McLEAN, Va. (Winter 2002-03) -- Next season’s skiwear captures the sport’s youthfulness, spirit and freedom with bright colors, clean-cut styles, fun-but-functional detailing and great fabrics that keep skiers comfortable. Whether it’s with body-temperature sensitive fabrics that react by heating or cooling wearers or the latest stretch fabrics that move with skiers, today’s skiwear responds to wearers’ needs more than ever, according to SnowSports Industries America (SIA), the national, not-for-profit trade association that represents ski, snowboard and other winter sports outdoor companies.

Stretch shows up in just about every collection. "It’s the latest thing in fabrics," says Marker designer Grace Galdi. The new stretch goes way beyond pants, finding a place, for example, in shoulders, panels and linings for better comfort and fit. For Hard Corps Sports, "It’s a relaxed, not body-fitting, stretch," says company president Skip Rapp, adding, "It’s attractive and cool. The trend I see is people looking for value and high utility gear," Rapp observes.

Hard Corps is among the frontrunners in remarkable skiwear fabrics such as a smart laminate that becomes more breathable as body temperature increases. Killy, Spyder and others have their own versions as well.

Look for a return to bright, fun colors, whether it’s in the freeride category or conventional ski. "We see a change back more toward the Alpine ski look–in coloration and styling," said Betty Tung, president of Fera International. She noted, too, a demand for navy to be combined with red and white for a patriotic look. Columbia sees red, and orange, as increasingly important.

Marmot vice president John Cooley adds, "Perhaps the overriding but subtle value is the fact that there remains no sport or activity that permits such freedom as skiing. The future of the ski market is inclusion: fun, comfort, versatility, performance and value."

The season’s skiwear offerings strive for just that. Here are some of the latest.

Skiwear Highlights for Winter 2002-03

Columbia: For winter 2002-03, the versatile Columbia Interchange System program offers a wider range of liners and insulation choices. In addition to bright and outdoor colors, men’s Core adds more two-color and solid-color combinations, as well as several solid black garments. Women’s Core styles use beautiful tonal color combinations as well as bright colors. Red and orange tones are more important and white infuses itself into the line. The Titanium skiwear line features 19 new styles, including an all-new women’s section with enhanced style and fit. As women’s parkas get trimmer, bulk has been eliminated while retaining warmth.

Fera: For 2002-03, Fera addresses a progressive, active young market with two new collections: Spirit, for the active female skier and AVUS (Active, Versatile, Utility, Sport), a men’s alternative to snowboard and mountaineering garments. Designed in Europe, Spirit garments offer a waterproof-breathable fabric, a thermal lining, sporty detailing, a shaped silhouette and feminine colors in two tones of blue, lilac, light green and coral. AVUS is the concept of Eric Tung, Fera president Betty Tung’s 28-year-old son, who was inspired by the purity and athleticism of skiing. The line will be available in five jacket styles and one pant in racy colors like speed yellow, laser red and cobalt blue. In the insulated pieces, Inflexion insulation, a lightweight yet warm stretch lining, contribute to a more comfortable fit and enhanced breathability.

Hard Corps Sports: The high-tech, high-performance Hard Corps Sports adds a stretch section for men and women with two jackets and one pant for each, insulated or non-insulated. "It’s a more relaxed stretch, not body-fitting," says company president Skip Rapp, describing the jackets as "attractive and cool." All Hard Corps’ insulated jackets have stretch insulation in the shoulders. The company expands its popular high-end PulsePoint System technology, which places lightweight fleece inside garments at seven pulse points. All Hard Corps pieces carry a lifetime warranty.

Helly Hansen: Youthful looking skiwear design lines and colors for Helly Hansen tend to be more complicated and bold than the company’s simple snowboarder styles and toned down colors. New for the season are several fabrics including a three-layer stretch Helly Tech with water-resistant zippers. The Equipe technical ski collection returns with a completely restyled and rejuvenated look. Breathability and venting are key throughout the line. H-H elevates its women’s line with the Bliss jacket, a top-of-the-line, high-end two-ply shell. Look for three or four ski/board-oriented down pieces.

Killy: Killy expands on the success of its new Smart System for men, adding a shell, called Smart System Light, and down styles. The line features Killy’s exclusive tsm fx coating, which varies breathability and water resistance depending on the ambient temperature. Technical Equipment, for women, gets all new cuts and shapes for 2002-03. And a woven stretch finds its way into the Killy Sport stretch sporty ski line.

Marker: Marker adds a new M line for "trend-setting, freeride" men and women. The jackets have clean, sharp lines; fabrics include a storm faille for men and an almost-satin touch nylon for women. Look for a very hot corduroy stretch pant, wool and lambswool sweaters in 14 colors that coordinate with outerwear and women’s jackets and woven stretch pants that fit various body shapes. Stretch shows up, too, in Marker’s top-of-the-line men’s Challenge collection, which utilizes Aqua Guard Stretch, a dobby weave fabric married to fully woven stretch fabric with stretch lamination. Designer Grace Galdi predicts Sky, a clear blue, will be the hottest new color for women.

Marmot: Marmot reasserts its position of strength with its greatest line revision in 15 years. More than half of its shell and mid-layer styles are new, including an all-new Mojo ski collection and a soft-shell category in fabrics that range from an exclusive Gore WindStopper Triton waterproof stretch-woven to Malden’s stretch and water-repellent PowerShield to tough, highly breathable Schoeller Dryskin. Bells and whistles include a new optional-use pass pocket, CD and goggle pockets, removable, helmet-compatible hoods and more. "We felt it was time to jump ahead of the competition," said spokesperson Jim Frazier.

In the Mojo collection, a men’s Tallac Jacket features W. L. Gore’s new AirAdvantage inflatable internal vest component system for user-adjustable insulation and warmth. Fully inflated, the vest provides additional insulation equivalent of a 200-weight fleece vest. The two-layer Gore-Tex shell is micro-stitched and seams are fully taped. A men’s and women’s Sharp Point Jacket from the Soft-Shell collection features a new, exclusive-to-Marmot Gore Windstopper Triton stretch nylon woven fabric, laminated on the inside with polyester knit fleece.

Nevica: Nevica reasserts itself with a younger, more aggressive look. Debuting are Competition for men and women, born out of a long-standing commitment to ski racing, and Freeski, with a new age graphic style aimed at a young men’s, women’s and children’s market.

Nils: Designer Susie Wiyninger says Nils has evolved to where the collections go from sport/snowboard to "almost couture signature" without a lot in between. The first group, in styles that link a skiing mom to a snowboarding daughter, features fun, active colors. Pure Essentials is a "way updated" Classics group, with standouts like waterproof breathable suede with gold trim and blue and black denim. Among the Signature collection highlights is Snow Glitter, a clear foil print on suede that glistens in the sun. "Our stretch business is going up," said Wiyninger who has as one of her trademark pieces the stretch-bottom suit.

Orage: This Canadian brand has a new group, as part of its new school oriented collection. The Vibe group is similar to Orage’s Riders’ Edge offerings, but it is more price sensitive. There is a three-in-one jacket style, which can convert from an insulated piece to a shell to a fleece. The new All Weather Denim is a pair of waterproof denim pants.

Phenix: This highly technical brand orients most of its collection to racers, but now it also has more styles geared to freeriding. Phenix outfits the Norwegian alpine ski team and the U.S. and Canadian freestyle teams. New offerings include the Freeride Cargo Pants, which feature venting between the legs. The new Mountain Adventure category is a group of styles for use in powder conditions. The jackets and vests in this group use EPIC by Nextec, a fabric with encapsulated fibers for superior waterproofness and breathability.

Roffe: Roffe’s new line for winter 2002-03 targets women, aged 30-45. It features more fitted pieces and soft, ripstop fabrics. The collection includes a Hip Length Shell, with Thermolite insulation. Altogether, there are 17 pieces in the new offering, with stretch pants, stretch base layers and outerwear shells and pants.

Salomon: In its second season, Salomon’s Advanced Skin philosophy of body comfort and motion fit continues using styles with cuts that allow freedom of movement. Designed for the freeride athlete, the look is young and innovative. Salomon’s Soft Technical Layer (STL) features Swiss-made Schoeller WB-400 fabrics, three-layered composites of four-way stretch woven Cordura, polyester and Lycra surrounding a stretch mid-layer.

Skea: High-end Skea has added Geometric Tech and Supersoft Tech in its ski group. "Due to the ever-changing market, we have greatly increased our City Ski, giving us an ability to sell to non-skiers and to make our line a little resistant to snow and traveling problems. Every year we expand that aspect a little," says Skea president Diane Boyer-Irwin. Skiwear standouts for 2002-03 include a Tahitian fantasy in an exclusive imported jacquard brocade, a New World group featuring a stretch waterproof-breathable fabric with a dobby finish and a new group of the faux lambskin and fine faux furs for which the company is known. Real fur and leather, per retailers’ requests, debut in the collection. "We’re proud to be made 100-percent in the U.S.," Irwin says.

Sport Obermeyer: Resort, a high-end, faux fur-trimmed elegant ski fashion group, is new for 2002-03. With five women’s groups, lots of new styles are out including Voltage, in the ATC (All Terrain Clothing) group. Voltage exemplifies Obermeyer’s commitment to fit and comfort, with detailed "interior finish, clear and energetic colors, performance features, value and versatility." The jacket looks great with stretch pants, a shell or off the hill with jeans. For men, the company introduces a high-end Mach 1 collection, priced from $260 to $299. Tough and rugged, the group offers a range of silhouettes, including a jacket with zip-off sleeves and a guide length with draw-cord waist.

Spyder: For next season, Spyder adds more stretch fabric for comfort and fit in its men’s Legend and Helix garments. A new SCC limited edition men’s jacket ($799), signed and numbered by David Jacobs, Spyder’s founder and president, uses the company’s ComforTemp insulation that absorbs excess heat from the wearer’s body, retains it and returns it as necessary to keep the skier warmer for extended periods of time. Joining the women’s Platinum line is the Onyx jacket, with haute-couture styling, feminine fit and technical fabrics. Features include a "glitter" accented top, custom leather belt and removable faux fur trim. The Diamond jacket returns with stretch enhancement for a better fit.

Trespass: A value-oriented British brand, Trespass offers consumers a large variety of winter wear, full of technical features at bargain prices. The Radium jacket for men and women is a waterproof-breathable style that is also windproof. It features such details as vent zips, cuffs that grip the wrist area and special pockets to fit cell phones or personal stereos.

***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 Gear Editor