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Shave your style hits ISPO
Extreme action and street style hit Munich’s largest sports gathering
Last week, Shave sour style checked out the ISPO Munich, the world’s leading convention for sports professionals. Nearly 80,000 visitors from 100 countries descended on the exhibition to see the latest word in sports gear, technology and fashion, and we hit the stands to inspect the best of the show as well as see what styles the hordes were flexing.
Grind-off at the half pipe
Bearings were burning at the VolcomStone [www.volcom.com] MiniRamp, an awesome invitation-only halfpipe that drew a crowd of hundreds for the ‘Knot Again! 2012 ISPO Miniramp Contest’.
They watched 50 primo skaters take each other on in fierce heats to find one overall winner, with €8000 up for grabs making the competition as harsh as the wipeouts. Kickflips, nosegrabs and rail slides were the order of the day as each skater went head to head against the clock to produce the best scores: the watchful eye of the nautically-attired judges bearing down at them from the crow’s nest of the ramp.
Balancing acts at the slackline tour
Slacklining was one of the more popular spectator events at ISPO, with a staunch audience at the Gibbon Slackline Open [www.gibbon-slacklines.com] looking on as international contenders from as far afield as Brazil hopped, flipped and balanced their balls off while perching on a wobbly strip of nylon fabric.
Gibbon team slackliner Nick ten Hoopen from Holland proved the greatest draw of the show It’s still a relative newcomer to the X sports scene, but the fact that slacklining is so watchable and elegant – when done properly, that is – means it’s set to become a regular for some time to come.
Real snow at the Rock’n’Rail battle
The snow laying thick on the ground here at Munich was put to excellent use at the ISPO slope – not quite big enough for boarding, but brilliant for the rail slides they’d set up for competitors.
A 6m ramp with twin 10 m rails, covered in the real white stuff was a massive success. All comers were welcome, with a queue trailing off down the stairs and into the atrium of hopefuls waiting their turn patiently. Below, the Red Bull truck blasted out tunes to the shivering onlookers as a light dusting of snow came down from the heavens. Luckily, the powder stayed perfect for a few tricks.
Wearable technologies for smarter sports
Technology and sports clothing are colliding like never before, and a slew of new, smart pieces of kit were on show at ISPO for the first time.
GPS-enabled gloves and shirts that allow you to track your every move on the slopes or football field and analyse or share the results; bodysuits impregnated with sensors that give biofeedback for training – even tiny cameras that project vital stats on to your goggles or visor for real-time transmission of speed, altitude and position.
We particularly loved the HIOD One by Free2Move, a Bluetooth communicator for conversations between cyclists on the move, and the brilliantly minimal Starringer Freeheel Running Pad – a sheath for the forefoot that protects it while you enjoy the benefits of the barefoot running trend that’s getting bigger every year.
See also the latest fashion and beard trends from this years ISPO
