The outdoor retailer show was really great. Just some quick hits:
The new NTN binding was on display at both the Scarpa and the BCA booths. The binding really seemed to be a big hit. I liked the design and idea. I am a little concerned that they haven’t figured out how get DIN release compatibility yet. The reps at both booths assured me that this would be done in time for next fall.
Speaking of DIN release, at the Garmont booth the rep mentioned that it would be two years before BD’s new holy grail binding comes out – and also said he would be surprised if the NTN had DIN figured out by then. I mentioned that I wanted to wait to see which set-up was better (NTN or BD) before I commit to one to which he said, “Oh no, you cant wait that long can you? You should go ahead and get your stuff..” I think he’s right (against my better judgment). But I cant help but think that in two years my wife is going to be unhappy with me when I make a new purchase.
The Ortovox S1 avalanche beacon looked really neat. The Ortovox rep did a quick demo of the beacon for me. The LCD screen rocked. At a distance it shows you the relative position of each transponder and as you zero in on a target the interface helps with your pin point search using a circle and number to get you there.
Ortovox also had an attachment to a probe the “intelligent probe” that works with transceivers – so as you are prodding with your probe, you get audio beeping direction you to your buried target’s location. If this saves even 30 seconds of time, it’s worth every penny. I also thought their packs, shovels, and probes were compelling.
The Dynafit booth looked really great. It was fun to see their full line of skis, boots and bindings. The product line is really compelling and the guys manning the booth did a great job of describing their products to a telemark skier. I have no doubt that we will start seeing a lot more Dynafit gear on the slopes in the future.
The new line of BD skis were on display. They have a much different feel and flex than their predecessors made by Atomic. I’m not sure what to think of the added weight. Although I am not a weight freak, the difference was noticeable. The tradeoff was clear – they were looking for better ski-ability while sacrificing backcountry touring weight, which works just fine for me.
The skis at the K2 booth made my eyes go cross eyed due to their ski top graphics. I stood around for about 5 minutes in the K2 booth and the left after no one showed interest in talking to me. Speaking of less than optimal booth experiences, Mammut, Rossignol, and G3 also have a little work to do. It is much better to get approached by a happy, outgoing, knowledgeable booth rep than to have to track someone down and then have them act like they don’t to have time to speak with you.
I had a tremendous amount of fun talking to people in small booths in out of the way areas of the show. There were a lot of start-ups, first timers, and others that were there because they loved the industry and not because it was just their job. Power Reviews, ACR, Garage Gorilla, Jansport, Chums, Bison, Hind, and GU were staffed by people that were fun to speak with and really seemed to have an interest in being there.
Best question that I overheard while at the show, “do you know of any groups that backcountry ski naked?,” by a female attendee in the BCA booth. The booth rep sheepishly said, “no.”
