Report on the early order event for the 2024-2025 new model "BC Wear"! @SKI SHOP "VAIL"

Ahead of the start of early order events for new models by pro shops for the 2024-2025 season in June, ski pro shop VAIL in Kanda, Tokyo, will be holding an exhibition specializing in backcountry (BC) wear from May 23rd to 26th, 2024. The STEEP editorial team visited the venue, which featured a spectacular lineup of brands unique to VAIL, which specializes in freeskiing

A chance not to be missed for users looking for new clothing

"VAIL" in Kanda, Tokyo, a nationally famous sports shopping town, is known as a pro shop that is especially strong in freeskiing. Many pro shops start their early order events in June, but VAIL has been holding an early order event for backcountry wear called "BC WEAR FAIR" in late May every year. Here's this year's information:

This fair is actually extremely popular among hardcore skiers, with many users choosing and reserving their "next winter's outfit" at the fair venue. In addition to regular VAIL customers, there are also snowboarders and foreigners who fly in from Asia to attend

This is because the overwhelming majority of people believe that when choosing clothing, they need to actually try it on! And unlike hard gear, there aren't many opportunities to gather many popular brands in one place and carefully compare and consider them. Furthermore, backcountry clothing is made to order, and there aren't many products on the market. This means that if you don't reserve the item you want early, you might not be able to get it

See all the BC wear at once!

This year too, a huge gathering of brands popular with powder and backcountry enthusiasts was held. The exhibition floor on the second floor of VAIL was packed with new, sparkling, and colorful clothing. Staff from each brand were on hand to assist visitors, creating a truly luxurious space

A sneak peek at the 2024-2025 items from participating brands

Here we show you a selection of snaps from the BC WEAR brands that were on display. The models selected for VAIL's early order event are undoubtedly the must-have items for each brand for the 2024-2025 season. We will be introducing them in more detail in STEEP's "2024-2025 Brand Catalog" soon, so stay tuned!

New soft goods models for 2024-2025 also unveiled

The second floor of VAIL is a floor for apparel and soft goods. Along with this fair, the 2024-2025 season models were on display. When choosing apparel, it's important to consider not only the color coordination with gloves and backpacks, but also how it feels to wear the apparel and carry the backpack, how the sleeves of the apparel match with the gloves, and how the hood and collar of the jacket fit with the helmet. Another great benefit is that you can try out and choose all of these items in the same space

Plus, you'll receive friendly and attentive support from the brand's staff!

Over the four days of the fair, staff from each brand took turns attending to provide support. On the final day, the 26th (Sunday), when the STEEP editorial team visited, the staff from this brand were kindly and carefully providing user support

In between serving customers, the brand staff from ELEVENATE, PLUS ONE WORKS, and Haglöfs spoke to STEEP about the latest news about their brands for the 2024-2025 season

Users were very satisfied with the many tries on and the accurate advice from the staff!

We spoke briefly with some of the users who were visiting the venue

User: Shingo Yabusaki Mr.
Yabusaki, who enjoys snowboarding in the backcountry, picked out a Haglöfs product that caught his eye.
"I like that I can open and close the ventilation even while wearing a backpack. The fabric is also good, and I really like it! Vail's fitting events are great because they have a variety of manufacturers, so you can think about what you want to wear, and it's really helpful to be able to try things on like this."

User: Shinichi Hirai
has been skiing for over 40 years, mainly enjoying backcountry skiing. Last season, he earned a first-class certification in basic skiing and continues to hone his skills.
"I look forward to this fair every year because I can try on clothes earlier than anywhere else. It's great to be able to try on so many different things. Today, I was eager to see the new colors that THE NORTH FACE released for the 2024-2025 season. The feeling when I tried it on was perfect. I decided on this one (pictured on the right) and reserved it today!"

User: Emi Suzuki Ms.
Suzuki, a regular at Vail, is a backcountry enthusiast. She uses a LINE PANDORA ski and has already reserved a FACTION LAMA4 for next season.
"The fair at this time of year is great because you can see a variety of colors and materials. I usually decide by autumn after looking around here. But I bought SWEET PROTECTION and BOGEN last season, so I think I'll take a break from buying new clothing this season (laughs). Today I came because I was interested in the new women's backpack that PLUS ONE WORKS is releasing. I was lucky to be able to hear detailed information from the manufacturer today ★"

A wide variety of products will continue to be available after the fair

---