March 07, 2013 (Devil’s Thumb Ranch, CO) – Karhu is back in the U.S. after a few years of absence from the market. The brand, which is best known for its line of ski touring equipment, has a huge range of gear for the 2013/14 season, including cross-country skis and boots. The company has now partnered with Craft, known for endurance sport clothing, and is now introducing a new line of eyewear to complete the comprehensive Nordic and back country ski touring equipment line-up.

February 20, 2013 – Bjorn Daehlie North America proudly announces that effective today, they are the distributor for Rode ski wax for the US market. Rode will be on-site at the American Birkebeiner this week providing wax recommendations for all Birkie skiers looking to find their winning wax. Waxes and tools will be available for purchase at the Bjorn Daehlie/Rode booth at the Birkie expo Thursday and Friday, as well as at many of the leading nordic retailers throughout the country.

President of Bjorn Daehlie North America, Oyvind Solvang said: “Rode is an Italian, family owned company. Our connection with Rode was established in Norway. Per Knut Aaland, the Norwegian Olympic medalist and many-year national team head wax tech, built Rode to command the leading category market position in Norway. This is obvious at the Norwegian Birkebeiner, where I for years observed skiers waiting in long lines to purchase the Rode wax of the day form Per Knut. When I told Per Knut that we are the US distributor of the Bjorn Daehlie apparel, he said ‘you must distribute Rode also, it is the best wax and every American skier should know about it’. Bj Sport, the parent of Bjorn Daehlie, took over the distribution of Rode in Norway last year, so with Per Knut now ‘in-house’, the US distribution of Rode was a natural extension for us.”

The prior US distributor, Chris Axelson, agrees. “We have had a good run with the line and now it is time to grow it to the next level. We are confident that BDNAM will do that.”

A testament to the research based development of Rode is the launch of the new T-Line kick waxes and klisters to rave reviews this season. The demand for these new waxes has been so high that many stores are completely sold out.

As Rode is already known to be the #1 kick wax on the world cup circuit, Rode glide waxes continue to gain use amongst the waxing staff of the leading nordic teams based on a very focused line-up that carries over the magic associated with the kick wax.

Roberta Rodeghiero, the owner of Rode, added: “We are very happy that the Bj Sport organization is now distributing for us in America. They have such a huge market share in Norway and now that our glide wax is as strong as our kick wax, I think the Americans will come to love our wax as much as the Norwegians.”

January 31, 2013   (Salt Lake City, UT) – During the second half of the Outdoor Retailer Winter Tradeshow in Salt Lake City, SkiTrax focused on the apparel and accessory side of the Nordic world. The new product offerings brought some exciting  product innovations as well as some improvements on old classics.

Auclair
One of Auclair’s best developments was its improvements on a classic performance glove, the Finlander. This is an improved version of the glove that Billy Demong used to ski to Olympic gold in Vancouver. Auclair removed the piping on the top of the glove, and this provides a seamless transition between the glove and pole strap. The glove is also more wind resistant than previous models.

Auclair has developed a warmer ski glove called the Alex Races, named after Canadian Alex Harvey. The Alex Races features the same seamless upper as the Finlander, and provides a bit more warmth than other models. Auclair’s lineup is highlighted by its versatility. A new unnamed prototype light glove could be used for roller skiing, while a lobster claw glove named the Alaskan Crab can be used in temperatures well below 0 degrees (F).

Auclair’s most unique development for 2014 is a new glove cover that Velcro attaches over your existing gloves, and can be put on while the skier is attached to pole straps. This allows the skier to remove the glove after a warm-up, and prior to race.

Bjorn Daehlie Clothing

Bjorn Daehlie has a couple of new jackets that they are featuring for 2013/2014. The first is the new Cross jacket, which is the brand’s “do everything” jacket. It features many elements of Bjorn Daehlie clothing that we’ve seen in the past: stretch panels in the shoulders and under the arms for freedom of movement, and wind and water resistant fabric on the front and main panels for warmth. The new features are the reflective elements in the seams for reflectivity. The new Champion jacket is what the US Ski Team will wear next year. The Champion features the same safety/reflective features while providing more of a “racer’s fit”, and waterproof panels.

Sporthill

Sporthill will enter 2014 with more than a few great products. The Whistler jacket is a great light weight pick. Water proof up to 10,000mm of standing water, and windproof up to 40mph, this jacket would be a great pick for a wet and windy fall training day. The Callaghan pant, cut for both men and women, is gram for gram the warmest pant on the market. The pants are made from a woven polypropylene fabric that is slightly thicker than most but is probably the most comfortable pant around. If you are looking for a warm, breathable, comfortable pant that is windproof up to 37mph, look no farther than the Callaghan pant from Sporthill.

2XU

2XU is the official compression wear supplier of the US Ski Team. In the past, people have thought of the base layer as being simply thermal. Compression adds a new element to the base layer. Compression can do multiple things. It can improve posture, influence muscle containment, and influence circulation in particular muscle groups to improve performance. Significant amount of study has been done to determine the positive effects of compression in recovery. Many of the US Ski Team’s top athletes in both alpine and Nordic have used the compression socks for recovery and to promote circulation during long flights to feel rested and quick after a long day of travel. Of course fit is of the utmost importance, so remember to take care when sizing these compression products to ensure you get the perfect fit.

Leki

On the performance side, Leki’s new Strike Carbon pole is an improvement on its popular Shark line. While the Leki poles may be a bit heavier than other high-end brands, they have uncompromising durability, and are as stiff as anything on the market. The poles also feature great and improved grips with a new notch near the top of the grip to provide a more ergonomic fit. The line of gloves has also been built upon. The gloves feature an integrated trigger system so the transition between glove and ski grip in absolutely seamless. Leki is a great brand to pick for performance and functionality.

Thule
Thule has one new box that may catch the Nordic skier’s eye. The Sonic Alpine box for 2014 can accommodate skis up to 213cm long. It features an innovative dimpled design at the nose that has lowered the box’s drag coefficient by 10%. The box is also the lowest profile box that Thule has on the market, with a height profile of only 11in. The box comes in silver and black, and is a great looking box for any Nordic skier looking to stash their gear away from the harmful effects of salty roads.

Sugoi

Sugoi has added a number of products to their line. The company has traditionally had a summer, bike and running focus, but is making a strong move into the winter world this year. The line features a layering system with a number of high tech fabrics. The style is definitely reminiscent of the products that Sugoi has brought to the cycling world, but they bring a level of functionality that rivals all the usual cross country focused brands. Sugoi has also moved into accessories for cross country – everything from socks, hats and gloves, to Velcro ankle wraps to keep snow from getting into your boots. Sugoi is definitely a brand to check out for 2014.

March 11, 2011 – ONE WAY, one of the leading Nordic Sports brands from Finland, is launching a full range of cross country skis and cross country boots for 2012. ONE WAY is joining the Salomon SNS binding system. The Finnish Nordic Sports brand has probably been the fastest growing Nordic Sports brand in the last years with a wide product portfolio in cross country poles, Nordic sportswear, roller skis, Nordic Sports eyewear, technical Footwear and Nordic Walking products.

Many World Champions and medallists in cross country and biathlon are using ONE WAY products, like Martin Fourcade (FRA), Aino Kaisa Saarinen (FIN), and Tord Asle Gjerdalen (NOR), and several World Cup teams are exclusively equipped with OW textiles for their teams, like the French Nordic Team or Slovenia.

From 2012, ONE WAY will offer a full product range in cross country skies and cross country boots. The product range includes high performance racing skies for World Cup and elite ski marathon skiers.

In addition, ONE WAY will offer new ski and boot concepts for young and modern cross country enthusiasts. The cross country sport has developed in the last 2 years very positively towards a younger image.

The new line allows the market and retailers to meet the new consumer demand for new and fresh concepts for skis and boots.

Finland has a strong history in building cross country skis. ONE WAY will follow the tradition, building a new Scandinavian cross country ski brand for the modern consumer in the popular sport of cross country.

ONE WAY has signed a partnership with SALOMON using the SNS binding systems for all their products. The Salomon SNS system is in many countries one of the most popular and technically advanced connection between ski and boot.

Both companies are sharing a partnership and interest in developing the image of cross country sports for young and modern consumers, but as well building a cooperation in new technologies.

ONE WAY Sport OY Chairman of the Board Lasse Korppi: “Adding the cross country skies and boots, ONE WAY will be the most complete and exciting product offer in Nordic Sports world wide, textiles-footwear-eyewear-poles-roller ski- Nordic walking- accesories.”