SIA 2016 wrapped on Tuesday with final on snow demo day

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Feb 4, 2016

The 62nd SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Snow Show in Denver wrapped up with an on-snow experience at Copper Mountain on Tuesday.

This year’s show featured 956 snow sports brands, including 110 new and debuting exhibitors, and 18,000 industry members attending the event at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver.

Sustainability was a large focus this year, with the opening night keynote speaker, Gina McCarthy, hailing from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “We have to keep building momentum. Your voice matters. Look at how many young people [the snow sports industry] can connect with at a moment’s notice,” said Administrator McCarthy. “People who are feeling through their own experience that the world is changing and they want to do something about it. You give them a platform for that - you give them a voice.”

Events that supported the environmental focus took shape in ways such as the Backcountry Experience, designed to increase knowledge and awareness about avalanche safety.

The consumer experience that McCarthy spoke of was further highlighted by the two day On-Snow Demo days, which took place February 1st and 2nd at nearby Copper Mountain, where 120 brands offered real life on snow demos of their 2016-17 products.

As one buyer commented, “Riding everything and then being able to come back and make a more informed order of what we tried out and like when it comes to pre-booking” makes the on-snow days so valuable to the SIA experience.

As for the snow report, Copper Mountain received over 14” of new snow for the kick off of Demo Days, giving everyone great conditions to try out new product.