Eleven Gold Awards at the 13th OutDoor Industry Award
OutDoor Industry Awards honour outstanding product innovations
Eco-conscious and down to earth, yet simultaneously highly innovative and technology driven – the outdoor sector combines these diverse influences maybe more than any other field. In addition, the industry is entitled to be proud of its consistent pioneering development of sustainable products. This is clearly demonstrated by the 13th OutDoor Industry Award, which goes to 37 new and innovative products. Eleven of the selected products are singled out for their exceptional degree of innovation – and receive a Gold-Award.
“I was very impressed by brands entering the OutDoor Award that were not just iterating existing concepts, but presenting radical and extremely innovative product developments,” said David Pickford, British adventure photographer and member of this year’s expert panel of judges for the OutDoor Industry Award. The six members of the judges’ panel, consisting of journalists, designers, industry experts and alpinists, tested and evaluated over 250 products in a multi-stage process to finally select 37 products with a particularly high degree of innovation for an award.
“Determining which products represent true innovation and have the potential to take a market segment to the next technical level is a complex matter. It requires extensive expertise, in-depth understanding of the market, technical background and experience of using the products. The members of this year’s independent OutDoor Award panel demonstrated exceptional expert knowledge and completed this demanding task in an assured manner,” says Dirk Heidrich, who as OutDoor project manager regularly accompanies and observes the selection process from start to finish.
Eleven of the winning products were further selected to receive an OutDoor Industry Gold Award for their exceptional innovation in sustainability, design and functionality.
The 2018 Gold Award winners are (with corresponding statements by the judges):
Terrex Agravic Windweave Jacket by adidas
“Windproof jackets are normally made of a material with the same weight throughout. The Terrex Agravic Windweave Jacket is different. Its sophisticated engineered fabric has different density yarns woven at different sections for greater breathability or windproofing according to body mapping.”
Skibotn Gore-Tex Pro Jacket by Norrøna Sport
“This Gore-Tex jacket deserves an award for its feature set alone. We particularly like the engineered fit and venting. Its special design also provides full weather protection for bikers, including at the hands.”
Wildfire Edge by Salewa
“The Wildfire Edge deserves this award for its very high functional versatility. This progressive, fast-moving approach shoe can be easily adapted for a tighter fit, especially at the toe to climb more technical sections without need to change to climbing shoes.”
Unico by Naglev
“This is a very interesting idea – a comfortable and functional shoe with an integrated merino sock liner inside. We love the use of natural materials and super clean design. A great combination of highly technical and natural materials, such as the merino wool liner and natural rubber outsole.”
Atrack by Ortlieb
“The Atrack represents an impressive new design for waterproof packs. The position of the special rear entry zip is an interesting solution that offers new packing options with easy access. Ortlieb have also given it a number of convincing practical details, such as the multiple attachment options.”
Apex Wall by Salewa
“We liked the Apex Wall the moment we saw it. Its ventilated carry system with its enhanced air circulation and reduced contact points is exceptional, as is the optimal tapered design for load distribution. The overall attention to detail is outstanding.”
Skimo Total Race by C.A.M.P.
“CAMP have come up with an ultralight, high-quality ski mountaineering crampon that improves on previous models and raises the bar for fast, secure attachment to alpine touring ski boots. The strapless toe-binding system is particularly noteworthy. Twin hole bar adjustment offers a new level of fine tuning.”
FjellGuard 60 by Oase Outdoors
“A new type of hybrid mat with a special construction: 50% self-inflating polyester fibre-filled channels; 50% insulating foam. It delivers high warmth without cold spots for 4-season use and is lightweight.”
inReach Mini by Garmin
“The judges feel that this is a real innovation. The Garmin inReach Mini is the smallest pocket/palm-sized satellite communication and emergency device that does not require network coverage of this kind that we have seen.”
Nordic Pocket Saw by Del Torri
“This chainsaw has a very small pack size. We love this highly effective and very powerful piece of kit.”
Recycled Spandex by Sheico Group
“A truly sustainable innovation. By recycling spandex – Sheico is reusing this widely-used, stretchy polyurethane fabric which would otherwise end up in landfill sites or incinerators. Certified by the Global Recycle Standard (GRS).”
The start-up winner and the judges’ statement:
Duck Rings by Tindeq
“We think this is a great idea. Training rings with all the functionality of a fingerboard, but lighter and more portable. They also function as rings to allow core training exercises and warm up routines. The high-quality, ergonomic, plywood construction feels great and wont wreck the skin on your fingertips.”
Biographies of the panel of judges for the OutDoor Industry Award 2018
Ana Kristiansson
As an outdoor enthusiast and former national athlete, Ana Kristiansson combines her passion for product development and outdoor love into innovative products for leading brands like Peak Performance, Haglöfs, Salomon, Helly Hansen, Lundhags, Orage and more. With over 15 years in the outdoor business, she helps brands with strategic thinking, design/product development and brand building. Ana is also one of the founders of Sportswear Inc. – an educational online platform helping people start and run an apparel brand, from idea to launch and beyond.
Anny Cardinahl
For over 25 years, the outdoor industry has been Anny Cardinahl’s professional home base. Gaining work experience on both the industry and retail side allowed her to develop a 360° view – from practice-oriented product design to requirements in purchasing and the customer perspective at the POE (Point of Experience). As an avid water sports enthusiast and ski hiker, Anny does not only rely on theoretical product knowledge but particularly on practical expertise. After several positions in product marketing, textile purchasing and, most recently, as head of purchase being part of the corporate management team for Globetrotter, she decided to start her own business with #ODLX Outdoordeluxe. Her concept: to create a new context and new incentives at the POE by linking current trends and already existing products/ themes in an innovative way.
David Pickford
David Pickford is an adventure photographer, writer and journalist based in the UK. He specialises in climbing and mountaineering, and is one of Britain’s most widely-published photographers and writers in this field. He was editor in chief of Climb, Britain’s leading climbing magazine, from 2010 to 2017. He is also a regular contributor to a range of mainstream publications both in the UK and USA. David has travelled extensively in some of the world’s most remote regions, and has a particular interest in the Himalayas and the Far East.
Frank Wacker
Frank Wacker has been actively involved in outdoor sports since he was a boy – and knows from experience what a difference good-quality products can make. He worked in outdoor retail and supported the outdoor industry in product development. Frank still gets excited about interesting new designs. He has been a member of outdoor magazine’s editorial team for over 20 years and has been testing products as equipment editor since 2003.
Marc Pinsach
Marc Pinsach is a professional ski mountaineering and trail running athlete. The certified Sports Scientist has been part of the Spanish ski mountaineering team for many years and has competed in races on skis as well as in trail running since the age of 14. Among his greatest achievements in ski mountaineering are multiple national titles and a World Championship win in the espoir category in 2011. In trail running, Marc won a number of races in the Pyrenees and secured the title on the OCC course at the prestigious Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc race in 2015. Combining about 25 races and roughly 200,000 m of elevation gain per year, the Catalonian likes to keep variety in his training. So, in summer, he adds mountain biking, mountain climbing and hiking to his training schedule.
Mark Held
Mark Held is General Secretary of European Outdoor Group (EOG), an association founded in 2003 by the 19 largest outdoor companies in the world. He also represents the outdoor industry in the FESI (Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry). Mark has been involved in the outdoor industry for over 20 years – among other things, as head of product development at Berghaus and the Lowe Alpine Group.