The ISPO Trade Show in Munich is when the new kit for the next season breaks cover to the retail trade and the media. Day one of the show this year saw the focus for Racer Ready looking at skis and also some of the innovation that is being made in the area of your feet. Cold feet has always been a bug bear for racers and coaches and this year a number of products have caught the eye: Heated socks from Thermic and heated inner boots from Salomon in their Quest boot marketed at the female market. ...Â
It is with inner soles though that we start. Getting the inner soles to be even more snugly fitted so that the user gets even better control over the boots is almost a never ending issue. Superfeet have come up with a great heat generated solution for this that will help retailers also in selling more kit. Fifteen minutes to have a pair of inner soles moulded to your feet in comfort as you sit down and have them vacuumed to your every contour was great. We were put through the process and no problems at all. Very positive and innovative!
Over at Sidas, they have new inner soles that will have the racers purring. With every level of comfort, every level of ability all catered for, Sidas have pushed the boat out in improving the control one has from the foot to the boot and on to the ski. From pure comfort to increased reaction of the foot, the whole range is catered for. Check them out!
Sidas have also developed some heated socks to keep users happy. With the heater unit attached to the sock, these will keep those not blessed with good circulation in their feet happy. Watch out for a competition this week on our Social Media pages (Twitter and Facebook) where you can win a pair of these socks and heaters. The full package retails at £160 with just the socks at around the £55 mark.
Dynastar, Lange and Look have been hard at work as well with products that will suit coaches. The Lange XT boot has been a firm favourite the last few years for its versatility and the boot has been further developed. With two sets of base plates coming with the boot so that you can get even more out of the boots, the new binding that has also been developed so that the user can use either set of plates. One is higher than the other for free skiing use while the other gives a better feeling for harder skiing. A great example of the boot starting to work closer with the binding. Rossignol also have the same binding in their range.
For those looking for more exacting fit with their boots, Tecnica have also been moving in this direction as they look to aid boot fitters and the end user in getting the most comfort while not having to destroy the boot to achieve this. The Mach 1 boot should be a popular boot for coaches.
With Komperdell starting to make inroads to the UK market and safety always a major thing, the Austrian brand have a great range of stand alone back protectors as well as back protector vests and even a training race suit with a back protector in the suit! As Charlie Guest's recent injury proves, the earlier you can get racers wearing a protector, the better the chances of staying safe. You can be injured by others when you just stand around remember!
The race market is a constantly evolving area and to grab the attention of those looking for their next rockets, new top sheets are all the rage this year. Gone are the garish colours and in are solid and bold colours. The contents of the skis are improving greatly but to make sure you get what you want in time for summer training, now is the time to get in touch with your retailer to order for 2015 - 2016. It may seem early but the presses start running for next years skis and clothing very soon!
Picture - Tecnica Mach 1 boots