Biggest industry trade fair

Snowboarding world presents innovations in Zillertal

The young tester seems to be very impressed by the board.(Bild: Christian Boehm)

Snowboarding still has a future. This was demonstrated by a tent city in Hochfügen in the Zillertal, which was erected for the world's largest industry trade fair. For three days, it brought together 86 brands with 1500 trade visitors. The testers came from halfway around the world.

The exhibitors traveled from Scandinavia, Andorra and, for the first time, from China, while the 1500 visitors came from halfway around the world: the three-day snowboard trade fair "Shops 1st Try" moved to Hochfügen this year after ten years in Alpbachtal and came to an end on Tuesday.

Everything a boarder's heart desires
"We hosted 86 brands - from boards to accessories such as clothing, goggles and safety equipment," says organizer Muck Müller. Specialist retailers from the sports stores have the chance to test the new products in the field for the first time at the trade fair - hence the name "Shops 1st Try".

Helmuth Grünbacher (Hochfügen ski region), organizer Muck Müller, Manfred Pfister (GF Ferienregion Fügen-Kaltenbach), Ronald Felder (GF Zillertal Tourismus) and Florian "Cepten" Bauer (from left)(Bild: Christian Boehm)

This is the world's largest snowboard-related business meeting. A 900 m² hall of the mountain railroad in Hochfügen, which was used for the trade fair in addition to the outdoor area, is particularly useful.

Focus on comfortable bindings
Organizer Müller, a native of Linz who now lives in Munich, sees the constant further development of the trade fair as a guarantee for success. The 51-year-old says of this year's focal points: "Convenience boards were particularly popular - in other words, boards that allow athletes to get on and off comfortably." This is known among experts as "step on".

Despite the recent lack of fresh snow, Hochfügen offered great conditions for spectacular moves.(Bild: Christian Boehm)

"The next generation will follow"
Müller believes that the snowboard will continue to have its place in the world of winter sports - despite trends such as freeriding on two skis. "We're noticing that a new generation of boarders is coming along, we're hearing that from several countries, so I'm not worried about the future."