Ski Industry News
Blown-In — A semi-regular look at the latest ski industry news bits — is a collection of press releases, new products, and interesting stuff circulating on the interweb that catches our attention.
This week’s edition of Blown-In features a new avalanche beacon from Pieps, a new teleark ski boot from Scarpa, how to become a sponsored adventurer and new avalanche airbag tech.
Pieps Pro IPS Beacon
Pieps, maker of avalanche safety gear, has a new avalanche transceiver they tout to be the most advanced yet. After more than four years of development, the PIEPS Pro IPS is being sold in Europe and tested by avalanche pros in North America. The new beacon is their most advanced avalanche beacon with an impressive 80m search strip width. It sets new performance standards with transmit and search performance, thanks to an external antenna and what Pieps calls their Advanced Interference Protection System (IPS) and Dual Antenna Signal Processing (DASP).
The 80-meter search strip is impressive on its own, but the addition of the Interference Protection System (IPS) sets a new standard to address ever-growing electronic interference issues for backcountry skiers. IPS reduces the influence of interference in transmit mode as best as possible, while DASP enables unprecedented signal stability during search through simultaneous signal processing of the X and Y antennas. The result is increased range and accuracy. It won’t be avail in North America until Fall 2024, but we had the opportunity to run one through a few test searches and are impressed.
Read more about the Pieps Pro IPS
Scarpa Launches First New Telemark Boot in 10 Years
Scarpa changed the face of telemark skiing in 1992 when they launched the Terminator, the world’s first “plastic” telemark ski boot, and freeheel skiing was changed forever. It’s no secret telemark skiing has been on a downhill slide of sorts for a decade plus as alpine touring has boomed with lightweight boots and bindings.
New telemark technology is long overdue, and following many years of product category research and direct engagement with the telemark-skiing community, SCARPA will introduce a completely new version of the TX Pro boot in the fall of 2024. The new Scarpa TX Pro is the result of an extensive collaboration with telemark skiers, athletes and binding manufacturers.
Avalanche Airbag Tech Gets Lighter
A few extra pounds in your pack is a small price to pay for potentially life-saving technology, but what if it was even lighter? Arc’teryx and Ortovox are releasing a new co-branded avalanche airbag pack called the Micon Litric Avalanche Airbag. The LiTRIC system is one of the first commercial uses of ultracapacitor (or supercapacitor) battery technology. Ultracapacitor battery tech combines the properties of both capacitors and batteries. The new technology is driving measurable weight loss in electric airbag design. The new tech weighs a light 2.4 pounds, making the new Micon Litric Avalanche Airbag the lightest airbag system on the market and almost half the weight of rival airbags on the market.
Read all about the new Arc’teryx, Ortovox airbag packs.
Get Sponsored – A Funding Guide for Explorers
If you dream of adventure and want to learn how to get sponsored to follow your dreams, check out this book about navigating the process: Get Sponsored: A Funding Guide for Explorers, Adventurers, and Would-Be World Travelers. Get Sponsored takes you behind the scenes of some of the most dangerous adventure expeditions in recent years, and shows how you can fund and arrange your own trip, including details on everything from grants to sponsorships.
