p10 ispo:SGBGolf_NEW_template 26/02/2009 12:48 Page 10
SGB Outdoor
ispo winter 2009
It was a truly strange experience being in Munich and seeing
weather reports that the UK had closed due to huge volumes of
snow; Munich had just had plenty itself, and the city had not
stopped for a second. Somehow, our European peers are never
surprised when it snows in winter. It's almost as though they
know something the British governments do not…
i
spo 09 took place over four days at the beginning of February and was, as New for 2009 is Triplepoint Dynamic, a
ever, absolutely spectacular. The organisation, the show itself, the venue – new version of Lowe Alpine’s famous
everything is on such a huge scale that one almost wants a whole week to waterproof/breathable fabric using ceramic technology in a laminated
see everything. With that in mind, this is just a 'potted highlights' as to cover construction.
everything would need the whole issue. Odlo's stand incorporated their entire range, it seemed, but the most
UK retailers reportedly attended the four days in decent numbers, which attractive area for SGB was their superior base layers. Superbly made, great
comes as a surprise considering the absolute slump of the Pound against the designs, practical – what's not to love about them? They also had a shooting
Euro in the months building up to ispo. One manufacturer, possibly with this competition for people to try, which was great fun.
in mind, told SGB that they had actually seen all of their customers with new Crux, now distributed in the UK by North Wales-based DMM, makes
product before ispo, so it was irrelevant to them if their UK stockists attended 'serious' mountaineering clothing, and they presented plenty of new gear to
the Munich show or not. It's always best to have those bases covered… But if customers. This included the Shok Jacket and Pant, plus the mid-layer Halo
that's a manufacturer's stance, it might weaken ispo in coming years as far as Top, which sports a new ultra-lightweight 10 denier fabric and a higher
UK attendances go. grade of down fill-power.
While ispo is largely a winter sports show, there's a reasonably large Timex were exhibiting for the first time at ispo, showing that they take
outdoor section to it and plenty of big-name and smaller brands attended. their position in the outdoor market very seriously. They showed their new
Granger's introduced its sexily-named G-Max Universal Waterproofer at WS4, which basically means 'widescreen 4', a handsome, wide format, large-
the show, a product which works on all materials including full grain leather, face watch with four main functions on one display. They are an altimeter, a
Nubuck, suede and fabric footwear. Quick and easy spray application means barometer, a compass and a thermometer. Unlike most watches, on this you
this has huge appeal and could become their core product in short can see all four functions at a glance thanks to the huge face. Timex has
order. made a great-looking watch that will appeal to a whole new market for the
Epic by Nextec was in BrandNew, and it's a windproof, rainproof, company.
breathable and air permeable fabric; the makers say there's no Anatom had their wonderful Superfeet and TEKO
other fabric like it as water will not penetrate the garment, and socks on show. Superfeet were showing their new
airflow remains. The EPIC process wraps the fibres inside the insoles, primarily for winter use. They are
fabric, the yarns are encapsulated and the air spaces filled impregnated with OutLast, a phase change
with a fine layer of silicone polymer. The face of the fabric is material which can absorb and store energy
left exposed keeping the original touch and look – the from the body – in this case, heat – and give it
process even strengthens the fabric – and is permanent and back to the body when you cool down.
washable. Patagonia had some great stories for customers,
Lowe Alpine had a few stories to tell on their stand, but then don't they always? They were showing
including their AW09 clothing collection which, the their new Speed Ascent jacket and pants, which
company says, re-affirms the values they are renowned for. they say are their warmest soft shells for cold-
weather adventuring, with recycled and recyclable
content. There was a lot more, which we don't
have space for – but suffice to say they're sticking
firmly to their environmental message, which means not using bamboo, and
recycling materials wherever possible.
Keen also have an environmental message (bags made out of leftover
packaging, for example!), and a raft of fantastic product. Everyone is familiar
with their super-comfortable sandals, but their bags are absolutely superb
and come with a strong environmental story too.
Berghaus, another huge name in the outdoors, has incorporated d3O's
wonder-stuff in one of its backpacks to make a section to protect the spine;
the material is soft and almost spongy to a normal touch, but hit it at speed
or with force and it's like stone. Hopefully we'll see more of this incorporated
into backpack and even clothing designs before too long, but kudos to
Berghaus for this step.
10 SGBOUTDOOR FEBRUARY 2009
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