Outdoor Retailer 2014 — A Lady’s Eye

by WildSnoGirl
written by WildSnoGirl

Sarah Uhl

Dispatch from the Outdoor Retailer Show. This time a few nifty backcountry items that caught a WildSnow girl’s eye.

Zeal Optic’s goggle line caught my eye. I spoke with their head product designer who gradually moved up through the ranks over the years, starting off in Zeal’s warehouse. These are the Fargos, designed for men or women but intended for those with smaller faces. In order to bring the goggle size down but keep the range of sight (peripheral vision) high, he decreased the depth of the glasses while innovating a proprietary fog resistant lens that changes with the conditions. Quite a feat!

Zeal Optic’s product designer gradually moved up through the ranks after starting off in Zeal’s warehouse. These are the Fargos, designed for men or women but intended for those with smaller faces. In order to bring the goggle size down but keep the range of sight (peripheral vision) high, he decreased the depth of the glasses while innovating a proprietary fog resistant lens that changes with the conditions. Quite a feat!

BD women’s apparel release was impressive and innovative. Bright colors and nice lines made up for a late entry to the scene (behind the men’s line last summer)

Black Diamond's women's apparel is impressive and innovative. Bright colors and flattering lines make up for a late entry to the scene (behind the men’s debut last summer).

BD ski line had some of the prettiest graphics. Rhinestones meet modern art psychedelics.

Black Diamond ski graphics complement their clothing lines with modern art psychedelics.

Goal Zero charger.

Chargers from Goal Zero.


Goal Zero makes planning ahead easy. This lollipop sized charger will revive your iPhone at least once and comes with optional flashlight and fire-starter attachments.

The new speakers can be carried on your pack and re-charged by solar panels when you’re not using them.

Smartwool’s merino line looks as sharp as ever. They paired with artist/skier Anthony Boronowski for the next 3 years yielding some very fashionable new prints.

Smartwool’s merino line looks sharp. To develop even snazzier socks, they will be working with artist/skier Anthony Boronowski for the next 3 years to design new prints.

Stanley is making a louder voice for themselves in the outdoor space with functional containers to pack your food and drink. I especially liked their line of flasks and stainless steel shot glasses so you can pack and share the goods from the peak top.

Stanley is making a louder voice for themselves in the outdoor space with functional containers to pack your food and drink. I especially like their line of flasks and stainless steel shot glasses so you can pack and share the goods from the peak top.

TREW gear, out of Hood River Oregon, is stepping up their game with custom logos on each clothing line and incredible color schemes for both men and women. I spoke with their designer and he was psyched to weave together the best of snowboard and skier styles into a functional and fashionable backcountry touring line.

TREW gear, out of Hood River Oregon, is stepping up their game with custom logos on each clothing line and exciting color schemes for both men and women. I spoke with their designer and he is psyched to weave the best of snowboard and skier styles into a functional and fashionable backcountry touring line.

Ninja undies.

Ninja undies.

Fashionable long underwear seems to be the rage these days. Nina Suit caught my eye with their women’s onesie that might just duo as a disco suit après-ski!

(WildSnow.com Girl, Sarah Uhl, may not have been Rocky Mountain born but she has found her heart here. When she is not climbing mountains or trekking through trade shows for disco suits, she wields words and mixes paint to tell stories of the beautywild.)

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Alpine Vertical February 4, 2014 - 11:20 am

Great picks! We agree with you, Black Diamond is making some of the most innovative yet affordable products on the market. Their skis improve every year, which is hard to believe because they are already so light and responsive. The men’s line this year was phenomenal with great thought and technology put into every piece. The Black Diamond women’s line looks to follow that trend. Smartwool is stepping up the color pallet for their 20 year anniversary and we like what we see. One product that we are really excited about that wasn’t on your list is the new Scarpa F1 EVO featuring a hands free hike function that switches modes automatically based on whether the heel is locked into the binding, a BOA closure system, and a weight of just 2lb 7oz. Overall, we were really impressed with the show this season!

Greg February 4, 2014 - 3:52 pm

Damn, I want some of those smartwool gloves, was looking for some wool liner gloves this year and didn’t find any I liked, but I’ll keep any eye out for those 😀

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