skis, boots & bindings issue 1609 | february 29, 2016 …€¦ · skis, boots & bindings...
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Skis, Boots & Bindings ISSUE 1609 | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
The Weekly Digital Magazine for the Active Lifestyle Market
Editorial DirectorDavid Clucas
Senior Business EditorThomas J. Ryan
Associate Editor | Sports & Fitness EditorJahla Seppanen
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Contributing EditorCharlie Lunan
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Art DirectorChris Loving-Campos
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The Weekly Digital Magazine for the Active Lifestyle Market
Skis, Boots & BindingsISSUE 1609 | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
INDUSTRY EVENT | BIKE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2016
9 Cycling's Women to Watch Shake Up the Bike World
11 OIWC and BPSA Award Top-Tier Female Talent in Cycling
ONE-ON-ONE
12 Keith Patterson, President, Bergans USA
MARKET REPORT
5 By The Numbers
6 Mountain Hardwear Taps John Walbrecht as President, Mountain Hardwear
7 Zappos.com Closes Operations for 24-hours on Leap Day Giving Employees a Paid Day Off
7 Movers & Shakers
26 Industry Calendar
FEATURE
15 Snowsports in the Big City Polartec's "Big Air" Freeski Competition in February at Boston's Fenway Park was a Marketing Hit
ACTIVE LIFESTYLESKIS, BOOTS & BINDINGS
20 Consumers Demand Featherweight Ski Equipment That Adapts to Today's Boom-and-Bust Winters
Cover Photo Lisa Zimmerman, Freeskiing finals 2016 Polartec Big Air at Fenway. Photo courtesy U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
Polartec "Big Air" at Fenway Park. Photo courtesy U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
4 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
FEBRUARY 29, 2016 | SGBWeekly.com 5
MARKET REPORT
BY THE NUMBERS
1st Store In Louisiana for Sportsman's Warehouse with its new location in Slidell, which opened February 27. The hook-and-bullet retailer operates more than 65 stores in 20 states nationwide.
12 AscentsTo be guided by leading outfitters on some of the na-tion’s iconic peaks as part of Big City Mountaineers’ Summit For Someone 2016 schedule. Participating climbers will raise money for the non-profit to fund outdoor programs for urban youth in seven U.S. cities.
33 Years OldThe age of ISPO Beijing and ISPO Shanghai’s newly appointed product manager, Elena Jasper, effective this April. She will take over the Munich-based exhibi-tion Director role from Paul März, who managed both trade fairs until the end of 2015.
50th Anniversary Of the Major League Baseball Players Association, the union representing Major League Baseball players.
92 PercentIncrease of Fitbit sales for the fourth-quarter 2015, adding to 149 percent growth for the full-year 2015. Investors, however, sent the company’s stock down nearly 20 percent following the company’s forecast for 30- to 50-percent growth in 2016. On Wall Street, it’s all about exceeding expectations.
$400 MillionDonated by Nike Chairman Phil Knight to Stanford University in an effort to recruit graduate students to the California institution to tackle the world's biggest social and environmental challenges.
33,000 PairsRecalled snowboard boots from Boa Technology Inc. because the Boa secondary reels can become stuck in the open position, causing the fit at the forefoot of the boot or tongue to loosen and pose a fall hazard.
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6 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
MOUNTAIN HARDWEARGETS A NEW PRESIDENT
By David Clucas
Columbia Sportswear Co. has tapped John Christian Walbrecht to serve as the new president of its Mountain Hardwear brand, effective March 7, 2016.
Walbrecht will enter the new role after serving Boulder, CO's Fenix Outdoors North America, where for the past four years he served as presi-dent and CEO, providing strategic direction for European performance brands Fjällraven, Brun-ton, Primus and Hanwag. He also held previous executive posts with Brandbase, Spyder Active Sports, Dr. Martens and Timberland.
Walbrecht walks the walk too, being an avid ultra-marathoner, triathlete, skier, cycler and fisherman.
In his new role, Walbrecht will be responsible for leading all aspects of Mountain Hardwear’s global brand positioning and go-to-market product, sales and marketing strategies. He will report to Columbia Sportswear Co. President Bryan Timm.
“The Mountain Hardwear brand plays an important role within our portfolio of brands that connect active people with their passions,” Timm said. “John has spent his career build-ing brands that connect deeply with passionate, outdoor consumers through high-performance apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. We are confident that he will help us unlock the global potential of the Mountain Hardwear brand.”
The new addition to Mountain Hardwear comes after several seasons of struggling sales,
which declined 3 percent to $116.3 million in 2015, according to parent company Columbia Sportswear's annual earning report. All the while, its sister brands Columbia, Prana and Sorel have seen healthy gains.
Walbrecht’s challenge is clear: regain Moun-tain Hardwear’s past glory as an innovator in the industry.
In July 2015, former Mountain Hardwear President Topher Gaylord resigned and
Columbia temporarily assigned Prana President Scott Kerslake to lead the brand while it searched for a replacement. Kerslake continued and will continue to lead Prana.
Walbrecht’s challenge is clear: regain Moun-tain Hardwear’s past glory as an innovator in the industry. Over the past few years, it seemed as if the brand was just sharing innovations with its big brother Columbia in slightly higher-end product iterations. Then after several quarters of declining sales, officials said the brand had struggled to position itself with the right pricing for specialty retailers versus its competition.
However, Walbrecht seems secure in his in-dustry experience and excited to join the MH squad.
“I am excited to join the Mountain Hardwear team and to begin evolving the strategic direc-tion for a brand that has always stood for in-novation, performance and design integrity,” he said. “Mountain Hardwear’s history of serving the needs of some of the most demanding and accomplished alpinists in the world is a testa-ment to its unique DNA and to its potential to inspire and connect with consumers around the world.”
“I AM EXCITED TO JOIN THE MOUNTAIN
HARDWEAR TEAM AND TO BEGIN EVOLVING THE STRATEGIC DIRECTION
FOR A BRAND THAT HAS ALWAYS STOOD FOR
INNOVATION, PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN INTEGRITY.”
– JOHN WALBRECHT, PRESIDENT, MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR BRAND
Photo courtesy Mountain Hardwear
John Walbrecht, President
FEBRUARY 29, 2016 | SGBWeekly.com 7
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Cabela’s Inc. EVP and COO Michael Copeland will move toward a strategic advisory role over the next month.
United Sports Brands hired former Oakley executive, Daniella Gasaway, as its new Director of Marketing Communications.
Farm to Feet extended its relationship with Bassmaster Elite Series and Major League Fishing professional Andy Montgomery for the 2016 fishing season.
Scarpa North America hired Joe Higby as its Finance Manager.
Burton promoted several veteran employees, with current SVP of Marketing Anne-Marie Dacyshyn to become Chief Marketing Officer, long-time Burton Creative Director Evan Rose promot-ed to VP of Creative Marketing, and Chris Cunningham joining as VP of Global Product to lead softgoods and hardgoods.
Iconix Brand Group Inc. appointed John N. Haugh, formerly at Luxottica, as President, CEO, effective April 1, and a member of its board of directors.
Team USA said that 2012 Olympic team champion Kyla Ross, who won five World medals in the last three years, would retire from elite gymnastics and the U.S. Women’s National Team to pursue her college education.
K-Swiss Global Brands, a division of E-Land Group, appointed Christophe Mortemousque as brand President of its Palladium brand.
KivaSun Foods, a food company with the mission of showcas-ing Native American Foods to a global audience, will partner with pro triathlete, Heather Jackson.
Ozonics, scent control and odor elimination devices for hunt-ing, expanded its leadership team with the addition of Jeannie Lemke as Financial Controller.
BlackRapid, a Seattle-based camera accessory company that expanded into the specialty outdoor, ski and bike channel, hired Marc Gottula as Director of Sales.
Foot Locker Inc. promoted Stephen D. (Jake) Jacobs to EVP and CEO North America, and Lewis P. Kimble to EVP and CEO International.
Industrial Revolution, which distributes brands UCO, Light My Fire, Morakniv and others, promoted Peter Pontano to Director of Marketing and Product Development.
Suunto appointed Jason Tillinghast as Commercial Category Manager for North America.
Macy’s teamed with wintersports icon, Shaun White, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and winner of 24 Winter and Summer X Games medals in snowboarding and skateboarding, for a limited spring capsule.
Online footwear retailer Zappos.com will close operations for 24 hours on Leap Day 2016 to give its employees a paid day off and spur people to #TakeTheLeap and “do something they’ve always wanted to do.”
Zappos, which is owned by Amazon.com, may have taken a page out of fellow retailer REI’s marketing book — which closed its doors on Black Friday this past holiday season, paying em-ployees to #OptOutside instead. As part of the Zappos Leap Day closure, the company is launching a petition on Change.org for Leap Day to be declared a national paid holiday. Their goal is to get at least 100,000 online petition signers.
“For the first time ever, the always-open Zappos call center will close for 24 hours, from 9 p.m. ET on February 28 through 9 p.m. ET on February 29, 2016 (midnight to midnight Pacific time), giving all employees an opportunity to make the most of this rare occasion and inspire spontaneity and adventure for all,” officials said.
Inspired by the movement, the company said two Zappos em-ployees, “will fully embrace the sentiment of this extra day by taking the leap into marriage on February 29.” Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh will officiate the wedding.
ZAPPOS.COM CLOSES FOR LEAP DAY
WITH PAID DAY OFF
CLICK TO PLAY
Photo courtesy Zappos
8 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
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Who are this year’s cycling industry women to watch?
The Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition (OIWC), in collabo-
ration with the Bicycle Product Sup-pliers Association (BPSA), awarded the top-tier female talent in the cy-cling industry a funded scholarship to attend the 2016 Bicycle Leader-ship Conference (BLC), April 12-14 in Monterey, CA. They are Amanda Schulze, women's business man-ager at Trek Bicycles, Sarah Johnson, supply chain analyst II at QBP, and Rebecca Karbon, north regional sales manager at Specialized Bicycles.
The BLC, which is owned and managed by the BPSA, is an an-nual, three-day conference for industry leaders and key stake-holders that includes networking, education and collaboration on key issues and opportunities fac-ing the cycling industry today. The awarded scholarships cover con-ference registration, round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations.
Applicants for the scholarship had to be females working in the bike industry for at least three years in a management-level role.
“When I applied, I explained that where I work all the sales reps are men, except one, and there aren’t any regional women other than myself,” said Rebecca Kar-bon, north regional sales manager at Specialized Bicycles, and one of three recipients of the “Cycling’s Women to Watch,” scholarship.
This will be Karbon’s first year at-tending the conference. “I’m look-ing to be exposed to more women in the industry, and networking to find ways to increase the employ-ment of women in cycling.” She ex-plained to SGB that her department at Specialized recently had several openings and it was a challenge to attract women to apply for those roles and move into leadership
Cycling’s Women to Watch Shake Up the Bike World
By Jahla Seppanen
INDUSTRY EVENT | BIKE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2016
10 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
positions. “There are a lot of women from other industries who know about purchasing and sales who can use that expertise in the bike industry,” she said. “At the conference I’m hoping to learn about hiring practices and where the talent pool is. It’s all about exposure; letting women know there are already females here in the space, and room for more.”
Executive Director of the OIWC, Deanne Buck, agreed saying, “The Bicycle Leadership Conference is the perfect opportunity for these women to gain invaluable industry insight, while expanding their professional network.”
Schulze at Trek remarked on the caliber and trajectory of the BLC that, “for the past many years, the BLC has profiled the opportunities around growing the industry by focusing on the women’s market, which happens to parallel what I do every day.” Although she has followed the happenings and major trends and discus-sions at past conferences, this will be Schulze’s first year attending. “This year I’m looking for-ward to participating in similar discussions, as well as meeting other industry leaders working to grow the industry.”
When asked to address the biggest challeng-es facing women in the cycling industry Schul-ze respectfully skipped the question saying confidently, “I don’t think about the obstacles.” However, when it came to talking accomplish-ments, Schulze was happy to elaborate;
“Our accomplishments come in many big and small ways. We have more women in lead-ership roles than ever before, the industry is valuing what a diverse work force brings to the table in new and important ways. At retail, more women own shops and more shops are focused on creating a welcoming and friendly customer experience. And finally, organiza-tions like the OIWC are creating leadership opportunities and helping to developing ca-reer paths for women. They are establishing networks that lead a change and are providing better products, services and opportunities to bring more women into the sport and work-force,” she said.
When Johnson at QBP took a macro look at the bike industry and its inclusion of women, she told SGB, “I feel like we are in a pivotal time for women in cycling. I see a lot of effort that is being made to diversify the bike industry, as well as attention over issues of objectification.”
Johnson referenced the 2015 Interbike scan-dal where controversial socks displaying the backsides of two underdressed women were handed out as fun swag. “The response from the industry showed there is a new, higher ex-pectation and standard,” Johnson concluded.
The response, which called out the design as overtly and condemningly offensive, hit its strongest note in the form of a blog response from Surly’s Marketing Manager, (and another bicycle industry woman revolutionizing the game) Christina Julian. She wrote on Septem-ber 15, 2015:
"Sex Sells.” What an antiquated marketing strategy. Pairing your product or service with something or someone described by the herd of humanity as "sex”… There will be people both male and female that just don't understand how this sets our industry back. How this creates an environment for women to be assaulted both physically and verbally inside and outside of the workplace. I would like to ask those that do get it to continue to talk about these instances.
Both Johnson and Karbon noted that despite setbacks or old ways of thinking about women in the cycling space, the time for large-scale
“THE BICYCLE LEADERSHIP
CONFERENCE IS THE PERFECT
OPPORTUNITY FOR THESE WOMEN TO GAIN INVALUABLE INDUSTRY INSIGHT, WHILE EXPANDING
THEIR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK.”
- DEANNE BUCK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OIWC
change is now, and it’s happening in stride with events like the April Conference, BPSA and largely, efforts from the OIWC.
Their collaboration for the “Cycling’s Wom-en to Watch,” not only shines a spotlight on the tremendous talent females bring to the cat-egory, but how the category must reciprocate the love. This year marks the second conference where full rides were awarded to a selection of cycling’s women to watch, and BPSA Executive Director Ray Keener put forth that it won’t be the last. “We hope to continue this great tradi-tion,” he said.
Photo courtesy Outdoor Research
FEBRUARY 29, 2016 | SGBWeekly.com 11
Sarah JohnsonSupply Chain Analyst Member, Purchasing Leadership Quality Bicycle Products (QBP)
Sarah’s areas of expertise include inventory analysis, identifying trends and reporting. In June 2012 she joined QBP with an unconventional back-ground having worked nine years as an actuary in pension and life insur-ance. She is a member of the OIWC, QBP’s Women’s Professional Network and Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota.
Amanda Schulze Women’s Business Manager,Trek Bikes
Amanda grew up in Oregon, where her love for riding began on a pink cruis-er. After a short stint in London working as a graphic designer, she returned to the U.S. where she learned development and international manufacturing at a home decor company. She joined Trek in 2008 as a Bontrager product manager and in 2012 she became WSD bicycle product manager. Her pas-sion for women in cycling helped evolve that role to include all aspects of the women's business at Trek. Now as the women's business manager, Schulze helps Trek retailers build a plan to grow their women's business.
Rebecca KarbonNorth Regional Sales ManagerSpecialized Bicycle Components
Rebecca was born and raised in the Midwest. She currently lives in St. Paul, MN and has been an active member in the cycling industry for over a decade. Her current role is the north regional sales manager for Special-ized, and previously she worked for eight years at QBP.
The OIWC and BPSA awarded Amanda Schulze,Sarah Johnson and Rebecca Karbon Top-Tier Female talent in the cycling industry this year. They received a funded scholarship to attend the 2016 Bicycle Leadership Conference April 12-14 in Monterey, CA.
Scholarship Winners
12 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
ONE-ON-ONE
Keith PattersonPresident
Bergans USA
From his first days skiing at five-years-old to living the life of climbing bum in Boulder, CO and working for outdoor retailers and brands,
Keith Patterson has never left the outdoors.Like so many of us in the industry, he lives and works his passion, and
it’s paid off.In January 2016, Patterson was promoted to President of Bergans USA,
the U.S. arm of European snowsports and outdoor brand Bergans of Nor-way. He succeeded his long-time mentor Pat Loomis, who retired after 37 years in the industry.
Patterson shares with SGB what he’s learned along the way and the fu-ture he sees for the ever-evolving industry.
Congrats on the new post! Tell us a little about your background and how you got here. Thanks! As with most of us, it started with my parents. I was about five years old and my folks took me skiing for the first time. That was the start of many winter ski trips, which grew into skiing on Mt Washington, and summer camping and canoe trips in the Northeast. Then in University at Boulder, I got a taste for rock climbing. After a few years of being a ski and climbing bum in Boulder, I wanted to make my love of
By David Clucas
the outdoors more than just a pastime, and as an English major, I was well prepared for a career in retail.
I spent a number of years working for outdoor retailers as a hardgoods, technical apparel, and footwear buyer. While at PlanetOutdoors.com, one of the first outdoor e-commerce sites, I met Pat Loomis. Soon after Plan-etOutdoors was purchased, Pat was starting a wholly-owned subsidiary for Deuter packs, and tapped me to be his national sales manager. In 2009, I had the opportunity to join Dynafit/Salewa and get back to my skiing roots, as well as expand my market knowledge with ski hardgoods and footwear. Then in 2012 Pat and I again had the opportunity to work to-gether and start the Bergans of Norway subsidiary for North America. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity.
Sounds like Pat was quite the mentor. What have you learned the most from him? He is truly a great mentor and friend. He’s been a huge influ-ence on my career, and all I have learned from him is too much to list. But I think one of the most important things Pat taught me is to hire the right people and give them the direction and freedom to do their job. Treating your employees fairly is one of the most important things in this industry,
FEBRUARY 29, 2016 | SGBWeekly.com 13
or any industry. In addition, Pat is there with a constant reminder, that while this is a fun industry to be in, it is still work, and if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
Over the past few years, the ski hardgoods category has seen a nice boost from more backcountry and AT enthusiasts. How has that trend translated on the softwoods side? It’s really great to see this category grow as a whole. As a Norwegian brand, our roots are in the backcountry, hiking or skiing. We’ve had a focus on gear specific for backcountry users for years, and with the growing con-sumer base, this allows us to expand our offering of backcountry specific outerwear and insulation. It also opens up a lot of cross-over designs for use both in-area and backcountry – jackets and pants that are light and packable for use in the backcountry, yet durable and stylish for the piste.
Beyond category-specific trends, you’ve also told us that you’ve noticed a broader change in consumer buying habits. What are you seeing and how do you think brands and retailers will be forced to adjust? There is a growing trend towards “just in time” buying. The trend used to be consumers would have a winter holi-day trip planned for December or January, so they would go to their local retailer in September or October and get their new gear at the start of the season. Now we are seeing consumers hold off un-til maybe a few weeks before their trip to upgrade their jacket or other gear. As this trend grows, the retail/wholesale buying cycle will need to adjust. Buyers and manufacturers will need to realize this and work together to find the best solution for consumers.
I am also seeing a continuing trend, and expectation, towards omni-channel – a continuous and universal shopping experience for a brand. The challenge becomes how do brands and retailers work together to offer this experience so specialty retail in the out-door and ski markets continue to service our customers in the best way possible and remain viable.
Working for a European-based brand, what do you see as the biggest differences between their and our market here in the U.S.? I am one to always look for similarities and the positive. One of the best things about the brands I have worked for is they are all passionate about nature and getting people outside to share their enjoyment. I do see the geographic nature of Europe playing a big role in the attitude towards the outdoors. Hiking and skiing are a way of life for most Europeans. A rucksack, not a book bag, is something almost all Europeans own. Even if they are not “hikers” they still go for walks in the woods. This is evident in the number of specialty dealers, as well as large chain dealers throughout Europe. Just about every town has a local outdoor or ski shop, whereas in the States, we are more spread out and so are our dealers.
Why do you think we’re seeing more European outdoor and ski brands coming to the United States? I think the outdoor market is becoming a global market. As we are seeing more European brands come into the U.S. market, more American brands are entering into the EU market. It’s natural growth for a brand to extend from its home market in Europe to the U.S., and vice versa.
14 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
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Snowsports In The Big CityCan urban events like ‘Big Air’ shine a brighter spotlight on the sport and brands?
By Charlie Lunan
Photos courtesy U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
16 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
The spectacular and historic “Big Air” freeski competition
Polartec helped the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association sanctioned (USSA) bring to Boston's Fenway Park in mid-February was a mar-keting hit, but it's unlikely any outdoor brands will step forward to sponsor such an event anytime soon.
Polartec spent a big chunk of its annual marketing budget to be title sponsor of the event, which used $150,000 in prize money and a 140-foot ramp to lure athletes to the first USSA-sanctioned "Big Air" competition ever held in a U.S. city on February 11-12.
Polartec Marketing Manager for North America Darren Josey told SGB the money was well spent. In addition to drawing 27,228 people to Fenway Park, NBC's cover-age was seen by more people than watched the X Games in Aspen, CO late last month. That made it the most viewed USSA event ever televised in the U.S. As of February 17, media impressions neared 80 million.
Little wonder. Polartec Big Air at Fenway featured athletes launch-ing themselves off a 140-foot ramp towering over the park's outfield to perform aerial tricks against the Boston skyline. The spectacular nature of such events spurred the International Olympic Committee to add men’s and women’s big air snowboarding to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang, South Korea. However, because USSA holds its U.S. Grand Prix events at mountain resorts, they typically draw just a few hundred spectators.
"A lot of the athletes last week admitted they had not performed in front of this many people," Josey said.
Polartec, which is owned by the same private equity firm that owns Eastern Mountain Sports and Sports Chalet, rarely invests in title sponsorships. But after Fenway Sports Management pitched
FEBRUARY 29, 2016 | SGBWeekly.com 17
Polartec CEO Gary Smith, Senior Vice President of Operations Doug Kelliher and Josey, discussions quickly gravitated toward becom-ing the title sponsor.
"It was very unique and had not been done before," said Josey, who worked for ToPo Athletic and Vi-bram prior to joining Polartec last April. "It was going to be close to us and addressed a logical market and it dawned on us that we could own this thing."
During the event Polartec trans-formed the visiting locker room at Fenway into an exhibit hall to showcase products made by 40 partner brands. Attendees were also invited to view product vid-eos and then participate in a trivia quiz on Twitter for a chance to win gear from Strafe, Flylow, Burton and Outdoor Research. Polartec also ran television ads during NBC
Sports’ coverage on February 11 and 12 and during a recap that ran on NBC February 13.
"We wanted to elevate our brand," explained Josey. "More of our partners want us to make sure people know who we are and what our fabric technologies do, which helps sell through their products at retail. I think “Big Air” really did that for New England."
Although officials didn't mention it, the sponsorship also could serve as some regional goodwill after Pol-artec faced negative local press late last year for its announced plan to close and move operations from its historical former Malden Mills fac-tory in Lawrence, MA. Still top of mind for some, The Boston Globe reported about 100 people orga-nized by local labor unions showed up outside Fenway's gates just before the event to protest the company's
18 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
decision to leave Lawrence. Polartec officials declined to comment on the demonstrations.
Back inside the event, Josey said he saw a good mix of core snow sports enthusiasts and a lot of families attending and overheard some of the 400 people who passed through the exhibition area re-marking on how they never knew so many prominent brands used Polartec fabrics.
It reminded him of the open-ing of Vibram's store on Newberry Street in Boston in April 2012.
"I remember watching the boomers and the millennials walk in and the boomers knew about the hiking shoes and millennials knew about Five Fingers," Josey recalled. "That's where Polartec needs to be. People need to get to know us for active insulation, waterproof breathable workwear and running."
Polartec and their brand part-ners weren’t the only industry winners at Big Air. Bern Helmets, Implus, Clif Bar, The North Face, GoPro, Lifeproof and High Sierra also sponsored the event, as did Mount Snow, Ski NH, Killing-
ton and HKD Snowmaker, Prinot Snowcats and World Cup Supply. Local snowsports retailer Sum-mit Ski and Snowboard, owned by Teddy and Leah Schiavoni also got exposure by setting up a booth inside Fenway Park’s Red Sox Pro Shop, where it sold official event merchandise and held social events with athletes.
While Josey considers the event a success, neither Fenway Sports Management nor Polartec have plans to repeat it next year.
"This one event took a lot of our budget so you won't see us do some-thing of this scale in 2016," he said.
Polartec will keep looking for ways to engage directly with con-sumers, however. The RH+/Pol-artec Junior and sub 23 cycling teams will kick off their inaugural season in Europe February 21 un-der a three-year sponsorship deal the Alberto Contador Foundation. In the U.S., Polartec will engage consumers via American Field, a project showcasing American-made brands via pop-up retail stores in Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Brooklyn.
©2016 Implus LLC. Yaktrax® is a registered trademark of Implus LLC. 1.16
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20 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
Light On Their Skis
ACTIVE LIFESTYLESKIS, BOOTS & BINDINGS
Consumers are demanding featherweight ski equipment that can adapt to today’s boom-and-bust winters.
By Eugene Buchanan, Aaron Bible and David Clucas
FEBRUARY 29, 2016 | SGBWeekly.com 21
Ski hardgoods sales couldn’t escape this year’s warm start to winter for much of the country.
Unlike their apparel and footwear brethren, few customers buy a set of skis as a fashion statement. The snow needs to be falling to spur purchases. So while brands and retailers tell us sales were better out West where snow fell, the bulk of their consumers in the dry and warm East and Midwest sat on their wallets through the all-important holi-day season.
It was the complete opposite a year ago, when the West Coast couldn’t buy a snowflake and the Northeast and Midwest were buried in them.
Those swings of snowfall are driving one of the category’s top trends: versatility.
Whether alpine or AT, consumers are demanding skis, boots and bind-ings that perform in all conditions — whether that day calls for skiing man-made-snow on groomers or knee-deep powder in the backcountry.
The backcountry boom continues to drive lightweight and performance features in the AT category, but as the niche seeks wider adoption, it’s also making sure the equipment can deliver power and speed on the downhill for those days at the resort.
A focus on more women’s ski gear is another trend to watch — and not just colors and sizes, but a true difference in the materials and design that make up the product.
The following pages provide a peek of what’s trending in skis, boots and bindings for next season.
Photo courtesy Arc'teryx
22 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
“Today’s skiers want it all: light-weight yet stable, powerful yet playful, strong edge grip, yet loose and schmeary,” Rossignol Brand Manager Nick Castagnoli told us. “The demand for that type of prod-uct is at an all-time high.”
Ever-lighter skis have been the big driver for the past few seasons, boosted by AT enthusiasts trudging uphill in the backcountry instead of sitting on chairlift. But accord-ing to G3 Product Line Manager Sigi Rumpfhuber, the weight game is approaching the physical limits of modern ski construction. “Mak-ing skis even lighter for the sole
SKIS SEEK LIGHTNESS WITHOUT GIVING UP POWER
purpose of making them lighter will most likely result in products that ski worse. So we see the start of a new era that will focus on smarter and more educated implementa-tion of lightweight technology into ski design,” Rumpfhuber said.
For G3’s new Findr ski line the goal was to achieve minimal weight through extensive use of carbon and advanced 3D shaping, and at the same time outbalance some of the disadvantages of carbon (brittleness, lack of dampness) by using elastic, dampening polyurethane sidewalls. Another example is at Rossignol, which integrated carbon fiber and
basalt into an open diagonal weave, creating more elastic movement for mobility and strength in its new 7 series and Experience skis. The skis’ linear glass stringers also absorb vibrations and add a balanced flex from tip to tail.
Brands are also bringing over more of those lightweight and performance advances to their alpine skis. “K2’s engineers have been hard at work blending the control and versatility of their all-mountain skis with the playfulness of their freeride line to create the perfect combination for on and off-piste,” said spokesman Alex Hunt.
“The low density/high strength core allows for reduced swing weight, while the metal-reinforced aspen perimeter adds power and stability.”
With its new AlLuvit 88 skis, K2 uses the same technology, but adds a women's-specific, metal-laminat-ed Bioflex wood blend of aspen and paulownia along the perimeter for weight savings and smooth flex. For women, “the trend has been to re-duce the weight without losing sta-bility and performance,” said Bliz-zard Marketing Jed Duke, adding that its women’s specific design of-fers uni-directional carbon fiber in-tegrated into its core construction.
G3 Findr 102
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Trying to keep up with the fast changes in skis and bindings, the latest boots have the tough task of balancing the need of stiffness with increased range of motion. Oh, and they have to be comfy, too.
Scarpa brings a lightweight ski-touring boot, called the F1 that of-fers power to drive today's wider skis. It’s built with “a carbon-fiber frame that runs the length of the boot under the foot and provides stiffness for ultimate power trans-
BOOTS BLEND BETTER FIT WITH GREATER RANGE OF MOTION
fer to the ski while retaining the progressive flex skiers seek in the upper boot.” Closure and adjust-ment of the boot is achieved with a combination of a Boa on the lower boot and a buckle and power strap on the upper boot.
Tecnica’s backcountry Zero G line of boots employ a four-buckle overlap design built with a plastic that’s 2.5 times stiffer and 30 percent thinner than conven-tional boot material, resulting in
a 20 percent weight reduction, officials said. Also new is a self- adjusting mobility cuff, allowing for 44 degrees of leg movement.
Dynafit debuts a new lighter and easier, one-buckle, Ultralock 3.0 Closure System (one dual-function buckle that opens the cuff to tran-sition back and forth from ski to walk mode) and it removed its tra-ditional toe piece in favor of it new Speed Nose and Master Step Insert system, making it easier to step
into tech bindings, said Marketing Manager Jamie Starr.
And we’d be remiss not to call out Arc’teryx’s entry into the ski boot category with its new hybrid ski boot. What brand designers say is the first of its kind, the Procline Boot comes with all of the features of a classic alpine climbing boot com-bined with those of a lightweight ski mountaineering boot for mixed ice/rock ascents with enough support and power for technical ski descents.
Scarpa F1 Tecnica Zero G
Arc'teryx Procline BootDynafit Ultralock 3.0 Closure System
24 SGBWeekly.com | FEBRUARY 29, 2016
“The increased availability of new boot sole norms has created the need for bindings that accommodate mul-tiple soles at all price points and per-formance levels,” Rossignol’s Castag-noli said. The company’s Look brand (focused on bindings) improves its line-up with the new Pivot 12 Dual WTR, featuring a new toepiece, en-abling skiers to use both Alpine (ISO 5355) and WTR (Walk to Ride) rock-er soles without compromise. It will be available throughout 90 percent of its line in 2016/17.
NEW BINDINGS ACCOMMODATE GROWING VARIETY OF BOOT SOLES
Also targeting various boot con-figurations, Head USA rolls out its new Attack 14AT binding, a new fixed-heel alpine binding that’s compatible with WTR, AT, and al-pine soles. The AFD is adjustable to each different sole, while maintain-ing a lightweight chassis and low stand height. “It’s all about enabling more versatility and compatibil-ity,” said Alpine product manager Andrew Couperthwait.
To date, Marker’s Brand Manager Geoff Curtis said walkable soles
have been restricted to touring boots. Not anymore. “It’s a chicken and egg thing,” said Curtis. “You can’t talk about bindings without talking about boots. Most things happening in boots are impacting bindings, and vice versa.”
Marker’s new Grip Walk is part of an integrated system – “essen-tially a binding built to accept a particular, easy-walking boot sole,” he added. “It’s available to any boot partner wanting to take advantage of easier walkability in conjunc-
tion with a binding that needs no further adjustments than release setting and forward pressure. The advantage is clear: It makes it easier to walk in your ski boots.”
Marker also debuts its new Sole ID system in several high-end bindings, allowing users to ski the bindings in either Alpine or AT boots. “It eliminates all com-patibility issues for the retailer,” Curtis said. “It has a special AFD on the toe allowing any boot to go into it.”
Head Attack Binding
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TRADE ASSOCIATIONS BUYING GROUPS
Athletic Dealers of America1395 Highland AvenueMelbourne, FL 32935t 321.254.0091athleticdealersofamerica.com
National Shooting Sports Founda-tionFlintlock Ridge Office Center11 Mile Hill RoadNewtown, CT 06470t 203.426.1320 nssf.org
National Sporting Goods Association1601 Feehanville Drive I Suite 300Mount Prospect, IL 60056t 847.296.6742nsga.org
Nation’s Best Sports4216 Hahn Blvd.Ft. Worth, TX 76117t 817.788.0034nbs.com
Outdoor Industry Association4909 Pearl East Circle I Suite 300Boulder, CO 80301t 303.444.3353outdoorindustry.org
Sports & Fitness Industry Associa-tion8505 Fenton Street I Suite 211Silver Spring, MD 20910t 301.495.6321sfia.org
Snow Sports Industries America8377-B Greensboro DriveMcLean, VA 22102t 703.556.9020snowsports.org
Snowsports Merchandising Corp.235 Cadwell DriveSpringfield, MA 01104t 413.739.7331Snowsportsmerchandising.com
Sports, Inc.333 2nd Avenue NorthLewistown, MT 59457t 406.538.3496sportsinc.com
Sports Specialists Ltd.590 Fishers Station Drive I Suite 110Victor, NY 14564t 585.742.1010sportsspecialistsltd.com
Tennis Industry Association1 Corpus Christi Place I Suite 117Hilton Head Island, SC 29928t 843.686.3036tennisindustry.org
Worldwide 8211 South 194thKent, WA 98032t 253.872.8746wdi-wdi.com
INDUSTRY CALENDAR
FEBRUARY 1-2 SIA On-Snow Demo Denver, CO1-2 SIA Nordic Demo Denver, CO2-4 FFANY New York, NY2-4 Worldwide Spring Show Reno, NV8-10 EORA SE February Show Greenville, SC15-18 Magic Show Las Vegas, NV16-17 MWSRA New Model Demo Afton Alps-Hastings, MN 17-20 Sports Inc. Outdoor Show Phoenix, AZ18-22 NBS Semi-Annual Market Fort Worth, TX
MARCH
8-9 SFIA National Health Through Fitness Day Washington, D.C.17-19 Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS) Atlantic City, NJ21-24 IHRSA Orlando, FL
APRIL
1-2 SFIA Litigation & Risk Management Summit New Orleans, LA12 SFIA/NFHS/NCAA Rules Conference Indianapolis, IN19-21 Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS) Nashville, TN
MAY
22-25 NSGA Management Conference and Team Hilton Head Island, SCJUNE 23-25 Sports Inc. Athletic Show Minneapolis, MN24-26 SGB 40 Under 40 Awards Huntington Beach, CA
JULY
13-17 IDEA World Fitness Convention Los Angeles, CA
AUGUST
11-13 Sports Inc. Outdoor Show Minneapolis, MN
25-28 NBS Fall Market Fort Worth, TX
OCTOBER
28-30 ADA Fall Buying Show Phoenix, AZ
NOVEMBER
17-19 Athletic Business Conference & Expo Orlando, FL
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