Boardsport Source, Issue 57, Winter 11/12 by Magazine Source

#057. DEC 2011. €5

E U R O P E A N

S U R F/ S K AT E / S N O W

B U S I N E S S SNOWBOARD PREVIEW : 2012/13

OUTERWEAR : NEXT SEASON'S TRENDS AND PREVIEWS WETSUIT TRENDS : A HOT TOPIC BIG WIG INTERVIEW : ANTHONY DE ROCCO FROM K2

PLUS: BRAND PROFILES, NEW PRODUCTS, INDUSTRY NEWS, GOGGLES AND MORE...

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BLOWING LOWING UP!

ANTON GUNNARSSON Giro serves up proprietary lens tints delivered by the Optics by Carl Zeiss Vision factory in Varese, Italy. Our new Amber Pink and Loden Green are available on our Station and Basis goggles. Check them out at giro.com.

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VISIT US AT ISPO AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW PRO, PURE & STREET SERIES JOIN THE PARTY ON OUR BOOTH 407 / HALL A2 AND YOU CAN EVEN WIN AN IPAD. STARTS AT 18:00!

ON THE COVER: Mateo Perez,Arlberg, Austria. Photo: Sten Muchow

STAFF Managing & English Editor Jojo Cook jojo@boardsportsource.com Surf & french Editor Iker Aguirre iker@boardsportsource.com Snowboard Editor Rémi Forsans remi@boardsportsource.com Skateboard Editor Holger Von Krosigk holger@boardsportsource.com German Editor Stefan Dongus stefan@boardsportsource.com Art Director Owen Tozer owen@boardsportsource.com French Editorial Assistant Denis Houillé denis@boardsportsource.com Proofreaders Jo Fairweather, Insa Muth Marie-Laure Ducos Contributors Tom Wilson-North, Nicole Coryton, Dirk Vogel, Fabien Grisel, Franz Hoeller, Muck Müller, Luke Van Unen, Dirk Vogel, Denis Houillé, Gordon Way, Asier Zabarte, Yuri Kolobov Electronic Media & News Denis Houillé denis@boardsportsource.com Jobs & Distributor Services Digby Reed Digby@boardsportsource.com Project Manager Harry Mitchell Thompson Harry@boardsportsource.com Production & Design Assistant Roddy Bow production@boardsportsource.com Advertising & Marketing Clive Ripley clive@boardsportsource.com Germanic Markets Advertising Kone Heigl kone@boardsportsource.com Accounts Manager accounts@boardsportsource.com To Subscribe www.boardsportsource.com subs@boardsportsource.com

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HELLO

CONTENT

Dear readers & riders,

P.15 NEWS

While the winter was late in taking hold this year, excitement for snowboarding has never been stronger thanks to the fact that our sport still holds big appeal with young people and the media. As we ease into our third generation of participant, we’re excited by the growth of World Snowboard Day, which is growing in numbers particularly in the USA and Eastern European nations. Snowboarding is increasingly enriched by the World Championship, supported by independent federations and a tough core of organisers separate from the FIS. So let’s make sure we attend or follow this major event, gathering the world’s top riders for the first time on 10th - 19th February in Oslo.

P.21 TRADE SHOW PREVIEWS

This is our biggest issue of the year, and with that in mind we bring you an exclusive interview with the big boss of K2, Anthony De Rocco who shares his insights and strategies with us. We also discover how other CEO’s view the current state of the sport in our Industry Insight interviews. After Outdoor Retailer and the SIA in the US, the world's largest trade fair ISPO is opening its doors again so make sure you read up on next season’s trends in our killer trend preview articles, painstakingly researched by our kit-guru, Tom Wilson-North.

P. 59 GOGGLE PICTORIAL

Despite the uncertainty of a world based on troubled economics, boardsports give us the chance to regroup and help us momentarily forget about the dreariness that surrounds us. They also provide us shared moments with friends and family that are priceless in today’s world. So whilst the struggling governments are raiding taxpayers coffers, they can’t take these treasured times away from us! Happy reading, and above all, stay sideways.

Publisher Clive Ripley clive@boardsportsource.com Published by Extreme Sport Business 22 Friars Street, Sudbury Suffolk, CO10 2AA. UK Boardsport SOURCE is published bi-monthly © Extreme Sport Business All Rights Reserved

Remi Forsans

P.25 RETAILER PROFILE P.26 SNOWBOARD DECK TRENDS P. 34 SNOWBOARD DECK PICTORIAL P. 49 HIRED GUNS – PRO SKATEBOARD ATHLETES P. 52 BIG WIG – ANTHONY DE ROCCO, K2 P. 54 FCS MANUFACTURERS CUP P. 57 RIP CURL INTERVIEW OLIVIER CANTET

P. 62 WETSUIT TRENDS P. 67 THE STATE OF SNOWBOARDING P. 73 MEN’S OUTERWEAR P. 87 WOMEN’S OUTERWEAR P. 99 BRAND PROFILE – RECON P. 101 BRAND PROFILE – GREENFIX P. 103 BRAND PROFILE – SIONYX P. 105 BRAND PROFILE – 7/9/13 P. 107 BEST SELLERS P. 111 NEW PRODUCTS P. 113 MARKET INTELLIGENCE P. 124 EVENTS P. 126 ONE EYED MONSTER

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission, except for permitted fair dealing under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. Application for permission for use of copyright material including permission to reproduce extracts in other public works shall be made to the publishers. Full acknowledgement of author, publisher and source must be given. The views expressed in this publication are not those necessarily held by the Publisher. ISSN # 1478-4777

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INDUSTRY NEWS AMER SPORTS ACQUIRES NIKITA

ADIDAS MOVE INTO SNOWBOARDING

Amer Sports has announced it is acquiring Icelandic snow and street brand Nikita for an undisclosed amount. Nikita, which offers apparel and now hardwear ‘For Girls Who Ride’ has annual net sales of around €8 million a year. Co-founder Heida Birgitsdottir commented, “We are all really pleased to work with a company that can give our brand and our customers a solid base. As the Head of Design, I’m excited to see what we can create with Amer Sports’ support”

Sportswear giants adidas are currently in the process of promoting their skateboarding brand, and some exciting news coming from their camp informs us of their plans to launch into the snowboarding boot market with ex-Nike 6.0 backcountry genius Jake Blauvelt leading the charge. Blauvelt and his agent approached adidas in early in 2011 and the result is a three-model signature boot line and an après-shred boot. adidas plan to launch their skateboarding brand throughout 2012, snowboarding in 2013 and eventually surfing in 2014, aiming to be major boardsports contributors by 2015.

Brad Steward, Head of Action Sports at Amer said, “Amer Sports is filled with people who skate, surf and snowboard, and we’ve got great brands with Salomon Snowboards, Bonfire and now, Nikita. Nikita will give us a broader portfolio in the area of action sports, complementing Salomon snowboards and Bonfire. Amer now has a platform to grow with new consumer groups and bring a broader range of exciting, authentic products to market”.

KEVIN PEARCE RETURNS TO SNOWBOARDING After almost two years away from snowboarding, Kevin Pearce returned to the slopes on December 20 for the first time since his devastating accident. Pearce was attempting a double cork in the pipe at Park City in Utah when he fell and hit his head on the sidewall resulting in traumatic brain injury and many feared for his long term walking, sight and memory abilities. Two years on and Kevin has made an astonishing recovery and returned to ride at Breckinridge with a group of friends, family and fans on December 20th.

PIKTURE BOOK: A CELEBRATION OF SNOWBOARDING LEGEND TERJE HÅKONSEN Terje smashed his way onto the snowboard scene over 20 years ago, and he’s still at the forefront today with his ongoing battle against the IOC still running strong. Now snowboard expert Matt Barr has created the first ever heritage book to catalogue the ‘most influential career in snowboarding’. Pikture Book will showcase Terje’s career in pictures as well as words from the man himself on everything from his invention of the Haakonflip, to his world record air at the Arctic Challenge right the way through to his boycott of the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998.

BOXPARK – THE WORLD’S FIRST POP-UP MALL The Boxpark initiative strips down shipping containers and fits them to create low cost ‘box shops’ allowing brands to showcase their products with relatively low risk in the trendy Shoreditch area of east London. “BOXPARK is radical stuff,” they inform. “It’s not some run-of-the-mall shopping centre. It’s a living, fertile community of brands packed with talent, innovation and attitude that puts creativity and fashion back where they belong: on the street.” The idea comes from Roger Wade, the creator of fashion label Boxfresh and promises to add a colourful vibe to any community it finds itself in through the edgy brands it will allow to pop up across the world. As well as a huge number of fashion brands, DC Shoes, etnies, Oakley, Route One, The North Face and Vans will be representing the boardsports contingent in Shoreditch.

KELLY SLATER TO RETIRE? On the back of his incredible 11th World Title, Kelly Slater has hinted that this year he may ease himself into semi-retirement and only compete in certain events. Talking to Reuters, Slater commented, "I’m in somewhat of a transition period where I’m going to be re-evaluating my life - whatever is left on tour and what is going to be off tour." The super-champ did however note that he would be competing at the season’s first event; the Quik Pro, and with the tour stopping at Fiji (Kelly’s favourite place) three events later we’ll just have to wait and see how ready he is to hang up his wetsuit. When it does finally come to his retirement, initiatives such as the Kelly Slater Surf Park are sure to keep Slats busy.

EXTREME SPORTS HOTEL TO OPEN IN SOCHI, RUSSIA Extreme Sports are to open an Extreme Hotel in Sochi, to coincide with the 2014 Winter Olympics. The hotel will be positioned directly at the bottom of the Alpine ski slopes and next to the Snowboard Park, and will offer an ‘affordable, high value, entertaining, active, cutting-edge’ experience. Extreme are teaming up with ProfEstate who are one of Russia’s leading property developers and will introduce a whole load of Extreme branded action sports facilities to the valley.

C-SKINS RIDER KIEREN PERROW WINS WCT PIPELINE MASTERS C-Skins the UK wetsuit brand has become the first European wetsuit company that has had a team rider win the most coveted event on the WCT tour. In wake of Kelly Slater’s awe-inspiring 11th ASP win, Aussie Kieren Perrow from Byron Bay charged to his first ever tour event win and it came at the most prestigious of them all – the Pipeline Masters. C-SKINS is the leading British wetsuit company and specialises in surf suits in mainland European markets including Norway, France, UK, Spain and Portugal. The company also distributes Creatures of Leisure, Sex Wax and Bulldog. Founder Carey Brown has been in the wetsuit industry since the very beginning; he was a co-founder of Gul and has been in the wetsuit business for 40 years.

RUSTY BOWS OUT OF EUROPE The uncertainty of the Euro crisis has claimed a victim in the boardsports industry as Vegas Europe, the French-based company that held the license for the Rusty surfwear brand in Europe, has gone into liquidation. Vegas Europe made a splash to kick-start Rusty’s sales after a four years absence from the European market, but it apparently failed to cover its costs. Vegas Enterprises has dispatched one of its employees to Biarritz to manage the liquidation of Vegas Europe and arrange independent distribution for Rusty around Europe.

For up to the minute news goto: www.boardsportsource.com

brand focus

INDUSTRY NEWS FOCUS

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DAKINE MOVES INTO OUTERWEAR

NIKITA LAUNCHES HARDWEAR

Long known for their technical designs and quality product; Dakine has decided to launch a new outerwear line based on retailer feedback and a perceived need for an apparel brand that successfully bridges the ski/ snowboard divide.

Over the last ten years Nikita has established itself as an independent, rider-owned streetwear clothing company designed for girls who ride. Founder and head designer Heida Birgisdottir expanded the line a few seasons back by introducing an outerwear collection to complement her streetwear designs and ensure girls had style and function when shredding the slopes. Following the successful collab between Nikita and K2 last year, the time has now come for the next chapter in their story: here begins the adventure of Nikita Snowboards.

Dakine is a true mountain company, and their goal for outerwear is designing a line that will perform in all conditions. Dakine has always been a product-based company with quality, function and design as the foundation of its products. This same philosophy applies to the outerwear program. They have managed to combine the needs and wants of each of their demographics into a complete easy-to-sell line. The range consists of three-layer shells, down jackets; two-layer shells, fully insulated and light insulated pieces as well as fully taped and critically taped options. The men’s range consists of nine jackets and five pants and the women’s line will offer six jackets and three pants. We spoke to Alexandre Frout, in charge of Dakine’s PR and product coordination to find out why they’ve chosen to release outerwear at this particular time. “This project really started coming up as a viable growth initiative in the last couple of years, driven by the European market. Based on the success of gloves and the other products the brand offers in that channel, it seems to make sense. The goal is to offer a complete Dakine snow program; socks, base layer, technical fleece, gloves, and now outerwear. These products really do complement the existing line of packs, bags, and accessories that we have been offering for years.” For us at SOURCE, Dakine’s move into outerwear makes perfect sense. Due to the brand’s technical prowess, they have appealed to both snowboarders and skiers as a great accessories brand for years. Now, they can offer retailers the chance to stock a product, which retailers can appeal to both market. Here’s Mr. Frout’s thinking behind this aspect of their project: “The market has been dominated by companies that were either ski or snowboard specific. We at Dakine have always been fans of both sports and have been able to make great product for both. Having an outerwear brand that is legit in both sports and supports both sports with the right products, athletes, and marketing is a no-brainer for our retailers. They can bring us in and have a broader appeal than with a one sport brand.”

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This has been a project bubbling on the back burner since the very beginning. Being a rider herself, Heida’s introduction to designing clothes was through snowboarding. Since establishing her own clothing brand worldwide, represented by snowboarders and available in snowboard stores, it was a logical progression that Nikita would one day tap into the hardgoods market. Launching for Winter 2012/2013, the range will comprise of a mountain freestyle board called the Sideway Sista in sizes ranging from 138–156 and a loose edge slopestyle board in sizes 135–152 called the Nikita Chickita. The freestyle board is designed to carve smoothly, but still be loose enough to try any trick on the way down the mountain, while the slopestyle board is designed to handle a bit softer, making it easier to do tricks in the park or slide rails downtown. The graphics and colours are by default a bit girly, but with a Nikita twist. First ambassador for Nikita Snowboards, team rider Gabby Maiden confirms, “Nikita is more artsy and cool than hearts and lollipops.” Heida’s academic background in fine arts and her personal fascination for how boards (snow, skate and surf) function as a canvas for so many artists in the industry has always been a testament to the connection between art and snowboarding. Check out the funky logo design on the Nikita Chickita and detailed and illustrative graphics from Icelandic artist AC Bananas on the Sideway Sista board. The boards are designed in Iceland but manufactured in Austria using top quality materials and technology. Commented Heida; “The roots of Nikita run deep and we’re proud to launch Nikita Snowboards for girls who ride. We now can serve you the sushi with the sticks.”

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brand focus

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INDUSTRY NEWS FOCUS

686 TURNS 20 Twenty years ago snowboarding was in its infancy; fashions and trends were being made for the first time in the industry and one such infant, which has grown to become a mega brand is 686 who are celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2012. Looking through their double decade life, the 686 team have picked their 20 most defining collaborations/moments and will turn those into products to pay homage to the people and brands who have helped in turning this once upon a time small clothing company into a globally recognised super brand. Way back in 1992 when it was all getting started, Michael Akira West, the founder of 686 was riding Bear Mountain where the snowboarding revolution was kicking off and he happened to cross paths with Mike Maceda who was running an edgy snowboarding accessories brand called Plain Sane. Mike took West under his wing and gave him some office/ design space in LA and hence 686 was born. Michael grew up in LA and was submersed in street art culture from a young age, and has always endeavoured to reflect this in the 686 designs and in 2003 he created the Artist Collaboration Effort which brought together artists with different views and visual interests to improve the technical culture of outerwear including street artists such as Shepard Fairey. Even though they’ve been heavily submersed in the snowboard world for 20 years, 686 have never made a successful foray into the snowboard market itself; they tried once in 2001 but felt their efforts were meagre in comparison to their high standards which they maintain across their other lines. Michael said back in 2001 that they’d only produce a snowboard when they had a very special occasion to celebrate, and has pulled out all the stops with a very special limited edition board for their birthday, manufactured by the Elan factory in Austria. 686 have a whole handful more collabs to show off including work with brands including; Union – the binding gods, Dickies, Vestal, Skullcandy, New Balance, Boa and helmet experts Bern. They have even gone as far as to create a concept car – the ‘Numeric’ snowboarding concept car - incorporating their favourite brands. There’s nothing they’ve left untouched; the base car is a Toyota, New Balance tyres, Bern helmet roof, Dragon APX frameless windscreen, Union binding shaped Sparco seats, Skullcandy sound system, GoPro visual racing mirrors and interior mapping, Vestal time gauges, BOA dials for the heating and finished off with classic 686 waterproof, breathable stitching. The car truly is a sight to behold and showcases 686’s futuristic vision and combines their collaborative efforts marking an outstanding 20 years of innovation and service to the snowboarding community.

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NOW BINDINGS UNVEIL NO-HIGHBACKS Binding fashions have come and gone since the day man started standing sideways on snow; from strap-ins, to step-ins, speed entry, lowbacks, highbacks and now there’s a new trend spreading through the binding world like wildfire; no-highbacks. Now Snowboarding Inc. are the future of binding technology, and have teamed up with snowboard experts Nidecker to create a snowboard binding which comes with a highback attached, but is easily removable - a first in snowboard bindings The idea came from inventor JF Pelchat, who after looking at the way in which weight is transferred on a skateboard, realised how the highback of a binding creates friction between boot and board and therefore causes a loss of energy. JF built his first prototype six years ago, and now, after much deliberation and testing Now Snowboarding Inc. are ready to release their revolutionary product to the market. The binding is packed full of innovative technology which promises to revolutionise the response a rider gets from his binding and consequently, his snowboarding. It’s the Flush Cup technology which allows for the interchanging of highbacks because they are mounted on the same cavity as the ladder straps and the fact that it is mounted directly on top of the heelcup creates a flush surface between the highback and heelcup which allows the user to interchange easily. Previously snowboarders who rode without highbacks had to customise an old set of bindings by changing the binding settings on the board and on the binding itself with washers to make up for the room which used to be occupied by the highback. The four bushings on each binding dampen the ride when the rider finds himself on bumpy terrain and they absorb any chatter which would otherwise be felt in your feet and legs. The Kingpin is the third piece of new technology in use on the Now bindings. It is basically a hollow rivet and washer on either side of the binding which connects the Hanger (the name Now have given to the nylon binding) to the aluminium disc plate which allows energy to be transferred directly to the board with minimal energy wastage. Not only does the Kingpin allow for increased edge-energy transference, but when ridden without highbacks, the user benefits from a looser ride; in powder the bindings allow an effortless feel, and for riders who like to ‘bone’ out their legs, the modified Now binding is the perfect tool.

www.boardsportsource.com

industry events

TRADE SHOW PREVIEWS

ISPO, MUNICH 29 JANUARY – 1 FEBRUARY 2012 WWW.ISPO.COM ISPO’s reputation as king of the winter tradeshows is most definitely well deserved, and 2012 looks like it’s going to blow previous years’ efforts out of the water. ISPO has grown from strength to strength in its 40-year lifespan and now has a Chinese counterpart in Beijing, underlining the stature of the show. ISPO isn’t only a trade show that exhibits a whole range of products; it also hosts workshops providing retailers and exhibitors the chance to communicate with each other while the On-Snow demo just days after the trade show provides retailers with the opportunity to put the brands’ new products to the test before placing any orders.

what creates such a rich atmosphere with tailored concepts and authentic side events which appeal to visitors due to their quirkiness; such as the Volcom mini ramp competition which will be the highlight to any skateboarders’ ISPO trip. The fact that ISPO Munich is the only multi-segment show makes it an amazing opportunity for retailers to buy products, which can be promoted across many markets. Take, for example, Dakine who are launching their first technical outerwear line, which, due to their technical expertise, will appeal to both snowboarders and skiers and will therefore appeal hugely to retailers who supply to both markets.

The show spans out across 15 halls and covers a staggering 185,000m2 of floor space and last year’s ISPO saw over 2000 exhibitors displaying their new products to over 80,000 visitors from over 100 countries, once again accentuating the sheer girth of ISPO. And this year looks like it’s going to be another corker, with the number of exhibitors up by 2.8% and that was the figure presented four months before the event!

The ISPO awards return again presenting retailers and brands with the chance to compete for a prestigious prize, which is valued across the whole industry and will present each winner with a great piece of industry recognised publicity. ISPO Generations is a must-see display for all retailers, providing 50 plus ‘need to know’ facts related to the trend market. The gallery will demonstrate how a customer’s age has a lot to do with sport related purchases and will let both retailers and manufacturers see how to take full advantage of new mega trends.

ISPO Munich boasts the reputation of the ‘only tradeshow to offer multiple segments’, and this is

The ISPO Snow Ice & Rock Summit will provide discussions, reports and movies related to ski, backcountry and outdoor activities, while the ISPO Shop Summit strives to promote their ‘SHREDIVATE’ slogan to get more people involved in snowboarding. The SOURCE job agency will help those interested in working in the industry to get their foot in the ladder, and is free of charge. The Greenroom addresses eco issues by displaying the latest developments in sustainable clothing from the whole action sports industry. On the art side of things, the Nixon Art Mosh is a series of rotating art exhibitions showcasing a unique collection of photography, sculpture and live painting. Also on display is snowboarder, artist and snowboard designer Corey Smith who will be presenting his ‘Art of Snow’ exhibition. The World Freeride Festival’s party organisers Tailgate will be stopping off at ISPO, bringing the American party atmosphere to Munich. It’s ISPO’s close relationship with all aspects of the industry, which puts it in the perfect position to identify the requirements of every aspect of the market, making it the best possible communication platform for retailers and brands alike.

SPORT ACHAT HIVER, FRANCE 12-14 MARCH 2012 WWW.SPORTAIR.FR Billed as one of Europe’s largest B2Bb trade fairs, French company Sportair’s ‘Sport-Achat Hiver’ prides itself as more than just your regular trade show. It acts as a ‘working tool’ for both retailers and brands; offering retailers the chance to forecast trends, and allowing the brands to gain orders before the end of winter. Last winter over 650 brands covering 18,000m2 of exhibition space attended, with more than 3470 buyers attending.

Brands exhibiting include snowboards brands: Nitro, Bataleon, Ride, Libtech, Nidecker, Yes, Jones, Flow, Apo, Santa Cruz, Artec, Smith, Vans, Fox, Westbeach, Skullcandy, Giro, Drake, Rip Curl, Oxbow, Volcom, Oakley, Electric, VZ, Dakine and POC. Sport-Achat Hiver also boasts an array of inexpensive stands allowing exhibitors to take advantage of the huge Lyon Eurexpo space where retailers can sniff out their competition and get a great overview of what the market’s looking like before they commit to a purchase.

The welcome party on Monday 12th March allows all walks of tradeshow life to come together and meet each other in a relaxing atmosphere before the business all kicks off. As well as the benefits it creates for retailers, it also benefits exhibitors, and largely due to the inexpensive stand prices that provide scope for them to reach their target audience.

For up to the minute news goto: www.boardsportsource.com

industry events

TRADE SHOW PREVIEWS SLIDE, UK 12-14 FEBRUARY 2012 WWW.SLIDEUK.CO.UK Some considered Slide’s move to Telford International Centre a brave one. After all, the show had been in Manchester for around 18 years and the city had become like a second home to the UK snowsport industry. But the new venue proved to be a big hit with more exhibitors signed up and the vibe within the show was excellent. For 2012, over 100 exhibitors will be showing in excess of 300 different brands. As ever, it’s the best opportunity in the UK to see the maximum numbers of brands under one roof, in good exhibiting conditions. Lesley Beck, Show Organiser commented, “Holding Slide at Telford works incredibly well; it’s easy to get to, offers great facilities for exhibitors and visitors and it’s cost-effective, with free parking for everyone and attractive on-site hotel packages.”

The specialist hardware brands are out in force with the number of different brands surpassing thirty, while key apparel suppliers, like Bonfire, Westbeach, Trespass, Dare 2b, Patagonia, Oxbow, Schoffel, Salomon, Scott, Ice Peak, Surfanic and Five Seasons will be showcasing the latest technical and design trends. Despite the harsh economic conditions, new brands continue to emerge in the UK market. Kids are high on the agenda, with Kosy Boots, Snowmule and Molo catering particularly for that market. Bergans of Norway, who have been showcasing their products on TV screens throughout the autumn with sponsorship of the 71 Degrees North ITV series signed up early for Slide and have been joined by apparel brands like Stalefish, Rucanor and Nooka.

Hardware newcomers Black Crows and 77 Project join returning brands such as Nitro and Flow. At the cutting edge of innovation, Drift cameras and mounts are making their first appearance at Slide, as are Arva avalanche transceivers, while Bobskis come to Slide with a re-invention of the simple sledge. After a number of years of absence, Oakley are welcomed back to Slide, joining a veritable smorgasbord of eyewear brands. The Slide Awards will be showcasing the very best of what’s on offer in a special display area, with voting taking place on day one of the show. Details of parties and social events will be on the www. slideuk.co.uk website as the show approaches and the SIGB AGM (including an Open Forum open to the entire trade, as well as members) will take place at the close of the show on Monday.

B.A.S.E WORKSHOP, FRANCE 5-7 FEBRUARY 2012 WWW.BASE-WORKSHOP.FR As the dust of ISPO is settling, the boardsports industry make their way down to Biarritz on the south west coast of France for the Base tradeshow; an innovative assessment of the industry as a whole and a meeting place for both retailers and brands. Following on from the success of last year’s show the organisers have placed the event in, what they see as, the prime time period for the French market; sandwiched between the start of the French sales period and the all important winter half term holiday breaks. The Base Workshop acts as a critical assembly of key players from the boardsport industry, from the brand managers, to the sales reps right the

way through to the retailer. It’s the perfect place for retailers to grasp a broad picture of the market and the event enables them to preview new lines before they order next seasons’ products. The guys at Base have some new features this year, which look to empower both buyers and sellers with knowledge on various boardsport related issues. Aaron Levant, the founder of Agenda Trade Show in California will facilitate a discussion on the evolution of the boardsport market, which promises to inspire plenty of debate. On the same note of evolution, there will be an area of the show dedicated to sustainable development for those brands and retailers who are concentrating on eco-design, fair trade, ecological impact and social progress. Retailers

will also be able to benefit from information and help regarding web services, e-business, and point of sale promotions. All of the industry giants will pitch up to display what they’ve been working on over the past 12 months including the likes of: Vans, Etnies, Converse, Nike, Oakley, Volcom, Fenchurch, Supra, Burton, and the North Face to name but a few. Every booth acts as a shop window for the displaying brands and are decked out by stylists and merchandising professionals to incorporate different themes including; urban, boardsports, girls, guys and many more. The event organisers are offering retailers some great discounts on both hotels in Biarritz and are also offering 50% off flights with the partners Air France.

THE LEDGE, UK 5TH-7TH FEBRUARY 2012 WWW.LONDONEDGE.COM. The Ledge is ready to open its doors for the second time at The National Hall, Olympia, London after the success of the first Ledge in September of last year, and a lot of positive feedback from both buyers and exhibitors. Ledge is really looking to stamp its trademark on the British skateboard and action scene with an Osiris sponsored mini ramp competition. The purse is set at £500 prize for mini ramp champ, and £250 for best trick of the day. Mpora’s Sidewalk editor – Ben Powell – will be the master of ceremonies and Mpora will

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have a video crew there filming all the happenings. The trade show itself is set alongside wellestablished tradeshows Londonedge and Londoncentral, catapulting it into the limelight at the National Hall’s gallery. The show offers a platform for brands to display their latest clothing, footwear and hardware products to their customers. Sharing premises via a couple of staircases with the other shows allows the Ledge access to their already cool-chic rock ‘n’ roll customer base in an easily accessible location.

The Ledge have added new personal to further grow their show with Matt Law from Jett26 Distribution helping them reach out to new brands and Matt realises the importance of an innovative show such as the Ledge: “The Ledge gives everyone in the industry a London platform that we haven’t had for a long, long time and it’s great to have the support from all the brands involved as it really shows a need for an event like this to take place and put action sports back on the map in the UK.”

SLIDE IS THE UK’S ONLY WINTERSPORT TRADESHOW

DON’ MISS IT T!

EXHIBITOR LISTING AS AT 15/12/11

77 Project / ActSmart / Aloe Imports / Anatom / Arctic Fox / Armada / Arva / ASI Ltd / Atomic UK / Barts / Bawbags / Bergans of Norway / Bobskis / Bollé, Cébé / Bonfire, Salomon Snowboards / Buffera Ltd / Dainese / Dalbello / Dare 2b / DB Leisure (Thaw Ltd) / Didriksons / Drift / Dynastar, Lange / F.lli Campagolo, Pistil, Cairn / First Ascent (UK) Ltd / Fischer / Five Seasons / Forcefield Body Armour / Grenade / GTrek Ltd / HardnutZ / Head / Hedcamz / Head Snowboards / Hestra, Wigwam / Horizon / Hytrade / I Level Sports / Ice Peak, Luhta / Icebreaker, Schöffel / Ignite / Intelligent Retail / K2 Ski / Kosy Boots / Kozikidz / Kusan Accessories / Line, Full Tilt / Madison / Man O’Leisure / Manbi / Marini Silvano / Molo / Mountain Boot Company / Mycoal - Skicare / Never Summer / Nitro, Flow, Arbor/ Noble Custom / Nooka / Oakley UK /Odlo / Oxbow / Patagonia / PolarPro / Protest / Reusch / Rossignol UK / Rucanor / Salomon / Scott Sports / Sidas UK / Ski & Snowboard Show, Daily Mail Ski & Snowboard Magazine, metrosnow.co.uk / Smartwool / Snokart / snowmule.com / Stalefish / Steiner Outdoor / Surfanic / Tecnica, Blizzard / The Riders Lounge / Thermic, Body+Tech / TKC Sales Ltd / Tog 24 / Tran Am Ltd / Trespass / Ultra Sport Europe / Volkl / Westbeach / Whitelines / White Rock / Whizzz Sledges /

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retailer profile

LEVITATION MARTIGNY, SWITZERLAND WITH A STRICT COMPANY POLICY OF NO SCOOTERS, FREE BEER, A MINI RAMP AND AN ANNUAL BACKCOUNTRY SNOW TRIP FOR THE TEAM, IT’S NO WONDER SWISS STORE LEVITATION IS ONE OF EUROPE’S LEADING INDEPENDENTS. INTERVIEW WITH OWNER MATTHIEU ROUILLER.

Could you tell me how Levitation came about? The shop started out in 1997 in the industrial area of Martigny. Two guys called Blaise and Thierry decided to open a core shop exclusively selling snowboard and skateboard hardware products. The challenge was the location: people said that back then it would be impossible to survive outside the city. In 2004 they asked me to take over the shop with a mission statement: to try and expand the shop while remaining true to the spirit of Levitation. Our slogan is ‘the fucking friendly family’ - 15 years later and Levitation still defends the skate and snowboard spirit with a 400 metre squared space resembling an industrial garage with graffiti on the walls, handmade recycled store fittings and a mini ramp inside. The personnel haven’t changed much, with one member being here from the beginning and the others being long standing members. What is the product mix of your store? 50% hard goods, 40% soft goods, 10% skateboards (unfortunately) and 0% scooters! What percentage of your sales are from online business compared to your in-store sales? Only five percent of the business is generated through our online store at the moment, but we only started the web shop in July. Do you sell mainly to snowboarders or to skiers? I would say it’s about 50/50 at the moment, but the ski market is growing in our shop and snowboarding is stable. Do you sell mainly to locals or tourists? Locals.

What are the benefits of having a physical shop over simply having an online store? The service offered to the client in store is much better, as the staff have the ability to deal with the customer directly. The reason why we love our jobs is because of the contact we get with the customers. Being able to share our passion through our product knowledge is what it’s all about. Another thing we’re doing to entice customers into our store is the free beer we give away from our homemade draft beer equipment. Did your store’s sales increase or decrease over last year? They increased, but the market is very busy with too many shops selling the same shit. What will you do to either maintain your growth or to reverse the decline? We’re going to work more on the web shop and hopefully enlarge our margins. We’d like to find some exclusive brands to sell in our region. We’ll always support the skateboard scene even if the market becomes difficult. What makes your store different and in what ways does your store excel beyond your competition? We try to make our own trends instead of following every new commercial trend showing up. What is the biggest challenge an independent retailer faces today and how do you meet that challenge? The biggest challenge is to survive… without selling our souls to the devil.

What trends do you see upcoming this winter? The kid’s trend is the scooter, but we’ve promised our customers that we’ll never sell them. There are no more shiny colours on the market any more; it’s back to dark khaki and natural colours. There’s a big comeback of an old surf shape in snowboard technology: like the Dupraz snowboards and Jones’ boards too. Your store sponsors athletes and competitions: what are the benefits to the store and to the boardsports community? Our athletes are called the ‘Sons of Levit’ and they represent the spirit of the shop. They are our activists and they feed the idea of the Levit family. We try to support skate and snow events in the region and we organise a big snow invitational event in a pure backcountry spot called La Bosse à Norbert. It’s a chance to ride, shoot and a have a big party to thank all the people who have made Levit what it is today. How important is it that big brands support small retailers such as Levitation with what you're trying to do for the boardsports community? We know we are the core of this business and we need big commercial brands to help us expand, but I think they need us more than we need them. We’re trying to slowly move away from the majors. But brands like Volcom are really behind shops like us, and they work well for us too. We follow our idea of what is real: snowboarding, skateboarding and trying to educate kids to follow us and not jump on web opportunities or big distributors.

Levitation, rue du Châble-Bet 22, 1920 Martigny Tel: + 41 027 722 04 40 www.levitation.ch

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snowboard preview

2012/13 SNOWBOARD PREVIEW THERE'S NOT REALLY SUCH A THING AS A BAD SNOWBOARD ANY MORE. THE DAYS OF FOAM-FILLED BRAND X BOARDS WITH SKETCHY QUALITY AND ZERO POP ARE OVER; NOWADAYS IT'S WOOD-CORE AND STEEL EDGES ALL THE WAY, FROM DECATHLON TO THE TOP END BOARD EMPORIUM. IN THIS WORLD OF PRETTY GOOD SNOWBOARDS, THE REALLY GOOD ONES NEED TO TRY EXTRA-HARD TO STAND OUT. TOM WILSON-NORTH REPORTS. It seems that clients have finally worked out that freeride-specific boards and park-specific boards are both very good at two different jobs, and that as soon as they start looking at boards above entry level, they've got to decide to which world they belong. We're seeing greater distinctions in the two disciplines, with certain models receiving upgrades to materials.

look out for the all-new Apo Supreme, an ultra-precise board with new lightweight construction.

KEY NEW MODELS: FREERIDE Jones Snowboards play the carbon card with their all-new Carbon Flagship, which offers a lightweight alternative to the existing model and Jeremy has been riding this damper-riding version with the bling carbon topsheet for a while. There's carbon at Volkl too; they're excited about the upgraded Soulsurfer Carbon. Over at Lib Tech you'll find a premium Horsepower Skunk Ape, which upgrades the topsheet, core and price tag.

There's a shake-up at Rossignol too. For years their key freeride reference has been the terrifying Experience board. “Frankly, it's endorsed by Xavier de la Rue for a reason: it’s a die-hard stick that only few of us on earth can ride,” explains Product Manager Arnaud Repa. But it's OK, now us mortals are taken care of; they've mellowed out the Experience and renamed it the Krypto MagTek. Saying goodbye to the torsion box and all the aramid fibers made it a board for riding groomers but it'll still be up for the occasional extreme morning. “It’s forgiving when the Experience is charging, and it’s softer where the Experience is stiffer, apparently. My ageing legs are thanking me already.

There are also a couple of cool freeride shapes hitting market. Shapes provoke curiosity; curiosity fuels interaction and interaction translates into sales. Innovators YES are showing the 4-20, a model inspired by the Noboarding movement and early eighties shapes, whilst Venture's Euphoria gets a full Johan Olofsson overhaul with rocker, reverse sidecut and swallowtail. Never Summer have an as-yet-unnamed freeride board with a brand new shape, and Burton drop a whole new Terje-inspired line of backcountry boards called the Family Tree which includes 170cm monster 'The Juice Wagon'. Over at DC, Devun Walsh's backcountry freestyle promodel gets micro camber in tip and tail with a flat section in the middle, giving an electric compromise between floatiness and precision. And

KEY NEW MODELS: PARK/STREET/PIPE Life is rosy on the jump line and down in the stunt ditch with some forward-thinking new freestyle boards hitting market in 2012/2013, closely developed with team riders. “Our focus is definitely on park and freestyle riding for this upcoming year,” say Salomon. “The Sabotage has been designed with Jamie Nicholls and is a board made to stomp huge jumps and blast out of the pipe. And the Villain is a super manoeuvrable all-terrain jib board designed with the help of Louif Paradis.” Look out for The Public, an urban/jib specific board from YES spearheaded by Frank April and available only in shorter lengths and mid-widths. Burton launch a new Restricted model called the Parkitect and the Helgasons send Lobster

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snowboard preview

TOO LONG IGNORED AND FOUND IN A DARK CORNER OF THE STORE SOMEWHERE NEAR THE KIDS' BOARDS, THE 2012/2013 WOMEN’S BOARDS ARE LOOKING SEXY AND RIDING BRILLIANTLY. snapping into its second year with the imaginatively named “Freestyle Board” in a few different widths. We didn't believe Bataleon when they told us of their new Cameltoe model (note; if this board really exists, please send us one), but Forum's preposterously-named Kitchen Sink sounds wonderful; it's got all their new tech packed into one all-new freestyle shape with the Grand Pops profile and cool-looking Super Buttercup shape in the nose and tail. Meanwhile, look out for Automaton's new freestyler called the Fork-It, which will no doubt earn a few Parental Advisory stickers before too long. Rome have an exciting new all-purpose trick board called the Crossrocket featuring their funky new 3D camber profiling and designed to do pretty much everything you could ever want it to do. “It'll float powder, rip a carve, butter a box, spin a big jump and run straight through tracked out crud,” says Marketing Manager Eric Brendel. It's ability to look good in photos whilst drunk is as-yet unproven. KEY NEW MODELS: WOMEN Too long ignored and found in a dark corner of the store somewhere near the kids' boards, the 2012/2013 womens' boards are looking sexy and riding brilliantly. Leading the charge are K2, who year after year excel with their combination of coherent range and solid graphics to appeal to female riders. Next year sees a redesign of the line, which they're wrapping under the “Lite” moniker. Everything's getting a new shape and a new name - pay attention at the clinic. Jones releases a full line aimed at the women’s market; and let's face it, the natural wood look is a sure winner here. The boards are tailored after the Mountain Twin and Flagship, but will have narrower waist widths, softer flexes and a female-specific sidecut. And you'll have been living under a rock if you haven't heard about the launch of Nikita Snowboards. Founder Heida Birgisdottir gave us a sneak peek at the range: “There's one all-mountain freestyle model and a loose-edge slopestyle board. We don’t have a rocker; we listened to our girls and our gut and decided to go with a flat camber for the freestyle board and 4mm of positive camber for the park board.” Three more boards are getting us hot under the collar. Amplid launch the Liquorice, a tasty-sounding rockered true twin, and the girls over at Roxy drop the XOXO PTX, borrowing heavily from the GNU Park Pickle. They've also got a Banana Smoothie EC2, using trickle-down tech from the Attack Banana from Lib Tech. Better graphics, more choice and – finally – a lot of the technical innovations that the guys normally keep to themselves can only be a good thing and ought to see good sales performance in the recently slower women’s sector. KEY NEW MODELS: YOUTH Car manufacturers have known it for years – if you want the Hot Wheels Ferrari at 13, you're going to want the real thing when you're 30. Or 40, even 50 (but that's a journalist's salary for you). We're noticing more and more brands installing a lot of their tech – and in most cases, the same graphics – in kid’s sizes to leverage their future brand loyalty. Arbor launch the Draft Mini and Element RX, micro versions of their two best sellers which come with the full System tech package and classic wood topsheets. And Imperium roll out a full-on rocker board aimed at the youth market, the Stoked. Until now, Shaun White boards have been the only pro-models in mini sizes, but next year Art of Flight heartthrob Travis Rice puts his name to the T.Ripper series in sizes aimed at growing kids and tweenies. All boards are Lib Tech built and have the tried-and-tested C2 hybrid camber and

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snowboard preview

“BRANDS OUGHT TO GIVE OUT PROPER INFORMATION ABOUT CAMBER. THIS MEANS ACTUAL PROS AND CONS, INSTEAD OF MARKETING EVERYTHING TO BE AWESOME.” ICON SNOWBOARDS Magnetraction. Finally, new-school park riders Eiki and Halldor Helgason will be launching The Youth Board into their Bataleon-backed Lobster range. Says Halldor “I'm stoked on it. It's so cool to have a board for youngsters that is not made of Chinese plastic – it's a real Lobster board with TBT that is just softer, shorter and narrower. It's something I would have been stoked on when I was a kid.” ROCKER OR CAMBER? Don't ask. We're sick of this question, and most of the brands we spoke to are too. “Rocker is just another element to board design”, dismisses YES board guru Alex Warburton. “Just as length, width, sidecut, flex and materials are chosen to address a specific on-hill need, so is rocker.” That sums it up pretty well – rocker is a feature that's been hyped, counterhyped and is now intelligently integrated into snowboard design. Automaton's Brenton Woo, however, is not playing ball. “Classic camber has and will serve the snow industry well for decades,” he argues. “Of all the customer feedback we've seen, literally two of them have been requests to build rocker shapes.” Well, camber has been working fine for years. And now even the banana eaters over at Lib are checking out camber again their Jamie Lynn Classic features a bend called C3- tip to tail camber when unweighted. Flow are seeing more and more requests for trad camber boards, whereas Bataleon's Mr B dismisses the entire rocker concept with a grunt and wave of the hand: “Rocker? That's so 2008!” Like it or not, though, rocker is still a big thing, even though the sketchy snow year in 2010/2011 put a few people off. A good place to go for undecided customers – and buyers - is the safe-ish bet of hybrid camber. For 2012/2013, Nitro throw some flat into their mix with Hotwing, a blend of their Zero and Gullwing concepts, Amplid feature the LowBro with Hybrid-V rocker and Ride start running Hybrid Rocker throughout the range. Rome, meanwhile, have taken inspiration from the 3D rocker found in their kid's boards to create a TBT-reminiscent technology called NoHangUps, a kind of parabola-shaped rocker around the tips and tails. Fortunately, the bods over at Head have painted their boards with different sidewall colours that show the contact areas, helping the retailer recognise what's what easily. “The bottom line,” says Burton's Scott Barbieri, “is that different shapes of rocker fit different riders and different riding styles.” And let's not forget that the biggest winner, and loser, of the advancements in rocker tech - the poor old confused customer. The guys over at Icon agree. “Brands ought to give out proper information about camber. This means actual pros and cons, instead of marketing everything to be awesome.” GRAPHICS The world's best-riding snowboard is going to sit in the corner of the shop gathering dust unless it's got a sick lick of paint on the topsheet. The trend for 2012/2013 seems to be 'loud and simple', offering bright colours without the risk of alienating potential customers with confusing characters or patterns. Colourblocks remain popular and strong, found everywhere, at all pricepoints and in all genres. There are plenty of blacks and greys with pop colours. Photography is definitely on the rise on snowboard art too. Venture use macro-photography of snow crystals, creating a type of flurry effect,

and you'll see plenty of photo-topsheets at the tradeshows. There's also smatterings of hand-drawings in a quest to create identity; the Academy Bromodel has art from team riders Jordan and Jonas Michilot's recent trip to South America. The Icon line is very clean looking next year, with the boards getting their personality from plenty of little personal details and doodles. As expected there are plenty of collaborations, such as K2 and Airblaster teaming up on the 2012/2013 Happyhour, and Burton with The Grateful Dead on the 2012/2013 Easy Living. But as always, the devil is in the details; those little touches that bump it all up a notch. Look out for plenty of exposed wood and internals. Over to Chief Creative Officer Greg Dacyshyn from Burton, “There’s a lot that goes into building a snowboard, much of which is ultimately hidden by the graphic. This idea pops the hood and embraces the look and feel of the materials within.” It certainly helps when you can point out exactly what's inside when you're selling the thing. ECO LIE A couple of years back everyone hopped aboard the green bandwagon; now it's slowing down and brand’s approaches to green-ism are maturing. “There is so much bullshit going on,” says Peter Bauer from Amplid, a little snowboard company that source all of their materials from within 300km of their Elan factory. “People are telling lies to make a green impression to the customer – that is worse then being not green. For example, we don't waste time and fuel by importing tropical wood veneer or bamboo sidewalls by airfreight to look green.” Bataleon go the other way with their we-assumefictional GW board - the Global Warmer. “We stuffed the GW with everything we could find and did not care about environment at all,” says director Mr B while casually pouring oil into a neighbouring river. “We are sick and tired of the green-washing that is going on in our industry. We used all the tech, carbon, resins and shit we could find”. SPLITBOARDING Once the exclusive preserve of nerds and lumberjacks, splitboarding's on the up and up. Whilst there's no denying that the practise received a firm kick in the ass from the Deeper movie last year, the hardware's taken significant steps forward. Jones’ new Further movie for 2012/2013 promises to continue the momentum. First up, Rome launch a split version of their bestselling Agent freestyler. The Double Agent is designed for skinning up to jumps, pillows and natural hits. Arbor bring back the Abacus pintail in split mode, which has a reclined tail for easier skinning up. Speaking of which, Burton's Spliff joins their existing Freebird model, and Jones will make the Hovercraft Split in a 152 and 160 for 2012/2013. Then you've got Light Board Corp out of Germany; they're promising a state of the art freeride split, designed as something of a quiver-killer and to work just as well in resorts as out of them. Dupraz are working on a brand new split concept to apply to their smooth riding, pointy-nosed D1. And finally, in what could be the first move in a bigger industry picture, Salomon have over-constructed the seam and added some key inserts to their Josh Dirksen-developed Sick Stick 166 to create the world's first 'split ready' snowboard, ready to cut in two when its solid days are over.

COLOURBLOCKS REMAIN POPULAR AND STRONG, FOUND EVERYWHERE, AT ALL PRICE-POINTS AND IN ALL GENRES. THERE ARE PLENTY OF BLACKS AND GREYS WITH POP COLOURS. PHOTOGRAPHY IS DEFINITELY ON THE RISE ON SNOWBOARD ART TOO.

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snowboard preview

SUM IT UP WHAT TO EXPECT FROM BRANDS' 2012/2013 LINES, IN THEIR WORDS...

ROCKER IS A FEATURE THAT'S BEEN HYPED, COUNTERHYPED AND IS NOW INTELLIGENTLY INTEGRATED INTO SNOWBOARD DESIGN.

ACADEMY Developed by our team to be the best riding snowboards. AMPLID 10 perfect boards for every wallet and riding style. ARBOR A beautiful and challenging collection of finely tuned snow-shred machines. AUTOMATON It’s all about choices! Snowboarding saves lives!

Why, then, is splitboarding as big as it is? Volkl think it's a response to an ageing market. “You don’t hang around in the parks so often anymore and like to be about in nature, off-piste with your buddies,” they say. Their Cashew Split grows to a 167cm size for 2012 and will be delivered with Voilé hardware, although around half of the brands we spoke to are offering clips by Canadian company Karakoram. At last there are a couple of women-specific splits hitting market. Rome's Powder Room is a girl's version of the men's existing White Room, and Roxy reveal their Banana Smoothie Split, which has aggressive C2 camber – the same as what's found on their top-end solids. CONSTRUCTION MECHANICS The main theme is easy to identify here; poppier is better. God knows that rebuilding some snap into lifeless reverse-camber decks has been on the cards for a while. “We've spent time improving our Popster technology”, say Salomon. “The next evolution, the Popster Booster, has a milled core with carbon stringers in the top and tail for better pop. The high end boards have bamboo rods inside the core, to provide even more performance.” Although adding carbon helps, there are a couple of other ways to jump higher than the next guy. K2 add a feature called Tweekend, adding extra riding surface for more power. That's enabled them to shorten up their boards drastically; their longest is now a mere 165cm. “With this new Tweekend shape, there's no need to ride around on beer-garden tables,” they claim. A by-product of the reverse-camber revolution has been the advancement in edge-hold technology. When you mess with camber, you lose grip, which you've got to make up with edge profiling. And it's all got more technical: there are even different grades of Magnetraction nowadays. “Mag edges usually come in series of 7 bumps (7M) that are pretty much equally distributed along the edges,” explains Rossignol's Arnaud Repa, who uses the tech in most of his boards. “We brought 7S - 7 smooth bumps - last season. For 2012/2013 we're bringing in 5S; 5 half-size bumps between the feet. It's perfect for the intermediate freestyler.” Lastly, you'll find Burton's prototype Mystery assembly trickling down to the Feelgood and Custom X. Elsewhere there's a new THC-enhanced Hempbrain topsheet from Ride, a cool new poppy Fresh Deck topsheet from DC, new adaptive ADT dampening at Flow, extended use of urethane at Stepchild and more popularity of reclaimed WDT woodcores from brands manufacturing at Elan. CONCLUSION There's plenty to get excited about. New models in that easy-selling allmountain segment, a maturing of rocker use everywhere and a bunch of strong characters in the women’s and kid’s categories, means a boost to the hardgoods floor everywhere. Splitboard's skyrocketing popularity keeps people interested, and there are some very original graphic stories out there. Rocker technology is becoming more and more well known and our customers less confused. There are plenty of boards in next year's buy that are going to sell themselves, and that means fewer clients down at Decathlon and more walking out of your store eagerly ripping off the shrink-wrap.

BATALEON So sick! BURTON We focus energy at every level to give riders best-inclass options. DUPRAZ The shape of the future; more performance and surfy sensations. FLOW The most complete, craziest and technically advanced Flow line ever. HEAD Great riding technologies, easy to see, understand and communicate. ICON Tight, versatile and creative with outstanding price-quality relation. IMPERIUM ‘Happified’ with a colourful touch to enlighten our mood going into that cruel double-dip European recession. JONES Epic, rad, mind-blowing, simple, lots of story, efficient. K2 Progressive, well-dialled in, unique and truly fun! LIB TECH Handcrafted, volcanic, organic, creative, artistic, innovative, MagneTraction, Bananas! LOBSTER Random, sketchy and a little bit nasty. NEVER SUMMER Hot fire!! NIDECKER Streamlined, fun, technological, innovative, fun, performance driven. NIKITA Colourful, a cool alternative to what’s out there for girls! RIDE The best products for people who love snowboarding as much as us! ROME Fun. Innovative. Technical. Bold. For powder, park, piste and street. ROSSIGNOL Beautiful in the vernacular. ROXY Solid. Best technology. Beautiful. Fun. SALOMON Great snowboards featuring unique technologies making them fun to ride and versatile. VENTURE High performance freeride boards handcrafted by snowboarders like you. VOLKL Best performance and amazing graphics to meet all needs of the board sport scene. YES Focused. Diverse. Relevant.

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HOLOGRAM BINDING

JAMIE NICHOLLS 154 SABOTAGE, HOLOGRAM BINDINGS

Photos: Oli Gagnon, Bode Merrill

DISTRICT BINDING

A FLEX INTUITIVE BINDING THAT FITS YOUR BOOT LIKE A SHADOW

IN STORES FALL 2012

SALOMONSNOWBOARD.COM www.boardsportsource.com

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2012/13 snowboard preview

ACADEMY AMPLID

APO

ARBOR

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ARTEC

AUTOMATON

BATALEON

BURTON

CAPITA

CONTRACT

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TYLER

fLaT cuT

PhoTo: fs9 - ThERmas DE chiLLan - maTT GEoRGEs

2012/13 snowboard preview

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DUPRAZ

ENDEAVOUR

FLOW

FORUM

GNU

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Austria / Stubai Alex Papis left: Alex Schmaltz / right: Martin Seiler

eco-friendly – sustainable raw materials instead of plastic & fiberglass, Natural Wax Finish light – Völkl Premium Carbon Lower Beam and No-Topsheet Construction maximum float – Convex Powder Base with Powder / All-Mountain Rocker Shape robust & stable – Shock Absorber with POP4.0 Construction easy handling – Völkl Skin Pin System, customized Völkl skins, Voilé Split Kit bindings fixation

Come & visit us at our ispo stand A1. 321 or at the Völkl ONE NIGHT STAND ispo party @ 8seasons, 29.Jan.2012 www.boardsportsource.com

2012/13 snowboard preview

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HEAD

ICON

IMPERIUM

JONES

LIB TECH

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Place: asahidake, Japan | Photo by: Christian brecheis

christophe schmidt

C O m e

r i d e

WWW.ridehead.COm

rides the evil kers flamba

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LIGHT

LOBSTER

MORROW

NEVER SUMMER

NIDECKER

NIKITA

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2012/13 snowboard preview

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NITRO

RADICAL

RIDE

ROME

ROSSIGNOL

ROXY

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Kick BOA

AxiomXR

“GREEN DEMON” art by NIARK1

MORROW SNOWBOARDS EUROPE toll free 08007713454 info-k2snowboarding@k2sports.de www.morrowsnowboards.com

Truth 158

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SALOMON

SANTA CRUZ

SIGNAL

STEPCHILD

VOLKL

YES

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GSM EUROPE: +33 5 58 700 700

WWW.ELEMENTSKATEBOARDS.COM

market insight

HIRED GUN$: PROFESSIONAL SKATEBOARD ATHLETES PROFESSIONAL SKATEBOARDERS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUR INDUSTRY. AT BEST, THEY DRIVE PROGRESSION AND SERVE AS BRAND MESSENGERS FOR THEIR SPONSORS AND AT THE OTHER END OF THE SCALE THEY LEND CREDIBILITY TO NON-ENDEMIC BRANDS LOOKING FOR THAT BOARDSPORTS COOL. THIS REPORT LOOKS AT WHAT IS DRIVING SKATER SPONSORSHIP. BY DIRK VOGEL. Back in the day, professional skateboarders were inseparable from their sponsors. Just look at Steve Caballero: The iconic skateboarder joined Powell-Peralta skateboards in 1978 at the age of 15, and never changed board or shoe sponsors throughout his ongoing career. But with all the team changes making headlines recently, the pro circuit can seem like a game of musical chairs. A game with higher stakes than ever: Things reached a new level in 2004 when Paul “P-Rod” Rodriguez signed a multi-million dollar contract with Nike. Mike Mo just left Lakai, and as I write this article rumours abound about Sean Malto’s future shoe sponsor. Mobile phone and energy drink companies have upped the ante significantly (still, Shaun White chose not to renew his $1 million per-year Red Bull contract). Before going into this discussion, let’s keep in mind that there is no Professional Skateboarders Union to negotiate benefits and riders‘ interests (the top earners do have agents, though). And secondly, sponsorship contracts are shorter in skateboarding than in other sports – between two to three years on average – while professional golfers, NFL players and Formula 1 drivers sign contracts for four to six years with their main sponsors. These factors leave more incentive – and opportunities – for pro skaters to look for better deals. Not to mention temptation from big-ticket offers by non-endemic brands. Aware of this situation, core skateboard companies are going to lengths to secure long-term relationships with their pros. Here is what leading brands have to say about the current state of pro sponsorships. PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES What is the perfect skill set for pros today? Kelly Bird, Brand Manager at Lakai Footwear is looking for, “Ability, effort, desire, common sense, social awkwardness – specifically, lack thereof – and sense of humour. All those things usually equate to longevity, which is ultimately what you’re looking for.” Working together in the long run is a focus for all brands. “Our aim is to build a long-term relationship with the individual rider,” said Alexis

Jauzion, EMEA Sponsorship Manager for Vans, Reef & Pro Tec, adding, “Vans never drops athletes just because they are injured or because they have an unlucky season.” Don Brown, VP of Marketing at Sole Technology is on the same page, “What’s most important to Sole Technology is the relationship with the riders… it’s a partnership, we’re here to help the riders reach their ultimate goals in skateboarding, to support them in the ups and downs and win as a team.” At the same time, professional skateboarding comes with responsibilities, says Alexandre Deron, Team Manager at Element Europe, “I expect our team riders to be active. That means to shoot photos for the mags, film for our video projects, go to our skate camps and other multiple events we organise. But I will never ask anyone to enter a contest.” Ideally, pros are the face of their brands in the public spotlight, “I would say pros are an extension of the brand,” says Gabe Clement, skate team and Marketing Manager at DVS and Matix, adding, “Their main duties are to promote said brand in a positive way, continue to push the level of the sport they are involved with in a positive way, to extend the message of the brand they are involved with to the masses to help improve sales.” EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE For a long time, riders inevitably needed to move to California – or spend considerable time there – to turn pro. Things have changed over the past decade, especially in Europe. “Our biggest pro is from Europe and we have a global team with guys from Europe, the US and Australia, and we have local riders in places, too,” said Mark Oblow Creative Director, Gravis Skateboarding. For Don Brown at SoleTech, it’s part of company tradition, “With etnies being from Europe as well as Pierre and I being from Europe we’ve always understood the importance of supporting the European skaters.” Vans keeps an eye on European talent with a team of central and local TMs, including seasoned professional skaters such as Danny Wainwright, Tom Derichs, Avi Luzia, Loic Benoit and Danny Lozano. “Their expertise is gold

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market insight

“OUR AIM IS TO BUILD A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH THE INDIVIDUAL RIDER,” SAID ALEXIS JAUZION, EMEA SPONSORSHIP MANAGER FOR VANS, REEF & PRO TEC. “VANS NEVER DROPS ATHLETES JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE INJURED OR BECAUSE THEY HAVE AN UNLUCKY SEASON.” to us,” Alexis said, “they help us to find the new talents in each country, so we can see them evolving from the local national team to European and potentially to the global team… as it happened with Chris Pfanner.” CROSSING THE LINE: STEALING RIDERS In the early 1990s, young upstart companies like Steve Rocco’s World Industries made their bones by openly stealing pro riders from the “Big Five” board companies. Nowadays, endorsement agreements are more strict: “It is usually written in the athletes’ contracts that they are not allowed to speak to other sponsors about such things,” said Gabe Clement, “but that is a tough one to uphold in an industry filled with ‘friends.’ This is business, just like in war, is anything ethical?” Kelly Bird maintains, “If you’re honest and open with your peers in these situations – because most of these company owners are your peers – that’s what’s respectable. Unethical is undermining your peers for your own economic self interest, with the team rider being a pawn in that process.” “What’s unethical in my opinion is more what promises a brand makes to a rider to convince him to make the move,” Alexis at Vans commented, adding, “If the company isn’t respecting its given words then the only one who loses out at the end is the skater.” According to Alexandre at Element, “the ‘unwritten’ rule is to wait until the end of an ongoing contract to recruit someone.” A NEW TYPE OF PRO Mega competition series like the Street League, Maloof Money Cup and the X Games – broadcast into 382 million homes in 154 countries – offer unprecedented exposure. Gabe Clement thinks that, “these contests have brought in a new type of ‘Pro’ that is more along the lines of your favourite soccer player or baseball player.” Although mainstream audiences “don’t know what it means to be ‘cool’ in skateboarding,” Clement said, “it is good for a brand to have a pro like this in their camp... Is it absolutely necessary? No!” Don Brown at SoleTech agreed. “Having a top contest rider is good depending on what your brand strategy is… with the mainstream reach that these TV shows have it’s good if your plan is to create awareness with nonskateboarders.” As Pontus Alv at Polar skateboards puts it, “If that is your market and you want to be involved in that circus with the apes, elephants and snakes then you should get yourself a lion.” Alexandre at Element reminds us that, “in order to gain full recognition by their peers, a pro skateboarder must come up with a killer video part at some point. It's all about sweat and blood. Soul and creativity.” Big ticket events can create a warped impression, said Mark Oblow: “It has also given kids the idea that skateboarding can make you rich.” CANDY FROM STRANGERS Let’s face it; ‘Outside’ sponsors are not new. The Vita Pak orange juice company had a skate team in the 1960s; Pepsi Cola sponsored an elite crew in the 1970s. But once skateboarding gets smaller, non-endemic companies are known to jump ship. Says Alexis at Vans, “Unfortunately, the past 15 years have shown us that most of the time, these ‘outside’ companies are looking at a way to capitalise on a trend, which they think could bring them more awareness and increase their sales short term.” Have non-endemic companies been able to “buy” themselves legitimacy

through pros? “When you see a sh*t-ton of people wearing energy drink shirts or something along those lines, that’s not really buying legitimacy, that’s just an ability to appeal to the lowest common denominator,” said Kelly Bird at Lakai. Gabe Clement even sees some positive effects, “I don’t know if it buys the brand ‘legitimacy’ but it does help push the other brands that the riders are involved with to a broader market and helps get that athlete in front of a large buying market through mainstream venues.” Everyone draws the line at non-endemic companies selling skate equipment. “If you are not in the streets with the skaters you should not be involved in this industry. Skateboarding should always be based around skateboarding and ran by skateboarders for skateboarders,” said Pontus Alv. On that note, Mark Oblow said, “It’s not only about the [pro] team, if you don’t have legit skaters running the department, it will never be legit.” However, the boundaries between endemic and non-endemic have blurred over the past decade. “Brands that were everything but legit 10 years ago, bring skateboarding icons on board [...] and today, they're in pretty much every core shop in the world,” Alexandre at Element said. Says Don Brown: “Brands have worked out that if they throw lots of cash at riders they will eventually take it to legitimise their brand. I feel the riders deserve as much money as possible, but on the other side I hate to see the riders be referred to as a ‘property’ in a space that the non endemic brands want to penetrate.” CONCLUSION In the bigger picture, skateboarding is not the only board sport in which outside brands and organisations are purchasing credibility by stacking up their pro teams: surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, BMX, and freestyle motocross have all seen major re-shuffling in the pro ranks – and bigger salaries and endorsement contracts – over the past few years. So with more and more cash pumped into the pro ranks, should pros just take the money? Don Brown said, “The noble answer would be for skaters to support brands that are bred from skateboarding to help keep the true spirit and passion of skateboarding alive.” Ultimately, it’s up to the individual pros to decide. As Pontus Alv sees it, “I could never ride for a company that I don’t like and that I can’t stand for. I can’t but green logos on my board to get some extra green paper in my bank-account.” Meanwhile, Kelly Bird sums up a current sentiment among core companies. “The ethical parameters are just about fully eroded, at least in terms of everything besides your board sponsor.” Looking towards the future, Bird said: “Pretty soon, skateboarders will probably be in control of less than 10% of skateboarding business as a percentage of revenue, the rest will be beholden to shareholder-run businesses who could give a sh*t past the bottom line. That’s a sad prospect, but it’s also a hard thing to explain to a 22-year old with no high school education, which is why they almost always do ‘just take the money.’” Maybe the younger pros can take inspiration from Steve Caballero: His Half Cab pro shoe on Vans will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012 and remains the longest-running pro shoe franchise in skateboard history. Now that’s longevity, powered by loyalty.

“IT’S NOT ONLY ABOUT THE [PRO] TEAM, IF YOU DON’T HAVE LEGIT SKATERS RUNNING THE DEPARTMENT, IT WILL NEVER BE LEGIT.” MARK OBLOW, GRAVIS.

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BIGWIG INTERVIEW

A D R K

N T H O N Y E O C C O 2

K2 IS ONE OF THE LEADING GLOBAL SNOW SPORTS COMPANIES. SINCE SNOWBOARDING BEGAN, THE BRAND HAS SUCCEEDED IN STAYING TRUE TO THE SPIRIT OF THE SPORT. CEO ANTHONY DE ROCCO TALKS TO SOURCE’S REMI FORSANS.

Mr. De Rocco, please can you explain who you are and how you reached this position at K2? I am a 21-year employee of K2 Sports and have worked in various positions within the company including Vice President of Product Development, Vice President Global Branding and Executive Vice President Global Brand and Product Development, leading up to my appointment as CEO and President of K2 sports in September 2011. In 2012, K2 celebrates its 50th anniversary for ski and 25th anniversary for snowboard so it is a fun time to be taking over the helm of this great company. K2 is also in a great position having experienced consistent growth and profitability over the last decade. This run is allowing us to explore additional product and category launches over the next 18 months.

Our goal is to have these two marquee brands in the top three spots in every key country we distribute into by bringing innovative new technology, service and programs to market.

What is, in your opinion, K2’s position in the boardsports industry? K2 Sports and our K2 and Ride snowboard brands hold the top three positions in most key snowboard markets throughout the world. In the US market, which is the world’s largest single market and where we have great retail sell-through data through Leisure Trends; K2 and Ride trade off the number two and number three positions in boards, boots and bindings and Ride occupies the number four position in apparel. Both of our brands have grown global market share in the difficult 2009 and 2010 seasons and we have experienced additional growth in 2011 as the market has stabilised.

Morrow and 5150 are brands that are focused on the budget conscious consumer where we push to make snowboarding more attractive on all levels. Both Ride and K2 have a strong global team presence, where our riders are heavily involved in both our product development and marketing strategy. The teams are broad enough that some riders focus on competitions while others are focused more on freeride or freestyle riding.

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What are you doing to support boardsports in Europe? K2 Sports has four brands in its snowboard portfolio. These brands are K2, Ride, Morrow and 5150 Snowboards. K2 and Ride have a very distinctive brand image and are targeted towards specific consumer groups. K2 is the brand for a more multi-sports focused consumer who is looking for a technology-driven product whereas Ride focuses more on the core segment of the market with meaningful innovations. This is also reflected in our distribution channels and marketing efforts.

We work closely with special interest magazines as well as video productions companies such as Pirates crew or Isenseven in Europe. In

“I BELIEVE THERE IS STILL A STRONG NEED FOR CONSUMERS TO TOUCH AND FEEL OUR PRODUCT, TRY ON BOOTS AND HAVE KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF HELP THEM IN THE BUYING DECISION. KEY RETAILERS THAT CAN OFFER BOTH THIS SERVICE AND A COMPELLING ONLINE OPTION WILL CONTINUE TO THRIVE.” addition, we also try to speak to end-users by supporting World Snowboard Day where we give snowboarders a free day on the hill. We have dedicated programs with schools and beginner snowboarders with coached sessions and as always are focusing a lot on being inclusive to make sure snowboarding appeals to everybody. With the “K2 Pop This” tour this fall, we are bringing snowboarding to the cities to show how much fun it can be in addition to providing shops with a tool to market and push their sales. With Ride Snowboards, we brought the Shakedown event to Europe last year to showcase the true spirit of snowboarding. We support the World Rookie Festival to offer young up-andcoming riders a platform. We are a partner for the action sports TV show Bangers and we have great grassroots marketing like an Indoor Snowdome Summer camp tour. Throughout all four brands we work closely with our retailers to ensure sell-through with creative marketing and retail campaigns as well as merchandise and clinic programs. We hear that the outdoor sports industry and boardsports are converging more together in the States, what is your opinion about this? Any increase in participation in the outdoor segment is great for boardsports because it puts more people outside. Getting as many people as possible to run, hike, bike and camp will always be positive because it gets people into the mountains and hopefully that becomes a first step to enjoying snowboarding in the winter season. Do you consider the outdoor industry as a threat or as an opportunity for boardsports? Definitely an opportunity. The more people we get outside exercising and taking advantage of what Mother Nature has to offer is a great start. K2 Snowboarding displayed its new Panoramic split board at last year’s Outdoor Retailer show and it was an absolute hit. Split boarding and powder specific snowboards are a growing trend drawing more snowboarders into the backcountry. It’s an ideal fit for the OR market. The Panoramic is unique in that it comes with pre-trimmed climbing skins with easy-to-mount Z-Clips and, when assembled with K2’s backcountry tools, turns into an emergency rescue sled. It’s a tool for getting into and out of remote terrain. Moving into the 2012/2013 season, K2 Snowboarding is going to be offering four backcountry oriented boards and all will be highlighted in our booth at the OR show.

What is your opinion about the demise of the ASR show in the USA and the participation of boardsports industry into the Outdoor Retailer show? We have been attending the OR show for over 15 years starting with our Telemark introduction in 1995. Now with a more complete backside offering in both our ski and snowboard segments with split boards, integrated skins, collapsible four piece poles, shovels and probes it is a great fit with our K2 Snowboard & Ski brand. The movement into the outdoor industry is expanding the snowboarding market, not hindering it. If this show continues to grow from a boardsports point of view it is great and we will grow with it.

What are the main strengths for the snowboard sport in your opinion? Snowboarding offers a great activity that people can have fun doing. Giving our customers a great winter activity is something we should take great pride in as anything we can do to promote sport and exercise is positive especially given the challenges with staying healthy and fit in today’s electronic age.

What is your opinion on how FIS is treating snowboarding and particularly the riders? We tend to let the riders and FIS work this out so no comment on this question. In the end snowboarding is about getting out into the mountain with family and friends to have some fun. Whether a rider chooses to ride powder lines, groomers or a big air or pipe competition is their choice. At the end of the day if they are having fun and we can transport that message to our consumers our goal has been accomplished.

What are the main opportunities in your opinion? The one thing that we sometimes lose sight of is what a great family activity getting on the snow is. We need to make sure we continue to push the family aspect of our sport and make sure it is a viable option. That means we need to make it easier for families to access the hill and in general bring technology to market that makes doing our sports easier. If kids lose the desire to go snowboarding and skiing we will lose in the long run. Lastly we need to focus on making all resorts more snowboard friendly.

How do you see the future of retail overall? I believe the retail environment will continue to evolve in the key markets of Japan, US, Canada, Europe and Scandinavia. In addition, China will hopefully become a much bigger market in the next ten years. Each of these markets is unique and you really need to speak of trends in each one. In Europe, the last five years have seen the Internet side of retail sales grow. At the same time we have seen good specialty retailers strengthen and weaker ones go out of business. I believe there is still a strong need for consumers to touch and feel our product, try on boots and have knowledgeable staff help them in the buying decision. Key retailers that can offer both this service and a compelling online option will continue to thrive. Is there still a place for print media in your opinion? Yes there is a place for print media but like anyone in business you need to adapt to stay relevant. I believe the solid print brands out there are doing exactly this and they will have a compelling offering that hits the market needs of the various age demographics that they serve.

What are the main threats in your opinion? The fast paced innovation in electronics have obviously taken up some available $$ of our more youth-oriented snowboard customer along with some of their free time.

What are the main weaknesses in your opinion? The fact that the sell-through season has become shorter and shorter. We need to somehow remind our customers and retailers that we have great conditions through April. We also need to make sure that on the manufacturing side we do not over produce. Keeping an industry eye on inventory will help all of us. What would be the message you want to give our industry for the coming years? We must all work to make the sport more accessible. If we can grow the amount of people who are exposed to our sport we can expand our core base. We can all start by asking the question of how we bring new people up to the hill to try snowboarding. As an active company, how will you develop more boardsports enthusiasts in coming years? Always looking at any and all options to bring new technology to market that makes the sport easier plus higher performance at the same time. I think rocker is a great example of that and as leader of this technology with the first products being introduced in 2005, we are proud to say that this technology makes our sports easier, safer, and more fun with greater performance all over the mountain.

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industry event

MANUFACTURERS CUP: THE TAG-TEAM CONTEST FOR INDUSTRY PROS ALONGSIDE THE WORLD TOUR AND THE PRO SERIES, THERE ARE SURFING COMPETITIONS IN EXISTENCE THAT ARE SOLELY AIMED AT INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS. THE MANUFACTURER'S CUP, ORGANISED BY THE EQUIPMENT COMPANY FCS, IS ONE SUCH COMPETITION AND HAS BECOME A POINT OF REFERENCE IN AUSTRALIA, AS MUCH FOR THE NUMBER OF PROFESSIONALS TAKING PART AS FOR ITS DEMANDING COMPETITION CALENDAR. AFTER A HARD SEASON'S GRAFT IN THE SHAPING WORKSHOPS, IT WAS TIME TO GATHER TOGETHER THE EXTENDED FAMILY OF EUROPEAN SURFBOARD MANUFACTURERS ON THE BEACH OF BOURDAINES IN SEIGNOSSE TO LAUNCH THIS NEW COMPETITION FORMAT IN EUROPE. A UNIQUE CONCEPT Unique in its field, the FCS Manufacturers’ Cup has brought the top dogs of European surfboard manufacturing together for a tag-team event. Far removed from prize money and other boastful claims, this is all about cohesion and the atmosphere of a contest that sees brands compete against each other for the title 'Champion of the European Surf Industry'.

main European manufacturers of surf equipment and accessories. Also, for those not registered or banished to their stands, a live screening was organised inside the trade fair as well as being aired on their website www. salondesglisseurs.tv. Since then no less than eight television channels such as Sport+/Canal+, L'Equipe TV and Infosport have agreed to broadcast the footage of this special contest.

Many manufacturers turned out for this first European edition, intelligently composing their teams according to one rule - two employees and one team rider - giving rise to improbable duels between shaping legends and young surf braves. But here, contrary to traditional surf competitions, the battles have a tag-team format: 45 minute long series during which each of the three surfers have to catch three waves before returning to the beach to 'tag' the next surfer.

PROMISING RESULTS Out of the ten French, Spanish and Portuguese teams taking part, it was the Euroglass team who triumphed in the final. Composed of Simon Anderson, Mark Phipps and Jérémy Florès it was an explosive combination that would be impossible to imagine in any other kind of contest. Also, as Jérémy Florès confirms, the connection between them remains clear, “It's important for me to surf in this FCS contest, it's thanks to all these shapers that we can surf and have these magical boards for each competition,” he said.

ALL THE INGREDIENTS True to the Australian example, the European version of the Manufacturers' Cup has seen renowned shapers (Simon Anderson, Mark Phipps, Philippe Chevalier) take on confirmed pro surfers. As a lucky coincidence, the contest took place three days before the Quiksilver Pro France (9th Stage of the ASP World Tour) so the standard was high with attendance from worldwide stars like Gabriel Medina for Pukas and Jérémy Florès for Euroglass as well as excellent freesurfers like Jean-Charles Debray for Chipiron Surfboards, Jean-Seb Estienne for Rob Vaughan, PV Laborde for HSA and Romain Lauhlé for RT Surfboards. With the calendar working its magic, the competition also took place alongside the Salon des Glisseurs; a professional gathering that brings together the

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In this European premier we must also highlight the quality of the service provided by FCS, its competition director Arnaud Darrigade from the Landes Council as well as his quartet of judges, without forgetting the professionalism and relevance of Gilles Darque's commentary, the official ASP speaker. Organised for surfers by surfers, this day left us with a taste of the legendary editions still to come. If we make this Cup into how it is in Australia, which now has most manufacturers (State federated) taking part, the European edition has loads of great contests in store for us. So go and register for next year!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE X-111

st 2012 ruary 1 b e F 29 January A2 / Stand: 402 Hall: th

Photo: Chris Brunkhart ÂŠ 2011 Vans, Inc.

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interview

AN EXCLUSIVE RIP CURL GROUP CEO INTERVIEW: RIP CURLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STRATEGY IN SNOWSPORTS. SOURCE WAS INVITED TO THE LATEST INTERNATIONAL RIP CURL WINTER SALES MEETING IN TIGNES. IT WAS A UNIQUE OCCASION TO MEET WITH OLIVIER CANTET, GROUP CEO. INTERVIEW BY REMI FORSANS. "OUR HISTORY AS A SURF BRAND AND OUR RAISON Please give us your opinion on how snowboarding has evolved in the last 20 yearsâ&#x20AC;Ś The snowboard market has reached maturity in the sense that it has clearly distinguished itself from skiing with a smaller amount of key players. Snowboarding is still targeting the youth, and this maturity is reflected by how regularly it refreshes its ranges. In the world of outerwear, brands with surfing blood occupy a major part of the promotional scene (events, teams, ads). What are the ups and the downs for the sport today for the riders, the industry, media and event organisers? With regards to the riders, access to digital media has upset the deal. Access is now unlimited but it has also burgeoned competition. The forerunners go to considerable lengths to stay at the forefront of the scene. They eventually become a brand in their own right and the snowboard brand then co-brands with its rider. As for events, in my opinion there is no intermediary level, either you're local or you're international. For the industry, the challenge is globalisation. The Internet is opening up distribution; things go global in one click. Prices are therefore set according to the best offer, creating fierce competition. The media must also now become brands with true added editorial value or risk disappearing behind other free access news. What for you is the main threat for the sport? The real threat is the cost of access to snow, which is on the rise because of climatic fluctuation (more limited availability). Surfing has the advantage of having free access even though it's more limited. The issue is therefore free access and easy participation. Difficult access to instruction must also be taken into account and it is crucial to create a local meshwork of clubs and enthusiasts. What do you see are the main opportunities for the sport? In my opinion it's the new markets such as Latin America, India, Asia and Eastern countries. I should add that freeskiing is a victory for snowboard brands, especially in clothing. And weaknesses? In addition to previously mentioned aspects, I would add that its seasonal nature is a major problem for smaller brands. Internet competition is also a source of difficulty for core shops.

D'ETRE TODAY IS ABOUT RESPONDING TO THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE YOUTH" What is Rip Curl doing for developing participation in snowsports? We are doing a lot of grass roots marketing by sponsoring local events in France, Switzerland and Scandinavia. We support micro events, we assist riders in their careers and above all we develop ranges that spring forth from our field of expertise, our surfing heritage, like stretch fabrics and waterproof seams. We are transferring our experience of surfing into snowboarding. What is the main target group for Rip Curl? Obviously our target market is the 'non-hardcore' 15-25-year-olds who are either regular or occasional snow or boardsport participants. We are a cross over brand so not exclusively focussed on snowboarding. Passion for travelling and for snow/boardsports remain our core values. In terms of strategy, how do you see Rip Curl on the snowboard market compared with other brands? We are product-centric with added value in technical characteristics as well as in the look you would expect from a surf brand in terms of colours and prints. This type of product with a fresh, colourful look remains the recognised added value of surf brands for the moment. Rip Curl does not have an ultra technical focus but rather a strong knowhow that combines the technical with lifestyle. The membrane/stretch combo has been pushed to the maximum. In the top-of-the-range, we have chosen the new COCONA membrane, which is exclusively shared amongst the outdoors leaders The North Face and Millet. What is your opinion about outdoor sports participation right now? The current good health of outdoor participation is of course related to the popularity of boardsports. Some emerging markets lend themselves easily to outdoor sports, especially countries backing onto mountains rather than the sea. Snow/boardsports have always had a talent for structuring global brands that exert an influence on all continents with worldwide stars and marketing. This head start will perhaps be narrowed but the know-how of surf brands remains specific to their heritage. There are very few local players in surfing while in outdoor sports there are more local players and less global ones. Our history as a surf brand and our raison d'etre today is about responding to the aspirations of the youth.

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Silhouette International Schmied AG, adidas Global Licensee, adidas, the 3-Bars logo, and the 3-Stripes mark are registered trademarks of the adidas Group Silhouette International Schmied AG, adidas Global Licensee. Le nom adidas, le logo 3-Barres et la marque aux 3 Bandes sont des marques deposées par le Groupe adidas. Photo: Fischi

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trend report

WETSUIT MARKET TRENDS 2012/2013 WETSUITS CONTINUE TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT WEAPON FOR THE GROWING ARMY OF EUROPEAN WATERMAN. AND SO DESPITE THE UNCERTAIN ECONOMIC OUTLOOK, THE NEOPRENE MARKET REMAINS BUOYANT, EVEN WINNING AWARDS FROM IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS. BY ADDING VALUE TO THE PRODUCT (RATHER THAN LOWERING PRICES), WE ARE SEEING A HIGH LEVEL OF COMPETITION, OFFERING BOTH THE RETAILER AND CONSUMER PLENTY OF TOUGH COMPETITION. REPORT BY DENIS HOUILLÉ. CONCEPTS, PATENTS AND AWARDS Between all the different models that are fighting to distinguish themselves and the multitude of projects and invention patents that have been submitted, the competition is proving fierce and the whole market has been re-energised. This year certain new technologies are standing out from the crowd, here are the main highlights. After 60 years of activity, O'Neill reaffirms its place once again at the forefront of wetsuit technology. Their Santa Cruz laboratory, Area 52, is proving fruitful. It's a real R&D centre occupied by full-time engineers, design teams and testers adorned to take on the cold waters of Northern California in the same spirit as Jack did 60 years ago. It was in this HQ where the most advanced neoprene of modern times was born – ‘Techno Butter’ - this new material boasts a 17% lighter formula with 30% less water absorption to guarantee a new lightweight feeling. Billabong’s ‘V1’ Model (referring to 'vertical ascent') has made a serious impact in the wider surf community. Aimed at big wave riders (and the brainchild of Shane Dorian, after a new fatal wipe-out at Mavericks) this inflatable wetsuit is based on the same concept as a lifevest, designed to get you to the surface quickly in event of monster wipeout, activated by a tug and pull-cord. Just a few months after its release, the V1 won awards from two of the world’s top scientific publications, including top honours at Popular Science. The suit is currently pending patent and not yet available for sale to the public.

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At Quiksilver, Kelly Slater took the opportunity at the Hawaii Pipemasters to test out an ergonomically designed wetsuit, the ‘Xplosive’, following on from the success of the Xplosive boardshort that hit the market in June 2011. The Xplosive wetsuit is based on exertion; working with sports physios, Quiksilver’s R&D team wanted to create a suit that helps surfers perform the most explosive moves. By imitating the different muscle stretches, the configuration of this model amplifies the reactivity of the human body when in action, allowing the surfer to move more easily and with more energy. Minimise effort, maximise manoeuvres. On the subject of technology, Matuse, inventor of geoprene (limestonebased rather than petrochemical neoprene), always has something to say and their blackZERO technology is the hot topic. Alongside the geoprene, this technology reflects body heat back into the wetsuit rather than it being absorbed by it. "The Scipio 3mm has become the lightest and warmest wetsuit in its category," comments founder John V. Campbell. SELLING POINTS What criteria are consumers going to pay attention to next autumn? What will make certain models sell better than others? At Rip Curl, the drying of their wetsuits and more particularly their liners are at the heart of their focus, as Product Division Manager Wilco underlines; "Our wetsuits are already warm, light and very stretchy but what good is

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"THE FACT THAT WE MAINTAIN A FIRM NETWORK OF WELL-INFORMED, PROFESSIONAL RETAILERS HELPS US ANTICIPATE THE MARKET AND INSTALL THE NECESSARY CONFIDENCE INTO SHOPS TO STOCK THESE LINES IN A COHERENT WAY." STEVE PETERS, O'NEILL WETSUITS. that when they are still wet for your second session?" After two years of relentless testing and seven different prototypes, Rip Curl has brought out the Flash Liner which dries in 15 minutes flat - hardly enough time to go to the next spot! Less seams or even none at all - this is another priority that manufacturers have had for years. As Patagonia confirm, "we have worked toward improving our templates to considerably reduce the number of seams in our wetsuits." At O'Neill, the weight of these stretchy seams has been dealt with to make them 60% lighter renaming them Super Seam Weld for the occasion. At Billabong, the main objective remains to "attract the attention of the consumer by responding precisely to their needs with regards to wetsuits,” comments François Leits from their product division. The same goes for O'Neill for whom, in terms of marketing, say they must, “explain to the public what level of attention to detail has been paid when making our wetsuits, in their shape, function and to the materials used," says Steve Peters, European Marketing Manager. Elsewhere, current economic austerity makes consumers look for products that will last a long time. Purchases of high-ticket items like wetsuits become even more carefully considered and the foremost criteria is longevity. Patagonia understand this well; "like all of our new products, we have to prove to our consumers that our wetsuits are durable," states Jake Setnicka, head of their surf division. Style is also subjected to the same constraint of longevity. Users want products with a timeless style that they can use and reuse year upon year. We're not talking about standardisation but about designs that are becoming immune to fashion trends and so benefit from a longer life cycle. Matuse also speak of an identity link, which must be created between the user and their wetsuit. "After only five years we have developed a loyal client base that gives us that mark of honour, which helps us expand the brand and develop products." As a result, customer guarantees and after sales service are also going to be factors which have an influence on the purchase. As Wilco from Rip Curl outlines, "just selling a quality wetsuit is not enough, clients are demanding real after sales service," that's why their models come with a three-year seam guarantee and one year on other parts. DIFFERENTIATION AT ALL COST Despite all the marketing noise from the numerous manufacturers boasting about the exclusive and unique merits of their models, the reality of the wetsuit market is otherwise. In fact, the places reserved for design and manufacturing, as well as the materials available and the factories that can be used, are very few and more or less available to any brand. The risk, as Simon Bennett from Animal points out is that, "cross-over or entrylevel brands can invest in the market with products that merely ‘look like wetsuits’ - so watch out for knock-offs because as Wilco reminds us, "there is no space for pipedreams in the world of wetsuits because once it's been tried out in the water, word of mouth spreads very quickly." Distinction is made on quality because in the end; "producing a wetsuit is not that difficult in itself but making good wetsuits that constantly push the boundaries, improve standards, surprise and create interest is what distinguishes the best wetsuit brands from the rest," states Simon Bennett

from Animal. And the brands that are serious are quite scarce in reality and there is a big difference between a serious wetsuit brand and fringe brands that make wetsuits to create a marketing buzz, continues Wilco from Rip Curl. Elsewhere, the ecological side of neoprene put forward by certain manufacturers is a peculiarity that is starting to grate. For Jake Setnicka from Patagonia, "ecological neoprene is a myth you should not believe in. There is a lot of 'eco-bleaching' in the surf industry and we don't want any part of it." E-DISTRIBUTION & GLOBALISATION To choose a product that's as technical and specific as a wetsuit, there is nothing better than a fitting room in a surf shop you might say. However, it would be naive to shut your eyes to the potential of online sales that, inevitably, will continue to increase and expand into new territories. Geographically in Europe, we can see that online sales are strongest in the northern countries. Having said that, the situation should spread in the months and years to come and we may be able to foresee good sales potential, especially for the southern zones that are less well supplied with shops. Nowadays "e-commerce rockets even the most modest shops into the great melting pot of international distribution," says Animal’s Simon Bennett. And from the brands point of view, this represents a real challenge in terms of distribution channels. They have to ensure that the international price war does not spread into their locality. PRICES AND DYNAMICS At the time of writing, brands were still awaiting the figures from AW11/12 lines before announcing their future pricing strategies. All manufacturers are striving to maintain their prices at the same level to guarantee the same margins for their retailers. But during the production phase, this requires extra effort to be able to offer the same level of technical properties at the same price; they're all saying it, like Rob Van Ginkel (Business Development Manager of the Stallion Sport Europe Group/Body Glove, who says; "our challenge is to maintain the same price/quality ratio while adding new techniques, materials and functionality." So the level of competition increases without affecting the price but value is added to the product instead. Through this healthy dynamic, the market and all its proponents benefit: manufacturers are in healthy competition, retailers preserve respectable margins and the end consumer gets an excellent price/quality ratio. In the current economic climate, every sale counts and brands are striving to deal with the supply and demand of their market. Intelligently stocking up for each season, for each pre-order and each restock is one way of balancing the financial risks and issues. O’Neill’s Steve Peters understands this mechanism perfectly, "the fact that we maintain a firm network of wellinformed, professional retailers helps us anticipate the market and install the necessary confidence into shops to stock these lines in a coherent way." CONCLUSION E-commerce, fraught competition, eco-bleaching: new challenges for wetsuit market are all abundant. But it's at a local level that it all really counts. Bricks and mortar surf shops are still in business and support their clients and the sport on a local scale. After all, it's these people who maintain the life cycle of the industry and these are the guys who should be getting consistent back up come rain, hail, snow or shine.

"ECOLOGICAL NEOPRENE IS A MYTH YOU SHOULD NOT BELIEVE IN. THERE IS A LOT OF 'ECO-BLEACHING' IN THE SURF INDUSTRY AND WE DON'T WANT ANY PART OF IT." JAKE SETNICKA, PATAGONIA.

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industry insight

THE STATE OF SNOW BOARDING TODAY... TESTING NEW CHALLENGES FROM SNOW CONDITIONS TO THE FINANCIAL CRISIS, ELECTRONICS TO YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT, ARE ALL HAVING AN IMPACT ON THE SNOW SPORTS INDUSTRY. SOURCE SAT SOME OF THE INDUSTRY DOWN TO GET THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE CURRENT STATE OF PLAY. INTERVIEWS BY REMI FORSANS. Anthony Scaturro (Flow Sports): “Snowboarding started out as a rebellion, a movement and an expression of a people who wanted a sensation similar to surfing or skating. The excitement for some snow participants has however become a bit flat and we have lost them to newer movements in twin-tip skis amongst other activities. Sadly, some kids even see snowboarding as “their parents sport.” We have put out to pasture most of our childhood snowboarding heroes whose personality inspired us to ride. Sure there are heroes today but they are less grassroots like the pros of yesteryear. They are less accessible and are affecting the market and the business in a different way. Seeing your hero in the magazine is one thing; meeting him in person could change a kid’s life forever. It is so difficult to sell pro-models nowadays when 15-20 years ago you could not get enough of Craig Kelly, Daniel Frank, Todd Richards or Jamie Lynn pro-models boards.” Wolfgang Buchwieser (Ride snowboards): “Snowboarding is only around 30 years old and it has evolved vastly in the last 20 years. It went from a niche sport to absolute mainstream and is now back to more core. The sport was driven by high profile athletes and industry and had a massive influence on the youth in the last 20 years.”

on the margins across all businesses. Concerning event organisers, nonendemic advertisers seem to like snowboarding and action sports events as a means to target the youth demographic but endemic sponsorships seem to be pulling out of some major events.” Wolfgang Buchwieser: “Although a lot of young people participate in the sport or like it, it is still almost not noticed from mainstream media here in Europe. Events, riding level, movies - everything is getting much better nowadays and still 95% of the people in Europe kind of disregard our sport. It has a much better acceptance in the USA.” Peter Bauer: “Obviously from an economical point of view we cannot compare the time today with the late ‘80s and ‘90s. Back then we had economical growth all over the globe, snowboarding was young and new, media was hungry to report about it and event organisers could easily convince the blue chip brands out there to invest in it. And all that led to a good income for athletes, retailers and the industry. Now times are much tougher for all participants of the boardsports world.” WHAT FOR YOU ARE THE MAIN STRENGTHS FOR THE SPORT?

Peter Bauer (Amplid): “There are some different stages regarding how snowboarding was perceived: In the beginning we were hated by ski resorts, they wouldn’t let us on the lift and banned an entire youth movement off the mountain. In the early nineties they suddenly recognised a huge target group and turned their entire marketing power towards that new clientele. A similar thing happened with the federations: when snowboarders wanted to go for the Olympics, nobody cared. Ten years later when the ski federations smelled the money, suddenly it became Olympic. From the unloved rebels to the key of youth culture… today I feel snowboarding has become an established institution, with a growth pattern that goes up and down, but with a good volume so that it will always be there.” WHAT ARE THE UPS AND DOWNS FOR THE SPORT TODAY FOR RIDERS, INDUSTRY, MEDIA AND EVENT ORGANISERS? Anthony Scaturro: “Concerning riders, the big up is non-endemic money that needs a way to connect with the younger demographic and snowboarding seems to be a good poster child for that. The downs are most likely going to be riders’ budgets. For industry, the market is pretty clean with respect to old inventory after a few correct snow seasons. There is good exposure for brands on television. The downs are the global economic situations and these factors threaten to drive inflation in snowboarding and put pressures

Anthony Scaturro: “Snowboarding is still a great sport and lifestyle. It offers an even better experience today due to the infrastructure, events, and funds for athletes and equipment innovations. The business has reached a level of maturity and thus stability. We have a great platform now to kick off another growth phase [if] we find a way to infuse the same excitement the sport had when it hit the scene.” Wolfgang Buchwieser: “It is young, fresh and trend setting.” Peter Bauer: “Man, just go riding and you know what it is. Snowboarding is still one of the most aesthetic and physically correct ways to slide over something. It’s as simple as that: the fun and joy snowboarding gives is incredible.” WHAT FOR YOU ARE THE MAIN THREATS TO THE SPORT? Anthony Scaturro: “The rising cost of material, labour, currency, labour shortage and finance are threats to the business and the retail pricing. Unemployment, twin-tip skis, high lift ticket and fuels costs remain a problem and deterrent to participants. But finally, are we keeping snowboarding cool, attracting new prospects? Are we retaining or losing existing customers?”

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“WE HAVE A GREAT PLATFORM NOW TO KICK OFF ANOTHER GROWTH PHASE [IF] WE FIND A WAY TO INFUSE THE SAME EXCITEMENT THE SPORT HAD WHEN IT HIT THE SCENE.” ANTHONY SCATURRO, FLOW SPORTS.

Wolfgang Buchwieser: “People are getting lazier and don't participate in any kind of sport anymore.” Peter Bauer: “Lack of snow is the number one threat. That in combination with the financial chaos as it is right now is not good for the sport’s development. Everything needs development, and that needs resources. Snowboarding is also interesting because there is an evolution of riding and equipment. A shrinking market cuts those resources to make the product better.”

the Olympics and we want to have our product on the podium. But I also want to have the world best riders going to Sochi and therefore I hope that FIS start to listen.” Peter Bauer: “To be honest I am sick of the issue. I have been confronted from the ‘80s until late ‘90s with that conflict, as a rider. I need to take the positive points: I admire Terje, Reto and all these guys for not giving up, and I feel honoured that the FIS still can’t let go. I feel honored because it shows that we have created something precious, something they cannot provide themselves. But I am tired of talking about it.”

WHAT FOR YOU ARE THE MAIN OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE SPORT? WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE SNOWBOARDING DEMOGRAPHIC? Anthony Scaturro: “Non-endemic funds, the Olympics and other televised events help to highlight the sport. For those who would like to learn to ride, we need to find programs that motivate them to take up the sport.“ Wolfgang Buchwieser: “The Olympics can be a big threat, but it can also help to get more people involved in the sport. Not just that more money will get attached to it, because of the Olympics, I mean more people will see how much fun it is and will hopefully go outside and try it.” WHAT FOR YOU ARE THE MAIN WEAKNESSES FOR THE SPORT?

Anthony Scaturro: “One simple fact but extremely important point is the unemployment rate amongst the youth. This will be a problem for many years to come and therefore, this presents a problem for snowboarding as a whole in the short and midterm.” Wolfgang Buchwieser: “Currently we see that the first generation of snowboards having kids who start snowboarding now. This will grow in the next few years. I think we will see more kids starting with the sport at a younger age than in the past.”

Anthony Scaturro: “Are the tricks shown on televised events really motivating people to join the sport? For sure they’re inspirational but are they really attainable? We also need to put funds toward the development of events that highlight the freedom snowboarding offers, the outdoor experience, the fact that it is a great sport for to do with your friends and with family. If we don't make the emotional connection we will not retain first timers and we will not continue to build our future customer base. No base, no business, NO GOOD!

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ABOUT OUTDOOR SPORTS PARTICIPATION RIGHT NOW?

Wolfgang Buchwieser: ”Still looked as a sport for freaks!”

Wolfgang Buchwieser: “Electronics are taking so much time and money from everybody’s life. There is less time for sport and I think this will be worse in the future.”

Peter Bauer: “We have to deal with many unprofessional people every day. That makes our business life very hard sometimes. If the industry would be a bit more organised, we would have lot more time to go riding!“ ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT SNOWBOARDERS AGAINST FIS?

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Anthony Scaturro: “I think that the riders have a right to have input into the format, infrastructure, judging and scoring. Both sides can learn a lot from listening to the input of the other party. In the end, we do not gain anything by infighting, ignorance or arrogance. I know that the athletes are stepping up their efforts, focusing their message and attempting to find a solution. Will the FIS reciprocate in kind? I sure hope so.” Wolfgang Buchwieser: “TTR and the athletes brought the sport to where it is right now. Now the FIS could easily take advantage of the knowledge of the leading event organisers, athletes and judges. Why is the FIS disregarding this? I hope that the pressure on the FIS gets so big so they have to listen and work together. We definitely want to have our athletes participating in

Anthony Scaturro: “Speaking from a fundamental point of view, whether outdoor sports or action sports, participants share a similar DNA. We need participants and not spectators. It will be up to the respective industry people to market and attract these participants to their respective sports and brands.”

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO SNOWBOARDING IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS? Anthony Scaturro: “The next 20 years are going to be very exciting. It will be an adventure and it will be a challenge. This is why I love this industry. We will do our best to keep the current riders excited and motivated to participate. We will also invest into the kids market in order to ensure that there is a sport in 20 years. I hope the other brands will do the same.” Wolfgang Buchwieser: “I think snowboarding will get stronger as more young people will follow it as it is so much fresher, younger and cooler.” Peter Bauer: “Snowboarding will start to grow again. Japan has accounted for one third of the global market, but with their recession and nuclear issues they had different things to solve. But I am confident that they will come back. It would take two good winters and a stable global economy and snowboarding will take off again.”

“LACK OF SNOW IS THE NUMBER ONE THREAT. THAT IN COMBINATION WITH THE FINANCIAL CHAOS AS IT IS RIGHT NOW IS NOT GOOD FOR THE SPORT’S DEVELOPMENT.” PETER BAUER, AMPLID.

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THE PASSION

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BRUNOTTI RIDER KRIJN GRUN INDY GRAB | ZERMATT, CH

Mekker Jacket Dekstar Snow Pants

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INTRODUCING THE BONFIRE + PENDELTON CAPSULE COLLECTION BODE MERRILL PENDLETON PDX SHIRT Photo: Oli Gagnon

In select stores fall 2012

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MEN'S OUTERWEAR PREVIEW 2012/13 AFTER AN IFFY WINTER IN 2010/2011, THERE'S A TON OF INVENTORY HANGING AROUND THE SHOPS, AND WITH MORE PLACES THAN EVER SELLING OUTERWEAR, RETAIL COMPETITION IS INTENSE. COMBINE THAT WITH SOME POSTRECESSION UNEASE AND TREPIDATION ON THE PART OF THE CONSUMER, AND YOU'VE GOT A COMPLICATED BUY WHEN IT COMES TO NEXT YEAR'S SNOWBOARD CLOTHING. LUCKILY, THERE ARE PLENTY OF OPTIONS OUT THERE, AND SOME VERY STRONG THEMES TO HELP YOU CHOOSE YOUR DIRECTION AND WHERE TO PUT THE INVESTMENT. TOM WILSON-NORTH ANALYSES THE 2012/2013 MEN'S OUTERWEAR COLLECTIONS. OVERALL TRENDS Straight off the bat it's very clear that next year is going to see two dominating trends; streetwear and workwear. Why? Well, first off, it sells. Just look at the success of the DC Spectrum rideable hoodies, the Analog Greed jackets and the 686/Levi's technical jeans. Good snowboarders – the rider crews - have been the ones buying these pieces and 2012/2013 sees the trend tipping over and going mainstream. “Our collection was inspired by modern street and workwear,” explains Icon's Antti Bergman, although this quote could be attributed to just about anyone we spoke to. “Cuts, silhouettes and fabric selections... all our designs were created to be easily used on and off snow, on the streets or on the slopes. We wanted to bridge these two worlds.” Multi-purpose gear means extra value for the customer, of course. So, what's hot? Expect to see leather trims, treated cotton, waxed canvas finishes, patches, kneepads, fewer big logos and no lettering. Oh, and a much more muted colour palette.

“Our riders filming in the streets want to feel comfortable running into a coffee shop in the gear they are filming in, not dressed up as a neon clown”, tuts ThirtyTwo Design Manager Kelly Messia. 2012/2013 also sees brands digging deep to re-launch key pieces from the ‘90s and ‘00s. Burton, Chiemsee and Bonfire are all showing 'heritage' pieces that showcase their decades of know-how and fit well into the current collections. Even O'Neill are using inspiration from their early wetsuits and mid-century Americana roots. MUST-HAVES Rhythm's Rock 2 Fakie II Jacket epitomises the streetwear trend, with heavy nods to the worlds of hunting, vintage and urbane couture. There's a gorgeous military-style waxed-cotton parka from Icon's Heartbreak Series, not forgetting the Bonfire Fireman Jacket re-release (it was first out in 1992!), which has a ton of crossover appeal.

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The corduroy finish and longer length of Burton's Squire Jacket has made it popular with their team members; in fact, a couple of rider-inspired jackets are pushing our pre-line buttons right now. JP Solberg's got a nice piece out from Oxbow, and Willie Nyvelt's Billabong one has a to-die-for toile de jouy (think of your Grandma's willow pattern china) lining. And Tyler Chorlton's had big input into the Ridge collection from Vans, resulting in some cool features and creative style. Over at Westbeach the Cambie Down Jacket is the sample that's being borrowed the most, and Picture Organic's Respect down is looking good, with their signature structured fit and natural insulation. Bag gurus Da Kine drop a lovely piece called the Drift Down Jacket in their first-ever winter outerwear line; it takes no prisoners with a slick finish and 20K/20K tech. Holden's musthave is a puffa too; look out for the Cumulus, which packs super-small for portability. FABRICS “Snowboarders today find themselves in a situation between performance and antiperformance” says Oxbow's Snow Product Manager Angelika Paul. “They want to be seen to be 'just wanting to have fun', but then they want to show off that they throw down in the pipe. They don't want to show they wear technical stuff, but they need to trust their clothing in the backcountry.” What a paradox. It seems the market wants technical fabrics, but they don't want the geeky side effect of looking like a robot or a doctor. Zimstern's new Chop line pulls this off, particularly their new Homer parka with crinkly natural exterior and tech-filled guts. And take a look at some of the high-end finishes literally hidden away inside ThirtyTwo's firmly non-geeky jackets and pants. As part of the streetwear crossover, denim plays an understandably important role, with the “jeans” technical snow pant cropping up all over, generally merchandised with floppy dobby parkas or vintage athletica-inspired jackets like Bonfire's cool new Cavalier plaid-wool letterman. There's corduroy all over and canvas everywhere. At Westbeach, you'll even find tweeds alongside their more established materials like herringbone. “We sourced some awesome fabrics to bring sartorial (tailoring) to the snow,” says their Head of Design Laura Bentley. Another reason that the skinny, long fit has become popular has been the advancement in technical stretch material. No point rocking drainpipe jeans if you rip your pants open with that 70cm stance, right? “Our third season of stretch outerwear has seen the Ultimate Gum Series now get to 30% more stretch than a standard fabric,” says Rip Curl Senior Designer Ben Boyd. Use of four-way stretch is increasing across the market; there's no downside to increased freedom of movement. You'll find Brunotti using it in their RDP collection, Protest in their new Pure Series and 686 in their Smarty Pant, re-invented as part of their 20th anniversary collection.

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AS PART OF THE STREETWEAR CROSSOVER, DENIM PLAYS AN UNDERSTANDABLY IMPORTANT ROLE, WITH THE ‘JEANS’ TECHNICAL SNOW PANT CROPPING UP ALL OVER, GENERALLY MERCHANDISED WITH FLOPPY DOBBY PARKAS OR VINTAGE ATHLETICAINSPIRED JACKETS volcom

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Whilst often overlooked by buyers, fabric plays an incredibly important role in selling outerwear, especially in today's world of increasingly iffy quality. “The handfeel is very important,” sums up Picture's Julien Durant. “Our customers must trust us as soon as they touch our products.” FITS & SHAPES This is easy. Jackets are getting longer and pants are getting leaner. The hip-length parka jacket rules supreme, says Simon Warren from Animal UK. “Although we dropped the super-long jackets from last season, our standard lengths have all increased.” Pretty much the only shorter jackets around next year are the fab M65-style bombers being shown by Westbeach and 686.

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Pants are slimming down too. “Our riders asked for a slimmer pant with reduced rise for a better fit and cleaner look” Warren continues. But if it's baggy you want, it's baggy you'll get. Although nowadays it tends to be more structured baggy, with hour-glassing around the knees and gentle tailoring. “Even baggier, the garment should still always maintain a fit and a look,” says Icon's Antti Bergman. COLOUR PALETTE The ‘skittles-packet’ look is a thing of the past as snowboarders demand more muted, earthy colours and softer tones with nods to ‘90s skateboarding, camping, hunting and the natural world. But it's luckily not all mud-brown and compost-green, believes Billabong's Outerwear Product Manager Aurèlien Silvestre; “Bright colours are still on the market... but now navy blues, rust and khakis are the musts. Mixing bright and workwear colour-blocks is 2012/2013's biggest colour trend.” Ahh, colour-blocking. It started way back in '92 and just doesn't get old. Luckily, things are evolving slightly for 2012/2013 with a less-crazy colour selection, more asymmetric lines and fewer primary colours. There's a killer aurora blue and redline look on Oakley's Seth Morrison getup and some interesting spins on the theme with fabric blocking. Even the techie Scandinavians are mellowing it out a bit. “The colours are more toned down and sophisticated, and we've worked more with different weaves and textures to enhance the appearance,” says Sweet Protection's Design Manager Ståle Møller. Perhaps snowboarding's ageing market is demanding this grown-up palette, or perhaps it's because people are fed up of spending a fortune on gear that in one year looks like... well... last year's gear. Back over to Ben Boyd from Rip Curl, whose “major concern was to create very wearable pieces that wouldn't grow old by the end of the season. With customer spending decreasing we felt that it was our job to offer pieces that would stand the test of time and allow our customers to get several seasons out of them.” COLLABORATIONS An outerwear season just isn't complete without a couple of tie-ups from the big brands. And

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the streetwear/workwear vibe has lead to some effective alliances. 3CS team up with fellow Aussie outerwear brand Afends for their 511 Collection; it's a true limited series, with numbers on every piece. Their approach is to upgrade certain features – better fabrics, fancier labelling, zip-off sleeves - to create a superior product. “Kind of like Pimp My Ride with outerwear,” explains their marketing guy Jaye Botfield. Look out for a cool collaboration between Bonfire and Pendleton Woolen Mills – a 'capsule collection combining wool (the outerwear material successfully employed by livestock for millenia) with a couple of techy finishes. Finally in collabs, 686 replace long-time partner Levi's with workwear brand Dickies, and Thirtytwo join forces with skate hardware gurus DGK for some one-off pieces.

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FEATURES A gimmick is something that'll sell a jacket, because it's interesting to use... until it breaks. A feature is something that will sell two jackets; the client is so into it that they'll buy another jacket from that brand again just to get it. Packing their gear with features is 686 with a new patent-pending Death Grip system of wrist cuff adjustment. Their jackets are all loaded with attachment clips, pocket bungee loops, exposed grommets and car key pockets. They're even using compression technology – borrowed from runners and cyclists – to improve your circulation. Jacket-pant attachments are now pretty much standard across the board on snowboard outerwear. However, at Nomis there's a Fade system, which allows their waist gaiters to be a few inches longer, removing the need for a linkage system. And Sweet Protection leave them out altogether -“We don't want the powder skirt to rip out after butt-checking a landing,” they say. Over at Burton they've taken a big step forward and added anti-scuff cuffs to every single outerwear pant in the line; the Cordura reinforcement stops the thing ripping apart under your boot heel, but won't do very much about the dog poo you're going to tread it through on the way back to the chalet. Vans integrate Sherpa-fleece linings in hoods, and Nike launch a brand-new Gore-Tex down jacket that keeps the down feathers hidden on the interior. That means they can tape up the seams to keep it 100% waterproof. For us, it's more important that they keep all those floaty feathers inside, so we don't look like a fox in a henhouse when we tomahawk. PRICEPOINTS Squeezing all these features into outerwear isn't exactly cost-effective, and even more challenging when Joe Snowboarder doesn't want to pay too much for them. “Our feedback from the market was that the magic place is the €200 retail price point,” says Horsefeathers International Sales Manager Sven Josten. Growth seems to be strongest in this low-end segment, with lots of focus on first-price product. After all,

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THANK YOU.

Retailers, Riders, Reps, Distributors, Independents, Friends and the Westlife Family for twenty years of fun!

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“WITH CUSTOMER SPENDING DECREASING WE FELT THAT IT WAS OUR JOB TO OFFER PIECES THAT WOULD STAND THE TEST OF TIME AND ALLOW OUR CUSTOMERS TO GET SEVERAL SEASONS OUT OF THEM.” BEN BOYD, RIP CURL brunotti

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wintersports is expensive. But it's not just cramming in features that increase the price of the gear. “We work in an industry that is 100% tied to oil. If we can ignore oil prices going up, the price can go down... which is nothing but a dream right now,” laments Sonny from Holden. MARKET ANALYSIS A quick glance at the evening news gives you a pretty good indication of which markets are going in which direction; Latin countries (Greece, Italy, Spain) are heading south with distribution crumbling and consumer confidence plummeting; France is stable and the UK is recovering. Central and Eastern territories are on the rise. “Russia is doing especially well,” says Brunotti's Lonneke Mulder. “It's a country on the up with a growing economy.” Chiemsee's Julia Eggert agrees: “The Central & Eastern snowboard markets are steadily growing demand, due to increasing wealth and a boost in tourism. But Switzerland's been difficult due to the very strong currency; shop owners even saw people crossing borders to shop in the Eurozone with a drastic downturn in domestic demand.” ECO Although it's not enough to sell a piece on it's own, having a jacket that was made with a nod to environmental responsibly is enough for most clients, it seems. “It's a really funny topic,” admits 3CS' designer Brad Scott. “Everybody likes the thought of eco-friendly, but when it comes down to parting with their cash this concern seems to somewhat diminish into the background of their mind.” Although it can be done right – the runaway success of Picture Organic Clothing, PYUA and more recently Planet Earth have demonstrated that eco can be modern, grown-up, and stylish. The trend with eco now is to be more about the big-picture. Most brands work eco-friendliness into their strategic direction; decisions on key vendors, what packing materials to use, procuring from near-assembly sources, shipping by sea rather than air. That said, there are a couple of really cool eco-garments hitting market next year; we particularly liked Ripzone's Global line, the outershells of which are made up from recycled plastic bottles. And their interiors are all-natural Zentra corn polymers (good for the planet), as

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67 ST R E TC H P R O D U C T S I N T H E W I N T E R 1 2 -13 R A N G E U P TO 30% M O R E ST R E TC H T H A N A N O R M A L FA B R I C

WE’VE GOT WHAT YOU NEED, COME VISIT US AT ISPO - HALL A2 - BOOTH #103 SEE MORE AT RIPCURL.COM

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opposed to almost all other insulations, which are made from oil (bad for the planet). And O'Neill's 2012/2013 Jeremy Jones line is all about recycled polyester and limited environmental impact, coupled with super high tech spec. CONCLUSION So, streetwear and workwear are the things to watch. But are they the things to buy? Will it sell, or should we just stand by while the trend gently crashes and burns? Well, this style of outerwear is being embraced by practically every brand we spoke to. It's an exercise in widening the pieces that sell the best already and it's what everyone's wearing in the movies. Let's face it; generic outerwear is losing importance in our market every year. You can get it anywhere. Back in the day, when no one had baggy pants, you could sell out of baggy pants by just having baggy pants. Now, when you can buy baggy pants in Quechua, the customer needs a reason to buy them from you; be it the funky material, extra bonus features, inspired design, high-impact merchandising, or just the fact he fancies your Saturday girl. This trend is one to jump on if you want to re-engage your customer when he comes to check out the jackets. And, because you'll have a kick-ass shop full of appealing, feature-packed outerwear, he'll decide to buy from you so he can avoid looking like the Quechua-clad hordes.

trespass

rossignol

oxbow

volcom

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billabong

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THE ‘SKITTLES-PACKET’ LOOK IS A THING OF THE PAST AS SNOWBOARDERS DEMAND MORE MUTED, EARTHY COLOURS AND SOFTER TONES WITH NODS TO ‘90S SKATEBOARDING, CAMPING, HUNTING AND THE NATURAL WORLD.

TOP TRENDS STREETWEAR WORKWEAR MIXED BRIGHT/NEUTRAL COLOURBLOCKING VINTAGE/HERITAGE UNDERSTATED TECHNICAL FEATURES

Tom Wilson-North is a freelance writer and buyer at Zero G, Chamonix

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Henrik “Henke” Windstedt, Peak Performance skier, understands the importance of safety in the mountains. Henke always wears a transceiver, shovel, and probe when traveling in the backcountry, and he chooses gear equipped with RECCO

Peak Performance’s Rocker Jacket is equipped with RECCO’s advanced rescue technology for rapid location of avalanche burials. RECCO is not a substitute for a transceiver. ®

THOSE WHO KNOW, CHOOSE RECCO ®

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Photo: Tero Repo

Xavier De Le Rue, The North Face rider, understands the importance of safety in the mountains. Xavier always wears a transceiver, shovel, and probe when traveling in the backcountry, and he chooses gear equipped with RECCO

The North Face’s AWDV Jacket is equipped with RECCO’s advanced rescue technology for rapid location of avalanche burials. RECCO is not a substitute for a transceiver. ®

HAVE A PLAN. BE INFORMED. BE EQUIPPED. RECCO.COM

SEE YOU AT ISPO

29 JAN. - 01 FEB. 2012 - Hall A2 Stand 207 www.nikitaclothing.com

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rossignol

roxy

volcom

WOMEN'S OUTERWEAR PREVIEW 2012/13 PUT YOURSELF INTO THE MIND OF A LADIES' OUTERWEAR DESIGNER. THEIR WORLD IS A PRETTY UNUSUAL PLACE; HOLED UP ALL SUMMER AS THE TEMPERATURES SOAR, TRYING TO DESIGN STUFF THAT'S GOING TO WORK WHEN YOU'RE FREEZING COLD. SOMEHOW, THEY'VE PULLED IT OUT OF THE BAG; THERE ARE A BUNCH OF INCREDIBLY IMAGINATIVE PIECES ENVELOPED BY A COUPLE OF TRENDS THAT MEANS GIRLS ARE GOING TO START LOOKING LIKE – SHOCK, HORROR – GIRLS - AGAIN UP ON THE MOUNTAIN NEXT YEAR. TOM WILSON-NORTH INVESTIGATES. INSPIRED BY... We've seen strong trends in the high street and high fashion worlds make the short journey across to outerwear; like lots of Aztec prints and star patterns. And although there are tomboyish streetwear-inspired pieces and long hoodie-type jackets aplenty, it's less about androgyny, more about femininity again. Those pastel-coloured five-pocket jeans that have been so popular over the summer make an appearance, and there's plenty of structuring – like we've seen off the hill in the Victoria Beckham collection – to create some lovely fits. SO, TRENDS? There are pea-coats, long parkas and skinny jeans everywhere. Luckily, brands have recognised that not every female rider wants to dress herself like the lead vocalist of an indy band, and are offering more regular-type fits too. But the parka and skinnies' look is lurking around every corner. Well, it is flattering and nice to wear - anywhere. “Girls want a jacket that they can ride in all day, but still look great in long after the lifts close,” says Cindy

Taylor from Powder Room. “Then, our slim fit pants go low on the waist and narrow through the hips and thighs, like your favourite pair of jeans.” Multifunction jackets offer great value for money – good news when times are tight. You'll find versatile, multifunction pieces over at Nikita also. “We're maybe a little more street influenced than the last collection,” says founder Heida Birgisdottir. “But we're definitely more cosy-feeling.” For 2012/2013, brands draw on their rich heritages with throwback logos, colours and cuts. There are old-school details throughout Burton's line, Americana aplenty at O'Neill, and Icon's ‘Origins’ collection is worth a look; it's been inspired by their previous top sellers and key SKUs. And let's not forget what we mentioned before - femininity. It's as if last year's maxi-dress-mania validated a very ladylike look and consumers are keen to reflect that in their outerwear. There are a couple of really bling collections that reflect this – Nomis' Diamond Collection looks good, and

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Protest's new high-end PVRE line has gone for 'beyond elegance', with rich fabrics, fitted jackets and figure-hugging pants. Meanwhile there are chic military looks everywhere; olive and khaki colours, leather trims, patches and badges. “For girls, anything metals and things that sparkle are trending,” agrees Volcom's Carolyn Simons. Bangletype metal zips and brassy metallic details on technical fabric backgrounds look ace – Kari Traa do these well, and it's a look you're sure to see at ISPO. MUST-HAVE PIECES 2012/2013 is the Year of the ‘Onesie’ and we're thrilled to see the good old fartbag make a reappearance. Protest's one is right on trend, with vintage wax technology giving it an authentic, washed military look. Chiemsee’s take goes a step further with a dark leopard print and light spots in a couple of different shapes and colours, shipping with matching underwear... oooh la la!! Meanwhile, O'Neill's Moonstone Freesuit goes pastelly with interesting-looking “tonal but outspoken” colour blocking. Of course, if you like your toilet breaks to take fewer than twenty minutes, there are limitless traditional jacket-and-pant options out there. Roxy's Valley Hoodie is a classic in the making; it looks like a long full-zip hoodie (kangaroo pocket, hood laces), but goes technical with a heather fabric photoprint and 8K waterproofing. Chuck that on with some skinnies underneath and you've got a kick-ass look. Another Roxy must-have is their slim-fit down jacket – the Thunderstorm – which is silky soft and toasty warm, with contrast piping up front and removable fur around the hood. 2012/2013 sees Da Kine dip their toes into the waters of women's outerwear for the first time. Their key piece is a 20/20 down jacket called the Kensington, which is rammed to the gills with goose feathers. It's the most-wanted piece in a tight little range of six jackets and three pants. Elsewhere, you'll not want to miss the vintage biker jacket from Animal; the Katiyana is unusual as it's a pretty short piece in a year of longer jackets. It's got a half placket up front with asymmetric panelling. Nike reissues their Bellevue Bodywarmer/Jacket combo in a few new colours and there's an interesting unisex hoodie type jacket from Zimtstern. At Westbeach look out for the Beatty Duffle Jacket - a classic duffle coat with parka fur hood. We love it.

o'neill

special blend

picture

zimtstern

“THE PALETTE READS LIKE AN M&MS PACKET, STARRING INK BLUE, CEDAR GREEN, VINTAGE RED, MYSTIC PURPLE WITH POPS OF SHOCKING PINK, POISON GREEN AND FIRECRACKER.” VOLCOM GIRLS' 2012/2013 RANGE. 3cs

One of our favourite pieces we've seen so far has got to be Volcom's Violet Jacket. It fits slim in the sleeves and body, and is made of a really comfortable four-way stretch material. Then it goes all outrageous and girlie, with studs, stones and fierce metallic gold lining adding that rockstar edginess. FABRIC STORIES Back over to Cindy from Powder Room: “The main trends for next winter definitely revolve around

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protest

sweet

HAMMER J A C KE T

100% AUT ONOMOUS - 100% TE CHNOLOGY - 100% PE RFORMANC E T

ore Holv ik

- Sunset

540 mut e!

www.sw eetprote ction.co m

/ Foto: Olav Stubberud Location: Folgefonna, Norway

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fabrics,” she says. “There are so many new and interesting materials.” That's true; textiles have never looked, and felt, so good. Predictably there's lots of denim, which crosses over from the streetwear world, particularly in pants. We saw a pair of acid-washed floral skinny-jeantype snow pants hiding in the Betty Rides sample box, which are bound to be a hit. There's heavy canvas-type material, dobby, faille, flannel, plaid, houndstooth and everything in-between. We were surprised not to see more Stella McCartney-style mesh panelling, although taffeta makes a comeback in Nike and Burton's collections and there's some softshell starting to trend – look out for more of this in 2013/2014, we bet. But now, simple is where it's at. “Overall, we've cycled back to the basics. We believe the trend in outerwear is to focus on the details and fit – let the fabrics be functional, simple and technical,” thinks Bonfire's Shawn Steward. Materials have a tough job. Not only do they have to look great, but they've got to keep the wind and water out... and help you perform. Stretch fabric sees increased use next year, which is a good thing; you'll not be landing though switch double cork 14s without a bit of give somewhere. “Our second season of stretch outerwear has seen us push the boundaries,” says Ben Boyd from Rip Curl, whose Ultimate Gum material offers 30% more stretch than standard fabric. You'll find stretch being used all over – Brunotti, Volcom, Billabong, Kari Traa, the list goes on. CUTS & SHAPES Jacket hemlines are dropping pretty much everywhere, and becoming a little bit more chopped-up around the sides to break up silhouettes. We're seeing jacket tails dropping gently in a trend kicked over from the free-ski scene (bah) and jackets generally becoming a little more asymmetrical. Up top, things are more contoured and tailored in the chest but longer in the sleeves – kind of a boyfriend fit, if your boyfriend happened to be Ralph Lauren. “Our tailored fit is very modern; slim in the sleeves, chest and waist, with extra length to protect the rider's bum from the cold,” say Bonfire. There's a cool dropped-tail piece at Betty Rides too, a toasty-warm down parka.

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Pants generally stay on the slim side, with articulation around the knees to enable you to throw shapes easier at après-ski. Animal's slim pants fit brilliantly; re-cut with a lower rise after feedback from their team. “And the five-pocket slim fit design is a must”, asserts Roxy's Thomas Bourgault. “We have three different designs of five-pocket denim in our line.” Never has there been a better time to go skinny; just remember to try them on with your snowboard boots to prevent any dodgy bulging, please. NEW COLOUR TRENDS The trend in colours is more about quality than quantity. There are fewer primaries and OTT colourblock combos, but plenty of grownup faded brights and earth-tones. “Yes earth

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tones are definitely back on track, and we're working with them to make a new colour paletteearth meets bright,” says Stepanka Pivcoca, Horsefeathers' Head Designer. Oakley mix it up a bit too, showing lightning green with fuschia and eclipse with cognac on their Gretchen Bleiler pro models. Bright is a bit of a tough sell, but the pastel colours will definitely do the job (remember how well the jeans sold this summer?), and earth tones ought to walk themselves to cash register. Don't miss navy - a big colour for this winter both on and off the snow, according to the cool-watchers over at Zimtstern. But count on Volcom, as ever, to provide the colour hits through the range; their palette reads like an M&Ms packet, starring Ink Blue, Cedar Green, Vintage Red, Mystic Purple with pops of Shocking Pink, Poison Green and Firecracker.

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Rhythm – already a big name in men's outerwear – play it cooler with their first women's collection, which hits market for 2012/2013. “Our colours are reduced and mature with highlighted pieces.” Their linings are great as well – they're a lot more colourful with reminders of long, hot sunny days. PRINTS “Girls are definitely still looking for prints; flowers and ethnic arts are coming back strong,” say Billabong. This is good news, considering the men's outerwear market has been print-free for a couple of seasons. We suspect it's been inspired by the wildly popular Isabel Marant-style South American and Indian prints seen on catwalks and high streets this summer, but their outerwear cousins are a bit more calm and refined. Brunotti have got a great little selection of prints, including one nutty little retro-intarsia style; they're not alone in the knitting print trend though. Nikita have a print based on a deep-rooted Icelandic cross-stitch pattern and Westbeach are showing a quilt print inspired by vintage patchwork; both ought to be hits. There is something of a resurgence in photoprinting taking place. A number of the brands we spoke to are using the technique, often printing onto a fabric that's already got some surface texture to create depth and add interest. It's good to see something different being done; it just proves that there is space for prints, so long as they're done right. Elsewhere, you'll find feather and floral prints at Roxy, camo at 686, treescapes and nautical stars from Bonfire and a funky optical-illusion all-over from Oxbow. NEW FEATURES A couple of new outerwear features hit market next year. 686 present the scarily-named patentpending Death Grip, which changes the way the jacket seals around your wrist to prevent snow going where it shouldn't. A thoughtful addition to the Burton range are their Anti-Scuff Cuffs – you'll find them on the bottom of all their pants to prevent that heinous falling-apart-underfoot look when the gear's seen better days. Roxy have implemented a great idea on their hoods called

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Top Pop – it's a cunningly stashed extension that lets you stretch your hood over the top of your helmet when you need to. Nikita add Sherpa linings to keep you warm, Kari Traa chuck in a retractable mirror for lipgloss on the Månestråle jacket, and O'Neill's Firewall uses body mapping to add extra insulation where you need it most. Features galore. In fact, all this stuff is so-often-overlooked. They're absolutely indispensable to talk about when you've got your customer wearing the piece and provides a great waffle soundtrack while she's making up her mind. Make sure the staff know how to find them! ECO-FRIENDLY Although the green-revolution has been and gone, and there are plenty of dubious claims to green fame knocking around the textile industries, that doesn't stop outerwear manufacturers with a conscience from developing planet-friendly pieces. But do outerwear customers still demand eco products? Rip Curl's Ben Boyd doesn't think so. “I believe that customers will not make their choice solely on whether or not an item is recycled... but if for the same price you can offer eco product then I think the mentality of 'every little helps' comes into play.” For 2012/2013 they have a couple of different styles that use their Planet Recycled Dobby fabric. Elsewhere in the market you'll find fluro-carbonfree eco-nanoshells from Burton, a collection of 58% recycled materials from Brunotti and a top-end recycled shell from Horsefeathers. Over at Nike they'll be using their proprietary Grind material – which is derived from blendedup trainers – in the moulded trims on their outerwear. Even though snowboarding is never going to be the most ecological of sports, doing an eco-friendly corner somewhere in the store is certainly a step in the right direction. Just remember to travel to ISPO on your bicycle next year. MARKET INSIGHT The women's outerwear market is generally flattish, with expansion and contraction largely following world economic trends; Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal are on their way down, Germany, East and Russia on their way up.

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Most of the brands we spoke to cited the usual challenges to their day-to-day business; rising costs, insistence on late orders/early deliveries. Socks are being pulled up logistics-wise to cut down the steps in the supply chain. Chiemsee were particularly proud of the steps they've taken forward here. “We improved sourcing and supply chain management so we could keep existing price levels despite the explosion in raw material and production costs,” says their Active Wear Designer Julia Eggert. Critically, the way people are buying is changing. “Online retail has grown across the board”, says 686's Mike West. “Laptops, smartphones, B2C, social network, new consuming habits.” Looks

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like having a dodgy Myspace done by last year's work-experience guy won't cut it anymore. Today, unless you're mobile-versioned, iPad-optimised, Twittered up with a decent Tumblr feed and a couple of cool Facebook apps, you're nobody. You need to do all this to make the most of a gently ageing market. But where does that leave us in ten years? “It's a challenge to get young people snowboarding nowadays,” bemoans Brunotti's Lonneke Mulder. “There are a lot of substitutes for their time; skiing, even gaming. We need to organise plenty of events where young people can get to know snowboarding again”. CONCLUSION So, given all that, what's this season's women's outerwear purchase looking like? “The key to fit this season is versatility and flattery”, say Bonfire. “Most women don't want to look like dudes on or off the hill, and they want their jackets for more than one purpose.” We've never seen a collection this wearable off the mountain, whilst retaining it's girly-ness. This is a great opportunity to reach out beyond your 'snowboarder chick' market, to pretty much anyone who needs to keep warm next winter, which could mean an extremely busy cash register and even more work next year for that poor, beleaguered outerwear designer.

foursquare

chiemsee

betty rides

powder room

dakine

o'neill

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kari traa

2012/2013 IS THE YEAR OF THE ‘ONESIE’ AND WE'RE THRILLED TO SEE THE GOOD OLD FARTBAG MAKE A RE-APPEARANCE.

TOP TRENDS STREETWEAR CROSSOVERS – LONG HOODIES FEMININE TOUCHES – SPARKLES, METAL DETAILS MILITARY STYLING AND NAUTICAL STARS BRIGHT COLOURS AND EARTH TONES PHOTOPRINTS AZTEC PRINTS LONG JACKETS FIVE-POCKET SKINNY JEAN SNOWPANTS

Tom Wilson-North is a freelance writer and buyer at Zero G, Chamonix

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zimtstern fall/winter 2012/2013 fall

backstage collection

Visit us at Ispo A2 / 215

www.zimtstern.com

brand profile

RECON RECON HAVE TAKEN GOGGLE TECHNOLOGY TO THE NEXT LEVEL, WITH THE ABILITY TO VIEW REAL TIME

PERFORMANCE

COMPATIBILITY,

STATS

WONDER

AND

SMARTPHONE

NASA

HAVE

BEEN

SCOUTING OUT THEIR TECHNOLOGY FOR A SPACE SUIT.

Please could you give me an overview of how Recon got started? Recon was founded by four students at the University of British Columbia in 2006. Three MBA colleagues, and one studying for a Masters in Engineering met in an Entrepreneurship course at the university. One member, Eisenhardt, an elite swimmer wanted to find a solution for obtaining performance data during training without having to stop and look at the clock. He came up with the idea of a head-mounted display providing realtime performance data. The founders realised that the snowsport market was an easier entry point with more space to house the technology inside the goggles and less demanding water resistance needs. From this, Recon successfully launched Transcend in October 2010 and has just released two new products to the snowsports market – MOD and MOD Live. Who is on the management team and what are their backgrounds? Dan Einsenhardt (CEO) – has extensive management experience from his time as a consultant at PWC and IBM, and executive business development roles at Bavarian Nordic. Darcy Hughes (CMO) – worked on the billion dollar brands and global marketing teams at Procter and Gamble before heading up the marketing operations at Recon Instruments. Hughes also has successes across the marketing and strategy functions with Molson, Coca Cola, Future Shop/ Best Buy and Nestle. Hamid Abdollahi (CTO) – worked in diverse hightech product development corporations and has contributed to various group design projects involving sensing technology and robotics. He has experience with companies like Motion Metrics, Honeywell and Roboweld. Micky Mcdonald (VP of Sales) – recently joined Recon continuing a long and distinguished career in the snowsports industry including many years with Westbeach as CEO and President. Ray Smith (CFO) – has experience in various

financial posts at global pharmaceuticals to finance.

nationals

from

Could you tell me the idea behind your range of products? Recon Instruments’ new technologies, launched for the 2011-12 ski season, are GPS enabled MicroOptics Displays which can be retro-fit into select Recon-Ready goggles made by goggle partners Uvex, Alpina and Briko. MOD provides real-time performance data including speed, altitude, distance travelled, vertical distance travelled, time, temperature, GPS location, jump statistics and also boasts a run counter and chrono/tracker feature. MOD Live includes all the same features as MOD but with additional communication features. Bluetooth MOD Live can connect to smartphones allowing access to music playlists, text messages and caller ID. MOD Live will also connect wirelessly to video cameras converting the microLCD screen into a real-time viewfinder. MOD Live users can also take advantage of integrated resort information for navigation and buddy tracking with a bank of over 300 resort trail maps stored on the device. Both MOD and MOD Live store all data and statistics, which can be uploaded to Recon’s PC/ MAC software - Recon HQ. Here you can re-live your runs overlaid on Google imagery, analyse your stats and also create highlights which can be shared on Recon HQ Online, Recon’s online sharing community. What technology goes into your products? Recon’s MOD technology contains many chips and sensors including a gyroscope, triaxial accelerometer, GPS receiver, compass, temperature sensor and a barometric pressure sensor. As a result, the data provided by Recon’s technology is the most accurate on the market. For example, rather than measuring speed on just the horizontal axis, complex algorithms calculate the users speed using the GPS sensor to determine

the horizontal speed and the pressure sensors to calculate the change in vertical distance thus providing the user’s 3D speed. Recon calls this TrueStats. The technology runs off a lithium ion battery, which provides a battery life of up to 8 hours in extreme temperatures. Which demographic are you aimed at, and therefore which kind of retailer would benefit from stocking your product? Recon’s technology hits all demographics. Whether it is freeriders who want to know their jump statistics, racers wanting to beat their fastest time, groups who want to keep a close eye on where their buddies are, social riders who want to share their runs and stats online, the list goes on. What’s more, MOD Live is fully customisable thanks to its Android Operating System. So, even if the current apps don’t take your fancy, when Recon opens up the SDK (software development kit) other apps can be developed and uploaded to MOD Live. You already license the Recon technology to Uvex, Alpina and Briko: could you tell us some more about future plans with your Recon Ready products? There are many announcements to make with the world’s finest ski and snowboard brands this season and next. We are also working on a number of additional partnerships not just within the snow sports industry but downhill biking, swimming, motorcycling, sunglasses solutions and Recon is even being evaluated by NASA for the next generation spacesuit. Where can we check out your products/videos/ stuff? Everything can be viewed via our new website www.reconinstruments.com, Facebook and our Youtube and Vimeo pages. There is plenty to see and enjoy!

RECON INSTRUMENTS,107-111 FLEET STREET, LONDON, EC4A 2AB OFFICE: +44 (0)20 7936 9317 WWW.RECONINSTRUMENTS.COM

www.boardsportsource.com

brand profile

AWARDED A EUROSIMA PRIZE FOR INNOVATION SOON AFTER ITS LAUNCH, GREENFIX ECO SURF WAX IS RAPIDLY EXPANDING FROM ITS HOME TURF IN FRANCE THROUGHOUT EUROPE. SOURCE TALKS TO FOUNDER DAMIEN HOUQUES ON HIS GROUNDBREAKING PRODUCT AND PATH TO SUCCESS. Please could you give an overview of how the brand got started? GreenFix is a well-established brand in France where the vast majority of retailers already distribute our wax after just two years; we have also begun to expand into Europe. A passionate surfer, I kick started the GreenFix project in 2006 with the aim of releasing an original new product: an innovative wax, manufactured locally from natural, non-petrochemical ingredients. Why wax? Because this product reaches all surfers, all the waxes on the European market are imported products made thousands of miles away and are mostly petrochemical. After three years of laboratory research, we reached our objective and were awarded the 2009 Eurosima prize for innovation after its release. Who is on the team, and what do they bring to the brand? I am convinced that the richness of a company or brand depends on the men and women who are behind it. GreenFix is a small set-up but we are all strongly bound by a passion for surfing and boardsports as well as for our common project and ambition: to supply our users and clients with products that are high quality, ecologicallydesigned, innovative, technical and functional. William Ugarte, engineer and talented designer, is involved in the creation of our product range. We owe the design of our wax bar and the products that we are working on now to him. Carine Houqes, with her pedigree in high marketing/communication acquired in agencies and companies alike is now bringing her expertise to us. Jean-Marc Tranquille is the key guy in our workshop, in charge of manufacturing. We also work with a placement centre for the handicapped in Anglet. This choice makes a lot of sense for us

because we believe that a company should also be involved in the local society. We have entrusted them with the packaging and conditioning of our products for two years now. Pauline Ado is our tester extraordinaire. As for me, I am in charge of product development, marketing, management, stocks, etc. Could you tell me the idea behind your range of products? Eco-design, technicality, innovation and design functionality are at the heart of our product development policy. These are the pillars around which we build the brand. We favour local manufacturing and raw materials from natural, non-petrochemical resources. Furthermore, we never sacrifice the quality of our products, which offer a real alternative to competing products in their construction, technicality and innovative nature. As for design, this depends above all on our performance optimisation research while making sure it doesn't overshadow aesthetics, which provide an element of seduction and inescapable differentiation. Our rapidly expanding range is currently made up of: - 100% natural Surfwax - 90% natural Grip / Traction Pad (2012) - Wax Remover, non toxic, 100% natural and without VOCs - A recyclable polypropylene wax box (2012) - Biosourced wax comb (2012) - A wax vending machine for surfshops to provide a service to their customers even when they are shut. - Bamboo T-Shirts for their breathable, antibacterial and anti UV properties - 100% natural Skate wax (2012).

What makes the brand appealing to retailers? Its capacity for trendsetting, its position as leader in its field with regards to "green surfing", its accessibility, as much in price as in its availability. What makes the Greenfix brand different from its competitors? From the start GreenFix has managed to establish itself as much thanks to the quality and innovative nature of our products as to our environmental commitments. Our products are made by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. Why should retailers stock your wax? From an environmental point of view: - Our wax is the only completely natural wax using no petrochemical ingredients - Being manufactured locally in our workshop and not in China or California, its carbon footprint is sharply reduced. From a technical point of view: - Offers excellent grip as testified by the majority of surfers; "To try it is to buy it - as proven by several retailers and surfers." - Its resistance to heat is unique! Most waxes melt at 40째C and above. Our formulae resist to up to 60째C (Warm) and 70째C (Tropical), which makes it the best option as soon as the outside temperature goes past 25째C; no more wax melting in your board cover or on the car seat! These are the fruits of three years of laboratory research. So many surfers are thanking us for that! From a commercial point of view: - It presents some very convincing arguments (local, natural, innovative, functional design) - It is sold at the same price as competing products, offering an attractive alternative.

GREENFIX / NATURAL TECHNOLOGY, IMPASSE DE MADRID, 64200 BIARRITZ, FRANCE +33 559 263 084 WWW.NATURALTECHNOLOGY.FR www.boardsportsource.com

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Photo: Ninkphoto.com

www.bench.co.uk

Visit us at BRIGHT ROOM 116 Jan.19-21, 2012 Berlin and ISPO HALL A2/ 105 Jan. 29-Feb. 01, 2012 Munich

brand profile

SIONYX

SIONYX IS A HEADWEAR COMPANY FROM GERMANY – A BRAND INSPIRED BY THE LOSS OF AN ITEM OF CLOTHING, LED TO AN ORGANICALLY GROWN HEADWEAR BUSINESS NOW SPANNING OFF INTO THE FUNCTIONAL UNDERWEAR AND GLOVE MARKETS. Please could you give me an overview of how the Sionyx brand came about? In 2003 the company founder Andrea Kämmerer had her hat stolen at a party in GarmischPartenkirchen in Germany. Winter was almost over at the time and all the stores were sold out, so she decided to knit her own hat. The end product worked so well that friends and acquaintances soon noticed the self-made headgear. Ultimately, she ended up ditching her job as a software developer and founded Sionyx. Furthermore, having earned her high-school diploma at a specialised school for textile design, Andrea Kämmerer – born and raised in the Czech Republic – can draw on extensive experience in the garment business. Who's on the team, and how do they add to the image of your brand? The team consists of young snowboarders and skiers from the German and Austrian Alps including: Max Kroneck, Jochen Mesle, Steffi Hamann, Lisi Gram, David Speiser, Veronika Rajcsanyi, Alex Beer, Aron Holtermann and Isabella Laböck. These boys and girls play an active role in product development each season. They wear Sionyx Headwear under all kinds of extreme conditions and give feedback for optimisation, if necessary, before products hit the shops. Our team riders have a keen eye for fit, functionality and longevity. What's your brand ethos? Sionyx represents hand-made headwear, optimal

quality, maximum customer satisfaction and sustainability. Our customers don’t like our hats – they love them! What's the idea behind your headwear? Every head is different – thank God for that. Sionyx pays tribute to this fact by opting against machine-manufactured mass products. Every hat and headband is hand-knitted in Germany or the Czech Republic, while all materials are sourced from within the EU and every model is produced in relatively small production runs. This way, we have been able to offer retailers and customer’s unique and consistent quality for over ten years now. On top of that, Sionyx still offers customers an opportunity to implement their own designs, fits and quality standards through our ‘ShapeyourBeanie’ initiative. And since customer satisfaction is our top priority, individual customer needs can be taken into account as well: whether that be a fancy design or a particular material, with a bit of time invested, any hat or headband dream can be achieved. Why should retailers stock your product? Because Sionyx will offer them both short and long-term success. Sionyx Headwear is sold through select retailers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy and Japan. We focus on small-to-medium-sized core and winter sports retailers, who are looking for long-term customer retention through personalised service. We do not prescribe minimal order quantities for colourways, so retailers are entirely free to write a diversified

order. The quality of the raw material plays a decisive role within the production at Sionyx. The majority of wool and thread is purchased from German companies, and as for all garments you feel on your skin, the comfort is crucial. Therefore we produce all products from soft materials. For particularly sensitive customers we offer a special fleece interior for the lower part of the hat or headband – also providing some extra protection on cold winter days. Where do you see the brand in the future? Just like an adolescent that is fully-grown in the physical sense, but always maturing mentally, Sionyx is continually growing, and not just in geographic terms. Our product portfolio for handmade headwear will be expanded continuously and organically in the functional accessories segment. For example, next to thin gaskets with silver ions and polycolon ski and snowboard socks in our current collection, for Winter 2012/2013 we are launching our first range of gloves and functional underwear. Additionally, collaborations with partners such as EVOC and Von Zipper are continuous sources of inspiration for us. Where can we check out your products/videos/ stuff? To view our current collection, team riders, store directory and much more, please visit www.sionyx.de. Our website is available in German and English and you can also ‘Like’ Sionyx on Facebook, of course.

WWW.SIONXY.DE www.boardsportsource.com

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photo: Mike Nelson

lifestyles: Nelly

photo: Nelly

photo: Mike Nelson

Jetty mornings in Broadway lights. Ruling Lower East Side nights. At his feet the models fall. Gotham’s grom has got it all.

brand profile

SEVEN NINE 13 IN OUR LAST ISSUE WE PROFILED THE HELGASON BROTHERS’ HOTLY ANTICIPATED LOBSTER SNOWBOARD BRAND - NOW WE’VE SPOKEN TO PAUL KNIPE FROM KAOS EUROPE WHO REPRESENTS THE BROTHERS TO FIND OUT ABOUT 7/9/13; THEIR NEW ACTION SPORTS ACCESSORIES BRAND. Please could you give me an overview of how the brand started? Eiki and Halldor Helgason are entrepreneurial guys and really wanted to start their own company with the Helgasons.com and filmer Johannes Brenning. At the same time Kristoffer Hansson (the Helgason's agent) and I were planning to marry the marketing and PR strengths of KAOS Europe and the access to athlete talent and industry contacts that Dot Inc (Hansson’s company) provides and start our own brand. So we were all well placed in our own ways to bring different strengths to the table and create a great brand. What made you guys want to start a belt company, and why such a different concept? The initial challenge in developing a company together was that Eiki and Halldor had sponsorships in pretty much every category. But belts were not only a category we had identified as being very much in need of innovation, it was also one where Eiki and Halldor had no conflicting sponsors. We then starting talking about shoelace belts which Eiki and Halldor always wear, and how if we could improve the look and functionality of them: it would be so much better than tying a standard shoelace around your waist which always gets loose and is hard to undo. So after a while the concept for 7/9/13 starting coming together. We made prototypes using designs from Eiki and Halldor along with straight up colourways and developed

a buckle system that worked. We started seeding product to people in the industry and pro riders and presented to key retailers. Everyone was super stoked, which gave us all the confidence to go forward and make it happen. What does 7/9/13 mean? In Icelandic, rather than saying 'touch wood' or 'knock on wood' for good luck, you say 7/9/13. The guys use it when they are riding and it has special meaning to them. It's a brand name that has a story behind it and sticks with you once you find out what it’s all about. Eiki and Halldor are both pro snowboarders, but the belts are probably more aimed at skateboarders. Will we see more in the way of soft goods from you in the future? 7/9/13 is not a snowboard brand or skate brand as such but more a multi action sports and lifestyle brand. We are starting with a great snowboard team consisting of Eiki and Halldor's 15 favourite snowboarders, but are developing a skateboarding team and will have wider ambassadors in the future. In terms of product and range development, we have a strategy to ignite and drive growth using the belt sector as a starting point before looking at other accessory sectors where we could bring new thinking. Why should retailers stock your belts? 7/9/13 shoelace belts will drive growth for a store for many reasons. Until now, most people

saw a belt mostly as a functional product. It held up your pants and was rarely seen and you buy about one a year, less if you can. 7/9/13 is about creating the desire to have many different belts. 7/9/13 produce belts that people will want to show off and are designed to be seen. We want people to have multiple colours, styles and designs to mix and match with want they are wearing. Our shoelace belts come three to a pack and we will keep coming up with new standard and limited edition graphics that will keep customers stoked. 7/9/13 is also about innovation in the category. We want to take standard concepts and improve them, like we have done with the shoelace belt. That not only relates to product but also to merchandising concepts, the first of which we will be unveiling at ISPO. Our brand will always be supported by a killer team of athletes that share our attitude, and that Eiki and Halldor admire and like across all action sports. What do you see for the future of 7/9/13 ? As Nixon was to watches; 7/9/13 will be to belts and accessories. Where can we check out your products/ videos/stuff? You can check out www.sevennine13.com where we have the current line of shoelace belts and a small range of high quality, logo’d apparel. We are also in selected shops all over Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China and are about to launch in USA and Canada.

KAOS, 1D LEROY HOUSE, 436 ESSEX RD, LONDON N1 3QP PAUL@KAOSEUROPE.COM T: +44 (0) 207 226 8787 WWW.SEVENNINE13.COM

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flexible wood manly package. welcome to the team phil. // INTRODUCING THE PLATOON. Oversized for your pleasure. The biggest, cleanest, most modern goggle we make.

BEST SELLERS FROM FINLAND TO BELGIUM, PORTUGAL TO THE UK, IN THIS ISSUE OUR CHOSEN INDEPENDENT RETAILERS ARE FULL OF HOPE FOR THE SEASON, AS LONG AS THE POW IS PLENTIFUL… SKATE

SKATE/SNOW

SNOW

UNION FIVE

T(W)ITS

SPECIALBOARD

What is your best selling single product? Mr. Lacy shoelaces. A cheap, basic product that comes in several different colourways, for anyone who feels like adding some flair to their kicks.

What is your best selling product at the moment and why? Longboards are our best selling product because you can jump on a longboard almost anywhere, whereas with snowboarding you have to go all the way to a mountain to do it. Normal skateboards also sell pretty well for us. Another reason behind the success is also the price. When compared to snowboarding, skateboarding and longboarding are significantly cheaper to do.

What is your best selling single at the moment and why? The Nitro Haze snowboard sells great for us, and it’s because our customers really appreciate the great style, price and quality built into the board

HELSINKI, FINLAND OPEN FOR: 15 YEARS WWW.UNIONFIVE.FI

What is your best selling category and why? This time of the year it’s beanies. They’re in a price range that doesn’t force the customer to think about the purchase decision too much, and everyone can wear them. Brand loyalty isn’t a big issue when people choose their beanies. Our overall bestselling category is shoes. Over 180 models on the wall, we offer the largest selection of skateshoes in town. Which upcoming brand would you like to stock in the future? I would like to see two brands in particular: Airblaster and Holden. Two technical outerwear companies that are setting trends instead of following them. What's your view on buying in-store compared to online? In-store you get personal customer service and you have the possibility to get all your questions regarding a product answered on the spot. But the biggest advantage when comparing with online shopping is that you can feel the product. It doesn’t matter how many photo angles of a jacket a webshop offers, you never really know how it’s going to fit on you personally until you try it on. This makes some products better suited for online shopping than others. The good thing, obviously, with online shopping is that you don’t have to leave home to make a purchase. And this is particularly great if you happen to live in a small town that doesn’t necessarily offer anything in your personal taste. The mighty Internet stocks pretty much everything, all just a click away. The smart storekeeper offers his/her stock online as well as in store, since it vastly expands the customer base. How confident are you for the coming winter? We attended the annual Finnish snowboarding tradeshow Board Expo in November and noticed a great interest in our brands and snowboarding in general, the scene feels very much alive over here.

LEUVEN, BELGIUM OPEN FOR: 25 YEARS TWITS@SKYNET.BE

Which upcoming brand would you like to stock in the future? I really like the stuff that Huf Skateboard Company are doing at the moment. What can brands improve on to support independent retailers? Brands need to start making a smaller division of their collection to make it more affordable and practical for smaller retailers to purchase. They could also do with sending us some more stickers out too. What's your view on buying in-store compared to online? The great thing about buying in-store is the advice that can be given. The warranty provided in-store is another huge bonus, but it’s also about the vibe. Skate shops are a place to chill out and hang. If we were all to buy online then all of this is going to be gone. How confident are you for the coming winter? We stock a large line of snowboarding gear as well as the skate and longboarding products, which makes us more attractive across the board. So I think we’re going to be alright. How do you decide on what products to buy for your store? Some of them have been in the shop for several years, such as Burton, Forum, Stepchild, Lib tech, Gnu and some of them we like because of a joint venture of material and design and atmosphere such as brands like Lobster, Weekend and YES. How important do you see trade shows such as ISPO and Snow Avant Premiere for retailers? We think they’re important because you get an idea of how the products flex or torsion is and how it looks up close and personal.

MENDRTISIO, SWITZERLAND OPEN FOR: 11 YEARS WWW.SPECIALBOARD.CH

What is your best selling category and why? Snowboards are our best selling category, and this is because I am a snowboarder and people feel my passion and can relate to it when buying a snowboard. Customers can buy online, but when it comes to gathering information on a product, nothing beats coming into the store for a chat about the product with someone who not only knows their stuff, but also loves what he does. Which upcoming brand would you like to stock in the future? Lobster snowboards are killing it at the moment. It seems everything the Helgasons put their name to is an instant success with their fans, which makes an exclusive product like theirs a must-have for all snowboard retailers. I love the Helgasons way of living and snowboarding! What can brands improve on to support independent retailers? In our shop we have a great relationship with the brands we stock, and in particular Karli Kriesi from Nitro. So, I guess this makes us lucky when looking at the complaints that other retailers have in our line of work. What's your view on buying in-store compared to online? Skateboarding and snowboarding are more than just a sport. A physical store doesn’t only sell sports hardware; they also sell the emotion of the salesperson. For me, online stores kill the love and emotion of our awesome sport. I remember being a kid and going to my local skate shops all the time; living and breathing the culture. Today kids see it everywhere and don’t live the lifestyle like we did. How confident are you for the coming winter? Here at SPECIALBOARD we’re pretty optimistic for the coming winter. It would obviously be great if it starts snowing soon. People only want to buy snowboard gear if the conditions are right, and from what I hear... snow is just around the corner!

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BEST SELLERS RETAILERS... WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE FEATURED IN BEST SELLERS? EMAIL HARRY@BOARDSPORTSOURCE.COM SNOW

SURF

CRAZY SPORTS LTD

SCS SURF SHOP

HARDCLOUD

What is your best selling single at the moment and why? Chuck Buddies… no just kidding. We have no major best selling product. We are a small shop and we don’t sell loads of the same product.

Which upcoming brand would you like to stock in the future? We think adidas Skateboarding is the future, and I’m happy to say we'll soon have them in stock.

What is your best selling single product at the moment and why? At the moment we’re selling a lot of hoodies and jackets. They’ll continue to be our best sellers throughout the winter.

ADELBODEN, SWITZERLAND OPEN: SINCE 1988 WWW.CRAZY-SPORTS.CH

What is your best selling category and why? It depends on the season, but right now it’s hardgoods, functional wear and accessories. Which upcoming brand would you like to stock in the future? I don’t know… is there an upcoming brand? What can brands improve on to support independent retailers? They could be loyal, and stay cool. But money rules the world and everybody wants a profit, so the brands use us small stores when they start out, and if they are popular, they will change to the bigger retailers. Welcome to the real world of business. What's your view on buying in-store compared to online? If someone wants to buy a product at the best price, they will shop online. But if someone wants to feel the emotion and real life of snowboarding, they will buy in-store. Online will kill us all. How confident are you for the coming winter? The coming winter will be a blast! In Switzerland we have a little problem with the exchange rate, but we just pray for snow: a lot of powder, so the business will be alright. If not - then there will be less shops in the market. How do you decide on what products to buy for your store? We usually go by what products we think will best suit out customers. We check out articles in magazines and of course trade shows like ISPO are a great insight for us. How important do you see trade shows such as ISPO and Snow Avant Premiere for retailers? ISPO is very important, but the problem is that the order deadlines of the producers and importers are earlier every year, which makes me think that ISPO should be one month earlier; like 10 - 15 January for example. Otherwise ISPO doesn’t make any sense for information. Instead it’s just a ‘party show.’ This is cool for most people, but not for the serious retailers!

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www.boardsportsource.com

SESIMBRA, PORTUGAL OPEN FOR: SIX YEARS WWW.SCS-SURFSHOP.COM

What can brands improve on to support independent retailers? When brands have their own stores open to the general public, be it physical or online stores, they could sometimes be more careful with price mark-up, in order to avoid unfair competition with their own clients (the independent retailers). What's your view on buying in-store compared to online? When buying in-store you have a big advantage: you can pick-up and feel the product you're buying; if the product is wearable you can try it on. However, it may be difficult to actually find the product you want. This is what's nice about buying online: you can browse many stores and find what you want without actually visiting many physical stores and wasting time. Also, the best deals are usually available online - having said this, if you don't know the store you're buying from, try to get some info beforehand, and confirm the store is trustworthy. How do you decide on what products to buy for your store? We try to offer medium to high-end products, so our clients have choice regarding quality and price. The range of products varies, and we usually experiment on a large number of different equipment; naturally, we then focus our stock on the best selling articles. In terms of clothing, shoes, etc, our focus is mainly on alternative, less well known brands. There are many stores selling the ‘big’ brands, and as such, SCS Surf Shop offers products and brands, which would be hard to find in other stores. There are some brands we sell that may be considered big, and within those we try to stock the less commercial products. How important do you see trade shows such as ISPO and Snow Avant Premiere for retailers? In our opinion, these trade shows are usually more important to brands and resellers than for small to medium sized retailers. However, for large retailers with 20+ stores, these shows may be very important in defining strategies for the upcoming season.

EAST WITTERING, UK OPEN FOR: SIX YEARS WWW.HARDCLOUD.COM

Which upcoming brand would you like to stock in the future? Captain Fin is a really cool brand, and have surfers like Scotty Stopnik, Alex Knost and Joel Tudor on their team. They’ve got some neat ideas and designs and they add to any stores’ image. What can brands improve on to support independent retailers? Just the usual really, they could do with delivering on time, answering their phones and emails more promptly. It would be good if they could stick to their roots more and stop supplying core product to department style retailers. What's your view on buying in store compared to online? Well, there’s obviously a better selection of products online and in my opinion nowadays 99% of service in store is terrible. This means stores need to train their staff better, and make sure they’re doing their best to keep customers coming through the door and not just buying online. Stores are the life and soul of boardsports, and they need to stay that way. How confident are you for the coming winter? To be totally honest, I’ve got every confidence that this season’s going to be a great one. How do you decide on what products to buy for your store? It’s all down to experience and knowing what your customers want. We talk to heaps of people to make sure we’ve got our finger on the button when it comes to new trends and fashions. Something else we find paramount in our decision making when choosing products is the product testing. How important do you see trade shows such as ISPO and Snow Avant Premiere for retailers? I think trade shows have no importance whatsoever; they’re completely irrelevant to us retailers.

curious science and anatomical facts! Your body is asymmetric front to back, your body is symmetric side to side. Snowboard turn mechanics are completely different on your toe side than heelside. The Asym Sym Sync takes the next re-evolutionary step to address this directly working in harmony with your body and ducked freestyle stances to balance asymmetry. Symmetric tip to tail like your body, asymmetric toe to heel like your body. Balance through asymmetry!

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NEW PRODUCTS 01.

02.

01. PULL-IN SIGNATURE SKIER BASE LAYER the under-garment specialists are celebrating a decade with an artist inspired base layer collection. Kevin Rolland, Xavier Bertoni, Julien Regnier and JP Auclair are the skiers charged with the design, and the range will be unveiled at ISPO. www.pull-in.com 02. PATAGONIA – BLACK HOLE PACK Patagonia are adding four new luggage types to their collection. The main compartment of the Black Hole Pack is designed to fit all your gear while protecting your laptop. This is an ultra durable carry sack for those on the go. www.patagonia.com/eu

03.

04.

03. VON ZIPPER - CLETUS ‘FROSTEEZ’ EDITION This stylish offering gives 100% UV protection, and with its nylon Grilamid frame it also presents the user with a fashionable and functional sunglass. They also have an impact resistant polycarbonate lens for extra durability. www.vonzipper.com 04. HOME - C-CLASS CLASSIC WATCH HOme describe this watch as ‘a classic in our own terms’ - the C-Class is the result of many conversations held within the company regarding what defines timelessness, and how to give it a personal touch. So, that’s what they did with the rubber-touch leather band and contrast colour second hands, which have been individually numbered for the user. www.whereishome.co.uk

05.

06.

05. NEFF HELGASONS SIGNATURE GLOVES Both Halldor and Eiki have their own version to boast, and both models have re-enforced palms, a special no-slip grip and a sturdy neoprene chassis. Sure to be a favourite with park kids. www.neffheadwear.com 06. TSG LOTUS PRO DESIGN AFM HELMET Anne-Flore Marxer’s just joined the TSG Protection team and has stamped her presence all over her new signature lid. It’s called the Lotus and features the TSG custom low and snug fit to cover like a ‘protective second skin’. Anatomically correct it smoothly curves around the cranium for a great fit and wearing comfort. www.ridetsg.com

07.

08.

07. VOELKL – FASTEC PRIME ALU BINDING The new, rotatable Asymmetric Pro-Highback and tool-free forward lean adjustment allows the rider to bone and tweak their legs easier than ever before. They’re not just great for jibbing and park, but for the backcountry as well. www.voekl.com 08. K2 MAYSIS SNOWBOARD BOOT The 2012/2013 K2 Maysis Boot shaved 12% off the weight from last year. You can still dial it in with the dependable Double Boa® system, with Boa®Conda™ and stomp it all with the Harshmellow™ comfort in the footbed, but now in feather weight feel with less fatigue. www. k2snowboarding.com

for more exiting new products visit : www.boardsportsource.com

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MARKET INTELLIGENCE

GERMANY

By Dirk Vogel

Love it or hate it, the financial future of the European Union will be determined to a large degree by its most stable economies, including Germany and France. Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy continue pushing for extensive fiscal reforms across the board, although other member states are already complaining about being pushed to the sidelines. Great Britain even vetoed reforms at a recent referendum, setting the stage for a major re-shuffling of European financial policies in 2012. German consumers are bracing for hard times, with 84% stating that the worst of the Euro crisis was yet to come in a December 2011 survey. While the German Council of Economic Experts predicted growth of Germany’s GDP by 1% in 2012, a survey by TNS Infratest agency saw 46% of German consumers fearing for the value of their money, with 33% having lost their faith in the stability of the Euro altogether. But here’s the surprising part: instead of holding on to their savings, German consumers continue spending their money! The German consumer climate climbed from 5.4 points in November to 5.6 points in December on the German Association for Consumer Research (GfK) scale. The agency expected sales volumes of €13.7 billion for Christmas presents, while the biggest trends included gift vouchers – at an expected €1.4 billion in value – and buying presents online (more on that later). Boardsports retailers and distributors confirmed the upward momentum in Christmas sales: “Here at 24/7 Distribution, we’ve been able to continuously grow our business since we started in 2005, also including Christmas business,” said Nils David Gebbers at 24/7 Distribution in Münster. Previous months had been difficult, said Jörg Ludewig, co-owner at Urban Supplies and Jefferson Distribution; “October and November did not go well, which is hard to explain. Maybe there was no money for skateboards in store budgets because of lacking turnover of winter goods. But December was back to normal.” SNOW: DIFFICULT START Unseasonably warm temperatures all the way into November and lack of snow at key resorts provided a difficult start into Winter 2011/2012 season. “The Fall/Winter business is taking off in a rather lacklustre fashion,” said Sven Eckert, owner at TX SPORTS GROUP in Nuremberg, adding that temperatures proved, “unfortunately way too warm and relatively little was going on in snow apparel.” The only companies that have fared well despite the un-seasonal weather are the ones offering both summer and winter gear, such as TSG protective wear, “We have not been hit that hard by the lack of snow because even during the Christmas season we are still seeing solid sales of our summer helmets,” said Nils David Gebbers at 24/7 Distribution. Asked about the strongest winter categories, Richie Löffler from Mantis Life Store in Hamburg said, “The biggest movers will be jackets, beanies and snow skates by Ambition.” Here’s another wildcard trend item for this winter: Bobski Sledges, a high-tech re-design of classic sledges, made in the UK. Pay attention, retailers; this could be the longboard craze of the snow segment, seriously! Sven at TX SPORTS pointed out an ongoing problem on the market; “Customers are bored by an overabundance of product and special price rates available online. All brands and product segments can be found in vast quantities on online sales platforms.” As a result, Sven plans to stop mid-season reorders in the future; “If there is no stock available from suppliers, it’s not that tragic because the store around the corner will have its shelves full… you can always get inventory.”

At 5ive stores based in Kempten, Bernhard Burger outlined the plans for this season, “We want to keep investing into our skate and snowboard teams, expand local events and organise a large number of parties. We also want to support our sales staff more intensely and improve our product presentation on a daily basis.” SKATE: ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE While snow retailers struggled, the warm weather proved a windfall for skate shops and many ended the year on a high note. “We had a couple of great days at a late time, where we moved hardware and summer products. Now it’s on to jackets, where Cleptomanicx, Element and TRAP are leading the pack,” said Richie Löffler, who also pointed out “thicker shoes and pants” as hot categories. Jörg at Urban Supplies said, “During the winter season, decks, trucks and completes continue to be the best categories, together with t-shirts in apparel.” Ludewig also notes a shift toward highend products at full price instead of cheap goods. At Search&Destroy skate shop in Berlin, Martin “Ente” Zierdt said, “For our relatively small store, we are pretty well-positioned in the winter segment with jackets and hats and we expect good sell-through overall.” Throughout the season, Ente plans to “reorder shoes and apparel and we will refill our line-up based on demand.” Asked about leading categories, Mehmet Aydin, co-owner of recently opened Boom! store in Bochum said, “The focus of demand for Winter will be functionality in the fashion apparel segment.” In terms of brands, Mehmet pointed out Nike 6.0 shoes, Brixton Headwear and apparel by Hurley (women) and Element (men). Ente in Berlin listed hardware by Radio, Mischief, Loveme, Real, and Anti Hero together with etnies, Lakai and DVS shoes and Cleptomanixc apparel. Richie confirmed a boost for Vans shoes. “In the wheels segment we are seeing Bones Wheels and Bones Bearings secure additional market shares despite their partially rather exclusive price positions. Fortunately, quality seems to win out in the end,” said Nils David Gebbers at 24/7 Distribution in Münster. Nils also reported great results from Osiris Footwear with a large variety of colours and styles. WORKING WITH CORE RETAIL Stationary retail continues to struggle for several reasons, said Jörg Ludewig; “Since the entry of large corporations, boardsports are not a homogenous market anymore. Buying a skateboard has become an almost emotion-free process for consumers increasingly done online, even if the local skate shop carries a good selection. This is why many stationary shops are increasingly struggling compared to mail order sellers, whose market shares are constantly growing.” Some independent stores complained about strained relationships with large brands, including Kay-Uwe Lorck at FU2 store in Leipzig. “On one hand, distributors need core shops to pump products into the market before they are ripe for mass distribution. On the other hand, they are lacking ideas for how to deal with core shops and work more intensively with them.” A select few brands are heeding the call and Richie Löffler listed Volcom as a positive example, “Their pre-order rebate rates are not only based on sales volumes, but also on the share that Volcom has in the overall sales of a store. This way, even small shops have a chance to get good percentages. People always say that core shops are important, but in the end only the big stores can get good permanent or pre-order rebates.” Asked about the New Year, Jörg Ludewig at Urban Supplies and Jefferson said; “We expect all the worries about the Euro to subside and the dollar to get cheaper again. Otherwise, I think the market will progress much like 2011 did compared to 2010 with moderate growth.” In closing, Sven at TX SPORTS wishes, “A great winter to everyone out there” and hopes everyone can “keep core retail alive, it is the backbone of this whored-out industry!”

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113

MARKET INTELLIGENCE

By Gordon Way, Ultra Sport

Starting to write this a little dirty whilst in Obertauern, Austria at the Smith Optics conference. I’ve never seen a resort like this at this time of year – for the last 15 years the resort has always been open by December 1 – but not this year! It looks more like Dartmoor in the summer without the little ponies. The only small white patches are from the snow cannons, but even they have not ‘joined up’. Nothing - not even one little flake – has actually fallen from the sky. The bottom line is that for 11 months, most of Europe has not had any useable snow apart from the glacier resorts.

are still outdoors and buying kit to make the most of the late winter. Hardware sales are healthy and board riders have been lucky enough to stretch autumn right up to Christmas. I am betting on good old English weather to deliver her finest this winter, with the heavy neoprene market likely to lift along with the snow outerwear sales later in the winter.” Phil continues very positively and maybe he has some inside knowledge about the weather; “In short, the snow will come and Mother Nature will deliver her finest chill to the UK. The UK Pound will hold fast against a wavering Euro. Those who are able to react at pace to the changing retail environment will benefit in the long run.”

Yet I am in a room full of optimists – it’s incredible. We face the vagaries of the weather. We face a market in the UK, in the EU and in the world in which there’s very little (nothing) we can do to control these elements. We’re Ian at Hardcloud, another onliner is also succinct and happy, "All good here. stuck with all our governments and their policies, with the bankers and the October and November are up on last year. December has started strongly, *ankers who aim to put things right. Around us is doom and gloom and yet so no complaints from me, but it's harder than before and you have to push I am in a room full of optimists. Is there something about our industry and super hard for sales all the time." But not all online stores are ‘having it our sports that keep us this way? I guess the away’ and one leading board reseller (Anon2) bottom line is that in the long term if Europe’s who has experienced month on month, year “IN SHORT, THE SNOW WILL COME mountains do not deliver what we need then on year growth since starting his business six AND MOTHER NATURE WILL DELIVER years ago stocked up this winter anticipating as human beings desiring our ‘fix’ we’ll head further a-field. Perhaps this is what we need the same growth but has found it’s not yet HER FINEST CHILL TO THE UK. THE to do with business – look further a-field. For materialised. “Yep, the pain is deep. We are sure doing the ‘same old same old’ is not an UK POUND WILL HOLD FAST AGAINST down big time. The season is picking up now option. Keeping optimistic, planning sensibly [early December] but it is way off last year. A WAVERING EURO. THOSE WHO but thinking differently surely has to be the Bring on the snow.” way. Thank goodness for optimists. ARE ABLE TO REACT AT PACE TO THE Jeremy Sladen from TSA, as always not one to Optimism is not just for us in the trade. Before heading for a warm Austria we held a film event CHANGING RETAIL ENVIRONMENT WILL mince his words, commented, “It’s shit - I had in London with Oxbow/TSA/Ellis Brigham and planned to be down but we’re below where I Yes Snowboards. It was a resounding success expected to be. Boots are about on par but you BENEFIT IN THE LONG RUN.” and the enthusiasm and optimism from the can tell from how busy our workshop is that public is still very much there. It is clear that the consumers want to people are shying away from buying boards. I hope that retailers can hold continue with their surf/snow/skate ‘fix’ – we just have to be ready for their nerve and not panic.” When asked about the future Sladen went on to them – and perhaps be creative with our offering. comment, “It’s interesting that the events we have run this year were all well attended – the consumer enthusiasm is there but they are scared to By the time you read this hopefully the weather will have turned and winter part with their money – and who can blame them! Bigger brands are being will be with us – snow is falling in Scotland as I finish up this article affected most, they’ve gone out for market share but now will pay the price Lesley from Slide was out skiing last Sunday (4th December) and countries with their brands being discounted the most.” like Finland have finally turned white, albeit six weeks later than normal. The forecast for the Alps is good and we just have to “hold our nerve” as Distributors of course share the pain. Damon Street (K2) was on his way two retailers commented to me. back from the Distributor Meeting in Obergurgl and had this to say, “Sure there has been a slower start to the season than normal and there have This month has been harder than most to get comments from retailers. been cancellations, but with retail sell through at a very steady pace and When the going gets tough not many want to talk about it but some are nervousness about Euro snowfalls it’s not surprising that retailers would prepared to comment and some are certainly bucking the trend of the high seek to mitigate some risk. Thankfully it was dumping outside my hotel street. Some are not. room yesterday, Solden just had 10 inches of fresh and I’ve just driven through a blizzard in Munich – so the signs are good!” An anonymous ‘Bricks n Mortar’ retailer from ‘up north’ commented, “We’re 5% down but our margins have also been hit – so it’s a double whammy Steve Newlands, Managing Director of AMG (Rossignol) confirmed, “The and we’ll need to cut the cloth to suit after Christmas – it sure ain’t gonna market is as bad as it has been for a long time. Whilst Rossignol is having get any better.” There were many such despondent comments but there are a renaissance, the sell-through is OK when compared to other brands, also some real positive stories to be found. Phil from Surf Dome has felt there is no doubt that after last years tough summer (2010), an OK winter the poor start to the winter season but still isn’t all doom and gloom; “There (2010/2011) and this summer being even tougher we now have to consider are growing sales to be found in high-end premium ticket products as more that Autumn 2011 has been a retail disaster. We need snow and plenty of it of those who are buying, are buying for quality and longevity. Leading the for a long time to give the retailers a chance to have a good sell-through." top-end are the core snow brands in particular as they’re often hard to find in store and often feature superior design and materials.” So here we are with warm temperatures in the UK, late snowfall in the Alps (although it is coming), everyone in the UK and beyond fearful for their jobs Phil is sure that those retailers who hold their nerve could benefit from the and yet you can, if you look hard, find optimism. Let’s hope the optimists tail end of the season and, always seeing the positive side, is more than are proved right. happy that the surfers are still finding their way to the water, “Consumers

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MARKET INTELLIGENCE

FRANCE

With whispers of a major economic dislocation in Europe – and perhaps throughout the rest of the World, keeping many of us on our toes – murmurs of recovery and positive signs of possible growth are also on the horizon. Irrespective of the economy in general, there are great things happening in the skate scene within the French borders. The owner of Mojito Skateshop in Reims identifies Antiz as being the hottest selling skate brands for him this year (and big ups, boys, for swiping Dominik Dietrich off Zero!). However, in the lead up to Christmas he’s been feeling the sales go cold as the weather has swept in and frosted over the skateparks. In terms of skate product categories, hardgoods is still unanimously the best performer; Anto from Chaka Wheels says his sales are up from 2010 (although he fears that there may currently be a drop in skater numbers, “I have the feeling that there are less skateboard followers, but more of the "trotinette" (scooter) followers.” No matter how many there actually are, it always feels like there are too many of those little things buzzing around! Alexis Papadopoulos of Nozbone skateshop in Paris explained, “The crisis makes people concentrate on 'necessary' products. I mean skaters will mainly buy hardware and shoes to be able to skate.” Footwear also came in as a strong performer, with some shops stating it as the most productive category in terms of turnover; unanimously, apparel was confirmed as slow but improving. Looking into 2012, Jean-Marc from V7 Distribution offers. “In a market that is more and more dominated by price point products, I think it’s important to push and educate the consumers on the real brands, the pros and videos, etc… Price point decks won’t bring us anything. Also educate the skaters on all the new deck technologies that really add value to the decks.” The view from the mountains at the end of the autumn is that the French snowboarding market is a mixed bag. While the mild weather in September made people think more about surfing and skating than snowboarding, the month of October didn't go too badly. "With all the videos that are coming out and the magazines publishing their tests, enthusiasts were passing through the shops and choosing their equipment." These are the thoughts of Pierre Charles of Namasté Annemasse as well as of Timothée from All Bros in Toulouse. Loyal customers were also ordering on the Internet as seen by Hawaii Surf who had a big boost to their October in equipment sales along with their technical textiles. After these first purchases from clued up, reliable customers, the shops were counting on the cold, the snow and the resorts opening to carry the torch into November. But this year, with the persistent mild weather and the snow that left us wanting, the optimism of October fell away rapidly. Timothée from All Bros in Toulouse posted a decline of 30% on last November "with an even worse dip when the Pyrenees resorts pushed back their opening days." Luckily, December has lifted retailers' morale slightly with abundant snowfalls creating a favourable climate... Ride and Style in Val Thorens, is declaring a pretty alright December, as is Olivier from Addicted Lyon, who took the opportunity to mention a change in customer behaviour. "Before we mostly sold really all-round boards like the Burton Custom. This year clients are asking for really playful freestyle boards with reverse or flat camber to have fun in the park or on the flat with. They mostly want really playful, accessible boards." We can see the same trend at Hawaii Surf and Cédric, head of action sports, puts forward another explanation: "Customers are also seeking out the less expensive boards and people are really starting to count their pennies. That

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By Iker Aguirre, Lucy Paltz, Luke van Unen.

means they are looking for a nice board with unbeatable quality/price ratio. These boards meet their demands: they are easy to ride and are also really versatile." Laurent at Ride and Style in Val Thorens notes a lively buzz around Lib Tech while Timothée from All Bros is selling lots of DC. Burton, Salomon, Nitro are also well positioned. In outerwear, consumers are giving in to bright, blocky colours with a really wholesome pinch of Picture in most of the shops that distribute this small French brand. The style, cut and the technical properties are definitely counting towards their success but the main appeal of Picture is their excellent quality/price ratio. Exactly what the customer wants. At Source our readers often grill us for being too optimistic. Retailers and members of the industry alike deplore our 'politically correct' tone, to which our reply would be it's not a question of saccharine laced reality but of giving a more positive angle on an economic environment that is already depressing enough as it is right now. You just have to watch the news to witness it. Nothing good, or hope inspiring is ever newsworthy. How would you prefer to get out of it? At Source, we always find a way of believing because that's the only way we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and not focus on the darkness that surrounds us. However, if you like bad news, you are in for a treat. The lack of snow has brought the country into a frenetic period of commercial chaos, leading too many brands (snowboard and ski hardware and clothing) into a whirlpool of slashed prices. The snow has come in December in a big way just in time for Christmas but the evils of impatience have already been endured. In November, between 2 to 4 weeks before resorts opened, you could buy any kind of product, hardware or clothing and popular brands, at half price. We understand the economic pressures and the need to survive etc but hey, we're shooting ourselves in the foot. With the snow just a few weeks late and a bit of warmth, here we are running like rats from a sinking ship. We don't hold ourselves up as preachers, everyone has their place and we at Source pretend to be no better than anyone else. We are simply pointing out that these hasty sales will have an effect on all the subsequent sales of the season to come, condemning the surf, skate and snowboard brands to a dodgy season. By pushing our prices down, we are dragging the whole industry down too. That's not how we are going to survive the crisis... The bad news is stacking up; the headquarters of Channel Islands and Analog in Hossegor announced its closure for economic reasons around 3 years after opening. It would seem that the shaping workshop will be taken over by one of the big European shaping companies but as this news reaches us through the can and string, we shan't expand on the subject. Although this thing is bigger than us, we cannot give in to pessimism and we ought to point out that there are some positive signs within the market. Hoff, one year after its' takeover, posted a really encouraging end of year report and new owner Marc Farhat is staying optimistic about the development of his company and the reinforcement of the competition, insisting particularly on the importance of his own brands and certain segments such as longboard skateboarding and the creation of an outdoor department. As for the Quiksilver group, they are reporting encouraging results, which is great news for the industry as a whole that needs its strongest leaders to fulfil their role as locomotives. The group's news doesn't stop there though as the brand also celebrated the opening of its first Mountain Boardriding Shop in Chamonix last December.

MARKET INTELLIGENCE SPAIN By Asier Zabarte The last two months of 2011 have been unusually warm; almost like a prelude to a change that might be approaching. The rate of unemployment reached 21.5% during November, which means about 4 million people are without a salary and annual inflation is over 3%. During this month, the INE data showed 60,000 people were newly unemployed (80% belong to the tertiary sector), which is twice as big as the same month last year. Meanwhile the change, which most retailers are hoping for depends on the market’s behaviour, but no one knows how the hell it’s going to happen! At the moment, the most meaningful change seems to be the preChristmas governmental elections. Spanish citizens voted for the right wing on November 11, whose first proposal is to be based on dourness. Experts say that it will be accompanied by an increase in VAT, which was established at 18% in July 2010. So if Christmas used to be an enhancer period for commerce, nowadays our retailers are more afraid than ever of any carelessness in their expectations, in fact, expectations have become the core of many strategic decisions that are taken by retailers. Kike Panera from Styling, a surf, snow and skate company with seven stores distributed in the north of the territory, gave us a general view of the scene and some strategic betting, “The lack of snow is having a 50% drop in sales of snow hardgoods, and the excess of sales during the year generates big problems in terms of profitability that undermines the ability of business. With regard to clothing, sales decline from 2010 was 10%. Surf hardgoods are held in terms of sales compared to last year while the hard material of skate increased sales by around 10%. Right now we are investing in recovering our essence as the new company which manufactures surfboards, and we are launching a bid to be among the best core brands in the market.” On the other hand, the Penibetic System to which Sierra Nevada belongs is – in mid December - the most unique place in the whole country that has been touched by the white stuff. With more than half of their pistes open, the snow station has received a quota of non-regular visitors, which has helped to reach sales and rental expectations. Elena Cuñat, manager of Monitor Tecno, a Snow retailer of the area told us about the beginning of the 2011 winter campaign. “Things have been going well the last two years due to the presence of snow, and even though we have not had such a good beginning to the season, because we’ve been the only place with snow has helped sales to increase by 10% in both hard and soft goods, when compared to last year.” So, even though we’ve come to a fork in the road where many people were starting to believe that only the big retailers will survive, we can see that with some key ingredients such as; adaptability, flexibility and of course a bit of luck, smaller retailers can keep their foot in the ladder. There are always some cases that make us think that a well-focused business can afford this period of uncertainty. Muskaria, a recently opened Surf Shop in Zarautz, is doing really well. After intense market research and a happy, shared vision of surf, they have found their niche with classic and retro handmade shapes, as well as high quality and eco-friendly apparel based on comfort and durability, which makes the product more worthwhile and appealing to the customer.

ITALY By Franz Hoeller It’s over. Berlusconi has left the field. All his efforts to create a serious saving plan and drive Italy out of the debt crisis have failed. Our new Prime Minister is Mr. Mario Monti. Monti, with the help of a government made up of expert economists, will try to steer Italy in the right direction to reduce debts and to focus on economic growth over the next couple of years. This is what the European Union demands and this is what must be done to rescue the Euro as a currency and Italy as a healthy state. The new government has already made their first decisions and this means that every Italian citizen is having to shoulder an increase in costs like tax and petrol, to name two. Hopefully there will also be some actions to encourage economic growth, as this is what is needed if we want to be successful in the long term. For the

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time being, nobody knows how this will affect our economy, but for me, the distinct smell of crisis is in the air again. Winter business should be in full swing right now as we write in the first week of December, but the temperatures are unseasonably warm and no snow has fallen as yet. The consequences are clear, bad sell-through on heavy jackets, snowboard and ski gear. Hopefully, the weather will get into full winter mode soon and get the gear shifted before winter sales start. Talking about sales, a lot of stores start their sales just a few days after Christmas and advertise their winter sales through out December. This keeps some customers from buying in December because they want to wait for the sales. Overall, the boardsport industry during the last quarter has been complaining about bad-sell through on snow-based gear and streetwear. Two weeks before Christmas, the shops are still pretty packed with product and worried how to handle all their payments. The more underground labels are on trend this winter, as kids try to create their own style with the lesser-known brands. An exception is Nike, as their boots are really popular. On the skiers’ side, more and more older snowboarders are moving back, or on to, skiing. Rocker skis are being advertised everywhere and the sport is cool again. All the collaborations in the shops right now are pretty successful as they are fresh product category. When it comes to footwear, nearly every skate shoe company is now offering a winter and waterproof shoe or even a full line like DVS SHOES or Supra with the Skyboot. This diversification seems to be a winner. Distributors confirm re-orders are performing well in comparison to the regularly offered shoes. Italy seems to have become a hotspot for snow parks! F-tech Snow Park Construction from the north of Italy is doing a great job building high quality parks, worth checking out if you’re around. To keep you updated on the snowboard riders, you should know Manuel Pietropoli is no longer riding for Burton, but has changed to DC and Union bindings and Simon Gruber; one of our hottest exports is now training for the Olympic Games. Rock on guys. Last but not least, a streetwear trend update for these cold winter days that honestly could be colder: to be a real trend setter in Italy right now you should wear a Pea Coat or a Parka Jacket in an unusual colour, a flannel shirt under it, a nice washed jean or chino even if it’s cold, combined with some good leather boots and please don’t forget the Ray Ban style glasses with clear glass! That’s all for this issue, go out and have fun.

AUSTRIA By Michael Reinwald Christmas business finally gained some momentum on the season’s second Saturday. Nevertheless retailers across Austria are complaining about the lack of snow, and in particular sports equipment is collecting dust on the shelves. Apparel retailers are also feeling the sting from the weather, and many chains are already launching their first sale period. “It’s pretty much become established practice for winter sales to begin before the season has even really begun,” commented Roman Seeliger of the Trade Department of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ). The industry tends to bank on sales initiatives whenever it needs to spark purchasing activity. Additionally, Austrian sports retailers are dealing with the overdistribution of large brands, which have started to over-saturate the market. But let’s focus on what’s new for this issue. At Pipeline store, accessories such as beanies, gloves, belts and t-shirts have been selling well. The store banks less on hardware than on fashionable products. Right now, it’s less about pushing distinct brands, than a certain look. Timeless items such as the products that Element produce have been good sellers. Carmelo is counting on personal affections: “People need and want emotions in these times of crisis, they want uplifting feelings. Shops should sell emotions, not brands, because the customers can get those online anyhow.” At Altons Skatehouse in Feldkirch, the kick-off to the season was rather slow. But when snow arrived in early December, product also started moving, especially street wear, shoes, accessories and tops by Volcom and DC. In the hardware segment, Forum and Special Blend brought good results. Tigas Base in St. Johann reported slightly lower sales than last year.

MARKET INTELLIGENCE AUSTRIA cont... But considering the fact that snow had only been around for a week, results were okay. Outerwear was much better, but hardware was yet to get going. Tiga was especially pleased to see some freeski riders get back into snowboarding. Due to the late season kick-off, Surfers Paradise Store in St. Anton had yet to see tourists. But the locals had already been stocking up on products. Wayne Supa was very pleased with results by Nitro, Ride, Rome, Libtech and 686. In Salzburg, October brought moderate results thanks to some snowfall, but since then, things have slowed down considerably, said Bernie at Seidl Boardshop. His customer base has become even more demanding and difficult, he said, and he gets the impression that trends are no longer set by brands, but by the customers. Hardware is selling satisfactorily across the board, split boards are going well and Burton and Nitro are selling because they are classic brands. In Vienna, skate and sneaker store Stil-Laden reported different results. From their perspective, the weather was great and they were even able to compensate for some of the negative back to school season. They are getting good results with smaller brands and niche brands, from customers hoping for individuality. Sneakers are trending towards a plain look with hidden technical features. Nike SB performed well with three models (Koston, Salazar and Rodriguez) featuring Lunarlon impact cushioning developed for running shoes. Vans have also added impact protection in their core line while maintaining their classic look, while also launching the Weather Edition for winter-ready shoes that have also sold very well. The trend seems headed from low-cuts to mid-tops, but that might be seasonal. In the skateboard segment, European brands such as Palace and Magenta are selling well next to the big players. Pauli is concerned about the mixture between lifestyle and fashion, which is making things harder for core shops. At the same time, Stil-Laden has seen great progress with their own branded products, especially clothing and boards. Generally, kids these days don’t care about soccer and tennis – they are more focussed on action sports. And that is good news for our industry...

SWITZERLAND By Fabien Grisel At the risk of repeating myself, 2011 is now officially a year to put behind us as quickly as possible. The Franc crisis, the drop in consumer motivation and most of all the weather, which was catastrophic in each part of the year. As in previous months, weather conditions during the last quarter will have been exactly the opposite of what shops require to make sales. Switzerland endured a drought during the exact period when snowboard equipment was supposed to be selling. According to MeteoSuisse, this lack of precipitation is the second worst on record since 1921. From January until November, only 60% of the normal amount of rain fell. The months between September and November seemed more like summer, I think it reached December 10th before a jacket was really needed to go out in during the day. In Säntis (2502m) in the Appenzell canton, not even one cm of snow fell in the whole of November, which is a first since records began in 1931, with 100% sunshine for 24 days in a row. It seems obvious that these kinds of figures would have an effect on the need to equip oneself for winter and so equipment has piled up on the shelves. This problem was first felt by shops in the valleys and while October was saved by prompt purchases from the real addicts of equipment and of our sport, the more 'mainstream' month of November is largely dependent on the cold and bad weather and so proved to be disastrous. The outerwear segment seemed to be struck even harder by a dire rate of sale. Specialists seemed to have sold hardgoods relatively steadily while the coat hangers were still way too full of jackets and pants for the end of November. This tendency extends through all towns, all shops and applies to all brands. It should also be highlighted that a peripheral lack of motivation is in a large part responsible for the decline. Uncertainty for the future, lack of buying power, fears over a looming recession are also influencing factors on the desire to consume. The media is taking more and more sadistic

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pleasure in giving the Swiss cause for complaint and are twisting the knife by showing shock photos of resorts without a speck of snow at the start of December. Blaise Krummenacher from RS Equipment in Morgins remarked that the newspapers would go all out to show pictures of green pastures when there is no snow but no one would photograph a nice wintry panorama on the day that it snows 40cm of fresh. (Yes on the day I'm writing this, it has just put down a nice little layer at last). We understand the frustration and annoyance that this causes shopkeepers in our field who are already coming out of a difficult 2010/2011 season. All that remains then is to see how outlets in towns will sell for the holiday season and how the season will pan out for shops in the mountains. But what is certain is that the figures that were lost in October and November cannot be recovered.

RUSSIA By Yuri Kolobov It doesn’t feel like Christmas in Moscow this December. There is not much snow and a lot of nervousness around. Putin’s party Edinaya Rossya – or EdRo as they’ve become better known – won the elections again. Like many times before, they had to fake some votes to make their presence in parliament solid. Who could imagine that all of a sudden this minor accident will draw tens of thousands people to the streets protesting against the regime violence? Is it the start of a Russian revolution? It definitely is. In some way or another, this will lead to significant changes in the Russian political setup. Maybe this will take a few months, maybe years... who knows. The only thing that is absolutely clear, Russia will never be the same. That’s for sure. Most Russians are happy about the upcoming political changes, but not many appreciate the climate change. We have always liked winter here; 2010 gave a little hope – the winter was consistent and snowy last year, and it looks like this season will be similar. One thing which makes this year a bit better is that in some areas (Urals, some parts of Siberia, Caucasus) snow arrived early and the weather was quite cold. The worst situation is now in St Petersburg; due to Southern winds, it is extremely warm in the north of Russia and the south of Finland up until the time of writing. Many of the Finnish resorts are closed, which is having a big impact to the snow business in this area. Dealers are cutting their orders and praying for snow before the New Year. Christmas is the key time for retail and if things stay the way they are at the moment; the avalanche of discounts will start in the next few days. Discounts are the biggest issue in retail this year; many companies started discounts as early as September. Sportmaster, in order to gain extra market share, decided to start the season with a 20% discount on all hard goods. The reasoning behind this was to generate extra sales at the beginning of the season in order to avoid the usual 50% after season discount rate. Amazingly this didn’t help much. This is the trend now; if there is no need for a particular product, people don’t shop at all, regardless of the price level. On the other hand, some stores show phenomenal results even with such a tough start to the season. Trajectoria are doing extremely well in their new store in Moscow. Forum store is showing some good numbers in Ekaterinburg, Streetlab and Kant are doing decent sales in Samara. It’s good to see increasing activity from Burton and Quiksilver in building snow parks. A few are already functioning in the central part of the country. Most of the locations for the parks are chosen close to or inside big cities to make it accessible for younger kids. Besides building parks, Burton announced a series called 13 Parks. Quik is planning a snow camp in Sochi, but it isn’t confirmed yet. Speaking of Sochi, things are picking up there and the first results can now be seen. The other interesting resort project is Arhyz, which is situated very close to Sochi and will be the biggest and the most advanced resort in Russia after completion. To finish with I want to say Happy New year to all and I wish you a cold and snowy season!

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OPPORTUNITIES We are an international active Distributor and are exclusively selling and distributing the brand Carhartt in Europe, Australia and parts of Asia. Presently we are in search of candidates for our HQ in Weil/Rhine (Basel) as:

E-Commerce Merchandiser (m/f) Your Responsibilities: ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§

Compilation and maintenance of seasonal catalogue Maintenance of master data (product and customer data) Continuous optimisation of the onsite marketing tool â&#x20AC;&#x17E;Fact-Finder" Coordination, designing and maintenance of teaser areas Preparation and analysis of sales data Providing support for purchase and inventory management Coordination/supervision of external marketing agencies

Your Profile: ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§ ď&#x201A;§

Training in a technical, commercial or media profession 2-3 years job relevant experience Familiarity with the textile industry Experience in dealing with webshop and/or product information systems Good knowledge of MS Office environment Working independently and with a structured approach

If you are connected to street culture and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many facets send us your application with salary demands and availability. Furthermore you should be business fluent in spoken and written German and English (French beneficial). Work in Progress Textilhandels GmbH -Human ResourcesHegenheimer Strasse 16 D-79576 Weil am Rhein job@carhartt-wip.com

X-Treme Video, GoPro exclusive distributor in France is looking for a Merchandising Manager

APPAREL & FOOTWEAR

EUROPEAN DISTRIBUTORS WANTED

Reporting to the marketing department, she/ he will have to work in coordination with sales management. Job functions: â&#x20AC;˘ Develop and implement Trade Marketing operations with key accounts in order to increase product turn over. â&#x20AC;˘ Develop Trade Marketing operations for our retail network, train the sales force and ensure proper implementation of operational strategies. Long â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Term contract. Based at the head office in Biarritz, Fluent French is required.

Please Â contact Â us Â for Â more Â information: Send resume and motivations at peter@x-tremevideo.com

+44 Â (0) Â 1202 Â 338500

IRONFIST.CO.UK

For the very latest distribution offers goto:www.boardsportsource.com

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EVENTS SURF SKATE SNOW TRADE

FEBRUARY/FEVRIER/FEBRUAR 29-1 ISPO MUNICH GERMANY TRADE WWW.ISPO.COM 1-29 MAGIC LAS VEAGS USA TRADE WWW.MAGICONLINE.COM 2-4,

ISPO ON SNOW DEMO

HINTERTUX GLACIER

AUSTRIA

SNOW/TRADE

WWW.ISPO.COM

2-4

BILLABONG AIR & STYLE

INNSBRUCK

AUSTRIA

SNOW

WWW.TTRWORLDTOUR.COM

4-7 THE LEDGE LONDON UK TRADE WWW.LONDONEDGE.COM 5-6 SNOW AVANT PREMIERE PEYRAGUDES FRANCE TRADE WWW.SPORTAIR.FR 5-7 BASE WORKSHOP BIARRITZ FRANCE TRADE WWW.BASE-WORKSHOP.FR 6-8 BAW TOUR READING UK SNOW SAM@NOBLECUSTOM.CO.UK 9-10 ROXY SNOW PRO SAALBACK/HINTERGLEMM AUSTRIA SNOW WWW.TTRWORLDTOUR.COM 10-19

WORLD SNOWBOARDING CHAMPS OSLO NORWAY SNOW WWW.TTRWORLDTOUR.COM

12-14 SLIDE TELFORD UK TRADE WWW.SLIDEUK.CO.UK 19 VANS BONDI BOWL SYDNEY AUSTRALIA SKATE WWW.WCSK8.COM 21-24 BURN RIVER JUMP LIVIGNO ITALY SNOW WWW.TTRWORLDTOUR.COM 25-7 QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST AUSTRALIA SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM 25-3 BURTON EUROPEAN OPEN LAAX SWITZERLAND SNOW WWW.TTRWORLDTOUR.COM

MARCH/MARS/MÄRZ 1-4 NESCAFE CHAMPIONSHIPS LEVSIN SWITZERLAND SNOW WWW.TTRWORLDTOUR.COM 2-4 SPORT-ACHAT WINTER LYON FRANCE TRADE WWW.SPORT-ACHAT.FR 5-11

BURTON US OPEN

STRATTON MOUNTAIN

USA

SNOW

WWW.OPENSNOWBOARDING;COM

14-16

WINTER X GAMES EUROPE

TIGNES

FRANCE

SNOW

WWW.WINTERXGAMESEUROPE.CANALPLUS.FR

17-24

WANGL TANGL

MAYRHOFEN

AUSTRIA

SNOW

WWW.WANGLTANGL.COM

28-30 QUIKSILVER SPRING BATTLE FLCHAUWINKL AUSTRIA SNOW WWW.TTRWORLDTOUR.COM 28-1 CATFIGHT LEVI FINLAND SNOW WWW.TTRWORLDTOUR.COM

APRIL/AVRIL/APRIL 1-9

ULTIMATE BOARDERMEN’S

VARIOUS SPOTS, CA

SNOW & SKATE

WWW.WCSK8.COM

2-12

USASA NATIONALS

COPPER MOUNTAIN COLORADO USA

USA

SNOW

WWW.TTRWORLDTOUR.COM

3-14

RIP CURL PRO

BELLS BEACH

SURF

WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM

11-15

PROTEST WORLD ROOKIE FEST FINALS ISCHGL AUSTRIA SNOW WWW.WORLDSNOWBOARDFEDERATION.ORG

AUSTRALIA

29-2 ASIAN X GAMES SHANGHAI CHINA SKATE WWW.WCSK8.COM

MAY/MAI/MAI 9-20 BILLABONG PRO RIO DE JANEIRO BRAZIL SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM 20-21

ORANGE PRO TEC POOL PARTY

USA

SKATE

WWW.WCSK8.COM

JUNE/JUIN/JUNI 3-15 VOLCOM FIJI PRO TAVARUA/NAMOTU FIJI SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM 23-26 ORANGE FREESTYLE CUP MARSEILLE FRANCE SKATE WW.WCSK8.COM

JULY/JUILLET/JULI 11-21

BILLABONG PRO

JEFFREYS BAY

SOUTH AFRICA

SURF

WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM

20-24

DEX TOUR #1 OCEAN CITY

USA

SKATE

WWW.WCSK8.COM

28-31 X GAMES 17 LA USA SKATE WWW.WCSK8.COM

AUGUST/AOUT/AUGUST 11-21

BILLABONG PRO

JEFFREYS BAY

SOUTH AFRICA

SURF

WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM

11-14 DEW TOUR #2 PORTLAND, OR USA SKATE WWW.WCSK8.COM 16-17 FRENCH POLYNESIA BILLABONG PRO TEAHUPOO TAIARAPU SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM 26-28 AIR ATTACK ANTWERP BELGIUM SKATE WWW.WCSK8.COM

ALL THE LATEST EVENTS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE - WWW.BOARDSPORTSOURCE.COM 124.

www.boardsportsource.com

Pu Sp no rcha ec w s ww to e y ial *O sa ou o ffe rv w ve r t ff al id .is fo ro p up icke er o nl in . ! e t t pu co rc m o 4 onli ha se 8 n / s un ti ck %* e til 04 et : .0 1. 20

ISPO MUNICH, January 29 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; February 1, 2012. Connecting Sports Business Professionals. Connect with Sport Business Professionals from around the world at ISPO MUNICH 2012. It is the leading platform for Sports Business Professionals and the only multi-segment trade fair of its kind. Discover innovative products, learn about new brands and make valuable contacts with thousands of like-minded Action Sports professionals.

ONE EYED MONSTER 57

NORTH FACE STORE OPENING, ST LARY, HAUTES-PYRÉNÉES, FRANCE

ROCK-ON SNOWBOARD TOUR

WORLD SNOWBOARD DAY 2011

30 people learned to RIDE at Mt St Louis Moonstone on World Snowboard day...here's some of the group

World Snowboard Day in Crested Butte, Colorado U.S

WSD in Margeriaz, FRANCE

Antti Autti's WSD took place in Revelstoke British Coumbia

Blue Tomato in Snowpark Stuhleck, AUSTRIA

NItro Kids Camp al Monte Bondone ITALIA

Northstar California Resort

Snowpark Białka, Carpates (POLAND)

Sunshine Village

World Snowboard DAY 2011 with BusRiders Montpellier

World Snowboard Day Budapest, presented by Burn, photos by Precíz

126.

www.boardsportsource.com

RideR Anne-Flore MArxer photo cArlos BlAncHArd

// RIDETSG.CoM/ANNE-FLoRE_MARXER

WELCOME.AFM! Anne-Flore MArxer trusts tsG Protection! Check out the TSG helmet and protector line specially for women. AFM Pro Model helmet is coming in fall 2012. Preview it At isPo. HAll A1 i BootH 300.

TEAM SNOW Elias Elhardt – Gian Simmen – Anne-Flore Marxer – Silvia Mittermüller – Benedikt Mayr – Caja Schöpf

HTTP://RIDETSG.COM

See the

Visit us at ISPO Hall: A1 Booth: 210

VANS BUILDS OUTERWEAR DEDICATED TO THE RIDERS - WHETHER YOUR TERRAIN IS THE INNER CITY, THE PARK OR BACKCOUNTRY. OUR SNOWBOARD TEAM RIDERS TEST EACH GARMENT ENSURING THAT EACH PIECE PERFORMS ABOVE EXPECTATIONS. TYLER WEARS THE RIDGE INSULATED JACKET IN PORT ROYAL / PIRATE BLACK / GREEN ASH. WITH MORE THAN 45 YEARS OF ORIGINALITY, WE DELIVER A SNOW APPAREL LINE INSPIRED BY VANS’ SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SKATE HERITAGE.

CHECK OUT TYLER IN PIRATE MOVIE PRODUCTION’S “BOTTOM LINE”.