Before SIA.07, the industry was talking about the possibility of weather impacting attendance but it seems the majority of retailers decided the flight to Vegas was more than worthwhile. SIA.07 welcomed 17,332 attendees from the snow sports community and buyer attendance was up over 3% from last year recording 4,870 buyers from 1,555 shops and representing 23,770 storefronts worldwide. The buying power index, measured by Leisure Trends Group, for this year’s show topped out at 89% for the U.S. retail buying power represented at SIA.07.

Exhibitors displaying new product lines for the 2007-08 season represented over 95% of the market share for the ski and snowboard sectors and 80% of the Nordic, telemark, and snowshoe market with over 353,000 net exhibit square feet and 447 exhibitors representing nearly 900 brands exhibiting in over 3,500 booths. While the snowboarder’s side of the show floor has long been known the “fun” side, for years, many brands found it difficult to get business done in the party atmosphere. This year, SIA.07 seemed to strike an uncanny balance between the festivities and work, with many booths packed with buyers writing orders while the beer was flowing in the aisles.

Rome execs report having close to 100% growth nearly every year since the brand’s debut in 2001. Company execs expect that growth to continue in the year ahead as Rome, best known for its bindings and boards, launches its first ever boot line. Rome’s five boot models include three men's and two women's styles. The Rome boots follow the comfort and customizable trend-driven by the composite construction of the ConFormist liners that combine a heat-moldable body main structure with a laminated, 3D-shaped tongue. Additionally, for the coming season Rome has overhauled the technology in its board construction and added four new models to the 13 in last year’s line.

ThirtyTwo Snowboard Boots, part of the Sole Tech family of brands, showed off a snowboard boot line more expansive than it has ever had before. Across the show floor, there was a trend towards more lightweight hardgoods, and ThirtyTwo upped the ante as far as boots go, unveiling the Ultra Light-the lightest snowboard boot on the market. The boot uses no rubber and is made with synthetic leather.

While a few other industry execs questioned the need for a “lightweight boot” that even ThirtyTwo admits is not very durable, ThirtyTwo execs see the boot as a highlight piece that will appeal to a consumer interested in an ultra-light style. Another highlight from ThirtyTwo is a new limited-edition Shop Employee Lashed boot. The style is available only via ThirtyTwo’s pro-form program, and only to shop employees. The boots have a unique color block design and no two boots are alike.

Burton seems to be shifting most of its attention to higher margin softgoods development, but the company is still staying true to its hardgoods heritage with a wide array of new introductions.

Burton launched its EST system, which is essentially a series of boards that are designed to work only with Burton’s EST bindings. This offers the advantage of infinite adjustability of the stance. This is also the first time the company has offered a proprietary board-binding system.

The company is also looking at technologies that make bindings easier to get into and out of, with the SpeedZone system and technologies to smooth out a board’s ride, with heel and toe foam cushioning on the T6.

Mervin Mfg. is looking at some innovative ways to make riding easier. They developed a board under the Lib Tech brand with some “snowboard-specific technology” that uses a reverse camber between the binding mounts which allows for a more natural arch-shaped flex pattern and easier heel-toe transitions without edge-catch. Mervin has been trying to re-design the snowboard so that it will no longer be a wider-shorter ski. The company is one of the only ones to remain behind in the Quiksliver move to Utah.

K2 Snowboarding is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2007. The brand is re-launching its first-ever snowboard, the Gyrator, and updating it to be a feature model with a unique surf-inspired rocker – or reverse camber – design. Basically, the board’s tip and tail bow up and out of the snow, which makes the board ideal for powder riding, and a unique board in the industry with its surf-inspired design. Another focus for K2 is on technologies that focus on “ease of use.”

K2’s big binding story is Auto-System Technology – an innovation in which the toe strap automatically closes and opens in tandem with the ankle strap all at once.

Ride Snowboards is placing a larger focus on freeride styles. Big changes are in-store for next season in the All-Terrain ATV Collection, which now incorporates more freestyle elements. Style remains a driving factor for Ride and one-off products return again with details like hand-painted boards and bindings. New snowboards are pollinated with freestyle-influenced features throughout the line which include new “Twinish” shapes in the ATV Collection. The focus in hardgoods is on technologies that add durability, improve responsiveness and reduce weight. Ride integrated several new binding highbacks and Stance Correct positioning allowing more individual fits for different riders.