The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2013 displayed yet more incredible new gear, technology and innovation for the outdoors to be released in fall 2013. Despite the poor air quality, freezing rain that iced roads over, and less than ideal weather conditions, attendees were running rampant in the Salt Palace for four days to get the latest scoop on what gearheads will need to add to their wish lists. Here are a few highlights of the show.
Rossignol’s 7-Series combines the latest in shape and design with an all-new, patented lightweight construction technology called “Air Tip” which is a revolutionary fusion of rocker, sidecut, stability, maneuverability, and reduction in weight. The 7-Series has styles for both men and women.
The North Face Summit Series was designed to be the strongest and lightest gear available with technology like FlashDry™. The end result is gear and apparel that withstands the planet’s harshest environments. Jackets like the men’s Radium Hi-Loft Hoodie and the women’s ThermoBall Hoodie were pleasing to the eye and extremely lightweight. These should be a hit with the mountaineers and big-wall climbers.
Dynafit’s Beast 16 binding is a limited edition that is part of the Beast project. The driving force behind the Beast project was former pro-freerider and design technician Fredrik Andersson along with a team of athletes led by Eric Hjörleifson. The Beast 16 has perfectly complemented release mechanisms for toe and heel units, a rotating toe piece to combat premature release caused by sudden impact, extra vertical movement enabled by a new revolutionary design and setup for rear pivot points, and many other features that make this binding the lightest system around with DIN release up to 16.
The adidas Terrex Solo Stealth shoe is a mean looking approach shoe that was developed with Five Ten to become the first adidas shoe with a Stealth sole. The midsole that features EVA foam has been reinforced using a TPU film. Special ADIPRENE® foam absorbs impacts to enable comfortable yet dynamic movement in the heel section. The lightweight Terex Solo is going to be a great one for climbers, boulderers and alpinists with that unbeatable grip of the Stealth rubber.
GORE-TEX has been busy with the release of the new GORE-TEX Pro® product technology that is a significantly more breathable and durable membrane. GORE-TEX Pro is engineered to excel in extended and extreme conditions. It has the most rugged tear and abrasion-resistant fabrics. Brand names such as Arc’teryx, Burton, Black Diamond, Outdoor Research, Salomon, The North Face, adidas, and many more will be releasing products with GORE-TEX Pro in fall 2013.
In addition to all the fantastic outdoor gear, apparel and accessories being released for fall 2013, it was announced on Thursday, January 22, that the Outdoor Retailer Winter and Summer Markets will remain in Salt Lake City through 2016. Show participants will have the option to utilize the infrastructure solutions put in place to accommodate the Olympics in 2002 and/or the improved transportation infrastructure that now exists for hotels not in the immediate downtown area. With both the winter and summer markets growing exponentially, this will be a short-term solution. Longer term solutions are being further discussed between Salt Lake City and other potential hosts in order to fit the needs of the industry.
In just four days, there was an overwhelming amount of information discussed at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. Between the speed talking public relations teams, glimpses of star athletes such as Conrad Anker, Dean Cummings, Chris Sharma, Jimmy Chin, Dave Graham, and many others kept attendees excited and lining up for autographed posters and Q&A sessions. Until ORSM 2013, get out and enjoy all the fresh powder that recently hit Salt Lake and always play hard outdoors.
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