Equipment Update: What We Saw In Davos

Equipment Update: What We Saw In Davos

Gear News, Newsfeed
Davos is a special FIS World Cup stage because that's the place where bosses and key personnel of the top equipment producing companies choose to congregate at, year after year. We will have a separate little story telling you who's been around this year, but it's fair to assume that the captains of the industry are not just coming to breath that fresh Swiss mountain air - but to watch their latest gear being employed to win and to talk to athletes they sponsor. That's not to say that Davos has become the place to launch your latest & bestest, alas. We openly hope the day will come. But even the last week there were a few debuts or just relative rarities we saw - and will share with you.…
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First Look: Carbon Soled Boots With Abrasion Pads For Biathletes

First Look: Carbon Soled Boots With Abrasion Pads For Biathletes

Gear News, Newsfeed
What's the difference between folks on skis and those called biathletes? Well, for one thing the latter have a propensity for carrying a rather unwieldy rifle. They also could be identified by their patched boots. The shooting mats are made of a rather abrasive material that after countless prone shootings wear off your boots. [caption id="attachment_13481" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Those patches....[/caption] Somebody took notice: [caption id="attachment_13484" align="alignnone" width="829"] Meet Spine Ultimate, Pro Biathlon Edition[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13482" align="alignnone" width="608"] Abrasion pad is on the inner side of the boot's upper and is made of highly scratch & tear resistance polyurethane... [/caption] [caption id="attachment_13485" align="alignnone" width="950"] ...similar in composition, Spine says, to that polyurethane car paintprotection film that is all the rage now with fancy cars' owners [/caption] [caption id="attachment_13486" align="alignnone" width="608"] ...…
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Review: Best Ski Boots For Classic Right Now, Part 2: Madshus, Rossignol, Salomon. Plus Alfa And Spine

Review: Best Ski Boots For Classic Right Now, Part 2: Madshus, Rossignol, Salomon. Plus Alfa And Spine

Gear News, Newsfeed
This is a continuation of the story. If you want to read about Atomic, Alpina and Fischer offerings as of this autumn, go here A few additional things to mull over: - Some (not all) ski bootmakers say that designing and producing true racing Classic boots is actually more difficult than the ones for Skating. Due to conflicting characteristics the sole should posses: rigid in some parts, flexible in others. - Top market for Classic boots is Scandinavia & Finland. Warmth is more of an issue in long-distance Classic races Norwegians, Swedes and Finns are so fond of. [caption id="attachment_13221" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Madshus Super Nano Classic are venerable product that is still being used by the world's best ( cue Krista Parmakoski) . Pros: cheapest carbon classic boots on the…
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Review: Best Ski Boots For Skating Right Now, Part 2

Review: Best Ski Boots For Skating Right Now, Part 2

Gear News, Newsfeed
This is part 2 where we look at what Madshus, Rossignol, Salomon - and an exciting newcomer, Spine - have to offer to discerning users. Part 1 where we looked into Alpina, Atomic and Fischer could be found here Once again, briefly on definitions: “best” means racing boots, those used by the world’s elite skiers to compete & win. In 2019 those are invariably carbon-fiber soled – and, naturally, with carbon cuffs for ankle support. Madshus, Norway The brand from Biri was long known for the relative warmth of its top-line racing boots - which is entirely expected given the company roots & location. [caption id="attachment_13067" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Super Nano were among the first carbon-soled boots on the market and still could be found in elite competitions. Super Nano are…
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ISPO 2018: What We Saw, Noticed and Liked

ISPO 2018: What We Saw, Noticed and Liked

Gear News, Newsfeed
ISPO is huge. No photo or even video could convey ginormous size of the exhibition spread over 16 cavernous halls. It also would not let you forget for a second that industrial heart of the world these days is beating in China. And in India. And in Bangladesh. And Pakistan. [caption id="attachment_6585" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Marwe had its people dressed in real cool looking vests with multiple pockets. Production perspectives uncertain as Asian manufacturers are only willing to produce in volume [/caption] Since cross country skiing is a niche sport, alas, Asian manufacturers who think in terms of volume, are not yet big in this sector. The things, however, are slowly changing – several Chinese producers had their products on display, mostly entry-level ski boots and rollerskis. ISPO is fundametally different…
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