It all began with a big bang! And as always, the final report from the world’s largest sport trade fair emerged before it closed with a display of impressive numbers: 16 exhibition halls with 180,000 m2 of space, 80,000 specialists visiting from 120 countries, and a record 2,645 exhibitors presenting 104,908,994,911,388 products - the latter number based on gut feeling and not an actual count! Even if it had been considerably smaller, the abundance of the exhibition exceeded my capacity to absorb. Selection was necessary. I was aided by a little insider knowledge: I’ve known many of the brands myself for years. I surveyed these first in my search for interesting products and rightly so, since I found something, for instance at Petzl. With the Leopard, the Frenchmen have developed a sensationally light and quaintly simple crampon. At the toe and heel a few aluminium spikes; in between a stable line which is enough to avoid slipping on a steep snow slope. The dilemma of whether or not to bring crampons on a ski tour is made unnecessary. The Leopard is virtually weightless and takes barely any space away in a pack.

Many partners and a large network

One of the first stops is Arc’teryx. These Canadians are always good for the real showstoppers. The Alpha SV Jacket with GORE-TEX Pro has consistently made it to the podium when somewhere, some group of people, juries and testers alike, give their vote when asked for the fairest (and best) alpine hardcore hardshell in all the land. But Arc’teryx can play well with more than just Gore. A further innovation is the Procline ski mountaineering boot. It offers enormous movement (also sideways); there’s a variable cuff and hold in the back for descent mode; it weighs practically nothing and is comfortable. As with Petzl, many plaques for Ispo Award Winner can be found at the Arc’teryx stand.

Every kid gets something, even if they haven’t won

That was always the announcement made by the kind old man at the can throw at the carnival. We threw a ball at the pyramid of cans and they barely rattled. And even when they didn’t rattle we got something: a treat or a sweet. With the Ispo Award, it seems similar. Almost every product wins something even if it isn’t much good. At the Ispo 2016, of the 535 submitted products, 186 received distinctions. Wow. For people that don’t want to do the maths that’s (more than) every third submission. Those from Arc’teryx and Petzl safely deserved their distinctions. But with quite a number of items presented on the award catwalk, I had to ask myself what the jury consider prize worthy. It seemed to be more like the carnival: most important is that of all those who participate, they are excited about their treat. Between 119 award winners and 67 gold winners, one isn’t quite as distinct with it’s “unique features”. But no matter – it’s fun and helps when orienting yourself in the jungle of products.

Playing it safe: it always works

A gold winner that particularly charmed the jury and was therefore selected product of the year in the ski segment is the Avabag from Ortovox. Safety is a superior trend topic in any case, and avalanche airbags are currently booming. The Avabag is itself nothing new but the technology is lighter and more compact than current avalanche airbag models. With that, the Avabag improves two considerable weaknesses of the systems. As with all of the innovations presented at the Ispo, this product will be in stores next Autumn. If Ortovox can also make sure there’s enough snow, then nothing else is standing in the way of its success.

Interesting products aren’t only found amongst award winners. BCA is also keeping busy with avalanches. A new avalanche shovel model is quickly transformed into an ice axe, or the modular ice tool is transformed into an avalanche shovel – depending on your perspective. With this product, weight and space-saving are also the deciding advantages.