Outdoor Retailer 2011

On Snow Demo-Solitude Ski Resort-I woke up on Soldier Summit in my rack mount camper to a raging blizzard and the only thing I was excited about my first trade show as a newer professional photographer was the skiing quality and new gear I was to try.  Sure enough, there was 8″ of powder covering a recently destroyed snowpack from rain the previous few days.

I immediately gravitated towards the end of the ski equipment booths were to see the products in the Dynafit and Black Diamond booths.  As expected these were the most popular booths but I managed a pair of Dynafit TLT-5 boots and Stoke skis.  Considering how much Rando Racing I have been covering lately, I really wanted to check out some of the lighter weight gear.  The boots are feather light two buckle works of art.  Single closure for top buckle and to close hiking mode.  What is most noticeable from a skiing standpoint is the compact forward ready position these boots put you in.  I skied the Stokes and the Race Performance skis on the TLT-5′s and both skied cut the rug like a pair of hockey skates, especially the Racing skis.  I now understand what the racers are doing on these setups and saying about their performance.

From Dynafit I moved into the Scarpa Maestrale AT boots for testing some of the bigger skis.  The Alpine Axial closure was immediately noticed; essentially a hinged tongue that rotates open for easy in and out and better volume adjustment.   True to their description, these boots weigh a fraction of my older Lowa Strukturra Pro’s.  Chris then got me on to some wider Trab’s that had twice the perceived density given the incredible light weight.  The Trab’s skied like a much heavier and stable ski for its lightness.

There was a big crowd checking out the new La Sportiva ski line, a line based heavily on ski mountaineering.  The fattest ski is light, nimble and even sports a square tail for using in mountaineering anchors.  The other two skis are designed for traditional euro-style lighter weight alpine ski touring and another for Rando Racing.  The line feature an integrated skins line similar to what you see in K2 products.

I found myself back at the Dynafit booth to try out their stiffer boots and to my luck I got in a pair of the new Titans.  With a 130 flex, traditional four buckle system and super light weigh in, I was ready for anything.  The time may have come when you no longer need to keep a pair of traditional alpine boots around anymore.

My timing turned out to not work out for testing the new Black Diamond skis.  It could have been the constant swarm of people all positioning themselves to be next in line to grab a pair of new Megawatts or even Gigawatts!  This was by far the most crowded booth at the on snow demo.  From what I could see the new line has been completely redesigned using some of the success they have had in the Megawatt shape.  The bigger skis all featured the early rise tips and somewhat flat camber with the biggest change being the new tips are much more tapered than the previous Megawatt mega-tip.  Hopefully I will get on a pair at the SIA trade show this weekend in Winter Park.

The rest of the day was spent chit-chatting with the various vendors about the snow, new products and making arrangements to come to the trade show booths to follow up and exchange ideas.  One of the more unique products at the on snow demo were the ski bikes.  There were several variations; some with tires and some with mini snowboards.  Everyone wanted to ride them and there was a demo by a pro rider from europe where there are full on slope-style and pipe competitions.  I guess we’ll see how the American legal system accepts this.

Outdoor Retailer Floor Show-The floor of the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market trade show is something to behold.  With net-sold square feet for Winter Market 2011 at 349,950 this was the largest footprint for the show in history.  OR comes during a heavy buying period for the following winter season and the show is set up for buyers to come, inspect the new product lines and place their orders.  The show is also for networking; most maintain old relationships that have grown over the years but also make new connections.  The atmosphere is alive with excitement as all of the designers, athletes, buyers, CEO’s all mingle together under one roof.

Some of the booths themselves are mini trade shows.  Big companies like The North Face and Patagonia erect grand structures ranging greatly from mall-like showrooms to recycled pallets.  Some of the creativity put into the booth construction is worth seeing if nothing else.  But oh is there else to see.

With new products at every turn it would take a lifetime to review and talk about every one but there were definite stand outs.  I saw and talked about;  heated clothing, padded socks, avalanche backpacks that work like an airbag, sleeping bags that wick away and soak up moisture, socks and shoes with toes in them, ultra ultra light ski racing equipment,  custom clothing, distilled rum, water bottles that you can put your own picture on, recycled wet suit coozies, fat skis, skinny skis, etc, etc.

I walked the floor for two days meeting and greeting who I could to establish a new relationship.  I’m looking forward to following up with everyone after the show to discuss the seasons ahead of product testing, review and shooting for the Mountain Weekly News and Crested Butte Photography.

January 27, 2011 | Categories: Product Reviews, Product Shoots, Ski 2010-11, Winter 2010-11 | Tags: backcountry skiing, new products, outdoor retailer, powder, product shoot, product test, rando racing, toyota tacoma, winter storms | 1 Comment »