindings, and vice versa.” Grip Walk, he says, is an integrated system—essentially a binding built to accept a particular, easy-walking boot sole. “It’s available to any boot partner wanting to take advantage of easier walkability, in a binding that only needs release and forward pressure adjustment,” he says. Grip Walk’s walkability comes from a slip-resistant, co-polymer
Making the Right Choice
▼ LOOK PIVOT 12 DUAL WTR
Tom Willard, store manager, Geiger’s Ski and Sport Haus, Ohio Q: How important are bindings at retail? TW: They’re incredibly under-rated. They’re the most important piece of the puzzle there is safety-wise, so consumers want to make a good choice. Q: Is the category getting overly complicated with different boot soles, touring functions and the like? TW: I don’t think it’s complicating things for the consumer. People who come into the store have a pretty good idea of what’s going on in the industry and what they want. They know so much more than they used to. The biggest dilemma is one of expectation; people come in hoping to hook up with a certain binding, only to find they don’t weigh enough so they can’t use it. Manufacturers might want to make a lesser-tension spring setting binding to open up the market more.
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sole with an ergonomic rocker profile. This year, sister brand Dalbello will have Grip Walk in 90 percent of its line. “We’re open to working with any boot partners who want to participate,” Curtis says. Marker has also beefed-up its Tour F10 touring binding while decreasing its carbon for a lower price point, and debuts its new Sole ID system in its high-end bindings, whose new AFD lets users ski the bindings in either alpine or AT boots. On the safety front, KneeBinding continues to bank on its PureLateral heel release technology. It debuts its HardCore with a higher DIN range of 5-14. With higher retention and forward pressure settings, it allows everyone from freestylers to racers to enjoy the binding’s benefits of reducing knee injuries. It comes with 3-mm ramp delta for more a balanced stance and cantilevered brakes for aggressive carving. —Eugene Buchanan
▲ KNEEBINDING HARDCORE
TOP TRENDS | SKI POLES
Lighten Up BRANDS FOCUS ON WEIGHT REDUCTION, BACKCOUNTRY FEATURES IN 2016-17 POLE LINES WHILE SKI POLES MIGHT NOT GET THE PRESS THEIR CLOSER-TO-SNOW GEAR cousins get, that doesn’t mean they are void of innovation. Adjustability, swing weight, durability and more continue to improve this unsung hero of snow sports. K2 has redesigned its Lockjaw poles with a new, non-slip adjustment mechanism: The T6 6000 series’ aluminum lever and body are now linked together with Teflon bushings to optimize clamp force. The weight has been reduced by 25 percent. K2 also adds its new, ergo-designed Ripcord Grip Strap system to its Men’s Airfoil Carbon and Power 9 Carbon poles, and Women’s Style 9. With a push-button, hinging grip top, the strap separates from the pole when a strong upward force is applied, lessening shoulder, arm LEKI FIN VARIO
Nordic Poles
“Nordic poles are often that last buying decision, but they’re the only Nordic hardgood product that you have to carry the entire way,” says Andrew Gerlach, president of Start. “Swing weight is key. Skiing the Birkie and lifting an extra 3 ounces per stroke equates to lifting an additional 6,500 pounds.” Start’s World Cup Race addresses this with more carbon at a lower price point. Rossignol also employs carbon in its new Carbon 50, an ultra-lightweight, 50-percent air-carbon racing pole with ergonomic cork handle, adjustable ergonomic race strap and large racing basket. Swix Pole debuts its new carbon Swix Triac 2.5, the brand's highest-end offering with third-generation triangular shaft technology resulting in a 3 percent weight reduction and increase in overall stiffness, and 5 percent decrease in overall swing weight thanks to a Carbon Leaf basket. Swix’s Triac Basket System offers three different basket options plus roller ski ferrule as a supplement. Leki improves its Nordic Race series poles with the Fin Vario, an integrated, quick-change, tip/basket system. It works via a connector permanently attached to the pole’s tip, allowing multiple sizes of performance baskets and roller tips to twist on and off. The baskets are held in place through a new exoskeleton design that clicks into place. The company is also banking on its biathlon wares for the masses. “We're seeing more athletes switch over to our Trigger Shark Grip system, which was historically used for biathlon but is now infiltrating other disciplines because of its flexible power transmission and longer poling phase,” says Leki Vice President Greg Wozer.
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MORE SPECIALIZED CONSTRUCTIONS FOR BACKCOUNTRY/TOURING THAN EVER BEFORE. and wrist injuries. The Power 9 Carbon also features a new carbon web exterior, creating the lightest, most durable and stiffest pole in its line. Line involved athletes in the development of its new Tom Wallischtick pole, a lightweight, durable aluminum offering with a Philips-head screwdriver tip for gear adjustments; and its new adjustable Pollard Carbon, built with design input from Eric Pollard featuring a carbon upper, aluminum lower and Pollard graphics. Rossignol ups its pole presence with its new Touring Pro Foldable Pole, its most specific backcountry offering to date. “Today you’re seeing more specialized constructions and features for the backcountry/touring market than ever before, including longer touring grips, telescopic designs and collapsible shafts,” says brand manager Nick Castagnoli. Banking on bamboo, which it maintains has twice the strength of aluminum, Soul Poles, whose poles are handmade in Park City, Utah, debuts a Soul Lite design inspired by the Japanese Wabi-sabi concept (beauty in imperfection). Available in six colors, its grips, tips and baskets have an asymmetrical plant-based design to look like a bamboo plant and leaf, with interchangeable baskets to complete the package. Backcountry Access continues to tout its carbon-aluminum Scepter line of backcountry poles for 2016-17, the lightest yet in its line. Of particular note is its Scraper Grip, letting climbers easily scrape snow off their topsheets and employ a new utility hook for on-the-fly binding, heel riser or boot buckle adjustments; and a textured upper for added grip when choking up. —Eugene Buchanan
▲ K2 LOCKJAW
▲ START WORLD CUP RACE
▲ SWIX TRIAC 2.5
▲ SOUL POLES LITE
▲ ROSSIGNOL FREERIDE
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TOP TRENDS | GLOVES
Simple Formula
IN GLOVES, CONSUMERS CRAVE VERSATILITY, DOING MORE WITH LESS sleek Park Glove and Park Mitten. Designed for easy grabs and riding with poles, both feature a mix of goat skin and soft flexible fabric. A short cuff, detachable wrist leash and thumb goggle-wipe round out performance elements designed for the athletic rider. The workwear style continues to be popular, according to Dakine spokesperson Kate Gaeir. Dakine’s new Maverick under-cuff glove is all about durability and comfort. The low silhouette is easy on and off. The supple DWR waterrepellent drum-dyed leather boosts longevity. High-loft insulation and a 200g fleece lining add to the warmth factor. The pre-curve construction reduces bulk and improves
PUSH-BUTTON WARMTH IS ATTRACTIVE TO SKIERS & SNOWBOARDERS WHO WANT TO STAY ON THE SLOPES LONGER. dexterity. The new Highlander, the warmest glove on the women’s side, features 170g PrimaLoft insulation and wool lining, which stays warm when wet. The leather palm and shell are constructed for durability and dexterity.
(IN DOLLARS)
6%
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▲ SEIRUS SOLARSPHERE BRINK GLOVE
HANDWEAR SALES
▼ GORDINI DT GAUNTLET MITT
▲ FLYLOW TOUGH GUY GLOVE
ing, of course, on the hill. To that end, Gordini is adding to its luxury Empyrean Collection and launching a new Active Outdoor Collection next season. With 800-fill DownTek and rugged sheepskin construction, the DT Glove and Mitt, also available in a gauntlet profile, is at the top of the Empyrean line. The men’s Rebel and women’s Siren highlight the new Active Outdoor Collection. The touchscreen-ready Rebel features a sleek profile and silicon grip. The Siren adds style with faux-fur lining and goat-skin outer. Also delivering on the versatility trend, Seirus takes to market its new four-in-one HeatTouch Torche Component Mitt, which combines active and passive heating technologies. “Battery-heated gear is nearing mainstream acceptance, as versatile options are helping increase its popularity,” says Danica Carey, Seirus Innovation marketing manager. “Push-button warmth is attractive to skiers and snowboarders who want to stay out on the slopes longer and in harsher conditions.” Seirus looks to continue its leadership in heat-retention technology with its new SolarSphere mitts and gloves. Touted as solar-heated insulation, the SolarSphere material— comprised of compressible hollow filament balls—absorbs infrared heat from sunlight and transfers that warmth to inside the glove or mitt, amplifying temperatures up to 10 degrees. POC emphasizes flexibility and fit with its new
After expanding its glove line last season, FlyLow Gear is focused on refreshing its classic styles, including its Tough Guy and John Henry gloves, according to Founder Dan Abrams. The revamping starts with a new more durable canvas back, but retains the color and styling from the original Tough Guy glove that launched nearly a decade ago. The reimagined gloves now include articulated thumbs, and an improved baking process in Flylow’s Denver facility. Abrams strives to keep FlyLow’s glove lines at the intersection of value prices, high-quality construction and cool styling. Building on its legacy of all-leather construction, Hestra launches the Omni Glove and Mitt for winter 201617. Combining a retro vibe with a modern design, the all-leather mitt and glove features a knit cuff, a lively palette of colors and a classic elegant profile. The new waterproof All Mountain CZone Series, which comes in a mitt, glove and three-finger format, adds to Hestra’s popular Alpine Collection. The durable goat-skin outer, with a wrist cinch and keeper leash, is designed for all levels of skiers and riders. —Greg Ditrinco
▲ POC PARK MITTEN
FROM FEWER APPS ON THEIR PHONES TO GOGgle lenses that change with the lighting conditions, less looks to be more in today’s marketplace. This trend doesn’t end at the end of your arms. Handwear manufacturers say consumers are attracted to products they can use across a variety of applications and activities in today’s grab-andgo culture. “The evolution of handwear is in its versatility,” says Sean Roberts, Gordini’s vice president of sales. “To stay relevant in the competitive landscape, product development needs to answer a variety of needs.” Roberts sees Gordini’s 2016-2017 lines offering multiple uses, includ-
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THE AT MARKET CONTINUES TO GROW (5% LAST SEASON ACROSS SNOW sports and outdoor channels) as more consumers claim first tracks before the first-chair crowd gets a crack at them. More resorts are allowing uphill travel and even setting up designated courses to mitigate risks involved with uphill skiers and grooming equipment, encouraging skiers to head uphill. With growth in the category and nearly 2 million skiers and boarders heading into non-lift-served backcountry this year, according to SIA research, more brands than ever are keen to get their piece of the pie.
▼ DYNASTAR MYTHIC 87
BACKCOUNTRY SKIS, BOOTS SHED WEIGHT BUT MAINTAIN PERFORMANCE IN 2016-17 LINES
SKIS: LIGHTER, MORE FUN, MORE VERSATILE
AT EQUIPMENT SALES (IN DOLLARS)
8% 44
BOOTS: LOW WEIGHT, MORE POWER
AT boots continue to pull inspiration from the rando racing world, cutting more weight and implementing technology to aid downhill performance and establish solid power transfer. More boots have even wider ranges of motion that won’t inhibit uphill movement and more carbon components that make them strong and light. “Skiers are looking for products that pair very ski touring-focused features, like lightweight and great cuff range, with true power,” says SCARPA North America CEO Kim Miller. With that focus in mind, SCARPA and Dalbello introduce carbon-constructed tour-focused boots with powerdriven designs, the F1 and Lupo Carbon T.I., respectively. SCARPA’s Boa closure and Dalbello’s Cabrio three-piece design all help to ensure overall weight is low while providing a platform for serious power.
SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
▲ G3 FINDR 94
▲ SALOMON WOMEN'S MTN EXPLORE
▲ DPS TI WAILER 106
Manufacturers big and small continue to find innovative ways to shed weight and beef up performance at the same time. Nick Castagnoli, brand and communications manager at Rossignol, sums it up: “Backcountry skiers don’t want to compromise. The trend is to deliver an ultra-lightweight product while keeping the skis stable, powerful and with a strong, dependable edge grip. They want a tool that will propel them out into the backcountry with as little effort and fatigue as possible – but they also want to be able to depend on it to support them on the gnarliest of descents when conditions might not be ideal.” Carbon is still king when it comes to making these lightweight, high-performance skis. Rossignol’s Sky 7 HD, G3’s FINDr 94 and Dynastar’s Mythic 87 all include carbon technologies that let them take advantage of the weight savings and stiffness of carbon while innovations like G3’s dampening polyurethane sidewalls ensure areas like dampness, strength and stability aren’t compromised. As brands geek-out on making uber-light skis, they’re still looking ahead to the next trend. G3 Product Line Manager Sigi Rumpfhuber sees “the weight game approaching the physical limits of modern ski construction.” “We will see the start of a new era with focus on smarter and more educated implementation of lightweight technology into ski design,” Rumpfhuber says. Meanwhile, manufacturers are also focused on versatility. DPS’s Erme Catino notes a trend of more skiers leaning toward the “magic mid-100 width ski.” The do-it-all, oneski quiver that crosses the resort/backcountry boundary is the goal of skis like the DPS Wailer 106 and even slightly wider RMU North Shore 2.0. Both are designed with versatility as their backbone, and employ key technologies like RMU’s five-point shape for a dynamic turning radius.
▲ SCARPA F1
PICK OF THE DAY Tecnica’s Zero G collection includes superlightweight boots that fit and ski like traditional boots. The company says the pro model rings in nearly 400 grams lighter than the next competitor. See it in booth #3601. Leslie Baker Brown, marketing manager at Tecnica, says the goal of super-lightweight boots is to fit and ski like traditional ski boots. This idea is driving the production of Tecnica’s Zero G collection. The four-buckle, overlap boots are designed to be performance touring boots and ring in nearly 400 grams lighter than its next closest competitor (in the pro model), according to Brown. Entry-level consumers may not be ready for the high price tag that can accompany super high-performing touring boots, and Atomic addresses that with the latest addition to the Backland family of boots, the Backland NC. With a more approachable price point, polyurethane cuff and shell, 30-mm booster strap and skywalk rubber sole, it caters to newer uphill skiers. Not to be overlooked, expect to see more women’s-specific backcountry gear hitting the market this season. Salomon expands its MTN Explore boot line with a women’s model, and DPS introduces the Tour 1 line. —Crystal Sagan
▲ ATOMIC BACKLAND NC
▲ LANGE XT 130 FREETOUR
TOP TRENDS | BACKCOUNTRY SKIS & BOOTS
CONNECTED TO THE MOST PIVOTAL MOMENTS IN SKIING. #itrustlook
TOP TRENDS | BACKPACKS
Packs Slim Down for Lift Rides Up EXPECT SMALLER, LIGHTER PACKS ON THE SHOW FLOOR THIS WEEK
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▲ HIGH SIERRA AVONDALE
▲ BACKCOUNTRY ACCESS STASH 20
Q: Does the lift-accessed backcountry trend create any challenges for the industry? NK: The biggest challenge is informing all riders (one plank or two) that just because it’s more accessible, it’s not more safe. Everybody still needs to be properly educated and equipped.
SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
▲ DAKINE POACHER
Nate Kuder, Senior Product Line Manager, Dakine
PACK MANUFACTURERS DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THE CLIMBING WORLD.
▲ BERGANS OF NORWAY HELIUM PRO 55
Staying Safe
Pro packs from Bergans of Norway. Both the 40- and 55-liter options feature Bergans’ QuickAdjust Pro carrying system, a 3D-molded hip-belt, sled attachment loops and a front zipper pocket for skins, crampons and other vital equipment. Look for it in both men’s and women’s versions. Pack manufacturers looking to outfit the ski mountaineering crowd draw inspiration from the climbing world, as seen in the addition of pockets big enough to tote crampons, tool holsters that can accommodate more aggressive axe angles and ski-carry systems that also make room to haul a rope. Ortovox introduces the Haute Route 32 and 32 S (a women’s-specific model), which feature crampon and rope-fastening capabilities, as well as a redesigned O-Flex frame built with a slender look that still evenly distributes weight between the hips and shoulders. Style too plays a role in this season’s packs. Find bold color options in BCA’s redesigned Stash line, while Dakine adds lifestyle elements like a welded lash-tab, leather patches, extra top stitching and original artwork to the Poacher 36 RAS Chris Benchetler team model. High Sierra’s Avondale also brings a touch of city chic. This stylishly sleek number is equally at home at the office or on the trail. —Courtney Holden
▲ ORTOVOX TOUR HAUTE ROUTE
THE NUMBER OF LIFT-ACCESSED BACKCOUNTRY-GOERS IS RISING. And can you blame them? “More people want to ride powder, and powder is harder and harder to find,” says Nathan Kuder, senior product line manager with Dakine. “They’ve realized that a couple of really good runs are better than doing laps all day in the bumps.” In turn, brands are offering smaller, more streamlined avalanche airbag packs that manage to be comfortable on the chairlift ride up, even with their life-saving technology in tow. Take Mammut’s Airbag System 3.0, which offers 30 percent weight and volume savings compared with the brand’s current 2.0 system. Models run as light as 4 pounds, 2 ounces for the complete 20-liter pack, airbag and cartridge setup. Dakine’s new Poacher series is compatible with Mammut’s Airbag System 3.0. The lift-accessed backcountry crowd will dig the nimble 26-liter model, while ladies will appreciate the women’s-specific version, complete with shorter torso, wider hips and S-curved straps. Smaller, lighter packs are also a staple of the ski-mo athlete intent on hitting that ridgeline in record time. Deuter’s new Freerider Lite is a stripped-down version of last season’s Freerider series. Devoid of daisy chains and hypalon strapping, the pack is ideal for racers or anyone else logging serious vertical. On the other end of the spectrum, Backcountry Access introduces the newest member of its best-selling Float line, the Float 42. Offering 42 liters of space yet tipping the scales at just 7.7 pounds (including airbag and cylinder), the pack is geared for guides, ski patrollers and recreationalists embarking on overnights or long trips that cross through avalanche terrain. Those looking for volume without the airbag can turn to the Helium
THE ALL NEW SPEEDMACHINE
HIGH PERFORMANCE, LIGHTWEIGHT, 100% CUSTOMIZABLE FEATURING
TECHNOLOGY
Photo EVAN WILLIAMS
VISIT US AT BOOTH 3704 NORDICA.COM
TOP TRENDS | WOMEN'S SKI BOOTS
Custom Rules
LIGHT ON WEIGHT, HEAVY ON FIT, WOMEN’S SKI BOOTS SHED POUNDS, ADD BOOT-FITTER FRIENDLY CUSTOMIZATION FEATURES
AT BOOT SALES (IN DOLLARS)
selves from online stores and skiers search for the ‘perfect-fitting ski boot.’”
FIT BIT
Fischer’s director of marketing and product, Matt Berkowitz, says the trend is to make “comfortable boots that still have power,” and the new RC Pro 110 W has a lever that helps with entry and exit, along with Active Fit Zone technology and Grip Soles. Rossignol’s Sensor Grid—found in several women’s models— makes a gridded pattern in the shell that provides wrapping of the foot and ankle. Salomon continues its evolution of customization with the QST Pro 90 W, which uses the same technology from the unisex MTN boots such as Sensifit shell construction and Motion Flex with Surelock mechanism. Tecnica’s new women’s Cochise Freeride boots include the 105W, 95W and 85W and focus on a more ana-
34%
PICK OF THE DAY Comfort and power? Check out Fischer’s new RC Pro 110W women’s boot, which aims to provide both in the brand’s booth #4411.
▲ NORDICA SPEEDMACHINE 105 W
THREE TRENDS STEAL THE SIA FLOOR THIS YEAR — customization and the adaptability of shells and liners, walk-hike mechanisms and weight-saving designs. Many of these women's ski boot trends were introduced last season, but the challenging weather can be blamed for sluggish sales. In fact, sales of women’s and girl’s alpine boots were down 4 percent in dollars sold in the 2014-15 season. But early season research for 2015-16 shows improvement. “Sales of girls' and women’s alpine boots were up 38 percent in dollars sold to $7.5 million,” says Kelly Davis, director of research for SIA. Furthermore, the AT hybrid category—known as alpine touring and loosely defined as boots with a swappable DIN and Vibram soles—has shown tremendous growth. Women’s AT boot sales increased 34 percent in the 2014-15 season to reach $1.3M. Whatever the weather this season, new women’s boot models offer an attractive incentive to buy. Along with more options to customize the fit, comes an overall movement to save weight. “Just as we have seen with skis and bindings, boots have started to trim down and become lighter while maintaining their high-performance stature,” says Ethan Korpi, boot product manager for Nordica. “Customization remains a hot topic in ski boots as the traditional specialty retailer seeks to differentiate them-
tomical shape, better fit and more custom-fitting options. Tecnica’s C.A.S. (Custom Adaptive Shape) includes a preshaped liner of hard-to-fit areas. The Cochise models and the new Zero G Guide W Freeride both have Power Light Design, which makes the boots 20 to 30 percent lighter than other alpine models.
TRAVEL-FRIENDLY
Walk-hike mechanisms help consumers walk in the lodge or along ridge tops by two modes: One that increases mobility and the other that provides a “locked down” feeling for alpine turns. Freeride boot models with these features continue to make up a large segment of the market. “Consumers now see the benefit and increased skiability of this technology,” according to Thor Verdonk, director of product development for the Rossignol Group. Dalbello, who has partnered with Marker/Völkl, features a new freeride-inspired 98-mm lasted boot called the DMS 100 W. It has a foot-wrapping overlap design, and the new all-mountain Avanti model has a wool lining and Thinsulate insulation. K2’s wide-lasted BFC (Built For Comfort) includes two new models (90 and 80 flex), which house convenience features such as grippy replaceable outsoles that work in concert with Marker’s new GripWalk binding system. (The challenge with rockered soles is that the binding toe height needs to be adjusted to accommodate the rocker and new bindings now raise the AFD device.) Lange looks to find balance between uphill mobility and downhill performance with the XT 110 LV Freetour W. This follows in the footsteps of the original XT, but with low-tech soles and Dynafit inserts. The acronym WTR— new to some consumers—means “walk-to-ride,” and essentially includes a relatively soft alpine sole with rocker at the toe piece. Nordica combines Gripwalk/WTR soles, walk/ski systems and thermal liner insulations with the new N-Move W boots. Its Speedmachine W boots have customization technologies and lightweight materials.
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SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
▲ DALBELLO AVANTI W 85
▲ LANGE XT 110 LV FREETOUR W
WEIGHT UP
New plastics, liner materials and the evolution of the placement of power transmission to the lower shell helps manufacturers make lighter boot models. Apex launches a new series called XP, with a shorter sole length, 10 percent lighter chassis and a new three-buckle system with a Serpentine lacing pattern. Head’s new AdvantEdge line of boots is the next generation of AdaptEdge. Using a “Hi Top” shell design, Head reduces the upper cuff and adds 5 degrees of ramp angle and 14 degrees of forward lean, which puts skiers in a more upright position and is designed for “better skiing with less effort." —Krista Crabtree
TRAVEL BAGS | TOP TRENDS
A Perfect Fit TRAVEL BAG MANUFACTURERS OFFER UP AN INCREASED FOCUS ON COMPARTMENTALIZATION
A LOT OF PEOPLE DROP OFF FROM SKIING BECAUSE IT'S TOO HARD. THE HARD PART ISN'T SKIING. IT'S KEEPING YOURSELF ORGANIZED. compartment and outside stash pockets. Travelers will appreciate the Bucket Boot Bag from High Sierra, which meets airline carry-on requirements while offering enough space for hats, gloves, tools and goggles, as well as its namesake ski or snowboard boots. Likewise Line’s Ski Roller Bag features a rigid, honeycomb-reinforced tip and tail to protect planks from the wear and tear of travel. Globetrotters with a lot on their packing lists will appreciate the Split Roller series from Dakine, available in 60-liter and 100-liter versions. Multiple compartments separate apparel from gear and clean items from dirty ones. The Aviator 40-liter from Douchebags is a unicast ABS shell carry-on roller. This season Athalon brings the heat with its “Amped” Boot Bag, which features a wraparound warming unit to keep boots toasty before users hit the hill. Meanwhile Transpack partners up with Glen Plake to give a special edition line of backpacks a hint of the world-renowned freeskier’s signature style. —Courtney Holden
▲ ATHALON BOOT BAG ▲ HIGH SIERRA BUCKET BOOT BAG
The K2 Mountain Duffle offers a ventilated bottom pocket to store your boots, stink-free, and a top section for extra layers. Carry it as a backpack or a messenger bag. Try it out in K2's booth today, #3949.
▼ KULKEA TANDEM
▼ SPORTUBE SERIES 2
PICK OF THE DAY
▲ DAKINE SPLIT ROLLER 100L
EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE: THAT COULD well be the motto for travel bag manufacturers given the focus on compartmentalization for 2016-17. And it makes sense, said David Abramowitz, founder/CEO of Kulkea. “It’s solving a real pain point. A lot of people hit a certain age and drop off from skiing because it’s too hard. And the hard part isn’t the skiing aspect; it’s keeping yourself organized.” Compartment systems also keep wet and dry gear separate and prevent more delicate necessities from getting marred — no more scratched goggle lenses or cosmetic nicks on the helmet exterior. “Beyond a timesaver when searching for particular things, it also helps your stuff dry quicker and keeps dirty boots, or other items, from spreading the mess,” said Josh Malczyk, global brand director for Line and Full Tilt. Consider the Slope Pack from Full Tilt with its puzzle-fit compartment to keep ski boots snug and secure. Also find goggle- and helmet-specific pockets and an integrated changing mat on the back panel. K2’s 55-liter Mountain Duffle is divided into a top section for extra layers and ventilated bottom pocket to store boots. Deployable straps allow users to carry the duffle as either a backpack or messenger bag. Meanwhile Kulkea’s Tandem cuts down on unnecessary luggage by offering separate compartments for the boots, helmet, apparel and gear of two young children — all in one pack. Sportube features the Freerider and Freeloader Padded Boot & Gear bags, with padded boot compartments and an extra-large central compartment to handle clothing, gloves, helmets and more. Sportube also adds the Overnighter Duffle, an airline-compliant bag with a three-way carrying system, with two openings for entry to the main
▼ LINE ROLLER SKI BAG
SIAsnowshow.com DAY 1 | SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016
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TOP TRENDS | SNOWBOARD RENTAL
POWERED BY
A Progressive Approach SNOWBOARD RENTALS BALANCE CUSTOMERS’ DIVERSE NEEDS AND SHOP EFFICIENCY SNOWBOARD RENTAL LINEUPS ARE OFFERING increasingly diverse and progressive products. Suppliers and resorts recognize the importance of the beginner rental market, but more and more experienced riders are renting, as well. In this market, many suppliers aim to provide products to match specific needs, but also offer a good option for everyone. “As rental and demo continue to take on more importance in the marketplace, we recognize the demand for and need to move to newer technology and higher performing products,” says Nick Castagnoli, brand and communications manager for Rossignol. Durability remains key. Head Snowboards incorporate the brand’s newest sidewall technology, Liquid Framewall. “This uses a PU (polyurethane) that is actually poured into the recessed space of the wood core to protect the sidewall of the snowboard from impact,” says Mike Poole, national rental sales and category manager for Head. Flow’s Rhythm line uses urethane-infused topsheets for durability.
Cosmetics matter, too. A board that screams “renter” can annoy or make some folks feel less comfortable, and does little to instill confidence in the novice, let alone a more advanced rider. Arbor Snowboards, a brand recognized for its artistry, is extending that to the rental line. “The System Rental (snowboard) is characterized by a clean, black look that will prolong the value of your fleet without sacrificing that classic Arbor styling,” says Matt Patti, Arbor Snowboards brand manager.
EASE OF USE
And how does it all perform? Camber profiles and shapes for beginner and younger riders have an impact on fun. Flow calls its board technology True-Twin EZ-Rocker. Elan employs its Reverse Press Early Rise technology in beginner rental products along with a parabolic sidecut. Elan rental specialist Bill Irwin says the early-rise rocker makes for a shorter effective edge length, which enables beginners to make turns more easily and progress more quickly.
A BOARD THAT SCREAMS 'RENTER' CAN MAKE FOLKS FEEL LESS COMFORTABLE & DOES LITTLE TO INSTILL CONFIDENCE.
▲ ELAN EXPLORE 150
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SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
PICK OF THE DAY Brands are growing their women’sspecific rental lines in response to rising demand. Head introduces the Libra to its rental offering for 2016-17, with flex and torsional characteristics designed for the ladies. Stop by the Head booth (#2924) to see this and the brand’s new women’s rental boot.
Never Summer also believes a combination of cambers is the best strategy. “Hybrid profiles like ours not only make it easier to learn how to snowboard, but they also make it easier to ride,” says product developer Vince Sanders. “The rocker between the feet is a pivot point to allow a board to easily go edge to edge, and the extended transition areas at the ends keep a young rider from catching an edge.”
▼ NEVER SUMMER INFINITY
MAGNEMASK M A G N E T I C
S E A M
UP & DOWN MAGNETIC MASK FACE PROTECTION IN A SNAP ™ COME BY BOOTH #2630 FOR MORE INNOVATIONS
# 1 S E L L I N G FA C E M A S K S I N T H E W O R L D © 2 0 1 6 S E I R U S I N N O VAT I O N
P U L L - D O W N
M A S K
IN A SNAP!
TOP TRENDS | SNOWBOARD RENTAL
POWERED BY
▲ FLOW RHYTHM
▼ BURTON PROCESS EXPERIENCE
▲ HEAD WOMEN'S BOA FOCUS
▲ ROSSIGNOL EXP
▼ HEAD ROCKA 4D SPEEDDISC
▲ FLOW RENTAL FUSION MESH
Brands are also aiming for ease of use with bindings. Elan is launching a new rear-entry binding, called Fastec. Irwin says it will be easier to use, perform well, and reduce wear and tear on boots. Flow’s Evolve rental bindings come in one-piece PowerStrap and two-strap versions, and are symmetrical, making it easy to store, set up and switch between goofy/ regular. “With our Evolve Fusion and Evolve two-strap bindings, we cater to both the end user who prefers speedentry and comfort, and the more traditional two-strap end-user,” says product manager Lucien Vink.
NICHE MARKETS
In women’s-specific rental product, Head will present a new boot for 2016 with a double BOA closure system, with independent closures above and below the ankle. “We will also launch a ladies-specific snowboard, Libra. Libra snowboards have specific flex and torsional characteristics designed for ladies and employ the Head Liquid Framewall technology,” Poole says. “We feel that ladies-specific products are the most important trend in rental products.” Suppliers continue to bolster youth products. The kids market has been a particular focus for Burton. For 201617 the company debuts the Handle Bar, which mounts
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For an overview of the rental market, stop by Rental World/Backshop in booth #4501. On Saturday, sit in on the seminar "Practical Magic: The 5-Minute Rental Fit (Ski and Snowboard)" from 9:30-10:30 a.m. onto Burton Kids’ boards. Kids can hold on to the bar for balance, but step off if need be. Never Summer will offer its youth boards, the Yutes, down to 80 cm. Head Snowboards will offer a full kids snowboard package that includes boards sized from 70 to 110 cm, an XXS snowboard binding and a new junior snowboard boot, the 400 BOA/lace. This will be sized from 18.5 to 25.5 and reinforced in both the toe and heel. With beginner programs increasingly focused on terrain-based teaching parks, Elan focuses on designs for kids and adults that are more flexible at slow speeds. Rossignol, which has partnered with Snow Operating LLC and its Terrain Based Learning program, offers the only rental line with Magne-Traction technology. “Beginners will definitely find more stability and edge grip than
with a traditional edge,” says Castagnoli, of the EXP Mag board, Rossi’s more progressive rental option.
PRICE BATTLES AND RENTAL CHALLENGES
Many suppliers continue to offer a low-price point fleet board, but some argue that a more expensive board can be a better value. “The best constructions and newer technology will cost slightly more, but the snowboard will last longer and ride better,” Irwin says. Burton's Shaun Cattanach echoes that. “Find a partner who is committed to helping you make the experience the best it can be for your guests, not just someone looking to make a quick sale,” he says. “Cheap prices don’t always mean the guest experience will be good.” —Dave Zook
WE RECOGNIZE DEMAND FOR HIGHER TECHNOLOGY.
SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
K I N E T I C
H E A T
R E T U R N
S Y S T E M
INCREASE YOUR HEAT
™
W I T H O U R E X C L U S I V E D U A L - S TA G E S Y S T E M
KINETIC STAGE
REFLECTIVE STAGE
AMPLIFIES TEMPERATURE
RETURNS 20% MORE WARMTH
4-5˚
LOOK FOR THE SI LVE R L I NI NG ™ COME BY BOOTH #2630 FOR MOR E IN NOVATIONS
© 2 0 1 6 S E I R U S I N N O VAT I O N
COL D
WEATHER
E S S E N T I A L S™
SPOTLIGHT | FOOD
Satisfy Your Hunger
YOUR GUIDE TO DENVER EATS AT ANY TIME OF DAY
From a casual quick meal to a sit-down feast, Denver offers creative twists on traditional fare 12. The Greedy Hamster for every taste. Here’s your guide to food in downtown Denver no matter your mood, orga- 323 14th St. 303-623-2818; thegreedyhamster.com nized from breakfast to late-night. — Lindsay Konzak and Jordan Gaines MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.3 MILES
1. Sam’s No. 3
1500 Curtis St.; 303-534-1927; samsno3.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.3
Sam’s No. 3 is open all day. But you’ll want to stop by for its filling breakfast menu, including its expansive skillet selections. Try the Wild Bill Skillet, complete with ground buffalo, fresh jalapeño, jack cheese and green chili.
2. Lucile’s Creole Cafe
275 S. Logan St.; 303-282-6258; luciles.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 2.6
Jump in an Uber and make your way to Lucile’s for a plateful of beignets and a taste of the Cajun country. A favorite: The Eggs Sardou with creamed spinach, Gulf shrimp, poached eggs and hollandaise.
3. Snooze
1701 Wynkoop St. (Union Station) 303-825-3526; snoozeeatery.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 1
You’ll find a line at Snooze, so arrive early. But it’s worth the wait. This staple recently arrived in Denver’s new Union Station, featuring twists on standard breakfast fare, including the Breakfast Pot Pie and Snooze Spuds Deluxe. QUICK BITES
4. Smash Burger
1201 16th St.; 720-292-5121 MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.5
For a quick but tasty bite, walk on down to Smash Burger. The burger joint features smashed Angus beef with its special Smash Sauce. Add a little kick with a Spicy Jalapeño Baja burger. Oh, and did we mention they have beer?
5. Snarf’s
891 14th St. Suite 160 303-573-3939; eatsnarfs.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.2 MILES
This popular Colorado chain offers more than just a sandwich. Get your standards, or try one of Snarf ’s specialty sandwiches, including its New York Steak and Provolone.
6. Native Foods Café
500 16th St. Mall 303-534-5366; nativefoods.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.3 MILES
Everything’s vegan at the Native Foods Café, but you’d
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never know it by the looks of the menu (or the taste!): Try the Avocado Kale Cheese Dip or some Native Chicken Wings to start, and move on to a Portobello & Sausage Burger or a tasty bowl like the Thai Meatball.
This bistro pub neighborhood joint features cocktails and small plates that showcase a contemporary and inventive approach to food. Try the Black & Bleu Figs or the Pepper Bon Bons. They have more filling food, as well, including the Green Chile Bacon Cheeseburger and The Greedy Brat.
7. Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs
13. Freshcraft
MILES FROM THE SHOW: 1.3
MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.6
The story goes that the Colorado sausage czar Jim Pittenger, aka Biker Jim, ditched the life of a repo man to sling gourmet sausages – including wild boar, reindeer and even a vegan dog – from a cart on Denver’s 16th Street Mall. He now has two restaurants.
Freshcraft serves “upscale comfort food in a casual atmosphere.” On the diverse menu you will find the Deviled Pork Belly Wrap and the Seared Swordfish and Duck Ramen sitting side-by-side. Bonus: Freshcraft has one of the most extensive beer lists in town.
CASUAL FARE
14. The Kitchen Next Door
2148 Larimer St. 720-746-9355; bikerjimsdogs.com
8. Euclid Hall
1317 14th St.; 303-595-4255; euclidhall.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.6
1530 Blake, Suite A 303-758-9608; freshcraft.com
1701 Wynkoop Street (Union Station) Suite 100 720-460-3730 thekitchen.com/next-door-union-station
There’s no shortage of American-style pubs in Denver, but Euclid Hall has managed to become one of the city’s very best thanks to its diverse menu. Find top-notch schnitzel, brats, poutine and house-made sausage.
MILES FROM THE SHOW: 1.1
9. Pizza Republica
15. Hapa Sushi
MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.1
MILES FROM THE SHOW: 1.1
Just a short jaunt from the Show, Italian staple Pizza Republica serves up everything from salad and sandwiches to pasta and wood-fired Neapolitan pizza.
In the mood for sushi? This is the spot. Hapa offers an afford-
890 14th St. 303-623-2811; pizzarepublica.com
10. Forest Room 5
2532 15th St.; 303-433-7001; forestroom5.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 1.5
Take a seat on a stump, grab yourself a drink and indulge in the greatness that is Forest Room 5. This rustic restaurant specializes in comfort food in a cozy environment, making it a perfect place to relax after a day at the Show.
11. Linger
2030 W. 30th Ave. 303-993-3120; lingerdenver.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 1.9
In a building that once served as a mortuary, Linger offers global street food in a fun and quirky atmosphere. Don’t let its history deter you though: The restaurant has stunning city views from its location in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood.
SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
Looking for a burger or a sandwich? Next Door has some delicious options such as a Kobsterstein Ranch Dry Aged Cheese Burger and the Next Door Beet Burger.
1514 Blake St. 720-354-5058; hapasushi.com
THE KITCHEN NEXT DOOR’S BEET BURGER
PHOTO BY DAVIS TILLY PHOTOGRAPHY
BREAKFAST
Stöckli skis are built in days, not minutes. Stöckli engineers handle each pair in 63 unique processes. Our unique glue system combines with an elastic powder to allow for increased elasticity when the ski bends. This technology plays a key role in Stöckli’s on snow behavior – stability. All materials are allowed t o cure in climate-controlled rooms. The presses that bond the skis allow engineers to modify both pressure and temperature at different areas on the ski. Each pair of Stöckli skis are put through a 25 step finishing process to provide the skier with a premium on snow experience. The all new, award winning, championship driven, Laser X series from Stöckli. Featuring Turtle Shell Technology – softer tip to tail, stiffer side to side.
Julia Mancuso
LASER SX 120/70/99
LASER CX 122/68/100
LASER AX 123/78/110
U.S. Ski Team 4-Time Olympic Medalist 4-Time FIS World Championship Medalist
THE AWARD WINNING LASER X SERIES SX, CX, AND AX
SPOTLIGHT | FOOD & DRINK
ILLEGAL PETE’S
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11 17 10
7 14
Late-Night Dining
Whether it is farm-to-table fresh, or homemade comfort food, Denver knows that a good meal is important at any time, even late at night.
13 15 8
4
19
Jerusalem Restaurant 1890 E. Evans Ave.
6
OPEN UNTIL: SUNDAY-THURSDAY – 4 A.M.; FRIDAY-SATURDAY – 5 A.M.
1
9
5
18
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able selection in a modern and cozy environment, perfect for a group. Don’t worry: They’ve got plenty of sake, too.
16. Highland Tap & Burger
2219 W. 32nd Ave. 720-287-4493; highlandtapdenver.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 2
This hangout serves gourmet burgers and elevated pub food, such as duck fat fries, along with more than 20 local craft beers on tap. Try the sliders at happy hour, mixing and matching root beer pulled pork, beef and pulled chicken.
17. Lola
1575 Boulder St. 720-570-8686; loladenver.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 1.6
This Mexican fish house crafts delectable coastal cuisine, including duck sope, mariscos and its famous preparedat-your-table guacamole. Lola also offers more than 200 different tequilas and a selection of local craft beers.
18. Stout Street Social
1400 Stout St. 720-214-9100; stoutstsocial.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.5
A top spot for casual seafood, Stout Street Social is a quick
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walk from the Convention Center. Try its daily fresh oysters or its Ahi Tuna Tower, featuring sushi-grade tuna, spicy crab, sushi rice, avocado, cucumber and citrus. The menu goes beyond seafood, with a selection of burgers, ribs and pasta sure to satisfy any appetite. SIT-DOWN
19. Ocean Prime
1465 Larimer St. (Larimer Square) 303-825-3663; ocean-prime.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.5
Situated in the beautiful Larimer Square, Ocean Prime is a modern American restaurant and lounge that was chosen as editor’s pick for Best Seafood from 5280 Magazine. The spot also offers USDA Prime-cut steaks.
20. Elway’s Downtown
1881 Curtis St. (Ritz-Carlton) 303-312-3107; elways.com MILES FROM THE SHOW: 0.6
Former Broncos Quarterback John Elway ruled the city of Denver on the field back in the day, and he still rules today through his multiple business ventures, including his restaurants. If you want a steak, this is the place to be, but you can also partake in seafood, raw bar selections, lunch and breakfast.
SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
When you think of late-night food, authentic Mediterranean cuisine may not be the first that comes to mind, but Jerusalem Restaurant has been serving Denver late into the night for more than three decades. All items are made in-house with local ingredients, offering a fresh alternative well into the next day. Illegal Pete’s 1530 16th St #101
OPEN UNTIL: SUNDAY-WEDNESDAY – 12 A.M.; THURSDAY-SATURDAY – 2:30 A.M.
If you are looking for a burrito, Illegal Pete’s serves some local favorites in a colorful environment. Doubling as a bar and music venue, Illegal Pete’s is also a great place to hang-out. Not only does it serve food made from responsibly sourced ingredients, Illegal Pete’s runs its own record label to help artists in the community. It also has a Starving Artist Program that gives a free meal to bands from out of town. City O’ City 206 E. 13th Ave.
OPEN UNTIL: 2 A.M.
Voted Best Vegetarian Restaurant in Denver, City O’ City has an all-vegetarian menu that won’t leave anyone out in the wee hours of the morning. The restaurant continues on the local-ingredients theme by growing most of its own produce in the summer months. Try the seitan wings or quinoa pinto bean burger. City O’ City will satisfy even the most diehard of carnivores. — J.G.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ILLEGAL PETES. MAP COURTESY OF VISIT DENVER
3
SNOW SPORTS RETAILERS: JOIN US AT THE NSSRA ANNUAL MEETING WHEN:
TONIGHT! 5:30 p.m. Thursday, January 28, 2016
WHERE:
Room 505, SIA Snow Show
STAY CON N EC T ED
Meet the NSSRA Board of Directors and hear how your Association is supporting specialty snow sports retailers. Network with fellow retailers afterwards.
Snowsports.org/social
Also, stop by the NSSRA booth, #4308, and learn about NSSRA’s member services and programs, including the new POS Data Program.
P: (847) 391-9825 E: info@nssra.com W: nssra.com Photo: Tripp Fay/Copper Mountain
Don’t miss it as the Snow Show heads to Copper Mountain Resort for the industry’s only global on-snow demo. Go ahead mix business and pleasure as you try all the gear that just previewed and have some fun as the industry shows off at the Ski-Ride Fest. Book your transportation to and from Copper Mountain now with CME
PACKAGE
GOLD PACKAGE INCLUDES: 2 Single Day Lift Tickets/Trail Passes Happy Hour on Monday PRICING: Daily Breakfast (Mon, Tues) Pre-registration*: $35 Daily Lunch (Mon, Tues) Onsite: N/A
PACKAGE
SILVER PACKAGE INCLUDES: 2 Single Day Lift Tickets / Trail Passes Happy Hour on Monday
ColoradoMountainExpress.com/SIA 970-SKI-RIDE (754-7433) Code: SIASNOW
PRICING: Pre-registration*: $15 Onsite: $50
Onsite registration for the On-Snow and Nordic Demo opens Monday, February 1st at 8A at Copper Mtn Resort. *Must be purchased prior to 10A on Sunday, January 31st.
REMEMBER TO STOP BY REGISTRATION AND PICK UP YOUR ON-SNOW DEMO/SKI-RIDE FEST BADGES STARTING AT 2P TODAY!
Get all the Demo info - Brands, Events and More. SIAsnowsports.com/social
& AT THE SHOW | WHO WHERE
Find booth numbers and Show layout at SIAsnowshow.com/floorplan. Download the SIA Snow Show App at SIAsnowshow.com/showapp.
Exhibitors
MORE THAN 900 BRANDS ON DISPLAY AT THE SHOW (AS OF 1.14.16; SUBJECT TO CHANGE) Company
Company
Company
Company
Company
Company
686 .............................................. 3365 10th Mountain Division Foundation, Inc............................16 2XU.... ............................................ 1148 4F....... .......................................... 530 540 Snowboards ......................... 3378 Abom, Inc. ..................................1965A ACADEMY Snowboard Co. ........2070 Adaptive Spirit ..................................19 Advanced Racking Systems.......3442 Adventure SnowSports ............ 562 Agent Outerwear ...................... 435 AION .............................................. 3075 Airblaster ...................................... 2670 Airhole Facemasks...................... 2071 Aksels ............................................ 2551 All Resort Furnishings ................ 2400 Aloha Products LLC................. 1270 Alpaca Imports ............................ 1330 Alpina Sports Corp...................... 2703 Alp-n-Rock LLC............................. 1321 Amerex Group............................... 609 American Express OPEN ........3100 American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE)................... 3657 anon. ............................................. 1561 Apex Sports Group LLC.............. 4311 Arbor ............................................. 1365 Arcade Belt Co. ............................ 2371 Arctix ............................................. 2717 Armada ......................................... 4350 Artesania, Inc. .............................. 2138 ARVA .............................................. 3412 AscentCRM ................................... 3305 Ascente Ski Company ............. 4345 Ashbury Eyewear ........................ 3176 Astis 2516 Athalon Sportgear, Inc. .............. 4114 Atomic USA, Inc ................ 3923, 4123 Auclair Sports, Inc ....................... 1324 AWSM LLC................................... 973 Backcountry Access, Inc............. 3942 Backcountry Experience ............ 3657 BbTALKIN.................................. 4663 Bearpaw Apparel ...................... 840 Becker Glove International LLC .................... 1273 Belong Designs............................ 1170 Bench ............................................ 1042 Bent Metal Binding Works......... 2871 Bergans of Norway ....................... 721 Bern Unlimited, Inc ..................... 3480 Besso Imports .......................... 1507 Big Agnes, Inc............................... 1671 Billabong USA .......................... 2361 Black Crows Skis.....................1965BC Blackstrap...................................1965B Blanc Noir................................. 1311 Blizzard ......................................... 3701 Blossom Skis ................................ 4345 Blue Acorn .................................... 1076 Board Retailers Association ........ 669 Bollé ................................................ 552 Bomber Alpine Snowboard Outfitters ............................. 2115 BONFIRE ....................................... 2671 Booster Strap............................... 3411 Boot Doc ....................................... 3335 Boulder Gear ............................... 2724 Braven....................................... 4561 Brekka ........................................... 1051 Bridgedale North America .................... 2448 Briko USA...................................... 4111 Bronto Software, Inc................... 1075 Buff, Inc......................................... 3148 BULA.............................................. 1051 Burton Snowboards ................... 1665 C3...... ............................................. 3357
C4 Belts ......................................... 1370 CAM Commerce Solutions .......... 434 CandyGrind .................................. 1569 CAPiTA Snowboarding ............... 3357 Captuer Headwear ..................... 3674 Caravan Skis ............................ 4445 Carver Skateboards ................ 1974 Celerant Technology Corporation............................... 434 Celtek ............................................ 3370 CenterStone Technologies, Inc.................... 1736 CEP Compression Sportswear.. 4310 Cerevo, Inc................................ 3973 Chaos ............................................ 2423 Chapplicator LLC ..................... 2937 Choucas Hats ............................. 703 Cirque Mountain Apparel..........2540 COAL Headwear .......................... 3357 Coalition Snow......................... 4469 Colmar .......................................... 1317 Colorado Original Outdoor Products .................................. 2817 Colorado Ski Country USA.........1739 Colour Wear ................................. 2071 Copper Mountain Resort........... 2215 Corbeaux .................................. 4307 CP Sports North America ..........3444 CRAFT @ SIA................................. 4469 Craghoppers ................................ 1124 crazeeHeads, inc. ........................ 1123 Crescent Moon Snowshoes ......3117 CTR (Chaos Thermal Regulation) .............................. 2423 Dainese USA Inc .......................... 2117 DAKINE.......................................... 2557 Dalbello Sports LLC .................... 4118 Dale of Norway, Inc ...................... 711 Dare2b ............................... 1117, 1124 Darn Tough Vermont ................. 2200 Db Equipment.......................... 2780 DC Shoes, Inc ............................... 1673 DCURVE ..................................... 1571 Deeluxe...................................... 1965D Demon United ............................. 1667 Descente North America, Inc .... 1711 Deuter USA .................................. 2814 Deviation Ski & Snowboard Works ....................................... 3621 Dinosaurs Will Die Snowboards ............................ 1970 DIOMI .............................................. 601 DMOS ........................................ 3075 Donek Snowboards................. 2115 Double Diamond Sportswear...2134 DOWP a snowboard group .......4469 DPS SKIS ....................................... 3509 Dragon Alliance ........................... 2565 Drop MFG ..................................... 2645 DryGuy .......................................... 3138 Dynastar Skis ............................... 3708 Eider .............................................. 1039 Eisbär Sportmodeu Gmbh ...................................... 718 Elan Blanc ..................................... 1930 Elan Skis ........................................ 2703 Electric........................................... 2957 Elm Company........................... 3971 EMU Australia ............................ 741 Endurance Enterprises, Inc ....... 1800 Envy Snow Sports .................... 4448 Erik Sports-WhiteWoods............ 3501 Erin Snow ..................................... 1527 Eurosock International............... 1145 Everest Designs ....................... 2140 Exel Sports.................................... 2916 E-Z UP International, Inc. ........... 4443 Faction Skis .................................. 4145 Fairweather Ski Works........... 4469 Falke USA...................................... 3138
Farm to Feet................................. 4039 Fast Strap...................................... 3417 Fat-ypus Skis ................................ 4245 Fera International Corp. ............ 1111 Fischer Skis US............................. 4411 FITS .............................................. 2416 Fix Binding Co .......................... 2476 Flow Sports, Inc. .......................... 2961 Flux Binding Systems ................. 1475 FlyLow Gear ................................. 3112 Fox River Mills, Inc....................... 2517 Franco SnowShapes ................... 4469 Freezy Freakies........................ 2274 Freyja.Ca ......................................... 733 Friends of Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC)........................... 3657 Full Tilt Boots ............................... 3723 G3 Genuine Guide Gear, Inc .....3306 Garmin USA ................................. 4362 Geographical Norway ............ 1748 Gilson Boards .............................. 1369 Giro Sport Design........................ 3649 GloveTacts ................................ 2533 GNU .............................................. 2871 GO PUCK ...................................... 4563 Goal Zero ...................................... 3521 Goggle Grip .................................. 2935 GoGlove .................................... 3975 Goldbergh .................................... 1415 Goldwin America, Inc ................... 535 GOODE Ski Technologies .......... 3320 GoPro ............................................ 4357 Gordini USA, Inc .......................... 2645 GoScope ....................................... 4361 Grabber, Inc. ................................ 3405 Gramicci.................................... 1769 Grassroots California ................. 1073 Grenade, Inc................................. 1473 Hand Out Gloves......................... 1173 Hatley USA...................................... 833 HEAD Wintersports..................... 2924 Heat Factory USA, Inc ................. 1700 Helly Hansen................................ 1720 HESTRA GLOVES LLC .................. 2120 Hey Sport...................................... 4345 High Fives Non-Profit Foundation ................................ 872 High Sierra.................................... 3633 Hippie Board ............................ 1169 Holden .......................................... 3478 Holmenkol.US.............................. 4401 Homeschool Outerwear ............ 3374 Honey Stinger .............................. 1670 Horizon Agency, Inc .................... 2700 Hot Chillys .................................... 3330 Hotfingers Gloves ....................... 1703 Hotronic........................................ 3335 Hovland Snowskates .............. 3675 HOWL ............................................ 2375 Humanity Snow........................... 3472 i.N.i. Cooperative........................... 765 Icelandic Design .......................... 2242 Icelantic Skis ................................. 3309 Icepeak.......................................... 1034 IFA Prowear.................................... 615 ImedgeBoards LLC .................. 4243 Impact Canopies USA................. 4314 Implus LLC.................................... 3138 Incase ........................................ 4661 Indigo Ski USA LLC .................. 3414 Industry + Intelligence Live.......... 679 International Avalanche Nest-Egg Fund (IAN)...............2475 International Skiing History Association (ISHA) .......................21 Itasca Footwear by C.O. Lynch Enterprises .................... 737 JAIL JAM ......................................... 1315 JASEBOARDS USA, Inc .............2276 Jonathan Paul Eyewear ................ 451 Joshua Tree Skin Care ................ 1701 Jupa Sports ............................... 1505 K2 Skis ........................................... 3949 K2 Snowboarding ....................... 3957 Kamik ........................................ 1048 Kapan Kent Co, Inc.................... 600 Karakoram ................................... 3068 Karbon .......................................... 1730 Kari Traa ....................................... 2238 KASK America, Inc ....................... 3342 Kastle USA .................................... 4101
KEL52 ......................................... 4657 KGB SPORT................................... 3800 Khombu .......................................... 715 Killtec NA Inc. ............................... 2111 Kiss My Face LLC ......................... 1400 Kitten Factory LLC ....................... 4237 KJUS North America, Inc .............. 403 KneeBinding, Inc. ........................ 3511 Kombi Ltd., Inc............................. 2930 Komperdell .................................. 2920 Krimson Klover ............................ 1536 Kuhl Clothing ............................... 2413 KULKEA ......................................... 2529 KUUsport Mfg. Ltd. ..................... 4109 Kwik Tek, Inc. ............................... 3514 La Sportiva N.A., Inc. ................... 3630 LACROIX SKIS .........................1965L LandYachtz................................... 1669 Lange Ski Boots ........................... 3708 Laundromat ................................... 524 L-Bow Mittens................................ 727 Le Bent ........................................ 457 Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month............................................24 LEKI USA, Inc ................................ 3120 Level USA...................................... 2360 Lib Tech......................................... 2871 Liberty Mountain ........................ 2421 Liberty Skis ................................... 3725 Linda Richards, Inc.................. 1122 Line Skis ........................................ 3523 Little Blue House by Hatley ......... 833 Loki LLC..................................... 1278 Look Bindings .............................. 3708 Lorpen North America, Inc ........ 1334 Lost Horizons Imports ................. 725 Lucky Bums, Inc........................... 2710 LUHTA USA Ltd ............................ 1034 M. Miller .......................................... 818 Mad Bomber Company ............. 1332 Mammut Sports Group NA .......3517 Manzella Products ...................... 3447 Marhar Snowboards .................. 2373 Marker USA ....................... 4417, 4420 Marmot Mountain LLC............... 1339 MasterFit Enterprises ................. 3644 MDXONE....................................... 2275 Meier Skis ..................................... 3317 Mervin Manufacturing ........... 2871 Message Factory, Inc. ................. 4301 Mitchie’s Matchings ...................... 513 Mons Royale USA ........................ 3945 Montana Sport North America, Inc............................. 3639 Moon Boot ................................... 3601 Mortali, Inc. ................................ 974 MOTOTV Networks ................. 2143 Mountain Collective...................... 565 Mountain Uniforms .................... 1534 MTN Approach ............................ 2359 MyPakage ..................................... 3375 National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association (NSSRA) .................................... 4308 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA)......................23 Native Eyewear ....................... 2542 NEFF .............................................. 3661 Neve Designs ............................... 3718 Never Summer Industries ......... 1359 NeverWet ................................... 641 Newland ................................... 1909 Niche Snowboards ..................... 1977 Nidecker North America......................... 3070, 3167 Nightmare ...................................... 971 Nike Vision.................................... 2565 NIKITA ........................................... 2671 NILS .............................................. 1742 Nitro Snowboards....................... 1978 Nordbron .................................... 701 Nordic Center .............................. 3115 Nordica USA...................... 3603, 3704 Northern Lites Snowshoes ....3622 NPD - Sports and Leisure Trends ........................................ 437 NuDown, Inc. ............................... 2133 Oakley, Inc .................................... 1345 One Way Sport USA.................... 3118 OneBall ......................................... 2876 O’Neill ............................................ 1557 Onewheel ................................... 665
Optic Nerve .................................. 3347 ORAGE........................................... 1750 Ortovox USA Inc .......................... 2814 OSBE Helmets ............................. 4315 Outdoor Designs......................... 2421 Outdoor Gear, Inc. ...................... 2724 Outdoor Industries Women's Coalition (OIWC) ....................... 548 Outdoor Survival Canada .......... 2716 Outdoor Tech .............................. 4161 Ovan .......................................... 2362 Owner Operator ........................... 869 Pajar Canada................................ 1523 Parajumpers ................................ 1515 Patagonia, Inc .............................. 1857 Pepper’s Polarized Eyewear ...... 2445 Phunkshun Wear LLC................... 762 Picture Organic Clothing..........1965P Pinnacle Designs ......................... 2714 PISTIL............................................. 2229 Pit Viper .......................................... 448 Planks Clothing America, Inc............................. 4037 POC .............................................. 3350 point6 LLC .................................... 1530 Point-of-Rental Software ........... 4404 POLARMAX ................................... 2334 PolarPro ........................................ 4559 Polartec LLC ............................. 1257 Popticals ................................... 1375 POW Gloves ................................. 3477 Powder Point Sports .................... 740 Pret Inc .......................................... 3937 Pretty Great LLC .............. 2578, 2671 Protect Our Winters (POW) .......2324 PSIA-AASI ........................................ 153 Public Snowboards ..................... 1478 Pulse ................................................ 757 Purnell......................................... 540 Quiksilver, Inc .............................. 1678 Radical! Gloves ............................ 1271 Rain Retail....................................... 430 Rawik ............................................. 2724 Recco Systems Ltd ........................UL1 Red Bull Racing Eyewear........1269 Redfeather Snowshoes.............. 3605 Regina Imports LLC .................... 1511 Remind Insoles ............................ 2272 Rental World - Backshop ........... 4501 reusch SnowSports..................... 2136 Revision Skis ............................ 4469 Revo Sunglasses.......................... 2146 Ride Snowboards ............. 3965, 4171 Riot Skis .................................... 4446 Ripclear ......................................... 2650 Roces USA, Inc.......................... 4305 Rocky Mountain Sunscreen ......2554 Rocky Mountain Underground ... 3326 Rodin Ltd ...................................... 4469 Rome Snowboard Design Syndicate ................................... 965 Rossignol ........................... 3614, 3714 Rossignol Apparel ....................... 3818 ROXA Sports................................. 4107 Roxy .............................................. 1678 Ruffolo Enterprises, Inc.............. 2553 Rukka ............................................ 1034 Ruroc Ltd .................................... 431 Saga Outerwear ............................ 962 Saint Bernard’s .......................... 769 Salomon Snowboards................ 2178 Salomon USA .................... 3830, 4130 Sandbox........................................ 2270 SAXX Underwear Co ................... 3377 SCARPA North America, Inc. .....3109 Schure Sports U.S.A., Inc............ 1730 Scott Sports ....................... 2940, 3147 Screamer, Inc. ................................ 730 SeatRack ................................... 4437 Sector 9 ......................................... 1062 Sego Skis....................................... 4449 Seirus Innovation ........................ 2630 SESSIONS...................................... 2578 SH+............................................... 453 SheJumps ....................................... 450 Sherpani ..................................... 539 Shred Optics ................................ 3961 SIA Sourcing Seminar Area ....... S423 SIMS Apparel ............................ 1769 Sioeye Inc.................................. 4462 SKEA, LTD ..................................... 2411 Skhoop .......................................... 1430
Ski and Snowboard Mechanics Workshops .............................. 4210 Ski Kare, Inc .................................. 3505 Ski Sundries and Supplies .........2124 SkiA Designs................................. 4405 Skida .............................................. 2000 SkiMetrix, Ltd ............................... 3411 Slant Skis .................................. 4244 Slide On ........................................ 3411 SLOKKER SPORTS NORTH AMERICA ................ 4339 Slope Ropes .............................. 2142 Slytech Protection ....................... 3961 SmartWool Corporation .............. 957 SMITH...................... 2850, 2950, 3048 Smokin’ Snowboards.................. 1175 Sno Skins, Inc ................................. 915 Snoogee Boards......................... 970 SnoPlanks ..................................... 2374 Snow Angel .................................. 1939 Snow Dragons ............................. 2724 Snow Gliders LLC ..................... 4469 Snow Show Daily........................... 441 Snowboarders and Skiers for Christ .................................... 772 Snowjam Canada, Inc................. 3378 SnowStoppers ............................. 2938 SOLE........................................... 3939 SOS Outreach ...................................22 Soul Poles ..................................... 3418 SP United USA, Inc ...................... 4557 Spacecraft..................................... 2269 Spark R&D .................................... 2470 SplitPea Sound......................... 4659 Sport Design Sweden................ 622 Sport Obermeyer Ltd. ................ 1803 Sportcaster Company, Inc ........... 757 Sportlast USA ........................... 1331 Sports Accessories America, Inc............................. 2720 Sportswear of Sweden (SOS) .. 1508 Sportube....................................... 2701 Spy.... ............................................. 2651 Spyder Active Sports, Inc. ............ 903 Spyderco....................................... 4147 STANCE...................................... 3475 Stepchild Snowboards ............... 1478 Stockli Outdoor Sports............... 3323 Strafe Outerwear ........................ 3215 SubQ Designs ........................... 4239 Sun Bum LLC ............................... 2477 Sun Valley Ski Tools, Inc .............3944 Suncountry Sales and Distributing LLC .................... 543 Sunice.............................................. 744 Sunrise ........................................ 616 Superdry ..................................... 569 Superfeet Worldwide, Inc ..........2520 Swany ............................................ 1703 Sweet Protection ......................... 3946 Sweet Turns ................................. 2534 Swix Sport USA, Inc ..................... 3102 SYNC.............................................. 2948 Tecnica USA ...................... 3601, 3701 Ternua........................................... 1334 Terramar Sports, Inc................... 2644 The Chill Foundation .......................25 The Interior Plain Project ...... 3972 The Sessions @ SIA ..................... 4565 The Soze Group (TSG) ................ 4407 ThermaCELL Heated Products ............................... 3135 ThirtyTwo...................................... 2265 Thorlo, Inc..................................... 1520 Thule, Inc ...................................... 3302 Tiki Toss ........................................ 2447 TOBE Outerwear ....................... 545 TOKO ............................................. 3102 Transpack ..................................... 2935 Trespass USA ............................... 1030 Turbine ......................................... 4365 Turtle Fur ...................................... 1125 Under Armour ............................... 749 Uniform Gallery........................... 4400 Union Binding Company ........... 3357 United States of America Snowboard & Freeski Assoc (USASA) ..............................20 US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame .................................17 USRA - Rep Associations .................18 UVEX Sports, Inc. ......................... 2910
Be our Sales Representative Grab the opportunity now Colorado
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky & Illinois
Meet us at booth # 1505
•
California, Nevada
Texas
Toll Free 1-800-363-1898 • www.jupa.ca
New exhibitors are bolded
58
SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
Company
Company
Company
Company
Company
Company
Vail Resorts Inc / Epic Pass .......... 458 Vans. .............................................. 2865 Vapur........................................... 662 Vauhti Wax Technologies ...... 4343 VEMO Sports LLC ........................ 4301 Vigo Imports............................... 621 VillageHouse .................................. 639 Volcom .......................................... 3665 Volkl .............................................. 4323 VonZipper..................................... 3165 Voormi .......................................... 4369 Vuarnet .......................................1965V Watson’s Bodywear ...................... 837 WAXD Laces ................................. 1174 Whitedot Skis US ..................... 4440 WI-ME SNOWBOARDS ............... 2478 Wintersteiger, Inc. ....................... 3335 Wolfie Furs Canada ...................... 825 Woolpower ............................... 2156 WSI Sports .................................... 1313 X22 Snowboarding .................. 1374 XS Helmets ................................... 3647 XSories .......................................... 4655 Yaktrax .......................................... 3138 YodelTECH ................................ 4658 YRC Freight ..................................... 619 Yukon Charlies............................. 3514 Zanheadgear ............................... 1069 ZANIER Sports Inc .....................1965Z Zarges Inc ..................................... 3136 ZDAR Boot USA ........................... 1503 Zeal Optics.................................... 2161 Zensah ........................................ 643 Zion Snowboards .................... 3574
Beijing Huafu Manufacturing Ltd. ............ S324 CBF Labels Inc.............................. S522 CHANGZHOU GAODA SPORTINGS CO., LTD........... S321 Concept III Textiles International ........................... S418 drirelease ................................. S318 DTS, Inc ......................................... S320 DURAFLEX .................................... S415 Erictex Fashion Co Ltd................ S114 Global Merino.............................. S414 Guangzhou Hangbao Group Co Ltd .......................... S124 Guangzhou Yijia Optical Technique Co Ltd ................ S223 Hebei Joyful I&E Trade Co., Ltd.................................. S221 Jiangyin Diamond Tools Co Ltd .......................... S123 Jining Glove and Sewing Product Col Ltd ....................... S120 Jining Jianhua Zhongxing Ski Products Co. Ltd. .......... S121 Maxland Sportswear Industrial Co Ltd ..................... S520 Paltex Company Ltd ............... S519 Roaly Merchandises Inc ............. S313 Shenzhen Pengyifa Industrial Co Ltd ..................... S421 Shenzhen Reanson Products Co. LTD.................... S220 Shifan Racewear, Inc .................. S118 Solis Fabric Technology Co Ltd ....................................... S115 Suzhou Zhongbo Textile Garment Co. Ltd ................. S218 Sympatex Technologies, Inc...... S420 TEXLAND & NEXKO CO. LTD .................................. S620 Toray International America, Inc............................. S417 Union Line Textile Co Ltd .......................... S515 Vertical Source, Inc. .................... S422 Welltern Enterprise Co. Ltd. ..................................... S517 Xiamen Evergreen Industrial Corp .................... S323
YKK (USA), Inc............................... S521 Zhaoqing Bohan Sports Co., LTD ....................... S224
BENT METAL Black Crows Black Diamond Equipment Blizzard Skis Bolle Sunglasses & Goggles Boot Doc Burton Snowboards Capita snowboards Caravan Skis Dalbello Ski Boots DC Snowboards/Boots/ Outerwear Deviation Skis & Snowboards Dinosaurs Will Die DPS Skis Dragon Dynafit Dynastar Skis Elan Electric Faction Skis First Degree Fischer Skis XC Fisher Ski Fitovers Eyewear Fix bindings Flow Snowboarding Flux Snowboard Bindings Full Tilt Boots G3 Gilson Boards LLC Giro Goggles Giro Snow Helmets GNU GO PUCK Goode Carbon Ski Products GoPro Cameras Head Winter Sports: Alpine Skis, Ski Boots, Bindings Hotronic Hovland Snowskates Icelantic Skis Jonathan Paul Eyewear Jones Snowboards Julbo Optics K2 Skis, Boots, Helmets, Goggles, Poles and Accessories K2 Snowboarding
Kastle Skis La Sportiva Landyachtz Snowboards Lange Ski Boots LIB TECH Liberty Skis LINE Skis Look Bindings Marhar Snowboards Marker Ski Bindings, Helmets & Goggles Meier Skis MOMENT SKI Morrow Snowboards Native Eyewear Never Summer Snowboards Niche Snowboards Nike Goggles Nitro Snowboards Nordica accessories Nordica Boots Nordica Skis Northern Lites Snowshoes Now Bindings Oakley ON3P Skis Outdoor Technology POC Helmets, Goggles & Armor Pret Helmets Ride Snowboards Rocky Mountain Underground Rome Snowboards Rossignol Alpine, Nordic, Snowboard ROXY SNOWBOARDS Salewa Footwear Salomon Alpine Salomon Goggles Salomon Helmets Salomon Nordic Sandbox Helmets Scarpa Scott Boots
Scott Sports-Hardgoods/ Softgoods Sego Skis Signal Snowboards SIMS Snowboards Skia Slant Skis Slash Snowboards Smith Smokin Snowboards Spy Optic Start Wax and Poles Stepchild Snowboards STOCKLI OUTDOOR SPORTS Superfeet Worldwide Swix Alpine: Ski Tuning Equipment, Ski Poles Swix Sport USA SWIX Wax, Tuning and Poles, UT/WY Technine Tecnica Ski Boots Toko Wax, Tuning and Ski Care Products Triple 8 Tyrolia: Alpine and Alpine Touring Ski Bindings Union bindings UVEX UVEX Winter/Bike Helmets, Goggles and Sunglasses Vans Voile Manufacturing Volkl USA Von Zipper Sunglasses and Goggles Whitedot Skis Wintersteiger Yeah for it Distributions! (Bataleon, Lobster, Switchback) Yes Snowboards Yukon Charlie's Zeal Optics
3M Thinsulate Insulation................................. S126 AMATERRACE, Inc ....................... S315 Aparso (Fujian) Sportswear Co Ltd ....................................... S117
CRAFT
All CRAFT exhibitors can be found at booth #4469 Coalition Snow DOWP a snowboard group Fairweather Ski Works Franco SnowShapes Revision Skis Rodin Ltd Snow Gliders LLC
ON-SNOW DEMO* 32 ThirtyTwo Snowboard Boots & Outerwear 4FRNT Skis Adidas Snowboarding Alpina Anon Apex Ski Boots Arbor Collective (Snowboards and Skateboards) Armada Skis Atomic Atomic Nordic Atomic USA Alpine
*In conjunction with the Western Winter Sports Representatives Association (WWSRA) Rocky Mountain Demo, and in partnership with Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA)
NEW FOR FALL 2016
M’s Synderville & W’s Franconia
LYCRA® is a trademark of INVISTA
Lightweight Ski Sock
W’s Franconia M’s Synderville
FEATURING
Photo Jay Beyer
COMFORT COMPRESSION USING LYCRA® FIBER
ENJ
US MATERIALS US MANUFACTURING US WORKERS
Y
100% AMERICAN
Minimize foot fatigue using the leading performance elastic fiber.
TARGETED CUSHIONING
Terry cushioning in key impact areas to improve comfort.
SEAMLESS TOE CLOSURE BOOTH #4039
Perfectly flat toe closure to eliminate bulk and reduce blisters.
MULTIPLE STYLES FOR M’S & W’S www.farmtofeet.com
Visit our booth to see entire selection of graphic ski socks.
AT THE SHOW | CALENDAR
Events
#SIA16 WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE 2016 SIA SNOW SHOW
Daily Events Every day, all day | Booth 679 | SIA
I + I Live: Connect, recharge, socialize and push social media updates live with free wi-fi. Seminars throughout Show.
Every day, all day | Booth 3115 | SIA
Nordic Center: Come preview apparel, equipment, accessories and technologies specific to cross country and snowshoe.
Every day, all day | Sourcing Snow | SIA
Sourcing Snow: More than 50 raw material leaders showcase their services. Join seminars on sourcing, production & design.
Every day, all day | Booth 458 | SIA/Vail Resorts
Discounted Epic Pass Sales: SIA and Vail Resorts are partnering to offer attendees an exclusive Epic Pass for $319 per adult. Unlimited/unrestricted skiing benefits start Feb. 1, 2016.
Every day, all day | Booth 548 | OIWC
Women’s Lounge: Check out examples of how to best merchandise women’s hardgoods and softgoods for your store. Or stop by just to relax in a comfortable seating area and network away from the bustling floor.
7-9:30 AM | Room 103
Donut Dunking Christian Fellowship: Lively fellowship and discussion in the context of skiing and snowboarding.
9 AM-6 PM | Booth 1148 | 2XU
2XU Compression Sock Challenge: Each day, 2XU will be giving away 100 pairs of Elite Alpine X-Lock compression socks ($60 MSRP) free to anyone who does the sock challenge at its booth. While supplies last each day. Note: 9AM-1PM on Sunday
10-11 AM and 3-4 PM | Booth 730
Poster Signing: Glen Plake, U.S. Ski Hall of Fame Inductee will be signing posters in the Screamer booth Thurs., Jan. 28, 10 - 11 am and 3 - 4 pm, and Fri., Jan. 29, 10 - 11 am and 3 - 4 pm.
Thursday, January 28, 2016 7:30 AM | Mile Hall Ballroom | SIA
Snow Show Opening Presentation: Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will open the 2016 Snow Show. In partnership with Protect Our Winters (POW), McCarthy will present the opening keynote. With more than 30 years working at the local, state and national levels, she is a leading advocate to protect public health and the environment. In her keynote, she’ll speak about climate change, clean power and climate solutions.
8 AM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657)
Coffee & Backcountry Experience: A Welcome Party
9 AM -6 PM | Booth 4037 | Planks Clothing
Matt Heffernan Tribute T-Shirt Sales: Buy a memorial T-shirt in honor of Matt Heffernan, who passed away this summer. Proceeds go to The High Fives Foundation in Matt’s name. $20, M-XXL + Tall.
9-10 AM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657) Know Before You Go - An Industry Model Presented by Aaron Carlson
9-10:30 AM | Rental World/Backshop (Booth 4501)
Breakfast & Preview - For Rental/Backshop/Uniform Buyers Only: Eat, Fuel-Up and One-Stop Shop for the Latest Innovations, Tech & Style
10-11 AM | I+I Live (Booth 679) How to Create Story-Driven Brand Experiences: Strategic storytelling is changing how outdoor brands approach content marketing. Leaders understand the value of content that tells compelling and character-focused stories that connect customers to them in ways that build relationships. The result is consumer engagement, customer transition through the sales funnel and brand loyalty. Presented by Danielle Kristmanso and M-J Legault, Origin Design 10-11 AM | Sourcing Snow
Brand Protection - U.S. vs. The World: Each country administers their own trademark laws. Come learn how U.S. trademark laws differ from the rest of the world. These differences will shape how you treat your brand, and how you protect your brand internationally
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and budget your trademark-related legal expenses. Presented by Philip Matthews and JP Webb
11-12 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657)
the second party you ask? It’s kind of like college; the first party is fun, but the second party is way better. Your digital advertising and marketing initiatives need access to transparent data to outperform your competition. This session explores two ways to access new data sources and expand your reach to get your message in front of the right consumers and drive them in-store. Presented by Jay Habegger, ownerIQ
11-11:30 AM | Booth 3939 | SOLE
4-5 PM | Room 207
Open Q&A with AIARE: Stop into the booth to learn more about the current and future state of avalanche education in the U.S. and how you can get involved. Protect Our Winters Check Presentation: Join SOLE as we, in collaboration with Chris Davenport, present Protect Our Winters (POW) with a charity donation. Thanks to your continued support, $1 from the sale of each pair of Signature CD Footbeds is donated to Chris’ favorite charity.
11:30 AM-12:30 PM | Room 207
Let Technology Increase Profits: Technology has dramatically reshaped the ski industry resulting in improved cost management, increased efficiencies and superior customer service and communication. This seminar will explore innovative and integrated tools to increase profits that include automation of operational processes, powerful reporting, streamlined customer communication, inventory control, hardware integration and seamless financial reporting, all with security at the forefront. Presented by Caleb Yell and Greg Bennet, Point of Rental
11:30 AM-12:30 PM | I+I Live (Booth 679)
Preparing for Your Peak Season: From Pre-Season Engagement to Driving Repeat Sales: It can be a challenge to build the momentum and shopper engagement that leads prospects to make their first purchases, and to build customer loyalty so they come back for more. During this session, learn how to build pre-season interest, capture the attention of the shopper when it’s time to buy and plan for the off-season. Presented by Greg Zakowicz, Bronto Software
12-1 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657) The Dark Side of Brilliance Presented by Donny Roth
12-1 PM | Sourcing Snow Creating the Next Revolutionary Product: Materials technology advancements and changing athlete needs have placed enormous pressure on designers and developers to create the next revolutionary product. This session outlines the basics of product development with practical examples. Presented by Joe Blair, Rogers Corporation 1-2 PM | I+I Live (Booth 679)
The Power of Purpose - Aligning Passion and People for Profits and Impact: Our industry (and our world) is suffering from real growth/maturity pains. Joe Dunnigan’s belief is that this is due, at least in part, to a lack of, or loss of, a clear sense of purpose. Too often we are going through the motions though failing to consider the WHY behind the myriad of WHATs that consume so many of our waking hours. He’s been able to successfully help businesses move forward, overcome, understand and advance with greater ease and enjoyment than ever before. Presented by Joe Dunnigan, +swappow
5-6 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657)
Happy Hour: Featuring the cast and crew of Know Before You Go.
5-6 PM | Booth 1536 | Krimson Klover
A Sweet Start to SIA: Start your Show right! Day 1 apres hosted by the Krimson Klover ladies. Wine + cupcakes. $20 scarfs and $10 merino socks to benefit OIWC.
5-6 PM | Booth 2651 | SPY
Happy Hour: Join SPY for a happy beverage in its booth.
5-6 PM | Booth 450
Girafficorn Happy Hour: Located near the OIWC in the Women’s Lounge, catch up and have a beer with professional female athletes and the women at SheJumps, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing participation of women and girls in outdoor activities.
5-6:30 PM | Booth 2935 | Transpack
Glen Plake Transpack Beer Party: Join Glen and Kimberly Plake and the Transpack Team to celebrate the launch of the Glen Plake collection. View the introductory line of Glen Plake Series ski bags and boot backpacks for adults and kids. Beer will be provided.
5-7 PM | Booth 2542 | Native Eyewear Native Eyewear Happy Hour: A hands-on experience with its new collections to kick off the show, Native Eyewear will be hosting a happy hour. Native-branded hats will be available, as well as a Show special on sunglass purchases, while supplies last.
Connect to your Customers with the Power of Passion-Driven Branding: A Passion-Driven Branding approach is about infusing authenticity, emotion and the founder’s vision into a brand to connect to end-consumers, fans and followers. Presented by Kristin Ogden-Carpenter, Verde Brand Communications
5-7 PM | Booth 530 | 4F
2-3 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657)
Phunkshun Wear 5-Year Anniversary & High Fives Foundation Happy Hour!: Come celebrate Phunkshun’s fifth anniversary while supporting the High Fives Foundation. Buy a limited-edition High Fives Foundation Metal Pint Cup and drink off the keg for free. The foundation supports mountain action sport athletes by raising injury prevention awareness and providing resources and inspiration to those who suffer life-altering injuries.
Panel - The Future of Backcountry Research & Technology Hosted by Jordy Hendrix and Jerry Johnson
2:30-3:30 PM | Room 207
Identifying and Engaging Your Brand’s Influencers: Influencers are a subset of your customers that not only advocate your brand, but also inspire action from new customers. In this session, learn not only how to identify and connect with this subset, but how to shape the impact they have on your bottom line. Presented by Andy Wright and Kellye Snodgrass, Addshoppers
2:30-3:30 PM | I+I Live (Booth 679)
Learning the New Digital Playbook: The web, search and social media have accelerated the pace of change for media, agencies and brands. Addressing these changes requires a new approach to creative, content and overall brand stewardship. Most brands understand why they need a digital-first approach. What they are searching for now is a prescription for how to make it happen. Presented by Damian Rintelmann, IMRE
4-5 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657) The Avalanche Project: Retail Ambassador Program
4:30-6 PM | Women’s Lounge (Booth 548)
OIWC Happy Hour: All SIA attendees are invited to join OIWC for beer and wine to catch up with old friends and meet new colleagues. In addition, a selection of Giro helmets and goggles will be sold for 50% off MSRP to raise funds for OIWC programs supporting workplace diversity and inclusion.
4-5 PM | I+I Live (Booth 679)
Brands and Retailers, You’re Invited to the 2nd Party!: What’s
SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
Meet 4F: You’re warmly invited to meet 4F. We would like to introduce our brand, products, sales staff and CEO. We look forward to meeting you!
5:30-7:30 PM | Booth 762 | Phunkshun
6-8 PM | Booth 2161 | Zeal Optics ZEAL Optics Happy Hour: Experience winter through our lenses and explore what is to come with the ZEAL team and Ambassadors.
Friday, January 29, 2016
7:30-9 AM | Mile High Ballroom 1
Protect Our Winters Breakfast: Burritos & Bloodies: POW presents a speaker on the critical topic of climate change and the industry. Doors open at 7:30, and presentation starts at 8. 9-10:30 AM | Rental World/Backshop (Booth 4501) Breakfast & Preview - for Rental/Backshop/Uniform Buyers Only: Eat, Fuel-Up and One-Stop Shop for the Latest Innovations, Tech & Style
9-10 AM | Room 207
How to Reduce Sales Friction Among Millennial Snow Sport Consumers: While Millennials - the largest generation with over 90 million in the U.S. - are typically big fans of snow sports, they are less inclined to purchase snow sport equipment. The sharing economy has led many to borrow or rent items. This session shares best practices to attract more Millennial shoppers. Presented by Chris Faught, Affirm Inc.; Luke Jacobson, Moment Skis
For details on topics, presenter information, dates, locations and times, check:
, the SIA Snow Show Daily or SIA/Snow Show App.
Download the App at
Basics Choices - Film Presented by Roy Tuscany, High Fives Foundation
Essential Questions for Choosing the Right eCommerce Technologies and Service Providers Presented by Justin Poole, Blue Acorn
Preparing for Your Peak Season: From Pre-Season Engagement to Driving Repeat Sales Presented by John Davidson, Bronto
How is the # and . Affecting Our Ski World? Hear Where Technology Meets Marketing. Presented by Dot Ski + Scream Agency
Pipe Dream to Production: Protect Yourself and Avoid the Slough [Patents] Presented by Merchant & Gould
Boom, Bust and B2B: Wholesale eCommerce is Booming & Brands Holding Out are Going Bust Presented by Heath Wells, NuORDER
How to Attract Millennial Shoppers to Buy Snow Sport Equipment Presented by Chris Faught, Affirm, Inc. & Luke Jacobson, Moment Skis
Pipe Dream to Production: Your Idea is Legit and it Deserves Protection [Trademarks] Presented by Merchant & Gould
Brand Protection - US vs. the World Presented by Philip Matthews, JP Webb
How to Create Story-Driven Brand Experiences Presented by Danielle Kristmanso & M-J Legault, Origin Design
Branded Content: How to Remain Authentic & Sell-Out at the Same Time Presented by Todd Jones, Teton Gravity Research
Identifying and Engaging Your Brand’s Influencers Presented by Andy Wright & Kellye Snodgrass, Addshoppers
Best Practices in Retail Training for Maximum Sales Presented by Simon Turner, Myagi Boa® Authorized Retailer Presented by Cole Soli, Boa® Technology
Brands and Retailers, You’re Invited to the 2nd Party! Presented by Jay Habegger, OwnerIQ Connect to your Customers with the Power of Passion-Driven Branding Presented by Kristin Ogden-Carpenter, Verde Creating the Next Revolutionary Product Presented by Joe Blair, Rogers Corporation
Identifying and Engaging Your Brand’s Influencers Presented by Andy Wright & Kellye Snodgrass, Adshoppers Learning the New Digital Playbook Presented by Damian Rintelmann, IMRE Let Technology Increase Profits Presented by Greg Bennet & Caleb Yell, Point of Rental
SEO Best Practices for 2016 Improve Visibility and Stay Protected from Google Penalties Presented by Chris Rodgers, Colorado SEO Pros Skiers or Snowboarders? What Site Search Analytics Reveal About Your Customers Presented by Andrew Graham, Swiftype United States Marine Corps Ski System Requirement Presented by Capt. Ryan Moore and Don Thorne Working Capital Strategies: Grow on the Snow Presented by Karen Wojtko & Jake Lasko,US Bank; Travis Peacock, LSQ Funding Group
Practical Magic: The 5-Minute Rental Fit (ski and snowboard) Power Panel Rental Industry Roundtable
PHOTOS BY ALTON RICHARDSON
Special Exhibits Host Panels Rental World/Backshop, Uniform Gallery, Backcountry booths are must-see. Rental World/Backshop and Uniform Gallery
Two of the Show’s most popular annual exhibits, the Rental World/Backshop and Uniform Gallery (Booth #4501) are exclusive venues featuring more than 50 companies focusing on the best in backshop and rental business pratices. Backshop offers a preview of the latest tools and tuning, and the Rental portion highlights innovations in equipment. The Uniform Gallery is all about what’s new in uniforms so you can make the best impression on your customers. At 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, be sure to check out the SAM Magazine rental industry power panel, “Practical Magic: The 5-Minute Rental Fit (Ski and Snowboard).”
Backcountry Experience
Stop by SIA’s Backcountry Experience (Booth #3657) for a full lineup of happy hours, retail clinics, panel discussions and seminars on staying safe in the backcountry. This year, hear from American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) professionals, athletes and guides, including Chris Davenport, Greg Hill, Jeremy Jones, Brody Levin, Louise Lintilhac and more. Also learn about the basics of the Know Before You Go initiative and The Avalanche Project. Enjoy an Open Q&A with AIARE multiple times throughout the Show. Backcountry Experience programs are designed to help you position your shop as the go-to spot for backcountry.
AT THE SHOW | CALENDAR 9-10 AM | I+I Live (Booth 679) How is the # and . Affecting Our Ski World? Hear Where Technology Meets Marketing: This first-of-its-kind session is a live learning session using firstchair.ski to showcase how easy it is to create, manage and promote dedicated customer-generating microsites. Takeaways will include how to stand out on the Internet; how to make the most of your branded microsite; and an ideation session to create unique promotional opportunities for your brand. Presented by Lora Ledermann, Scream Agency; Rob Rozicki, Dot Ski 10-11 AM | Sourcing Snow
Pipe Dream to Production: Protect Yourself and Avoid the Slough [Patents]: Patents are a reality whether you are developing a backcountry binding in your garage or working on the next breathable waterproof membrane with a six-figure budget. Patents can protect your new product and disrupt best intentions. Spending time early in product development to understand the landscape will help you pick a safe line and keep the stoke alive longer. Presented by Merchant & Gould
10-11 AM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657)
Panel: Media & Retail Role in Changing Backcountry Culture Hosted by Eric Henderson 10:30-11:30 AM | Room 207 Best Practices in Retail Training for Maximum Sales: Knowledgeable sales associates are retail’s greatest asset. When properly trained they can enhance the shopping experience and make the difference between a sale and a customer last forever. It’s time to put aside old thinking that training is a cost and focus on the massive ROI associated with a balanced investment. Presented by Simon Turner, Myagi
10:30-11:30 AM | I+I Live (Booth 679)
Social, Mobile, & Digital for Independently Owned Companies: The privately owned and operated company is being pulled in two directions - first by the national big-box store, and the pure-play ecommerce giants are also stealing market share. This session will discuss strategies to take back your turf. Presented by David Lively, Grey Suit Retail
11 AM-12 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657)
Open Q&A with AIARE: Stop into the booth to learn more about the current and future state of avalanche education in the U.S. and how you can get involved.
come authentic storytellers, connect to audiences at scale and build brand loyalty. This panel will dive into how unique partnerships with content producers and media companies can revolutionize brands’ content marketing and distribution strategies. Presented by Todd Jones, Teton Gravity Research
a role in SmartWool’s growth. Also, OIWC will present Kelly Davis, SIA Research director, with the Pioneering Woman Award, and Kerry O’Flaherty, founder and owner of KerryO Sales, with the First Ascent Award. Open to all attendees.
2-3 PM | Sourcing Snow
Mobile: Should You Really Care?: Too many companies push mobile for the wrong reasons and in the wrong ways. The question you need to ask is how will mobile truly help drive your business? This session will explore trends, both inside the industry and out, and will help you identify your true mobile needs, if they even exist. Presented by Jason King, Accella
Working Capital Strategies: Grow on the Snow: US Bank and LSQ Funding Group will host an open forum on how to best obtain working capital in a growth environment. Commercial bankers will be on hand to answer all lending and growth strategy questions. Presented by Jake Lasko and Karen Wojko, US Bank; Travis Peacock, LSQ Funding Group
2-3 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657) Panel - Inside the Female Mind Presented by Louise Lintilhac
3-4 PM | Room 207
Basic Choices - Film: A safety awareness education film that highlights the safe decisions every mountain action sport athlete can make to enjoy a lifetime of activities in the mountains and on the snow. This presentation is touring around North America to thousands to promote safety cognizance for our youth. Presented by Roy Tuscany, High Fives Foundation
3-4 PM | I+I Live (Booth 679)
Pipe Dream to Production: Your Idea is Legit and it Deserves Protection [Trademarks]: Trademarks can last forever, transfer from one product to the next, and help the consumer find you and distinguish your product from those of your competitors. But using a name without proper clearance can result in trademark infringement and unfair competition. Adopting a name that is generic or not protectable can leave you exposed to imitators. Avoid the trademark face plant with search and registration strategies. Presented by Merchant & Gould
1:30-2:30 PM | Room 207
United States Marine Corps Ski System Requirement: USMC is required to replace its antiquated ski system with modern commercially available ski equipment. The number required can range from 2,648 systems to 8,000 systems, to include an annual sustainment quantity. Based on the Berry Amendment and Buy America Act mandates, the USMC is seeking domestic manufacturing of ski system components currently only manufactured in foreign countries (item needs based on USMC requirement). Includes: leather ski boot, binding, skis, skins (full and kicker), adjustable ski poles, fulllength gaiter, over boot, ski-wax kit and ski-system repair kit. Presented by Capt. Ryan Moore and Don Thorne, USMC
1:30-2:30 PM | I+I Live (Booth 679)
Branded Content: How to Remain Authentic & Sell-Out at the Same Time: Done right, branded content can help companies be-
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10 AM | Booth 4123 | Atomic
Doc DesRoches Award: SIA and the U.S. Ski Team recognize an SIA member and Team supplier for its promotion of the Team’s brand and athletes. This year’s winner is Atomic. After the presentation, World Cup alpine ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin will sign autographs.
11 AM-12 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657) Open Q&A with AIARE: Stop into the booth to learn more about the current and future state of avalanche education in the U.S. and how you can get involved.
5-6 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657)
Big Mountains, Big Line, Big Consequence Presented by Chris Davenport 5-6 PM | Booth 4101 | Kästle Happy Hour Keg with Kästle
6 PM | Show Floor Entrance | SIA
12-1 PM | Sourcing Snow
10-11 AM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657)
Backcountry Magazine - Biff America Book Signing
5-6 PM | Booth 3965 | Ride Snowboards Sketchy Tank Poster Signing: Sketchy Tank will be signing one-off posters of his graphic featured on the RIDE Burnout board.
12-1 PM | Room 207
12-1 PM | I+I Live (Booth 679) Skiers or snowboarders? What Site Search Analytics Reveal About Your Customers: Site search offers a rare window into the minds of snow lovers, and analytics on search behavior can be invaluable for optimizing conversion rates, shaping merchandising strategy, guiding SEO, and more. Presented by Andrew Graham, Swiftype
Power Panel: Rental Industry Roundtable: Bootfitting experts and rental gurus demonstrate the tools, techniques and talk that ensures renters get the best fit possible.
10:30-11:30 AM | I+I Live (Booth 679)
5-6 PM | Booth 2651 | SPY
Essential Questions for Choosing the Right eCommerce Technologies and Service Providers: Brands and retailers have an overwhelming number of options when it comes to software and service vendors. Choosing the best vendors for your needs means asking the right questions and making sure your expectations are appropriately set. Learn the questions that other retailers wish they had asked, the questions to ask any ecommerce vendor, and ways to test the tech that you’re considering. Presented by Justin Poole, Blue Acorn
9:30-10:30 AM | Rental World/Backshop (Booth 4501)
Increase Sales For Your Business With Google AdWords: In this presentation, learn how to make Google AdWords increase sales cost-effectively. This is a more advanced presentation, so you should have at least some experience with AdWords. Learn how to target your campaigns effectively, refine them so that your spend is most efficient, and measure and analyze so you can improve them. Presented by Jason Ford and Tyler Mandroian, C1 Partners
12-1 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657) Proceed with Caution: Skiing Around the World Presented by Brody Levin
9-10 AM | I+I Live (Booth 679)
Happy Hour with Darrell Mathes: Join SPY for a drink celebrating Darrell Mathes as the brand’s new snowboarding team captain. SIA SnowSports Awards: Each year, SIA recognizes specialty retailers who have excelled in fostering relationships, moving product and setting their brands apart from the competition, while pushing forward the passion and growth of snow sports. This year we honor eight retailers. Join us for a celebration!
5-7 PM | Booth 1857 | Patagonia Patagonia Happy Hour - Keep Jumbo Wild!: Add your voice to the campaign to protect the Jumbo Valley in British Columbia. Learn more, take action and drink beer! $5 Miir pint cup sales benefit Wildsight. 5-7 PM | Booth 1148 | 2XU Beer and Cheer at 2XU: 2XU would like to invite SIA guests to join them for a cold glass of Boulder Beer Mojo IPA beer. 6-11:30 PM | Red Rocks Amphitheater
Icelantic’s Winter on the Rocks: Come celebrate snow sports, music and lifestyle in Colorado at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Come listen to Adventure Club and Big Grams (big boi + phantogram).
6-7 PM | Show Floor Entrance
SIA SnowSports Awards: Retailers of the Year: Each year SIA recognizes specialty retailers in the U.S. and Canada who have excelled in fostering relationships, moving product and setting their shops apart from the competition, while pushing forward the passion and growth of snow sports. Come celebrate the winners with us!
6-8 PM | Booth 3335 | Wintersteiger Wintersteiger Austria Bier Party: Join us for our annual party. 7-10 PM | Ogden Theatre
TransWorld Snowboarding Riders’ Poll Awards Show: Video of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Rider of the Year, The Legend Award, and the TransWorld Snowboarding Readers Choice Award.
Saturday, January 30, 2016 7-9 AM | Mile High Ballroom 1
OIWC Keynote & Awards Ceremony: Bacon, Bloody Marys & Inspiration: Join OIWC for bacon and bloody marys, and inspiration at the annual Keynote & Leadership Awards Presentation featuring Mark Satkiewicz, president and GM of SmartWool. Mark will focus on how greater leadership diversity and workplace inclusion played
SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
SEO Best Practices for 2016 - Improve Visibility and Stay Protected from Google Penalties: The way Google and other search engines evaluate sites and rank them is the result of more than 200 different factors; it is critical that brands and retailers understand how they can position themselves to be the best option. Presented by Chris Rodgers, Colorado SEO Pros
12-1 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657)
Reflections on Big Mountain Avalanche Risk and the Benefits of Fear Presented by Greg Hill 12-1 PM | I+I Live (Booth 679) Are Your Customers Listening To You? How to Develop Messaging that Engages Your Customers: Walk through how to clarify your target customers, develop an effective buyer persona profile, and create a profile of your business. This session will then use the profiles to build a concise Positioning Statement and a Messaging Platform for your business. Presented by Dan Smink and Ian Lancaster, C1 Partners
1-1:30 PM | Booth 4657 | KEL52 Raffle Event: Enter our drawing for your chance to win a POWR wireless helmet audio kit. There will be 10 lucky winners. 1:30-2:30 PM | I+I Live (Booth 679) Boom, Bust and B2B: Wholesale eCommerce Is Booming & Brands Holding Out Are Going Bust: This presentation will focus on how brands can use online wholesale solutions to increase sales with current customers, as well as effectively acquire new ones. Presented by Heath Wells, NuORDER 2-3 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657)
How Retail Employees Can Become Your Brand Advocates Presented by Verde PR
5-6 PM | Show Floor Entrance Passing the Torch Industry Celebration: Celebrate a career in snow that has lasted more than 50 years and toast to the future. Join the industry as David Ingemie passes the torch to new SIA President Nick Sargent. 5-6 PM | Backcountry Experience (Booth 3657) A Backcountry Mental Checklist Presented by Jeremy Jones
Monday, February 1, 2016 9 AM-4 PM | Copper Mountain Resort On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest & Nordic Demo 8 PM | Copper Mountain Resort Incline Bar & Grill
Elan’s 70th Anniversary Party: 80s band The Goonies, raffle prizes and signature drinks. The brand will release its Ripstick ski. Glen Plake will announce the winner of the prototype tester video contest. RSVP: email copperparty@elan.si. Or stop by at the Demo.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016 9 AM-4 PM | Copper Mountain Resort
On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest & Nordic Demo
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AT THE SHOW | SHOW NEWS
Rossignol, Look Bindings Become One LOOK GOES A LA CARTE, OPENING THE BRAND UP TO A BROADER MARKET HOLD ONTO THOSE ROSSIGNOL BINDINGS ... THEY'RE SOON TO BE A COLlector's item. This week, the company announced that Look and Rossignol, which used to be two separate binding brands, will now fall under the Look name only. “It made sense for a while, but as of 2016-17, we’ll no longer be producing bindings under the Rossignol name,” says brand manager Nick Castagnoli. “It will make purchasing decisions easier, eliminate confusion among consumers, and let us combine resources for everything from production and distribution to sales and marketing.” In the past, he says, the company hasn’t been able to lend a strong voice to either brand, marginalizing each in the process. The move will also allow the company to bring in new dealers as strictly Look dealers. “Look is an a la carte binding brand,” he says. “From a dealer standpoint, it’s not tied to any one brand anymore. Stores will no longer have to be a Rossignol or Dynastar dealer to be able to carry Look.” Reducing the overall SKU count will also open up more resources for the binding brand, he adds, as well as open the doors for additional athlete sponsorship by eliminating potential ski brand conflicts. “Look is a very storied brand in the ski industry,” says Castagnoli, touting, among other things, the company’s new “locking jaw” coupling system. “This will help us leverage the brand’s strength.” To see for yourself, visit the new Look booth within this year’s Rossignol, Lange and Dynastar campus on the Show floor. —Eugene Buchanan
Feeling the Heat
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SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
The Shmooz
CROWDS OF JOB SEEKERS AND REPS FROM SNOW sports suppliers, resorts and organizations met yesterday at The Shmooz, SIA’s industry job fair, hosted by Malakye.com during Industry + Intelligence. If you missed it, here’s some incentive to get involved next year: “Companies in lifestyledriven industries should participate in The Shmooz for the simple fact that you are able to connect with tons of potential employees face to face all in one place,” says Gary Wyman of Icelantic Skis.
PHOTOS BY JULIE ELLISON
WITH CONTINUED ADVANCEMENTS IN HIGH-TECH THERMAL-REGULATING, KINETIC AND REFLECtive fabrics, you’d think there may not be a need for heated apparel and accessories in winter sports. However, for some consumers, staying warm is such a priority that nothing short of good old battery-powered heat will cut it. And several exhibitors are responding with streamlined and otherwise improved heated products that offer variable temperature levels, ease of use, long battery life and enhanced comfort without being overly bulky, heavy or intrusive. ThermaCell ProFlex Heavy Duty Heated Insoles are rechargeable foot warmers that can be trimmed to fit any boots. Now operated by Bluetooth directly from your phone with three heat settings, they keep feet warm but not hot enough to make them sweat. Battery life is up to 6.5 hours with constant use, and the battery can be easily changed without removing the insoles from the boots. “Heated apparel is not new,” says Patty Tung, director of product development for Fera. “However, what we felt was missing was something versatile and light enough to wear as a layer.” The company’s new Suki vest offers lightweight core warmth with three heating elements placed in key circulation zones, as well as in the collar. It comes with a standard 7.4v lithium battery, offering three hours of heat on full power, which Tung says is more than most people will ever need. Seirus adds a new component mitt, the Heat Touch Torche, to its line of battery-operated handwear. The mitt combines a Hyperlite Xtreme All-Weather glove liner—which features a thin, flexible battery and three heat settings—as well as a fully waterproof leather outer mitt. FERA WOMEN'S SUKI HEAT VEST —Bevin Wallace
NSAA: Snow Sports Has a Solid Core MICHAEL BERRY, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL Ski Areas Association (NSAA), gave an upbeat presentation during Industry + Intelligence yesterday on the current state of the snow sports industry’s ski areas. A trade association, the NSAA was born in the mid90s to provide ski area owners and operators with data and metrics that would help them proactively strategize to grow the industry. Looking to the horizon does not always come easily to resort-keepers that are bombarded with the day-to-day fires of running a business on snow, Berry says. “I started working at 14-years-old at a ski resort with a pickup and dynamite,” he says, followed by 13 years of work at Vail and Sun Valley resorts before his current position. “As a ski area operator, you tend to be surrounded by princes—people telling you the news you want to hear—and you live at the end of the road. You can problem solve and manage crises really well. When asked why fewer people came this year versus last year? I couldn’t (have told) you,” he says. And that’s where the NSAA comes in. The NSAA represents 313 alpine resorts, which represent 90 percent of the business, measured in skier and snowboarder visits.
In addition to sharing up-to-date information on snow sports demographics (diversity is greater than it was 15 years ago), financial performance and operational practices, Berry also talked about NSAA studies of visitation trends to determine how many of those resort visitors represent devoted returnees. The core group—those that frequent resorts at least five times annually—equals 10 million, about 3 percent of the nation’s population. Another 20 million have lapsed in the sport, most likely due to life-changing events like a new job, relocation or marriage. Typically, kids spark a return, he says. But the market potential is larger yet. Nearly 57 million Americans are a socio-economic match for the industry, he says, but aren’t a regular participant or haven’t tried the sport—yet. One focus, Berry says, should be to increase the progression from “newbie” to someone who identifies as a snowboarder or skier. Another challenge is gender inequality within the sport, Berry says, which is more prevalent in snowboarding than in skiing. “The number of women snowboarders is de minimis. They don’t participate in early- to mid-teens in the same way that the males do. Then, when kids leave
Lasting Impressions
home to go to college, women tend to drift away from the sport.” That said, the news is not bad. “The reality is, given the right snow and weather conditions, the sport has not lost participants and has not lost rates of participation,” Berry says. “We’ve spent the last 20 years making (the sport) easier and more fun so more people can integrate it into their life. There’s no other sport that can change your life the way that snow sports does.” —Morgan Tilton
VISIT LEVEL GLOVES AT BOOTH # 3603
PHOTO BY JULIE ELLISON
TIPS TO KEEP YOUR INFLUENCER-MARKETING CAMPAIGN ROLLING ALL YEAR LONG IT’S EASY TO MARKET THAT SWEET PAIR OF PLANKS OR COZY WOOL base layer when the winter winds are howling and the mountain is getting hammered. But what about when temperatures heat up, melting the powder and pushing on-snow stoke to the backburner? “Our industry faces unique challenges,” says Craig Randall, integrated services director at Verde Brand Communications. “We’re seasonal. Our time to shine and to sell is limited.” His Industry + Intelligence seminar “What to Do with Your Retail Customers in the Off-Season?” encouraged brands and retailers to keep the momentum they build during the prime selling months rolling through the off-season. Focusing primarily on influencer-marketing campaigns, which use social media thought leaders and gear testers with expansive followings to tell the brand story, he offered up some pro tips. First, continue to connect with your audience during the warmer months. One idea: Have the company founder or the store’s general manager moderate an online conversation (via Google Hangouts, Twitter, etc.) about last season’s highlights or ambitions for next year. Influencers can help promote the event. “It may be the off-season, but it’s still completely relevant if you’re passionate about those sports,” Randall says. Also use this time of year to get feedback from influencers about the gear. If they’re living up to their end of the bargain, they’ve been testing the product all season. Tap into their knowledge about what works and where there’s room for improvement. Ideally, influencers have their tentacles in numerous different social media channels. Take the time to gauge their performance in these different outlets and evaluate where efforts should be focused next season. And then, most importantly, continue to sell! “The off-season is a time when you could work directly with the influencers and help them do content or give their followers a special incentive,” Randall says. “It’s about reminding their fans or followers that they’re part of this amazing thing.” —Courtney Holden
BY WOMEN FOR WOMEN LEVEL, UNIQUE WOMEN’S GLOVES AND MITTS UNLIKE ANY OTHER: WARMER, DRYER, SOFTER, ULTRA-BREATHABLE, AND UNIMAGINABLY COMFORTABLE.
AT THE SHOW | PRODUCT PICKS
Wish List PACKIN’ LIGHT Arva Reactor, Booth 3412
Don’t leave that avy pack at home just to shave a couple pounds. Arva introduces its first avalanche airbag system, the Reactor, which clocks in at an impressive 5.7 pounds for an 18-liter pack fully loaded with a steel canister. The brand also beefed up the handle system with a thick, steel cable and larger handle to make split-second deployment as easy as possible. “We built our deploy handles to be easily pulled with all fingers or only one finger in the worst situation,” says Antoine Ferrero, Arva sales and marketing manager. The system’s doublechamber airbag increases reliability, while 3D Fit Technology allows the user to adjust pack length, shoulder straps and handle position.
LEKI Trigger S Vertical Grip, Booth 3120
Backcountry skiers can now enjoy LEKI’s quick-release Trigger system on the company’s new line of Vertical model poles and gloves designed for off-piste schussing. The system incorporates new Flexband technology within the glove (or a retro-fittable strap worn over other gloves), with a built-in elastic band that allows variable gripping, including palming the pole top. It releases with a quick push of a button on the pole top or with 8 pounds of pressure in case of a snag or slide.
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SNOW SHOW DAILY 2016 | DAY 1 SIAsnowshow.com
Darn Tough Vermont Women’s Taos Socks, Booth 2200
From head to toe, women are tough and beautiful. Why shouldn’t their socks be? With a denim-inspired washed indigo backdrop, the lightweight Women’s Taos ski sock from Darn Tough Vermont is knit with Merino wool for temperature regulation on and off the slopes. Underfoot, the light cushion adds comfort for the heels. The aesthetics are the glory, with a popping geometric pattern that’s inspired by Native American weaves of the Southwest. The design is a fresh interpretation of the wider fashion and cultural trends invoking free spirit with a touch of heritage. No need to hide these après ski.
ALPINE A-LINE
Skhoop Supreme Thermium Short Skirt, Booth 1430
Ladies looking to bring a little femininity into the backcountry will dig the Supreme Thermium Short Skirt from Skhoop. But don’t be mistaken. This little number may be worthy of the runways, but its water-resistant properties, seam-sealed construction and water-repellent outer fabric treatment make it just as fitting for cold, wet alpine conditions. Gore Thermium blocks the wind while still allowing water vapor to escape, providing bonus breathability. Meanwhile, an asymmetrical design—the skirt measures 17 inches in the front, 19 inches in the back—adds visual appeal and boosts coverage of the backside. Two side zippers allow her to easily slip in and out.
PHOTOS BY JULIE ELLISON AND ALTON RICHARDSON
GET — AND RELEASE — A GRIP
SOUTHWEST INSPIRATION
“We are going to 2 Chainz at the Ogden Theater, which is sponsored by Vans. We’ll be wearing big gold hoops and high-waisted Lycra pants. We’re from Jackson Hole, so when we come to the big city, we go wild.”
SYMPATEX.COM
What are you looking forward to after hours this week?
WATERPROOF BREATHABLE WINDPROOF
—Jane Smith, sales manager, AION, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
“A friend of ours is a part owner of Declaration Brewing Company— and we went to the Nuggets game! Those are our extracurricular activities.”
—BJ Emery, marketing, NEFF, Ventura, Calif.
“We went cat skiing in Monarch with BCA! But I’ve been sick for three weeks, and I’m on antibiotics, so nothing too crazy. Getting together with friends from the industry and going to the On-Snow Demo. If a ticket fell in my pocket for Winter on the Rocks, I’d definitely go.”
PHOTOS BY JULIE ELLISON
—MJ Carroll, product marketing manager, K2 Skis, Seattle, Wash.
“I’m so boring. I have five brands here, so I’m in appointments all day, grabbing a beer, then going to bed. I’m a new dad—I have a 6-month-old at home—so sleep is important.”
—Rush Hawkins, independent sales rep, Nordica USA, Park City, Utah .
SIA SNOW SHOW BOOTH #S420 CONTACT: SYMPATEX TECHNOLOGIES, INC. PHONE 978-225-6622 SYMPATEX.USA@SYMPATEX.COM
IN AT THE SHOW | HEARD THE AISLES
ODE TO BOWIE
“Take your protein pills and put your helmet on. Ground Control to Major Tom.”
—Terramar booth cranking David Bowie’s Space Oddity during setup
HE'S DINO-MITE
“Bronto is ready to take on #SIA16. Come see us at Industry and Intelligence day. #TravelinBronto
New Dining Options Hungry? You’re in luck. By popular demand, this year’s SIA Snow Show features elevated food options, some created by award-winning and celebrity chefs specifically for attendees. Here’s a sampling of the new fare: healthy options such as grilled pear salad and hummus & veggies at Wystones (near Booth 2448), Colorado-style specialties such as grass-fed burgers and tacos at Colorado Cantina (near Booth 403 and the Sourcing Show) and made-to-order Asian stir fry with a choice of protein and sauces (near Booth 567).
PHOTOS BY (FROM LEFT) ALTON RICHARDSON; SIA
—Bronto Software, @bronto
MYSTERIOUS VOICE
"I am not even in the aisles, and I heard mono skis are making a comeback."
—Peter Kray, author, The God of Skiing
PEEK-A-BOO
#SIAintel is underway here at #SIA16! Looks like the @CCCbluebear wants in on the educational day, but he may not fit.
—SIA, @siasnowsports
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