The Winners of the ispo Outdoor Awards 2008

At this year's ispo Outdoor Award of ispo winter 08, the jury again selected the most outstanding product innovations of the outdoor industry from the great number of submitted, mainly high-quality products. In the end, above all those products won, which put the safety aspect in sports in the forefront.

Here is an overview of the winners in the individual product categories:

Winner in the Others Category
Power’n play: CU

The "CU" are prism glasses, which are worn during securing on principle, regardless of whether in a hall or outside. The person to be secured can be observed during climbing without the necessity of stretching out your head the whole time. As a result, brief "glances down" to relax the overtaxed cervical vertebrae are eliminated, and continual observation of your partner increases safety for climbing partners. In addition, the person securing can stay closer to the rock wall with the same head position as without CU, which provides substantial advantages for climber and securing person to the same degree in case the first climber falls.

Winner in the Hardware Category
Leki: Twister Interchangeable Basket System

The new basket system "Twister” from Leki guarantees perfect adjustment to very different types of snow and backcountry conditions. The basket can be freely rotated 360° and is ideal for use on terrain with up to 45° inclines without the otherwise usual levering effects.
The jury was impressed that Leki has revolutionized ski pole baskets with a simple but function development for practical use and enabled adaptation to very different conditions in seconds. Snow sports enthusiasts have waited a long time for this customer-friendly development.

Winner in the Textiles Category
Rossignol: Harness Pants

The "Harness" pants with integrated climbing harness make it possible for free-riders to be saved using ropes from unexpected emergencies in difficult to access terrain without the necessity of having to put on an extra harness.
The jury gave as reason for its choice that the fact that an extremely functional and userfriendly safety feature has been created for free-riders thanks to the integration of a rope harness in free-rider pants. The technical details are perfect with consideration of all relevant safety standards and without any disadvantages with respect to handling and comfort.

Winner in the Footwear Category
Hanwag: Ivalo GTX

The "Ivalo GTX" from the Winter Trail line from Hanwag has a completely new technology for a winter sole. The "Ice Grip Sole“ has a special rubber mixture in the relevant step zones, which even give you a hold on slippery ice. This is achieved by very small glass particles, which grip the ice surface and consequently act like sandpaper. The rough tread of the IceGrip sole rubber is just as durable as traditional shoe soles, because the glass technology.
According to the jury, the traditional manufacturer Hanwag has revolutionized sole design with the embedding of glass particles with this classic winter/trekking shoe. Users are opened many options for using these shoes in winter sports with a considerable increase in
safety and comfort thanks to this successful technical feature.

Winner in the Electronics Category
Petzl: Ultra Belt

The Petzl "Ultra Belt" is an extremely high-performance headlamp with three adjustable illumination levels and rechargeable ACCU 4 ULTRA battery with a long cable. The "forehead spotlight" was developed specifically for moving fast and high-endurance sports, because athletes have an extremely powerful, adjustable light (350 lumens) and a wide light beam with a considerable forward lighting during the complete time of their sports activity.
Petzl documents its premium position among headlamp companies with its latest development, the Ultra Belt, according to the jury.

Winner in the Backcountry Category
Snowpulse: The "Life Bag"

The "Life Bag“ is an avalanche airbag with mechanical trigger, which can be accessed easily via an ergonomic hand movement. If it is pulled in the event of an avalanche, the 150 liter airbag is inflated in only three seconds. A winter sports enthusiast hit by an avalanche remains
on his back and with head above the snow – similar to use of a life jacket – thanks to
the special design.
The jury considered Snowpulse the clear winner, because an innovative and cleverly designed safety concept was presented for all backcountry skiers with the Life Bag. Thanks to the consistent implementation of all known parameters, survival chances can be increased
substantially when the Life Bag is used.

Source: ispo