The Outdoor Retailer 2010 Winter Market is in full swing at the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City, and tens of thousands of people are expected to attend over the course of four days to check out all the new gear that will hit store shelves in the coming year. After the first full day of wandering the convention center floor, below is a sampling of some of the outdoor gear that jumped out at me.
By far my most favorite stop of day one was at the Salomon booth, where they drew the curtain back on their first backcountry touring ski boot. The Salomon Quest keeps all that’s good about Salomon’s decades of alpine ski boot manufacturing, and puts it in a stiff boot that looks like it rips on the downhill, but is light and capable of performing on the bootpack or skintrack.
The Salomon Quest All Mountain ski boot features a release cuff system, magnesium backbone to improve power and transmission, a v-shaped lower shell to make it easier to walk or hike, and an alpine-style flex for direct downhill power transmission. Plus, after picking them up off the shelf, they are remarkably lightweight.
The Salomon Quest line has six different variations, including a women specific model. The higher-end boot is Dynafit compatible and features interchangeable touring pads for switching between alpine and backcountry bindings. I think the Salomon Quest boot will make waves in the backcountry ski market when the line is released in the fall of 2010.
Salomon also unveiled the new XT Wings 2, the next generation of the very popular XT trail-running shoe. What makes the XT Wings 2 different from previous models is the “Agile Chassis System” that puts a skeleton, muscle and tendon inside the shoe, to give the shoe the balance and agility to tackle any mountain terrain.
Underneath the shoe, you can see what they are calling the “tendon.” The new XT Wings also has reinforced lace loops, triple density EVA on a wide platform, and a GORE-TEX membrane.
Five Ten has some new offerings for 2010, including the Exum Guide hiking boot. It’s cool to see a company that is mostly known for rock climbing shoes branch out into other directions, and all their hiking boots seem to keep the quality that 5.10 puts in their rock shoes.
For the ladies, there is the new Five Ten Camp Four shoe which is a cool-looking light hiker.
Five Ten is also branching out into the apparel market with a line of shirts, hats and even jeans. These are the Yosemite Jeans. They are made from “orgasmic cotton” (seriously, they call it that) and feature stitching on the back pockets that looks like Half-Dome in Yosemite. Pretty cool.
There is also a lineup of bike-specific shoes at the Five Ten booth, including the Minnaar. It has street styling, along with SPD cleats embedded in the sole for urban or downhill mountain bike riding.
Of course you can’t visit the Five Ten booth without talking about rock climbing shoes. The new Rogue shoe looks like it will be a popular one, especially among the gym rats with its Stealth C4 outsole, dual Velcro hook and loop closures, and padded tongue.
The Five Ten Newton looks like a piece of art rather than a shoe. The lacing on the top of the shoes is radical with its curves and the colors pop. Plus they look like a good all-around climbing shoe for sport, trad or gym climbing.
Gordini has come up with a “duh, why didn’t they think of that sooner” idea with the new Heatrap glove. The concept is simple: take a typical hand warmer, shape it like fingers, and create a pocket in the glove’s fingers to put it in. I tried on a pair and boy does it keep the fingers toasty without the need for batteries or other heating elements. Gordini says that the Heatrap glove will keep hands warm for up to eight hours.
Finally, for you runners out there, you may be happy to know that Karhu, a company from Finland, is making a big push in the U.S. market. Karhu is a legendary Finnish brand that has been worn by many Olympic athletes. The company believes in simplicity of style and providing a natural feel when running. The shoes have a fulcrum in the sole to promote the foot’s natural abilities and to keep runners on the path of least resistance from heel to toe.
There was a lot to see at the Outdoor Retailer 2010 Winter Market on day one, and there will be much more to come in the days ahead. Keep checking back for more.
UTAH outside
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Thanks for your coverage of this. Please stop by the Petzl booth if possible.