Cool to the X-treme: Trade show unveils hot equipment, accessories for winter sports

Kirk Baird

Monday, Jan. 28, 2002 | 8:23 a.m.

Bacteria-fighting silver underwear that is odor-free.

A jacket that can be easily inflated or deflated to warm up or cool down, depending on the surrounding temperature.

The continued resurrection of the monoski.

And more personalized ski and snowboard equipment and accessories.

For the winter sport enthusiast, these are some of the cooler items coming down the pike, most of which will be featured at the Snow Sports Industries America's (SIA) SnowSports Show, going on Tuesday through Saturday at the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The event is an annual trade show for exhibitors, buyers, industry representatives and journalists. This year marks the SnowSports Show's 30th anniversary show, all of which have been held in Las Vegas.

Since the event is not open to the public, here's a peek at what's hot for winter sports: Let's say you've been out on the slopes awhile. You bundled up with extra layers to make sure you never feel the cold winter air or snow when you wipe out on a jump. At some point it's bound to get awfully warm under all those winter clothes.

Two companies keenly aware of the potential discomfort, Medalist and Noble Fiber Technologies, teamed to create a performance fabric made of pure silver, X-Static, designed to better regulate body temperature.

"The properties of silver make it ideal to interact with the human body," said David Kain, a spokesman for Machine, a marketing firm working with Medalist. "Since silver has a thermodynamic to it, and it's the most conductive element of all the earthly metals, it's really good for heat distribution."

Also, silver is antimicrobial, Kain said, meaning it kills bacteria that produce odor. That explains why the primary use of X-Static is in thermal underwear (what Medalist refers to as "the base layer").

So not only do Medalist X-Static base-layers -- such as boxers, boxer-briefs, jock straps and long underwear -- keep the temperature comfortable "down there," it also helps prevent the laundry basket from smelling.

And if that's not enough, there's another benefit, too: less washing.

In theory, a pair of Medalist X-Static boxers could be worn more than once between washes, he said.

"When Mom used to say, 'Make sure you're wearing clean underwear,' this kind of helps out," Kain said.

X-Static products, which are sold in ski-specialty stores and sporting good shops, also include T-shirts, sweatshirts and turtlenecks. Prices range from $18 for boxers and briefs, to $45 for a turtleneck.

Mono y mono

In the '70s the monoski was introduced. Similar to a snowboard, only thinner, monoskis weren't functional enough for most skiers, and ended up relegated to a small following in Europe throughout the '80s.

With the development of the parabolic skis, however, in which the skis are curved inward around the middle to create easier maneuverability, there's new hope for the monoski.

Lunar Ride Systems, a monoski-equipment manufacturer in Salt Lake City, has been developing new types of monoskis for nearly a decade.

"Once the ski industry started going to parabolic-shaped skis, we basically followed that," co-owner Brian Oar said. "We realized that we wanted a monoski that performed more like a snowboard, but you were still skiing."

Oar, along with his brother and company co-owner, Darin, developed a lighter monoski with a stainless steel insert so the binding can be adjusted, providing more stance options.

The monoski is also considerably easier to learn than snowboarding, Oar assured: The average skier takes a half-day to learn monoskies, while someone new to snowboarding takes a week to learn the sport, he said.

"We're pushing (monosking) into new fields so the major skiing public can have a crossover sport that feels like a snowboard but without taking the time to hurt your head, neck or butt" through trial and error, Oar said.

Depending on size, a monoski runs anywhere from $598-$650. Visit lunarboardco.com for more information.

Heads up

Headware is important for winter activities, whether it's wearing a hat while walking the dog late at night in below-freezing weather, or a wearing a helmet for protection while hitting the slopes midday.

Tilley, a Canadian headware manufacturer that recently moved to New York, has developed a new style of the former, the Great Canadian Winter Hat.

Made of 100 percent wool and treated with Teflon, the Winter Hat has adjustable earflaps, for when it is or isn't too cold, a generous brim and what the company calls a "forehead protector."

"It's a flap that folds down to protect you from the elements," David Kappele, Tilley director, said. "But you don't look like a geek walking around with it down."

The Great Canadian Winter Hat retails for $75 at high-end ski shops and has a lifetime guarantee. It's also insured against theft or loss for two years.

"We like to be different," Kappele added.

As for helmets, after the skiing deaths of two high-profile political figures, Sonny Bono and Michael Kennedy, protective head gear has been on the minds of many winter-sports enthusiasts.

While there has been no radical change in design or makeup to the helmet this year, more helmet makers are realizing the protective gear can be more than a lifesaver, but a fashion statement or accessory.

Boeri, the leading seller of ski and snowboard helmets, is helping set the trend, offering more colors and styles.

Robyn Hasson, a Boeri public relations representative, said the Norwood, Mass., company is particularly focused on women's helmets.

The company recently created the Tricia Byrnes signature model, named for a member of the U.S. Olympic halfpipe snowboard team, that's based on a previous helmet design, but comes in baby blue.

"We have five or six new color options that are targeted toward women," Hasson said, which include: rose, frost blue, cherry red and powder blue.

Boeri is also introducing two new colors for its children's helmet -- peppermint (light pink) and lavender -- in addition to retaining its more male-oriented colors: black, dark blue and graphite.

"We've looked toward trends to clothing and outerwear," she said. "At this point, helmets are part of your equipment. It's like your hat: Do you want to wear a blue hat or do you want to wear a polka-dotted hat? We try to pay attention to everything."

Boeri helmets range in price from $70-$140, depending on the model, and are available at most ski shops and sporting good stores.

Fully insulated

Whether the heat or air-conditioning is on full blast or not, chances are there is always someone in the room who is uncomfortable. The problem is, you can't please everyone.

W.L. Gore and Associates, the manufacturers of Gore-Tex, are going to try. The company has developed Airvantage, a new type of adjustable insulation that can be either inflated or deflated.

For example, if wearing a jacket with the Airvantage insulation, blow air into the jacket to increase the insulation, thus making it warmer for the wearer, or decrease the insulation to make the jacket cooler.

Airvantage relies on "dead air" to increase the jacket's insulation value and to reduce the amount of heat loss. And when deflated, it loses the dead air, so it traps less heat.

"It's perfect for when you go to places where women are cold and men aren't. The effect is instant; you have this little air cushion," Cynthia Amon, public relations representative for Gore, said. "It's like somebody gives you a warm hug."

And when inflated, the Airvantage insulation does not increase in size or add weight, she said. Which makes it attractive to the fashion industry.

"Airvantage is very versatile, it can go into any kind of apparel -- it doesn't have to go into a Gor-Tex jacket, although that would be our preference," Amon joked. "It's really going to revolutionize the apparel industry because people can have personal control ... it's perfect for indoors and outdoors."

Burton, a snowboard and equipment developer and manufacturer based in Burlington, Vt., is including Airvantage in a men's and women's jacket, both of which will retail for $550.

Jennifer Rudolph, a Burton spokeswoman, said the company was excited about the new type of insulation and its possibilities both indoors and out.

"The fact that you can keep yourself warm efficiently will definitely be an advantage," she said. "It's just a question of how much hot air you can produce."

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