Outdoor Retailer Trade Show – 2005

I’m super excited about this year’s Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City, coming up the next few days. A preview of some incredible new stuff that I’ll be blogging from the show:

You thought randonnee backcountry skiing gear couldn’t get any lighter? Think again. Life-Link is introducing new Dynafit backcountry skiing bindings with titanium parts, for an amazing weight savings of fully 1/2 pound a pair! Result, a fully functional ski binding that weighs about 1 pound a pair! This thing is so far ahead of the competition, both telemark and randonnee, that it is mind boggling. Yes, we’ll be testing them soonest! More, all Dynafit bindings will have stronger base plates (a recent weak point), and the Comfort binding will now go from DIN 5 to 12. Yes, that’s not a typo, DIN 12! More, the Comfort brakes will now fit up to 90mm ski waists.

Dynafit is also coming out with new skis that look incredible for backcountry skiing. Tim from Life-Link wrote me this:

“The carbon 10.0 at 118/86/111 weighs 6lb. for a 178cm, so it’s the same size as the Atomic TMX and BD Havoc but weighs less WITH BINDINGS ON IT! This is not a wimpy, foam core ski….It’s Full Wood Core, sandwiched in new style carbon V-shaped layers, which are both sandwiched in fiberglass layers. It’s very stiff torsionally, has a stout but smooth flex, and like I said….is worth the wait (of 3 years of working with Dynafit).”

There is much much more, both from Life-Link and from a host of other companies that have new and improved product. Stay tuned. I’ll be blogging directly from the OR Show and share any cool and exciting stuff I can find. These are exciting times for our backcountry skiing sport!