Outdoor Report

Outdoor Report 13

FRESH NEWS…

Do you know : Everything is interconnected!

    • Our two European Zap representatives, Jonas Herry and Bertrand Roy, ensure a strong presence in Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland and even the principality of Andorra.
    • We are very visible in the Alps, even at the mythical La Folie Douce at Trois Vallées!

SKI CLUBS

Service contracts

For ski clubs, changing the skiers’ and ski instructors’ uniforms is a huge undertaking! It involves holding meetings, giving presentations, negotiating with the supplier, taking measurements, placing orders, receiving the items, distributing them, handling complaints and more. And it’s an extra expense for parents whose children’s uniforms, while still good for another season or more, are now outdated.

This is why “big” clubs like to enter into agreements with us to ensure that their uniforms will remain available for four or five years. We can estimate future needs and adapt our production accordingly. This, in turn, allows us to secure our inputs (materials, etc.) with our suppliers.

For smaller clubs that have more difficulty predicting how their demographics will change, we offer the models that have the best chances of being in our order book for several years to come.

  • What if a club wants to renew the agreement? That’s often possible, provided the inputs are available.
  • And when they’re not? Our designers can design a new, 2.0 version of the current uniform. This allows the two uniforms to coexist, which parents greatly appreciate.

Here again, our representatives are involved in every step of the process, which is not the case when simply ordering via an online form.

Carolyne Gagnon
Sales Manager Ski

SKI MATERIAL

More than just looks,

When I was a kid, skis for girls were pink with flowers on them. In my early adulthood, skis for women looked nice but did not have the best technical features. Over the last ten years or so, however, ski manufacturers have become aware of the enormous market potential that women skiers of all skill levels represent. Better late than never!

R&D efforts for women’s skis focus on four principles:

  1. At the same height, women are significantly lighter than men.
  2. They are not as physically strong as their male counterparts.
  3. Their centre of gravity is lower and a little farther back.
  4. Their pelvis is wider.

Taking these advantages/constraints into consideration, designers have created skis that are very different from men’s models. Here are some of the characteristics:

  • A shorter ski makes it easier to transfer energy from the foot to the tip of the ski, requiring less physical strength.
  • A wider tip maximizes efficiency when starting a turn.
  • Greater flex at the front of the ski reduces the shock to the legs and torso from the tip hitting the snow.
  • A stiffer tail (or heel) increases the ski’s stability.
  • A narrower design makes the ski more reactive as it needs less surface area to float a lighter skier over the snow.
  • A narrower, slightly more forward “waist” makes it easier to initiate turns.
  • An adjusted binding moves the centre of gravity a little farther forward.

The result is a lighter, more responsive ski. It is common to see high-end skis that have a turn radius as short as 10 metres, that are lightweight and that a woman can “crank” at every turn for the entire day without hurting her back!

What about looks? Manufacturers have taken great pains to make beautiful skis for everyone, not just women. As the skis and bindings generally match, all skiers need to do is find clothing that will look good with their equipment.

Come see us at our Beaupré store! I’ll find the perfect ski for you and then, if you want, we can put together an amazing look! Our new clothing collections are both pleasing to the eye and will keep you warm on the slopes.

Josée Létourneau
Ski Advisor