Outdoor Retailer Winter Market More Inclusive of Peripheral Winter Sports

Photo courtesy Gary Newkirk

SALT LAKE CITY - Jan. 21, 2010 - Outdoor Retailer (OR) has expanded its wintersports treatments and partnerships at Winter Market 2010, running today through January 24 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The OR week began yesterday with All Mountain Demo held at Snowbasin Resort in Ogden, Utah.

"This year at the show we are giving more attention to emerging categories like snowboarding, endurance sports, casual footwear and other tangential but related markets that we want to further include in the Outdoor Retailer community," said Kenji Haroutunian, Outdoor Retailer show director. "The strength of the show and the markets that support it put OR in a great position to embrace additional snow sports categories alongside its core segments."

All Mountain Demo kicked off the outdoor industry's week-long gathering with hundreds of specialty retailers demoing outdoor goods from nearly 50 vendors on the slopes of Snowbasin Ski Resort.

From the first-ever Nordic Challenge, a cross-country competition along a 7.5 km track, to the Retailer Rumble presented by Transworld Business, All Mountain Demo was an opportunity for retailers to test resort and backcountry hardgoods, apparel and accessories on the mountain before making purchasing decisions for the 2010/2011 winter selling season.

"The All Mountain Demo gives me the chance to compare products and put the different manufacturers' claims to the test," said Ben Pearson, senior product manager for L.L. Bean. "I intend to while I'm at home, but I rarely get the chance."

Exhibiting companies recognize that authentic demo experiences often influence retailers' buying decisions.

"The All Mountain Demo is a great opportunity to prove that a product works," said Brad Bates, sales manager for Mountain Hardwear. "A few buyers that demoed our Refugium and Radiance jackets today came back saying they weren't previously considering buying these models, but they wanted to after testing them."

OR will continue its all-mountain focus this week at Winter Market, the indoor trade show where about 800 companies and between 16,000 and 17,000 attendees will convene to network, write orders and conduct the business of the outdoor industry. Category-specific areas including the Backcountry Village, Climbing Zone, Endurance Zone, and Source and Design Center create gathering areas for each segment's community of brands and retailers.

In an effort to be more inclusive of relevant markets and bring more after hours community-building events to the show, OR is partnering with The North Face and X-Dance Film Festival for their events held concurrently with Winter Market 2010.

The North Face Masters of Snowboarding three-stop tour begins nearby at the Snowbird Ski Resort, about 30 miles from the Salt Palace Convention Center. This competition, held January 22-25, will bring together top big-mountain snowboarders for the rare opportunity to demonstrate their skills in front of a panel of seasoned judges, including Tom Burt, Temple Cummins, Andy Hetzel and Julie Zell. More information about this event is available at http://www.thenorthfacemasters.com/ .