Coming Up: SIA in Vegas
Jan 18, 2007 · 01:00 PM · permalink
SIA (SnowSports Industry America) is one of those industry organizations that, every year, holds a huge trade show in Vegas. Everyone in the industry goes to for a few days to schmooze and drink on the premise of finding out what everyone else in the industry is doing. It has the booth babes, spectacle, and the celebrities all there to sex up what is, on a day to day basis, a pretty low-key industry (unless, perhaps, you’re Shaun White).
Manufacturers are there pitching their wares to journallists and retailers, retailers are there trying to decide what to buy for next year, and people like me are there to to go to the parties and take it all in.
Among others, I’ll be attending this little shindig sponsored by Boost Mobile and Oakley. Am I square? I have no idea what any of it means except “Sapphire Gentleman’s Club.”
I’m also going through the ritual of setting some appointments with a variety of manufacturers. I’m really looking forward to it—I love gear, and I think spending a couple days talking to the gear makers about their gear is going to be very interesting.
But, there are 5.7 brazillion booths at this thing. There’s no way I’m going to stop at them all and the question is: Who do I visit? What do I talk to them about? Well, you’re the audience, I’m asking you: What are you interested in? Want a sneak peak at the latest thing in shovels or next year’s women’s tele skis? I myself want to check out the AT rigs, the latest softshells, and boots.
Here’s the floor plan with all of the exhibitors, if you’re interested.
You are indeed in an envious position; checking out all the new gear sounds pretty darn fun. Here are some things I’m interested in:
(I initially was going to try to be brief, but as you can see I failed miserably.)
Gloves/Mittens: My 5 year old old Burton mittens finally need to be replaced. They’ve been good to me, and very warm over the years. Warmth is key. I tried some Burton mittens earlier this year, but they weren’t very warm and the gauntlets weren’t big enough to fit over my jacket sleeves. I’ve heard some really good things about the Black Diamond Patrol Glove. I prefer mittens, but a friend of mine who frequently suffers cold fingers says the Patrol Glove has been very warm. I’d be interested to see what’s the hottest (literally) thing in hand wear these days.
Helmets: I’ve having helmet issues lately. I have a Giro Bad Lieutenant helmet right now. I love the look of it, but it’s not very comfortable or light. It also lacks ventilation, which is a really drag when I’m skinning uphill in the backcountry. I’ve picked up a few helmets recently at gear stores and I’m impressed with how light they’ve made them. (Like bike helmets, I’m guessing they’re only rated for one hard fall.) I want to know who is making some light weight, comfortable helmets with decent (and hopefully adjustable) ventilation.
Soft Goods: I can’t seem to go into REI without wanting to buy just about every article of ski clothing I pick up. Go seek out the coolest new clothing and tell me what I really need to buy. Who’s making a good soft shell and what does the manufacturer claim makes it better than the rest? (New materials? Better Features?) If I was at this event, I’d have a hard time not spending all of my time at Patagonia, Arc’Teryx, Cloudveil, The North Face, and Mountain Hardware. (Of course, maybe there’s some other clothing manufacturers that I’ve been neglecting to check out.)
Goggles: I don’t need goggles particularly badly, but want to see what’s new. Sunglass manufacturers are making more and more photochromatic lenses. Are they moving that technology into their goggles?
On some level, I still feel like being a knuckle dragging snowboarder, and to me Burton has always seemed to drive that industry in clothing, style, and boards. I’m thinking about getting a new snowboard next year, so what’s the latest in Burton technology. Same thing with Flow. What new features have they added now that other vendors have started to step into their territory?
If you stop by the Volkl booth, tell them I love my Volkl AC2’s.
I don’t know what kind of backcountry gear will be there, but I’m a big fan of my Dynafit binding setup. It’s lightweight and pretty bomber. Also, there are some new beacons on the market that are supposed to decrease search time.
Gloves! Mitts to be more exact. Once I decided that as God as my witness my hands would never be cold again, my life got much better. Thanks to hand warmers, this doesn’t necessitate my bulky mountaineering mitts anymore, but I still want my fingers all in one space. I’d love something with a removable liner (a mitt or a very low-bulk glove) and that is sized for women’s hands.
Low light goggles. Must have good ones.
And of course, cute functional gear of any kind. Pretty skis, nice helmets, a wonder pack…
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