Setting up at the K2 test stand. Photo: Duthie
It may only be January, but we’ve already taken a peek at the 2017/18 season’s snowboard gear. Dozens of brands have just displayed their forthcoming wares at the Avant Premiere test in La Clusaz, France.
Looking at it all, it’s pretty clear that the current popularity of directional and volume-shifted snowboards is set to continue. Also, the majority of brands are playing it relatively safe in terms of graphics – there’s a lot less wild, out-there designs than in years gone by. Even Lobster have toned it down.
Another thing that’s hard to miss is the fact that the recent global trend for all things nostalgic seems to have permeated snowboarding too. It’s not just Burton revisiting of step-in bindings – they’re all at it.
“The recent global trend for all things nostalgic seems to have permeated snowboarding too”
It isn’t necessarily a bad thing – for every limp Ghostbusters reboot, there’s a Stranger Things – and it’s perhaps an inevitable consequence of snowboarding getting to a certain age. Still, for a sport that’s always prided itself on innovation, it’s slightly odd to see it dwell quite so much on the past.
Here are a few examples from next year’s offerings that seems to suggest that things were better ‘back in the day’…
