This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry
I can always spy Italian design by the classy look. LaSportiva is a good example. Their jackets fit well and look more stylish than the average puffy, somehow eliminating that stuffed sausage look. Misty Primaloft jacket, 100% recycled polyester with Primaloft Silver Active insulation.
Wood core makes these skis new.
As seasoned readers know, the WildSnow team typically covers the Outdoor Retailer Show in January each year. This year the organization is calling the January show, the “Snow Show,” and they added a “Winter Show” in November which Lou and I attended for a day. The show was mostly apparel and shoes, and being a bit of a clothes horse, I enjoyed it. One retailer, La Sportiva, snuck in some skis and gave us an update on their 2019/2020 line. The preview made me forget about getting a new jacket for the season…well, almost.
Available fall 2019, the carbon nano tube construction of the Vapor Float, Vapor Nano and Vapor Svelte will be reinforced tip to tail with strips of poplar wood core material. This adds several hundred grams per pair, but will make the Vapor ski line stronger (they’ve had durability problems). They should ski better too. Lou says the new build will still keep the 178 Svelte in the “one kilo” weight class, albeit just barely (catalog weight for the 188 cm is 1,300 grams).
Construction specs for Vapor Float, Vapor Nano and Vapor Svelte:
Available sizes:
Vapor Float specs for 178:
Vapor Nano specs for 179:
Vapor Svelte specs for 188:
Perhaps a good hut and winter travel shoe? Ramble by Chacos has a grippy sole, weighs 5.9 oz (size 7 Womens), and looks decent enough for walk-around wear — handy when your luggage is chock full of ski gear. We hope to test them soon.
If you want to channel your inner Sami, and don’t care about weight, check out these beauties from Topaz of Norway. I was surprised to see some models made of sealskin until I learned that Topaz buys the skins from indigenous people who rely on the income to sustain their traditional settlements in the far north. So I feel a little better about my shoe fetish. May have to get a pair for our next après ski party. (Note: the boots pictured are made of cowhide. Sealskin boots cannot be imported into the U.S.)
Lou dreaming of spring skiing the wilds of New Zealand in a snazzy wind shirt. This one by Cotopaxi, MSRP $80, repurposed nylon/polyester taffeta with DWR finish. Cotopaxi products are guaranteed to last 61 years — the average lifespan of a person living in the developing world. Lou is past that age. No idea what that means.
Outdoor Research Inception Aerogel Gloves has Aerogel in fingers and palms where compact insulation is needed most. Developed by NASA for spacesuits, low-density Aerogel is many times warmer than a similar thickness of traditional insulation. We’ve been wanting to see more Aerogel used in gloves and boots, good on OR for doing so. The gloves are made with four-way stretch softshell, bonded grid fleece inside on the back of the hand and a longer-cut gauntlet. Unfortunately, they do not have a waterproof-breathable fabric layer, but perhaps that’s okay in the colder temps they’re designed for. MSRP $99.
In between appointments it’s fun to walk around and see the creativity that goes beyond the merchandise. Meet me in the igloo, aisle 4.
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WildSnow Girl, Lisa Dawson, is the luckiest girl in the world. Also known as Mrs. WildSnow.com, she tests whatever gear she wants. She gives the WildSnow family of websites the feminine voice.
