Outdoor Retailer Show 2018: Your First Look at Next Year’s Gear
We checked out next season’s product offerings from over 30 brands at this year’s Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, dive in now to get your first glimpse of what’s to come.
words: Snowboard Magazine
Come the end of January, one of the events we look forward to is the yearly outdoor winter trade show, in which thousands descend on the Denver Convention Center for the look at next season’s gear. Naturally, viewing next season’s offerings from the hundreds of brands present, meeting with the people that support those brands, and hearing the stories of the new (and old) products gets us excited and praying for more snow so we can put all the new gear to the test.
Each year’s annual event is exciting as there are always beers floating around, a maze of booths to get lost inside of, plenty of high fives, bright lights and high ceilings, and so many new snowboards, bindings, boots, outerwear, goggles, helmets, gloves, accessories, and random products you never knew existed to feast your eyes all over.
However, this year was a little different. Outdoor Retailer purchased the trade show from SIA. As such, there were many more outdoor brands, and the show wasn’t entirely limited to snowsports. Think: more granola bar companies, footwear, and outdoor apparel.
This change not only brought in more people and energy, but more brands, and with them, really expanded the size of the show with booths taking over all levels of the venue. In fact, all of the spaces were sold out and there were so many purchased booths, they didn’t even all fit into the main showing room at the Denver Convention Center, and instead, were spilling into the lobby areas. Needless to say, there was way more hustle and bustle than we’ve seen in recent years.
While shop owners bought and companies sold, we were there to get a peak of the new products, hear about all of next season’s technology, and catch up with the brands that together make up the snowboarding industry. There were so many cool product offerings for the 2018-2019, you might want to start saving up now for when they hit stores this fall.
Among the emerging trends for next season’s best gear offerings, we witnessed both an increased push into the realm of Quiver designs, while also the triumphant return of the classic Popsicle – make sure to check out some of the new shapes from Nitro and Salomon, below. In the optics department, we were treated to the introduction of the new PVX frame from Dragon, which seamlessly blends the functionality of a spherical lens with the style of a cylindrical. We also checked out the new Prizm React goggles from Oakley – you can say goodbye to swapping out your lenses, one push of a button and a charge runs through the lens changing its tint.
Possibly the most apparent design trends we witnessed were found in next season’s outerwear, in which technology and forward-thinking designs are seamlessly blending with style and performance. These trends included 686’s new “HydraStash Jacket” – which comes with a built-in water reservoir, as well as, The North Face’s new Fuse Brigandine and Steep Series outerwear kits, which feature not only industry leading fabrics and design, but unmatched integration between layers, allowing wearers the ultimate functionality.
However, while we could list new products and exciting changes coming to the industry, there is no better way to learn about them than by seeing them for yourself. Make sure to continue below to check out our photos gallery and catch a quick glimpse of just a portion of the new gear hitting the shelves next season.
Make sure to remember, that while all of these new products are exciting and a sign of great things to come, there are many shops across the country still outfitted with some of the best snowboarding products money can buy from this current season. Stop by your local boardshop, talk to its staff, and they will get you set up with the exciting new start of the snowboarding experience. Seasonal sales are just around the corner.