The STEEP editorial team visited the SNOW SPORTS Joint Exhibition held at Pacifico Yokohama from February 16th (Tue) to 17th (Wed). We visited the booths of manufacturers that caught our eye and asked them about their new models for next season and their favorite items. This time, we'll be looking at soft goods!
Soft goods recommended by manufacturers that caught my eye at STEEP
HESTRA is hugely popular among powder and freeride enthusiasts. It is a master craftsman brand that shines with the functionality and characteristics of leather, thanks to the Swedish craftsmanship spirit. There will be several new items added next season, so we asked them what the hot topics are among them
The highlight is the new color "Bordeaux . "
The hottest topic of the season is the new color "Bordeaux." The color is named after the red wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France, and although it is a darker red than wine red, it has a uniquely sophisticated flavor. It is likely to be popular with adult skaters. It has been adopted by HESTRA's standard model 3-finger and Wakayama
Featured new items: "Ergo Grip Active Wool" and "Tarfala"
Introducing the new "Ergo Grip Active Wool" (pictured above). The inner lining is made of wool, so it provides excellent heat retention. It also features Ergo Grip for ease of use. It's especially recommended for field users, guides, and mountain skiers
The "Tarfala" (pictured above, center) is another newly released model that is sure to catch your eye. Its high-quality European design stands out. Its shape is almost identical to the "Patrol," but it's made using a method that uses lead to process the leather. This is the goat leather version
"Wakayama" continues to sell well
The globally popular "Wakayama" is still going strong. It's selling well. The response when it was previously introduced on STEEP was amazing, but it seems that the timing of the article's publication has led to increased activity and orders, which is great news. It's a model that we're looking forward to seeing next season
POC was born in Stockholm, Sweden. It is a brand that develops products with the mission of protecting athletes from serious accidents in gravity sports. It has expanded into the winter and road bike markets, and has attracted a lot of attention, including being sold by Fullmarks
POC's proud product "LARITY COMP NIGHT SPARE LENS"
POC announced the "LARITY COMP NIGHT SPARE LENS" this season and is confident that it will be fully launched next season. It is a high-contrast lens that is nearly clear and has little tinting, developed for night games. It is designed to be usable not only for night games, but also for a wide range of conditions, including cloudy to overcast skies and poor visibility due to gas. By the way, this is what it actually looks like
As goggles become more and more sophisticated, it goes without saying that they offer good visibility in bright conditions, but it's also important to ensure good visibility in dark or poor visibility conditions. I really wanted to try out POC's new lenses
❖ Fullmarks official website https://www.full-marks.com/
Upon visiting the booth and speaking to them, I learned that they are actually pioneers, having produced the world's first food warmer 11 years ago. They started out with just 300 units, but when the snowboarding boom took off, they sold over 20,000 units in one season. They've struggled over the past two years with warm winters, but this season's stock has almost sold out due to their popularity. It's the perfect item for the current COVID-19 pandemic
The world's first food warmer sets the standard
While the color variations and materials change in line with trends in clothing and other items, the design has remained unchanged for 11 years. SHOWTIME COLLECTIVE's hood warmers are made from thin materials, resulting in an excellent fit. They have many advantages, including quick drying, heat retention, softness, and lightness. Another great feature is that they can be worn over a helmet. They are popular with people who want to hide the unfashionable outline of their helmets.
The most recommended material is the velour material (photo left). It is very comfortable against the skin and has a soothing effect, and its appearance has a slightly luxurious and stylish feel, making it especially popular with female snowboarders.
❖Relate Associates Official Website http://graysnowboards.co.jp/
The booth of Yamamoto Kogaku, which has been in business for 110 years, featured a lineup of products from SWANS, a long-established ski goggle brand, DICE, which has adapted SWANS' technology for snowboarding, and evoc, a backpack with protective functions
RIDGELINE is strong
The flagship item for next season will be SWANS' RIDGELINE, a continuation of their proud high-performance goggles. Its greatest feature is the "A-BLOW SYSTEM," which pops up the lenses by twisting the side parts, ventilating the inside of the goggles and further preventing fogging. It's said that the reputation of SWANS for being fog-free in recent years is due to this feature.
Lenses can also be changed to two types of photochromic lenses that automatically adjust the darkness of the lens depending on the brightness, polarized lenses that make it easier to see uneven surfaces on slopes, and ULTRA low-light lenses. The lenses are large enough to completely cover glasses, making them convenient. Riders who use them have praised them, saying, "They're so easy to see through and don't fog up, so I can ski aggressively with confidence."
This is the newly announced collaboration model with Hakuba Valley Ryder. The frame is Ridgeline. As they have been supporting riders in Hakuba for a long time, this heartfelt collaboration with Hakuba, a leader in the Japanese snow scene, was realized
RACAN adopts ULTRA LENS GRAY
The molded cylindrical lens goggles "RACAN" released last season will be fitted with the new "ULTRA LENS GRAY" lenses this year. SWANS uses the term ULTRA LENS to refer to high contrast lenses, but the ULTRA LENS GRAY has a much clearer appearance with added photochromic properties
Until now, the Ultra Photochromic purple lenses had a visible light transmittance of 17-35%, which would darken or lighten the lens color, but the ULTRA LENS GRAY color has a visible light transmittance of 15-55%, so it is a lens with a very wide range of lightness, even brighter and darker than before. It is close to a clear lens, but it has good contrast, making it very easy to see. This one lens can be used in a variety of weather and sunlight conditions. The color change speed is also said to be fast
Japan Fit safety helmets will continue
The strength of a long-established Japanese manufacturer is its manufacturing, which makes use of the vast amount of information on the heads of Japanese people. SWANS helmets and goggles have an appealing Japan fit. There will be no major changes to next season's model. For serious skiers, the 240 model released last year is recommended. It has shock-absorbing anti-vibration, which protects the head in the event of a fall. Of course, it is a perfect match with SWANS goggles
Yamamoto Kogaku's DICE goggles for snowboarders are also a popular brand. They share SWANS technology, but are sold separately from ski goggles
Rear entry appears on evok
Evoc is a stylish backpack brand. While previous models only allowed entry from the top, next season's model has been upgraded to allow entry from the back. This makes packing easier and improves usability. Available in 20L and 30L sizes, they're perfect for one-day backcountry adventures
The Pro Series includes back padding to protect the spine, which is effective in preventing injuries. evok's concept is a "protector backpack." As a result, it is a somewhat high-end model with a retail price of around 30,000 yen, but the quality is guaranteed. There is also a camera bag with a two-compartment structure, which is said to be popular among photographers who shoot in the backcountry
❖ Yamamoto Kogaku official website https://www.swans.co.jp/
Founded in 1927, this long-established glove manufacturer is based in Provence, southern France. With a track record of supporting athletes at the Winter Olympics, the company currently produces a wide range of products for mountain bikes, motorcycles, and horse riding
A unique item with the idea that the gloves themselves generate heat
These gloves are uniquely developed by Racer, and are self-heating gloves that generate heat. They use electricity to maintain a comfortable temperature even in harsh natural environments, even in temperatures as cold as -20°C, without relying on body heat. They're also completely waterproof and highly breathable, making them the ultimate machine gloves.
The built-in battery provides six hours of heat on a full charge while on the snow. In addition to the traditional warmth of gloves, the heat can be adjusted to three different temperature levels. They also have a convenient rapid heat mode that heats up quickly. They're very soft, making them easy to grip. It's no wonder they're especially useful in tough environments, such as rescue work and cable car work, where precise finger movements are required.
There are three types available, including the thick, fully waterproof GORE-TEX "IWARM GTX2" (left photo), the thin inner glove "IWARM LAYER" that can be used under mittens (center photo), and a model designed for use around town (right photo). There is a wide range of sizes available, from XS to XXL
❖ KEM official website http://kemjapan.com/
Duke Co., Ltd., which is also involved in an NPO called "Eyes Arc" that protects eyes from ultraviolet rays, sells sunglasses, snow goggles, reading glasses for seniors, and supports many athletes. We asked them about the snow goggles "D: RECT."
The green mirror photochromic lenses are popular among riders
D: RECT.'s top model is the "BUGGY." It uses photochromic lenses with a neon color base that change brightness in response to UV rays. The green mirror model "DN10-G" (top left in the photo) in particular has a wide visible light transmittance range of 19% to 46% and features a color combination that specifically cuts out the middle wavelengths of light, creating a very high contrast on the snow. It's said to be extremely popular with riders as it can be used from early morning until late at night when night skiing is just around the corner
Furthermore, the lenses are ultra-anti-fog, with an anti-fog coating that is seven times more effective than normal. Ski goggles are certified as having anti-fog effects if they last for 30 seconds, but the BUGGY lasts for 227 seconds. Another selling point is the peace of mind that comes from knowing that the lenses will not fog up seven times longer than the standard
❖Duke official website http://www.de3.jp/
Matsuoka gloves are popular with motorcyclists and, interestingly, police officers. This brand is full of craftsmanship and is known for its Japanese-made quality, with solid technical capabilities being its selling point
Introducing the Ergo Grip 3-finger line
Next season, three new lines will be released, including a three-finger style, in addition to the existing five-finger glove. All of them feature Ergo Grip, which makes them easy to grip and reduces fatigue, making them easy to use. Ergo Grip is a manufacturing method based on ergonomics, with three-dimensional stitching in a position that naturally conforms to the hand's natural shape, preventing fatigue
Ordinary gloves have gussets on the sides of the fingers to give them a three-dimensional shape, but this style causes wrinkles to form and makes the gloves stiff. To prevent this, the gloves do not have gussets and are sewn horizontally along the knuckles, preventing wrinkles from forming on the fingers. This also reduces the wear on the grip strength when gripping
❖ Matsuoka Gloves Official Website http://matsuoka-glove.co.jp/
*Product sales and specifications are subject to change without notice from 2021-2022