2002-2003 Gear Preview: Universal Ski Shape, Soft-Boot Boom and Comfort Control Apparel are Top Trends

(Tuesday, February 5, 2002) - Celebrating the joy of snow won't be hard next winter. A universal ski shape emerges for a true all-mountain ride, while narrower and shorter twin-tips open up more possibilities for tricks. Soft boots catch on big and phase-changing insulating layers and anti-microbial silver linings take winter apparel to a new level of warmth and coziness. Whether it's a quick trek up the mountain on snowshoes or a blast down through the powder, the latest snow gear promises comfort and ease.

And, it's going to be easier to shop for the latest snow gear, too. Major alpine hard goods makers increasingly package the ski and binding together, and boots are performance-matched to the system. Snowshoe manufacturers have beginner packages and trekking poles with their products. Clothing factories now sell the complete three-component layering system - underwear, insulating garments and weatherproof shell - under a single brand, with gloves, headgear and even snow boots to match. New boot-binding systems offer lighter weight and better performance for ski mountaineering and telemarking. Helmets and goggles are increasingly sold by the same brand, for a perfect fit.

For the consumer, systems mean a guarantee of functional compatibility: if it's sold as a system, you can bet it will work well together, with less likelihood of interface failure in the field.

Alpine Skis: Mainstream Skis Go Versatile; Pipe 'n Powder Skis Go Fakie

Alpine ski designers see two major markets emerging: traditional all-mountain skiers and younger "new school" athletes determined to learn more extreme moves.

For the all-mountain set - those happy to carve traditional turns on groomed runs, in powder bowls and mogul fields - skis are more versatile than ever. A universal shape has emerged, usable on almost any kind of snow from Eastern ice to Rocky Mountain powder to Sierra cement. It uses a moderate waist width of 68 to 70mm (millimeters) and a modern carving-ski sidecut around 16mm deep.

Almost every major factory now builds this go-anywhere geometry in a variety of flexes and lengths to serve skiers from athletic beginners to top experts. It means that the weekend athlete who used to travel with a pair of hard-snow cruisers and a wider powder ski can now vacation with a single pair of skis.

Examples of the new "universal ski" include: the Atomic R10, the Blizzard Sigma K7.0 and Epic series, the Dynastar Skicross 8 and Intuitiv 69, the Elan Mantis M10, the Fischer Sceneo series, the Head Monster M70, the K2 Axis and Escape 5500, the Kneissl Rail Carbon, the Nordica Beast 69 and W70, the Rossignol Bandit X, the Salomon X Scream series, the Volant Gravity 71 and Vertex 71 and the Volkl Vertigo G3.

Youngsters headed for terrain parks, halfpipes and bottomless pow can now choose from a variety of twin-tip designs. The narrower, shorter versions - right down to skate-length ski-boards - are meant for stunting on firm snow, and especially for launching aerials off terrain park jumps. The wider, longer twin-tips, designed to float easily in deep fluff, are meant for backcountry bashing, skiing in the woods and flying off the cornice. Both types feature turn-up tails (hence the "twin tip" name) to permit launching a jump "fakie" - that is, skiing backward. Most of these skis are also designed for a forward mounting point: the binding should be mounted to put the arch of the foot over the center of the ski so that the ski handles the same way going forward or backward. (Traditional skis put the ball of the foot over the center of the ski).

Some of the new twin-tips include the Atomic Stomp and Tweak, the Elan AMP, the Fischer Airstyle NT, the Head Mad-Trix, the Line Pro Models, the Rossignol Scratch BC and Scratch FS, the Salomon Pocket Rocket and 1080, the Volkl V-Pro.Watch out when skiing with a twin-tip buddy: turned-up tails throw a big rooster tail in powder! Follow too close and you'll earn a new kind of face shot.

Boots: Open wide and Say "Ahhh!"

Last season saw the debut of "soft" boots from Kneissl, Rossignol and Salomon. Soft boots are like ragtop sports cars: the hard plastic has been sliced off the top of the boot shell and replaced with soft, fabric-like flaps of waterproof artificial leather or plastic. The goal was to make boots warmer, more comfortable and much easier to put on and take off.

This year, nearly every boot factory has responded with a different version of the soft boot, and the original three brands have added new soft boot models. Last year's soft boots were aimed at "casual" skiers - those who don't ski aggressively enough that they're willing to struggle with a stiff high performance shell. Now, some of the new soft boots are firm enough in flex to be useful for lighter weight experts and advanced skiers.

Bindings: New Brands, New Safety Features

Next year, the binding market gets bigger with three new players- Fischer, Nordica and Line. Look for two major technical developments: sophisticated systems for optimizing ski flex and clever new safety features.

Most binding factories have developed systems to help skis flex into a perfectly round arc. Salomon's Pilot system works with specially built Salomon skis, Atomic's Device system works with dedicated Atomic skis, Marker's Motion system works with factory-readied Volkl Motion skis and so on.

Tyrolia and Line have now introduced "center mount" systems in which the mounting screws are gathered together in a close pattern under the midsole of the boot, to give the ski maximum flex freedom.

Line's unique bindings introduce "flex pivot" technology, allowing the boot to release laterally from either the toe or the heel. The goal is to protect against serious knee injuries. Nordica's newest models feature a moving anti-friction pad that's free to track fore-and-aft as well as laterally, for maximum friction reduction no matter how the boot moves en route to release. Look and Rossignol have widened their anti-friction pads to the full boot sole width for improved stability and ski control.

Backcountry Boom

Each year, more skiers, riders and other winter adventure seekers discover the lure of powder snow and head for the backcountry. Helicopter ski companies are booming, and ski resorts - especially those built on National Forest land - have responded by opening entry gates to ungroomed glades and bowls. Recent research released by the Outdoor Industry Association suggests that the U.S. now supports about 5.1 million snowshoers and 4.7 million telemark skiers.

Part of the boom in snowboarding is driven by backcountry snowboarders who use compact snowshoes to climb for their powder runs. Snowboarders now also have access to split boards - short fat climbing skis that lock together to form a snowboard.

In recent years, telemark skiers have adopted two important innovations from alpine skiing: the plastic boot and the deep-sidecut "shaped" ski. Both encourage a more powerful carved turn. Ski examples include the Black Diamond Crossbow, the Atomic Beta TM:18 and the Karhu Dorado, while popular boots should be the Alpina BC Outbound, the Fischer Cruiser, the Karhu Sirius and the Salomon Escape. Plastic boots can easily wrench a traditional three-pin Nordic binding right off the ski, so manufacturers have developed a new generation of tougher, more durable Nordic bindings, usually featuring a hinged plate under the boot toe and a cable to secure the heel. At the same time, there's been a revival of interest in randonee or alpine ski touring equipment: several new binding systems have been introduced for alpine touring, providing heel hold for skiing downhill and heel lift for climbing. The Fritschi Freeride and Voile Hardwire are a couple of examples of this.

Because heliskiers and ski area backcountry adventurers go out only for the day - they don't camp in the snow - clothing manufacturers have introduced a new category of snow wear aimed at active powder skiing. These pant-and-jacket combinations are fully weather-proofed, but are tailored for action and lack the bulk and weight of traditional expeditionary outfits.

XC Gear: More Kick For Your Stick

The new double hourglass shape, from Fischer, promises to improve the grip skiers need underfoot for a strong kick. Very simply, the kick zone is wider, for more grip area, or, when skating, the result is better edge grip in the middle. The skis are wide at the tip, grow narrower in the forebody, wide again at the waist, narrow behind the heel, and wide again at the tail. It works for both high performance skis (for racing and in-track training) and for relaxed recreational skiing. The undulating shape has inspired a number of other factories to beef up the center of the ski, both in width and stiffness, to provide improved stability and kick grip.

Salomon's Carbon Pro race boot, debuting at the Salt Lake Olympics, uses a springy carbon fiber plate built into the sole. This plate stores energy during its flex phase and snaps that energy back into the ski at the end of the stride. Result: a more efficient kick and better speed.

Snowshoes: Lighter and Easier Yet

Snowshoeing is now the fastest-growing of all winter sports, with sales increasing about 25 percent per year. With all those newcomers to the sport, factories have been working hard to make the gear more inviting: lighter, easier to use and less expensive.

In particular, snowshoe companies like to see whole families take up the sport. So two trends are prominent this year: gear aimed at kids and gear designed specifically for women.

Kids outgrow their snowshoes quickly, so it doesn't make sense to invest in sophisticated gear. Several companies have recently improved their inexpensive but tough polycarbonate plastic shoes for juniors, featuring adaptable bindings designed to work with almost any type of child's snow boot.

Gear for women has grown quite sophisticated. For several years, factories have built smaller, lighter shoes for women, and that trend continues - Tubbs, for instance, has adopted a superlight 7000-series aluminum frame for some models. Now, Atlas has introduced a line of female-specific shoes adapted to a woman's shorter stride. The Atlas Woman shoes are asymmetric in shape - shorter on the medial (big toe) side - to reduce the chance of stepping on the tails. The shoes also feature a simple clamshell binding that closes snugly with a tug on a single strap.

Two more trends to watch in snowshoes: Modular shoes and "sliding" snowshoes. Modular shoes (from Yakima and Mountain Safety Research) feature interchangeable elements so you can change the surface area - bigger for deep, light snow and smaller for firmer surfaces. Sliding snowshoes, from Karhu, Rossignol and Salomon, are really short, wide skis designed to be as stable and maneuverable as a snowshoe - and they come with snowshoe-type bindings adaptable to any footwear.

Snow Wear: Silver Linings, "Smart" Insulations

Savvy mountain folk - skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers and climbers - know that the smart way to dress is in three layers. Against the skin, you need a wicking garment to carry away moisture. Then add one or two garments of fluffy insulation. On the outside, a weather-proof shell to shed the wind and wet.

New technology is available in all three layers this season. Silver - the precious metal - turns up as an additive in X-Static fabrics, designed for use in base layers. Silver's anti-microbial property keeps undies fragrant longer even as they wick away body moisture, and the metal is also said to reflect heat back to the body when you're cold. X-Static is used in base layers made by Hot Chillys, Marmot, Medalist, Mountain Hardwear, SportHill, Salomon and others, and in gloves and hats from Marmot and Turtle Fur.

"Phase change" insulating layers are smart - they use a physical property called latent heat to seek a comfortable stable state just below normal body temperature. In short, these materials try to cool you when you're hot and warm you when you're cold. There are two competing technologies: Outlast, currently used in specialized garments from Columbia, Marmot, The North Face and Kombi gloves; and ComfortTemp, used by Spyder, Hotfingers gloves and others.

Gore-Tex, inventor of the original waterproof-breathable fabric laminate for shell garments, has figured out a way to turn their material into an insulator: blow air between two layers of the stuff. You can regulate the amount of insulation you need by changing the air pressure - from none to firm-and-toasty.

Snowboard Gear: Wax Free and Bombproof

Snowboarders are tough on stuff. They grind their boards on steel rails, slap 'em down on bulletproof landing ramps, and at the end of the day, toss 'em in the back of the pick-up for a trip home through a fine mist of road salt. And their boots get a workout in the hike up the half-pipe. No wonder snowboarders typically buy gear more often than skiers do: they wear it out faster.

This isn't a huge issue for kids and teens who outgrow their stuff and have to replace it frequently. But for "mature" riders in their twenties, it's a bummer to go through two or three boards and a couple of pairs of boots each season. So the factories are upgrading to thicker, more durable materials for top models, in the expectation that a favorite rig might last two or three winters.

A number of board factories also introduce a self-lubricating "waxless" base plastic this year. Some of the snowboards featuring this will be Burton's Fish, K2's The Parka and Nemesis, Palmer's Liberty, Ride's Kink, Salomon's Sequence and Volkl's Apocalypse.

Accessories: Cool Mirrors, Hot Helmets, Techy Gloves and Odor-Free Hats

Wouldn't it be cool to choose your goggle lens for exactly the light conditions you expect to encounter? Most Scott USA goggles permit installation of "Amplifier" lenses -- specifically color-corrected for flat-light storm days, or night skiing, or bright sunlight.

The mirror lens is back. The hottest thing in sunglasses during the early days of freestyle skiing - around 1973 - the mirror lens let skiers check out the talent in the stretch pants without looking like an ogling fool (well, that was then). The mirror is back on dozens of styles next winter, in both sunglasses and goggles. Check out the Optic Nerve Scanner and Smith's sunglasses.

The fastest growing category in snow sports is helmets. Some established brands report sales growth of 35 percent last year, but the rate of helmet adoption is higher than that because new brands appear each year. Choose your style: full shell, half shell, fully vented, fully insulated, with or without a jaw guard. Innovative example: Boeri's Axis uses a temperature-stabilizing Outlast lining so it stays comfortable whether you're sweating in the bumps or cooling off on the lift.

Gloves are one of the most technically sophisticated accessory items. Want high tech? Marmot's White Heat gloves and mittens have it all: Gore-Tex for waterproof/breathable comfort, Primaloft insulation and Outlast fleece liner for warmth, Cordura shell fabric for durability, stretch MemBrain fabric for dexterity, Armor-Tan leather palms for grip, quick-pull weather-sealing draw cords, a safety leash for each hand, and - most important - a soft fabric wipe patch on the back of the index finger. Use one for wiping your goggles, the other for your nose.

Even the simplest of accessory items, like Turtle Fur neck gaiters and hats, made of polyester fleece, now feature the X-Static anti-microbial silver additive to reduce odor. The silver material also reflects body heat to help regulate temperature.

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