While snow pounded the Rockies, snowboarders in Seattle got amped for the season by checking out all of the latest gear at the BEWI Snow Sports Expo at the Seattle Center. The four day show was the first to kick off the traveling consumer show to get winter enthusiasts on new product before the resorts open.
Canadian Jeff Keetly was skating vert at the show. |
Local shops like Snowboard Connection, 360 Board Shop, Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop, and the newly opened Faction all offered product and helped consumers figure out what to buy this year. Reps from K2, Ride, Gnu/Lib Tech, K2, Silence, Bonfire, and Burton were also on hand with booths to help promote their products. BEWI is one of a handful of consumer shows that take place across the country. These shows are an excellent way to get people spending early as it seemed few people left the show without at least a hat or a pair of gloves in their hand.
John Logic, the owner of Snowboard Connection in Seattle throwing down some signs. |
"This has been a great show for us," said Faction Vice President Terry DeLeo. "We've sold a lot of stuff and the shop has been really busy since this show started." Throughout the weekend the show also offered speakers, a skate demo with a halfpipe donated by Airwalk, and a combination tramp demo and big air demo with a plastic jump that skiers and snowboarders would launch off of and perform aerial tricks.
Along with all of the product, manufacturers and shops brought in pro snowboarders who were in the area to sign autographs at the show. Tina Basich, Noah Salasnek, Allan Clark, Kale Stephens, Sabrina Sadeghi, Marcus Egge, Jason McAlister, Temple Cummins, Travis Yamada, Andrew Crawford, Tex Devenport, Matt Goodwill, Joey McGuire, Todd Schlosser, and Dave Lee all stopped by the show to offer support to their sponsors and meet kids. On the ski side Picabo Street made a brief appearance on the opening day of the show.
Team Sims Noah Salasnek, Allan Clarke, and Kale Stephens. |
To find out if there is going to be a snow show in your area in the next few weeks look at the SOL calendar under Scoop. Canadian Jeff Keetly was skating vert at the show. John Logic, the owner of Snowboard Connection in Seattle throwing down some signs. Snowboard Connection was one of the booths showing at the show this weekend.
