Hello from the first real post-Covid ISPO Muhich! 

For those uninitiated or those who forgot: ISPO is the world’s most important trade fair and industry event for everything & anything to do with winter sports. That’s where bulk buyers, retail chain managers meet manufacturers and brands while brands meet future suppliers. In the last couple of years ISPO has been trying to make a pivot from being strictly B-to-B to modern B-to-С, but more on that later. ISPO is huge and you hear a hundred different languages spoken there at once. It’s the only place where an owner of some uber-fancy Swiss ski shop could shake hands and chat with a padding maker from Myanmar.

ISPO is different this year – for one thing, it was moved from traditional January to November last year, the organizers say “ on overwhelming popular demand”. More on how ISPO 2023 is different from the previous ones – in later story.

 

It’s not necessarily the place to present your latest & best wares , but many companies choose to – after all, where else could you find such a discerning audience?

There weren’t many new products in xcski department at ISPO these year, but those two are definitely worth your attention:

KV+ doesn’t need introductions when in comes to poles, but in the last few years Tauf Khamitov, the founder and the driving force behind the Swiss gear maker, decided to expand into other areas. At ISPO the KV+ stand is a very embodiment of “satisfy all your xcski needs and cravings with one stop”. Skis, poles, boots, textiles – you’ve got it all.

We at Dailyskier.com concentrate on top-shelf products as a matter of policy and KV+ had a few things to show in that department:

KV+ first entry into the world of true carbon boots. Tauf does not believe in the current trend of fused carbon soles and cuffs – Fischer Carbonlite boots 2023/24 being the latest entrant. KV+ went with a traditional layered carbon , the soles incorporate the Rottefella platform. They are made in China – which in 2023 is a sign of quality, the Chinese engineering and manufacturing are widely seen as top notch. Conversely, traditional carbon boots making requires a lot of very skilled manual labor. At the end of the day the carbon boots are as good as the skills of a very specific guy ( we never saw a woman doing carbon layering! ) at the factory. So, the jury is out on durability KV+ Tornado Light, but yes, they are light, circa 900g/ pair. The color scheme will appeal to people whose fashion style is decidedly refusal to follow any style whatsoever.

 

KV+ Click Carbon pole handle. Now, that one is a beauty! Again, Tauf doesn’t believe in fused carbon – this racing handle is made of traditional layered handmade carbon! It’s incredibly light, incredibly stiff, developed with input and advice from Federico Pellegrino, who’s been using fhe Swiss poles for the last few season. And would probably cost an absolute bomb! With a price tag that Tauf refused to name but we think will be well over one hundred euros, those handles only are feasible on top Tornado Plus models. But if you want to really make a statement – KV+ could probably fit them on your favorite bamboo poles too – just ask!

 

Enough reading for today, we shall continue talking about products and trends later this week. Stay tuned!