The PG team has also explored the fashion facets of the world's biggest sporting goods fair for you. It goes without saying that the style factor naturally carries much more weight here than in other areas. Nevertheless, we also focused on function when it came to clothing. To cut a long story short: here you will find the latest clothing innovations that won't let you down off the slopes and in the park, and in the best case, will also make you look good.
New colors, materials and manufacturers - but even in terms of clothing, the really big hit failed to materialize
After innovations that seem almost revolutionary from today's perspective, such as softshell and Primaloft, or the rediscovery of down, this year's developments in the clothing sector seem quite conservative. For the most part, manufacturers focused on further developing tried and tested products. The new combination of familiar materials, such as a Kevlar composite as the outer material for a complete jacket at The North Face, or the combination of proven technologies such as windstopper membrane and glued seams at Black Diamond, were frequently to be found. And "new" developments were also largely further developments of familiar materials. It was noticeable that many classic hardgoods manufacturers such as Atomic, La Sportiva and Black Diamond now also want a slice of the softgoods pie. There was a refreshing effect from small labels that, true to the motto "cobbler stick to your last", have expanded their collection, which in the case of Planks, for example, focuses more on streetwear, to include serious hardshells. In terms of color, the end of the brightly colored years is on the horizon. Although bright colors are still omnipresent, the advance of muted colors such as bordeaux or gray-blue seems unstoppable. And if you want to be guaranteed to win the hipster award on your next ski trip, go for bird prints!
Without claiming to be exhaustive, here is a brief overview of the clothing trends at ISPO 2014
Berghaus:With the Ulventanna Hybrid Down Jacket, Berghaus combines two of its own developments. Hydro Down is designed to absorb less moisture and dry faster than normal down while providing the same thermal performance. Hydro Loft focuses entirely on breathability. This is achieved through an outer material that, unlike classic down, does not have to be dense enough to prevent individual fibers from escaping. These two materials have been combined in the jacket in such a way that each material has been placed in the areas where it can best show off its advantages.
Planks:
With their catchy slogans such as "Drop Cliffs not Bombs", Planks sold stylish streetwear for a long time. In the last two years, the company has worked consistently on the Ride In series. This work is now bearing fruit that can be seen. With the Yeti Hunter Series, Planks now offers technical outerwear for the backcountry that is not only visually impressive: 20,000 mm water column, 15,000g/m2 breathability and 3-layer shell with 100% taped seams. When it comes to the pants, Planks is optimistic and thinks of the really good days in belly-button deep powder and offers a classic bib pant. Visually, Planks follows the trend towards more sedate colors, with the successful combination of grey, blue and wine red standing out. While many manufacturers like you to buy 1-2 sizes larger to achieve a baggy style, Planks' explicitly wide and long cut delivers the same result in your own size. For those who prefer tight pants, Planks also offers the Good Times Series with matching pants and jackets. The outerwear range for 2015 was rounded off with a series of gloves. O'Neill:
Yes, the anorak is back. Many people may still have faint memories of terrible moments in their childhood: when their mother made them slip into a jacket(!). Yes, exactly, those jackets without zippers! And O'Neill is now bringing these things back to the mountains. Even if the style factor is certainly higher than the functionality, it will be interesting to see whether the renaissance of the anorak is really on the cards. In the area of technical outerwear, the Jeremy Jones Signature Line stands out. In less bright colors than before, but with the features you want when you set out to tackle lines like in "Higher".
Black Diamond:
In keeping with its straightforward black and white advertising line, Black Diamond is presenting a clothing collection for men and women for the first time. Dark colors dominate the selection, which ranges from T-shirts to Gore-Tex Pro-Shell jackets. The design of the pieces might remind some people of the clothing range of a major snowboard manufacturer, which bears the abbreviation of an American state as its name. Technically, the production of windstopper tops with sealed seams stands out. This combination is intended to enhance the good combination of breathability and wind protection of Windstopper with the improved waterproofness provided by the sealed seams.
Columbia:
The fact that rescue blankets are surprisingly good at keeping you warm is due to the fact that they reflect heat radiation. Columbia has now incorporated this principle into a down jacket and calls it TurboDown with Omni-Heat (sorry if I've forgotten any TM and copyright signs). Simply put, it works like this: The inside of a down jacket has been fitted with a reflective film. And to make the whole thing breathable, the film has "holes". The result is a fairly compact down jacket that should keep you warmer than average for its thickness and is also breathable. We will test how well this works in practice! The North Face:
North Face has further developed its Steep Series and kept it much simpler in terms of color. In addition to familiar shell materials, a Kevlar composite material has been used for the first time, which promises very high durability. According to The North Face, the Powder Guide Vest is a response to the desire of many team riders for storage directly on the body. Initial practical tests will have to show whether the idea of replacing a backpack is a good one. According to The North Face, the bag instead of backpack concept is intended to enable adventures off the beaten track. However, it seems doubtful that all the standard emergency equipment can be accommodated in one vest.
Mammut:
The path taken by Mammut in recent years from classic mountain sports clothing to more freeride-oriented models has been continued and there are more and more wider-cut and more downhill-oriented models in the collection. The Alyeska series has been expanded to include the Realization Pants. A climbing harness has been incorporated into the Gore-Tex Pro pants, which allows you to abseil down the start of a line without having to put on a harness. The Sunridge series was developed for freeriders. Like the Alyeska series, Gore-Tex Pro material was used and a bib pant is available.
Pieps:The company Pieps, which belongs to Black Diamond and is mainly active in the safety sector, has brought out a small highlight with the Polychrome Jacket. This is a 3-layer reversible jacket with two temperature zones. The black side of the jacket is designed to absorb heat and transfer it to the body. The silver side of the jacket, on the other hand, is designed to reflect the sun (heat) and thus create a cooling effect. Whether the effect described above can also be realized in practice remains to be seen.
Hestra:
The traditional Swedish company has further developed its almost legendary Heli ski glove. The result is the Heli Ski Outdry 30660, a goatskin leather glove with a full membrane that can now also be worn comfortably without the merino inner glove. The glove has also been reinforced with kangaroo leather in the areas of the thumb and index finger that are subject to a lot of wear and tear. The trend towards women-specific products could not be ignored in the far north either, which is why Hestra is also offering freeride models with selected colors and narrower cuts for 2015. Ortovox: They continue to focus on bright colors. A new addition to the collection is the Swisswool Light Tec, a lightweight Swisswool jacket weighing just 60g/m², as well as a light version of the Merino Naturetec series. The hardshell collection has also been reworked.
In the galleries you will find an overview of the 2015 freeride models from a large selection of manufacturers
Acterix, Burton, Norrona, Salomon, Planks, Haglöfs, Scott, Mammut and many more:
Sweet, Atomic, Peak Performance, La Sportiva, O'Neill, Faction and many more:
