The Daily - February 20, 2020 - 70

Demo Day
F R O M

T H E

R O A D

Clockwise from
left: The uphill-downhill race
is a perennial
highlight of the
demo; attendees
could also test
out accessories;
our reporter took
Roam's exoskeleton for a trial run.

Test Drive

The On-Snow Demo moved to Winter Park this
year, offering showgoers the chance to take the
latest gear for a spin. By Hudson Lindenberger
AFTER SIX YEARS OF BEING STAGED

at Copper Mountain, the annual
SIA/WWSRA On-Snow Demo was
back on the slopes of Winter Park
Resort-and nearby Devil's Thumb
Ranch-this year. (Winter Park
previously hosted the demo from
2010 to 2013.) Held February 3-4,
after the Show in Denver, the demo
gave showgoers the chance to get
outside and test the gear they'd been
ogling for three days at the convention center. "It's nice to get back in
the mountains and get some wind
on your face-and remember why
we love to ski so much," said SIA
president Nick Sargent on an early
morning first-tracks gondola ride
on Day 1 of the demo.
The move from Copper was due
to a scheduling conflict with The
Dew Tour, a large-scale contest

70

that took up large parts of Copper's
base area and slopes. The move
back into the Fraser Valley from
Summit County was the natural
choice. "We wanted to stay as
close to Denver as possible," said
Sargent. "A lot of the [gear] testers
loved testing here, so it made a lot
of sense. It's nice to change it up
and come to a new resort."
As the largest on-snow demo
on the planet, the event gave
buyers, media, and companies
the chance to take the latest gear
for on-snow testing. More than
1,000 attendees mingled with
120 different brands, swapping
out products as they made laps
on Winter Park's gondola.
The timing for the event meant
the crowds were smaller than in
previous years when the demo

/ OUTDOOR + SNOW SHOW 2020

was held back-to-back with the
Show. This year and last, the demo
was held two days after the Show
closed, giving exhibitors time to
break down booths in Denver, take
a breath, and set up for the demo.
Attendees liked the more intimate
event. "We can actually talk with
people and really let them learn
about our products now," said
Steven Goddard of Dynafit. "In the
past, all we did was set DINs and
send them on their way. We were
swamped and getting on our stuff
was hard-it was all out on the
slopes. This is so much better."
One of the biggest trends seen in
the tents packed in the base area
at Winter Park was the uptick in
all-mountain touring gear. Adaptable, lighter, and versatile were the
buzzwords. "We've seen a huge demand for gear that you can use to
climb that also offers a great ride
coming down," said David Crane
from Salomon. "Shops across
mountain regions are adding more
touring gear than ever. Most of it
is [sold] to first timers who want
to skin at their local resorts as a
form of exercise, but many of them

graduate into gear to take them
into the backcountry."
In the ever-evolving world of
gear, one of the more innovative
products available for testing was
from ROAM Robotics, a company out of San Francisco that is
developing a robotic exoskeleton.
It was initially created for everyday
use, but the company realized it
could be ideal for downhill skiing.
Powered by a small backpack,
the device senses when a user is
turning and takes pressure off the
legs by filling small bellows located
behind the knees with compressed
air to reduce stress.
The event was about more than
testing gear though. The annual uphill-downhill race brought
crowds to cheer on racers as they
battled for the winning trophy (and
bragging rights) after three laps
under clear skies. And Blink 90210
brought its fusion of punk-poprock jams until late into the night
at the annual Industry Party held
in the Derailer Bar on Feb 3.
As a crucial part of the Outdoor + Snow Show experience,
the demo offered the chance to
test gear, mingle in the snow,
write orders, and lay out some
long-term plans.

Photographs by

Bob Berger
The Daily - February 20, 2020

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