January 24, 2007 – Day Three of the SIA.07 SnowSports Trade Show started off with some inspirational words from two of the industry’s super star women. This morning the Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition (OIWC) announced the winners of the 2007 Pioneering Woman and First Ascent Awards. Anne-marie Boissonnault, Associate Publisher for Ski Press World, Inc. Ski Press Magazine, SIA SnowPress Show Daily and skipressworld.com, won the OIWC’s Pioneering Woman Award and Amber Stackhouse professional snowboarder, writer and filmmaker was awarded the OIWC’s inaugural First Ascent Award.

In her acceptance speech, Anne-marie Boissonnault spoke highly of the industry she’s been working in and has been passionate about for more than nine years. Boissonnault also said that she was concerned about the future of snowsports due to global warming and plans to donate her $1,000 prize from the OIWC award to extreme-skier Alison Gannett’s organization “Save our Snow.

Gannett travels around the country calling attention to the impact of global warming on wintersports and encourages people to take small actions that can deter climate change. Click here to visit the organization’s web site.

In 2002, OIWC introduced the Pioneering Woman Award to honor women in the outdoor industries who have furthered the vision of the OIWC by demonstrating an outstanding commitment to mentoring female colleagues. The very first SIA version of the award was presented in 2006 to Donna Carpenter of Burton. Newly created by the OIWC, the First Ascent Award recognizes a woman new to the industry who demonstrates strong potential for leadership.

Educating attendees about the environment, hot industry topics and new products has become a pivotal element for the SIA Show. SIA.07 hosts eight showcase exhibits, each targeting a specific snowsport segment. Making their debut at the SIA.07 Show were the Women’s Equipment Center and Twin Tip Park exhibits. Day Three of SIA.07 was highlighted by a Rental Roundtable discussion on best and worst practices of rental operators and suppliers. SIA also hosted a lunch presentation covering the Model for Success – a research study commissioned by the association and conducted by Leisure Trends Group to uncover the purchasing behaviors of snowsports consumers.

Other clinics that took place throughout the day offered retail shops the opportunity to hone their backshop skills and walk away with certificates of completion. Clinic topics included “Top Secrets/Bottom Secrets”, Tuning and Boot Fitting.

For more information on OIWC and the winners of the Pioneering Award and First Ascent Award can be found here.

For more news and highlights from each day of the show, click here to read the official SIA.07 SnowPress Show Daily.