SHOPS 1ST TRY preview Alpbach, Austria Jan 21-23

After a 2-year covid enforced break Shops 1st Try returned last year stronger than ever, so expect this years show to yet again be a who’s who of the Snowboarding industry.

The test village at the Pöglbahn Parking area in Inneralpbach, at the bottom of the main SkiJuwel lifts, will like last year be expanded with additional space but this time the entrance and registration are attached to the main test village rather than across the bridge. The test village opens Sunday, Monday and Tuesday starting at 8.15am and wraps up at 3.30pm. The indoor exhibition area is open from 4.30pm to 10.30pm on the Sunday and Monday with the dinner starting on both nights from around 6pm. 85 brands have registered to exhibit, as always this is dominated by hardgoods brands with most boards, bindings and boot brands represented but also includes a significant number of goggles, accessories and outerwear brands.

Last year retailers made a total of 6555 tests with the event attracting retailers from all over Europe. Of the 248 participating shops 101 were German and 50 where Austrian with good contingents from Poland, Italy, UK, Netherlands and Switzerland. This year 236 shops from 22 countries have already registered.

Full Brandlist:

100%, ABS, Aesmo, Airhole Facemasks, Amplid, Amplifi, Anon, Arbor, AUTUMN, Bakery, Bataleon, Bent Metal Binding Works, Beyond Medals, Booomtag, Brethren, Burton, Capita, Chpo, Clew, Clover, Crab Grab, Dakine, db, Deeluxe, Doubledeck, Dragon, Drake, DRIFT Products, Dupraz, Easy Snowboards, Eivy, Electric, Endeavor Snowboards, FIX, FLUX, Funky, Gnu, Goodboards, GoPro, GoView, Hae, Horsefeathers, Jones, K2 Snowboarding, Kohla, Korua Shapes, L1 Premium Goods, Lib Tech, MDXONE, Method Mag, Milo, Never Summer, Nidecker, Nitro Nitro Bags, Nomadik, Northwave, Oakley, Oneball, Padride, POW GLOVES, Reichmann, Remind Insoles, Ride Snowboards, ROJO OUTERWEAR, Rome, Roxy Snowboards, Salomon, Sandbox Helmets, Shred Sleds, Sims, Slash by Gigi, Snowall, SP, Spark, Spektrum, Stranda, SunBum, Thirtytwo, Tur Snowboards, Union, Vimana, Volcom, Xion PG, YES. New brands to the event this year at time of going to press include Autumn, Reichmann, Rojo, ABS, Clover Protection, Booomtag, Goview, MDX One, Milo, Nomadik, Shred Sleds and Snow Wall. On hand as always will be the ‘Shred Buddies’ (Pros, Ams and ambassadors) to ride with you, offer their views on the products being tested and too keep you well entertained.

Additional activities around the test village include: Mervin (Libtech/Roxy/Gnu/Bent Metal) shaping side hits along the valley descent for you. Paparazzo will capture your airs, and you can pick up the photos at the Mervin booth or, even better, at Mervin in the CCA in the evening; Giveaways/ Games at Padride (best picture or video of you carving), Electric (win a goggle daily), Dragon & Shred Sleds (pass by for a little Dart Game); Thirtytwo is bringing snowboarding legend JP Walker for you, Doubledeck offers riding techniques with trained snowboard instructors. For a joint carving session, sign up on Sunday and Monday by 10:30 at Stranda’s booth, and with Horsefeathers on Monday, you can go powder shredding with Steve Gruber or Clemens Bergman: For all information about splitboard skins, such as fur care, cutting, and more, visit the Kohla booth. A fresh tuning for your test board is available promptly at the Reichmann counter: YES Snowboards will surprise you with a #Launch Drink, and free beer is available at Oakley, Doubledeck, Ride, K2, Jones, Horsefeathers, Slash, and thirtytwo. And of course on hand as always will be the ‘Shred Buddies’ (Pros, Ams and ambassadors) to ride with you, offer their views on the products being tested and too keep you well entertained.

Refreshments and stronger at the test Village include Free coffee, tea, mulled wine, and sweet treats are available at the SFT Cafeteria by Alpbachtal. Additionally, coffee and Yeahrba Natural hot Energy Drink are offered by Horsefeathers, Xion PG has Coffee Barista Style, Gigi offers coffee in the morning at Slash, mulled wine or punch can be found at SP’s booth, and on Sunday from 3:00 PM, there’s the traditional whiskey tasting at Amplid. Chpo serves a traditional Swedish Mora Nisse Shot, and Italian cocktails are mixed for you at Snowall’s booth. Tyrolen Snackhaus takes care of your culinary needs with vegan and meaty dishes at a fair price, and at the Nidecker booth, you can enjoy delicious raclette and finger food.

As usual there’s a packed evening schedule. Proceedings kick off on the first night with Shops 1ST Try Industry Welcome Dinner at the Hotel Alphof, which is open to all exhibitors after a hard day of stand building. For the next two nights it’s the Highlight Exhibition Dinners at the congress Centrum Alpbach. These evenings combine a relaxed dinner surrounded by product displays from exhibiting brands. The outerwear brands will be there in force, as this is the time of day when retailers have the time to talk about this product category after a full day of testing hardgoods. During the evening the Retailers Choice Board Design award by BoardSportSource will be voted on and Rooted in Snowboarding” will present a broad spectrum of iconic personalities who have shaped snowboarding in the past but have also forged exciting careers in other fields. Check out the exhibition and take the opportunity to chat with former snowboard filmmakers Piere Wikberg (RobotFood) or Alex Schiller (Isenseven) or legendary snowboard photographer Vincent Skoglund. Also visit the Fernet Hunter Bar at Endeavor/Airhole/Sandbox or try out Spark R&D’s Splitboard Modification Contest, and at Dakine, there’s a basketball battle.

Sunday and Monday post dinner, head to the pub: MC Klumzy Tung (London) and DJ Elwood (Graz) will be at Jakober Pub, while things will be more relaxed at Bikerei 701 with DJ Carl Heenz (IBK) providing the perfect sounds (Sunday only). On Monday, our resident DJs from Linz, BRX and Laima, will be playing at Jakober Pub.

Closest airports are Innsbruck followed by Munich or take a train to Brixlegg and then catch a taxi up the hill to Alpbach. This on-snow demo has become the biggest single gathering of the snowboard community in Europe with many riders and industry figures flying in from North America and beyond so book your flights or trains or organise car share rides with Go- Shred. For registration shops must first create an account on Shops 1st Base and then register for Shops 1st Try. So See you out testing or in the exhibition dinner! At Europe’s biggest on snow test event.

Ps The current snow conditions on slopes are really good already, and if the forecasts are to be believed, there will be a few more centimeters of fresh snow to come.