McLEAN, VA — Bacteria-fighting silver underwear, softer, cushier ski boots and inflatable insulation are among the 2002-03 wintersports trends on display at the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) SnowSports trade show, Jan. 29 - Feb. 2, 2002. The SIA Show previews futuristic equipment, technical apparel, and a wide range of accessories that will impact wintersports for next season.

"Warmth, comfort and ease of use - that's really the big news in skiing and snowboarding equipment and apparel this season," said 20-year industry veteran Bill Grout, editor of Snow Trade News (STN). "It's even easier to transport your skis, because the new high-performance shapes are so much shorter than skis of just a few years ago."

Putting on Boots: The Best Part of the Day

Alpine ski boots are following in the wake of snowboarding boots and now offer a soft, comfortable, "leisure" fit thatŐs easier to take on and off. Examples include Atomic's Soft Tech Series, Dolomite's DC 100, Head's Extra Comfort Technology (ECT) Series, Kneissl's Rail Scandium, Nordica's Smartech series, Rossignol's Soft Series, and Salomon's Verse series.

"The new comfortable ski boots are going to surprise a lot of people who haven't skied recently," said David Ingemie, president of SnowSports Industries America, which produces the SIA Show. "They're just one example of the dozens of new wintersports products that retailers will see for the first time when they come to Las Vegas."

Inspired by Motocross: Twin-Tipped Skis Bring Fun to Slopes

Youthful trends are driving product development in skis, with motocross-inspired graphic treatments that are young and brash. Skis are generally wider, with more shape, making them easier to carve and thus more versatile for soft snow conditions. Many offer turned-up tails for tricks in the terrain park and "release" in bumps.

Fatter Skis

New fat powder skis include Atomic's Big Daddy and Sugar Daddy, Dynastar's Inspired, Elan's Mantis 777, Nordica's Beast 92TT, and Rossignol's Scratch BC. Also new: Volkl's Supersport Series and other models represent a renewed emphasis on "near-race" performance for carving on groomed surfaces.

Off the Beaten Track

"Telemark skiing continues to grow steadily. Telemarkers are now using plastic tele boots with Alpine-like support, and they're using deep-sidecut Alpine skis. In cross-country, skis are shorter, wider and easier to handle," STN's Bill Grout says. For example, Fischer has a new wide-body series called Nordic Cruising designed to make cross country skiing easy for beginners. Salomon is continuing with its Winter X-Adventure system that allows the use of one boot with multiple attachments such as ski blades and snowshoes.

Ski-Binding Combinations

A continuing trend: Ski-binding combinations that work best with each other, such as Salomon's Pilot system, Volkl/Marker's Motion system, Atomic's Device system, and Head's Super Rail Flex system. These bindings are designed to allow a greater range of motion and more control for skiers.

***SIA***
SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is the national, not-for-profit, member-owned trade association that represents snow and winter sports outdoor companies. SIA produces the SIA SnowSports Show, the largest trade show and gathering place for the snow sports industry. Proceeds from the SnowSports Show fund market development programs for all snow sport disciplines. SIA also annually produces more than a dozen industry research studies. For more information, check out www.snowlink.com. SnowSports Industries America, 8377-B Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102-3587. Phone: (703) 556-9020, Fax: (703) 821-8276, Email: siamail@snowsports.org.

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Staff