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Nordic ski companies are seeing a
wave of gym ratsfrom metropolitan areas
pursuing Nordic skiing.

Alpina sees a growing segment of skiers looking for sta-
ble equipment to be used in a touring center and out on the
track and believes this trend is growing faster than skating.
“But skating is another very interesting segment for women
because they’re fitness conscious,” said VP of Sales Steve
Kvinlaug. “…Skating is wintertime aerobics.”

Skate goes after the performance seg-
ment, while the Trak X4R is designed to go in and out
of track.

“They’re looking at performance but
not racing,” said Atomic’s Rick Halling,
“They want skis that are light and fast for a
good workout, but that are very easy and
forgiving.”

“The construction and bases are so good that the cus-
tomer is buying a convenient, stable, comfortable sport util-
ity vehicle rather than the race car that’s a lot more finicky,”
said Kvinlaug.

Madshus (distributed by Alpina) has a new skating ski
and crossover series specifically for women. The Cardio

Atomic’s new FitnessCross (FX) skis
are primarily designed for track and some
light touring. At Karhu, the SnowBlaze
returns for people that want more perform-
ance, but aren’t ready for a race ski.

“The SnowBlaze series is for weekend
warriors or those hitting the touring center
after or before work,” said Marketing
Manager Charlie Lozner.

Helmets, once upon a time, were big, blocky contraptions that — although
safe — were about as sleek as a 1964 Lincoln Continental. To loosely quote a
line from Mike Meyer’s classic So I Married an Axe Murderer, helmets made your
average head look like an orange on a toothpick.

Backcountry is also witnessing growth.
“Mid-length skis are very important for
Fischer,” said VP of XC Sales Peter
Ashley, “We’ve seen a dramatic downsiz-
ing shift away from traditional length back-
country skis toward mid-length skis like our
lightweight, easy turning S-Bound series.”

But new sleek, stylish lightweight “In-mold” helmets that borrow technology
from cycling helmets have more skiers and snowboarders buckling up a chin-
strap before hitting the slopes.

In-mold helmets feature a lightweight impact absorbing foam — usually
expanded polystyrene, or EPS — molded to a hard plastic outer shell. Because
foam is easily shaped, manufacturers can add vents and tweak the style easi-
ly, resulting in comfortable, low-bulk helmets.

For backcountry, Rossignol has a new
lightweight, metal-edged line with varying
tip width (specified in the model number).
The BC90 resembles an old style telemark
ski that can be used with a lightweight
75mm boot and a cable for touring. The
waxless BC70 is for people looking to go
from point ‘a’ to ‘b,’ and the BC65 is for trail
skiers that want a metal edge.

“In-mold construction is the biggest trend in helmets right now,” said Pete
Fickeisen, Ovo’s national sales manager. “Dealers are demanding in-mold hel-
mets that are lightweight with good venting and good style.”

Ovo, a company best known for its off-the-wall hardshell helmets, is show-
ing its first in-mold model, the V.

Salomon also updated its helmets, which the company’s Hal Thomson
admits were bulky. A new line of lids is lighter with a lower profile. Rossignol also
jumps headfirst into the market this year, producing more than 30 helmet models.

Tracking a European trend it expects
in the States, Rossignol is pushing its new
classic racing skis, the E’ium, Delta, and
Max. “This is a big deal for us because
Rossignol isn’t known for classic skis,” said
Rossi’s Kurt Hoeffler, “We’ve spent so
much time on skate skis over the last 10
years, but in Sweden, 90% of all racing
skis are classic and for us to expand our
racing ski sales we need to have a strong
classic offering.”

Companies like Giro and Briko, which have long sold cycling helmets, ush-
ered in the in-mold revolution several years ago. But venerable ski helmet mak-
ers like Boeri have added their own stamp to the designs.

Boeri is showing the Tactic, a helmet that it claims is the first hybrid helmet
that combines in-mold technology with the safety of a hardshell helmet. It fea-
tures a hard polycarbonate shell on top of a foam EPS liner.

The result is a safe, light helmet with seven vents. Other features include
removable earpieces, a neck liner and two vents, which plays to another trend.
The helmet has a suggested retail price of $149.

Rounding out the boot and bindings
they’ve been offering for years, Salomon
launches Nordic skis for the first time. A
complete line will be introduced in 2005-
06, but this year Salomon introduces two
skis focusing on touring and fitness. The
Snowscape features S-cut, which increas-
es versatility and stability. The Escape pro-
vides easier access to the sport.

“Customization is definitely important right now,” said Amy Moriarty, Boeri
marketing manager. “A lot of new helmets offer features like removable pads for
a custom fit or options to seal off venting.”

On Briko’s Echo freeride helmet, the vents have removable plugs. The in-
mold helmet also has removable earpieces and a removable moisture-wicking
interior liner.

But for all the fuss over in-mold, suppliers are still spitting out helmets with
hardshells, especially three-quarter length designs.

“Three-quarter helmets are about 80 percent of the hardshell market,” said
Ovo’s Pete Fickeisen. “And although all the helmets meet the same safety stan-
dards, I still feel more comfortable putting kids in hardshells.”

“The shapes are unique to Salomon
but part of the shorter, more versatile,
wider trend,” said Salomon Marketing
Manager Hal Thomson.