At ISPO in Munich, the manufacturers present their new products for the 2014/2015 season. The trade fair takes place a little earlier than usual due to the Olympic Games and this year also before the North American sister event SIA. The PowderGuide crew was at the trade fair for you and took a look at the material for the coming season. In several articles, we'll show you what's new, especially in the areas of safety, skis, boots and bindings, but also take a look at the booming splitboards. In the first part, we present the new products in the ski sector as well as lots of pictures of the 2014/15 product ranges.
Skis with rocker have become established since last year at the latest, even among the most conservative ski manufacturers. Although manufacturers are pursuing different concepts in this area (full rocker, hybrid rocker-camber, more unusual designs such as triple camber or additional elements such as nose-shaped forms in the nose area), one trend can be easily deduced: Stable yet lightweight freeride/touring skis. Various new materials and constructions are being tried out from manufacturer to manufacturer, but the main focus is on using carbon.
Lightweight construction without compromise
While this composite material made of resin and carbon fiber was reserved for skis for race-oriented touring in the past, most major manufacturers now also have wide freeriders with a lightweight construction in their range. The lines known in marketing jargon as "Free Touring", which are intended to close the gap between the downhill-oriented freeride skis and the more uphill-oriented touring skis, which are now almost all rockered, are a logical development and are increasingly coming to the fore.