- Winter sports trends for 2020/2021
- The winter sports industry is increasingly focusing on sustainability
- ISPO Munich (January 26 to 29) to showcase next season’s products
The aim is to help people enjoy being active again and keep them feeling like that for as long as possible. As such, long-established Italian brand Nordica is launching its new HF ski boot range and breaking new ground in terms of ski book comfort. The completely reinterpreted easy-access rear-locking boots are comfortable, include a heel support, and are a pleasure to use. “HF” stands for “hands free” and means that the double buckle can be easily locked and unlocked from a standing position with just the use of a ski pole or your other foot. The HF Elite Heat GW model with fully heatable thermic inner boot can be heated to various degrees via a smartphone-controlled app for hours. The ISPO jury crowned this ski boot model the winner in its category.
“The really big trend is for biopolymer fabrics and materials,” says Senner. “The idea is to replace the many different types of plastics that are used in the sports industry with biopolymers.” Together with his team, he is working hard to conduct in-depth research in both areas. This is a trend which French ski brand Rossignol has also identified, whereby it has focused on the use of raw and recycled materials for the production of its new Black Ops Freeride skis. The Black Ops Sender TI model was crowned the winner in its category by the ISPO Award jury.
Alpina Sports is also exploring new ecological avenues and launching a completely sustainable back protector made from 100 percent sheep’s wool, obtained exclusively from sheep in Switzerland and Norway. The back protector, which consists of three layers of pressed sheep’s wool, meets the standards for protection class 1 and boasts all the impressive properties that the natural material has to offer: In icy temperatures it remains supple, can both warm and cool the wearer, and is odorless. The ISPO Award jury chose Alpina Sports’ “Prolan Vest” as the “Product of the Year”* in the Snowsports Hardware category. Swedish label Spektrum uses plant-based polymers made from castor oil as well as corn and recycled polyester for its ski and snowboard goggles. The ISPO Award jury was extremely impressed with both the ecological aspects and the execution and named the “Östra Medium” model the Gold Winner.
Swedish label Klättermusen impressed the ISPO Award jury so much with its first fully compostable down jacket “Farbaute” that they named it the Gold Winner in the Outdoor category and the winner of the ISPO Sustainability Award. The first 100 percent biodegradable down jacket biologically decomposes on the compost heap after around three months (all apart from the zippers and a few snap fasteners which can be removed and reused). When washed it does not release any microplastics into the environment. Norwegian clothing manufacturer Helly Hansen is launching a new membrane technology for winter 2020/2021 which can be produced without any additional chemicals. The microporous Lifa Infinity membrane is made using a Please observe the following embargo period: Communications regarding the ISPO Award “Products of the Year” must not be released until 16:30 on January 26, 2020 (following the official award ceremony as part of ISPO Munich).
solvent-free process and, together with a water-repellent Lifa outer material, provides extremely impressive protection from the elements. Helly Hansen’s new Lifa Infinity Pro technology also uses the spinning jet dyeing process whereby the color pigments are already injected during the fiber production process. This can save up to 75 percent water. What’s more, no harmful wastewater is produced.
Please observe the following embargo period: Communications regarding the ISPO Award “Products of the Year” must not be released until 16:30 on January 26, 2020 (following the official award ceremony as part of ISPO Munich).
