SIA Review and Best of Show | Denver, Colorado

The Snow Industry Association held their annual SIA show at Colorado Convention Center this past weekend and we had a chance to check out. Some of the industries biggest snow sport companies in the world got a chance to show off their up and coming product lines for 2014. One of the premier industry conventions in the country, companies such as Bern, Burton, Rome, Zoo York and many more migrate to Denver every year to give us a glimpse of some of the hottest trends that we will get to see during the upcoming year. An influx of local companies also get a chance to shine such as Never Summer Industries, Zeal Optics, Icelantic and many more. The convention consists of two parts, the indoor convention and the snow demo that takes place at Cooper Mountain. With record crowds each year, the convention gives us a rare glimpse as to the inner workings of the industry. This was our first time covering and we came away pretty impressed with some of the products and companies showcasing the this year. Check out our "Best of Show".

-Castro

Best Helmets: Electric

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Best Bags: Dakine

Best Boots: Rome Snowboards

Best Gloves: POW Gloves

Best Booth (Creative): Saga Outerwear

Best Booth: Burton

Best Goggles: Zeal Optics

Best Snowboards: Burton

Check out the rest of our gallery! Photos by Robert Castro and Brittany Vandagriff

Wanderlust Festival Recap | Copper Mountain | July 4-7

Wanderlust Festival displayed the same values and mission as last year but showed exponential growth in such a short time. The small music and yoga festival was originated in the minds of music producers Jeff Krasno and Sean Hoess and inspired by Krasno’s wife Schuyler Grant, a yoga instructor. The seed was planted six years ago in a small shared studio space where Jeff and Sean saw an emerging culture and the impact that the music world has on a mindful lifestyle. After Grant’s yoga studio began to expand, the music studio got the boot and so began the brainstorming for Wanderlust Festival. The concept was divine and brilliant. The name, while tossed around these days, is fitting for the weekend experience at the festival. Krasno explains Wanderlust just as defined, “an innate desire to travel or roam”. Whether your adventure takes you to Copper from Denver, Aspen, or from out of state, there is a sense of getting away that is good for the soul. 

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Yogis throw your hands up (Photo Credit: Amanda Spilos)

This year’s Wanderlust brought a more blended crowd - yogis of all levels, a few more men than I recall from last year, some younger faces, and families. The Copper Resort festival has quite the advantage being that it is open area for the public. This provides free exposure from folks that wouldn’t otherwise experience what is Wanderlust. Hoess made an excellent point - you’ll never see fences anywhere at the festival - not even at the photo pit (annoying). This allows for a sense of openness, lack of restriction, and the “roaming” piece that the festival embraces. New activities catered to different lifestyles; paddleboard yoga with BOGA filled up so quickly and has become a huge success for Wanderlust. Other activities outside of yoga included rock climbing, white water rafting, mountain biking, and a new New Belgium brewing bike tour. What a great opportunity to try new activities with a sense of openness. 

Fashion played a large role in this year’s Wanderlust Festival with their huge sponsor, Lululemon. I mean, who doesn’t want to look damn good in a pair of yoga pants? Not only that, you want to feel comfortable as well. While Lululemon’s gear can come with a pretty penny, it’s designed to breathe, be comfortable, and last. Some new trends I’ve seen emerging are those crazy, cosmic yoga pants. Pretty wild, I’d say, but they are a reminder that yoga is fun. Tie-dye patterns, floral prints, and bright colors in addition to those galaxy-esque pants. 

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Paddle Board Yoga (Photo Credit: Amanda Spilos)

Oh, and food. Food, of course, played a huge role in Wanderlust - as always. This was fantastic marketing not only targeted to the festival go-ers but those famished mountain bikers coming down off those trails were able to load up on samples versus a $12.00 resort hotdog. Lyfe Kitchen was a huge contributor this year, hooking it up for media (thanks!). With a couple restaurants in California, their meals can be found in Whole Foods, Natural Groceries, Safeway, and even Albertson’s. A quick grab-and-go meal that is healthy, nutritious, and delicious. I swear, they didn’t make me say that. The whole grain pilaf was out of this world. The most fascinating and humbling thing from a large, and still growing, company was to see Chef John Mitchell in the tent prepping meals and interacting with the festival go-ers. This spoke volumes to the company, their mission, and values. Other fantastic sponsors included Kind, So Delicious, Keifir, and Evolution Fresh to name a few.  

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Music played a major role at this year's festival (Photo Credit: Kelly Perry)

It’s always great when the music makes sense with the weekend theme. Moby, along with Caravan Palace, and Quixotic was such an awesome pair to the weekend. The music scene at the festival can be a little quieter than you may expect, but the crowd for Moby this year was huge in comparison to what I saw last year. The energy was high and it catered to a large demographic - the younger crowd for the upbeat tempo and those that followed Moby during his prime when he collaborated with Gwen Stefani and remixed huge names like The Beastie Boys, Nas, Metallica, and David Bowie. 

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Moby rockin' the decks (Photo Credit: Kelly Perry)

The festival is continuing to expand, upward and outward. There are plans for international destinations like New Zealand and the opportunity to take your compass and really “find your true north”. While we are regularly seeing festivals close their doors due to low ticket sales and funds, it’s great to see Wanderlust become so successful with such a powerful message.

-Amanda

Wanderlust Festival | Copper Mountain | July 4-7

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! What better way to spend a lovely four-day holiday weekend than at Wanderlust Festival at beautiful Copper Mountain. Crisp mountain air, positive energy, friendly faces, enlightening lectures, and great music. I'm excited for Moby's DJ set and of course, Quixotic. To sum up their performance from last year: unbelievable.  

I've been following Rachel Brathen on Instagram, yoga_girl, and I'm excited to practice with her. Known for teaching paddle board yoga, she will be bringing the water with her to Colorado. Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan shared an interesting perspective and I can't wait to hear what he has to share this year. The overall experience is like a breath of fresh air and I can't wait to share it with you.

May the light in me honor the light in you. 

Wanderlust Festival | Copper Mountain | July 4-7

wan·der·lust noun \ˈwän-dər-ˌləst\  strong longing for or impulse toward wandering

There is this little place tucked away, past Breckenridge, called Copper Mountain. Have you heard of it? Well, in the summer time it's spectacular. It's home to mountain biking and hiking but in the month of July it is manifested with positivity and harmony when Wanderlust Festival moves in the for July 4th weekend. Yoga during the day, fantastic music at night. It's not one of those festivals where you end up in another dimension from drinking the water; rather you achieve it through meditation. There is something for everyone whether you are a beginner yogi or experienced, coming just for the music, or just for the day.

This summer, big names include: Moby (speaker and performer, SICK!), Tim Ryan, Ohio Congressman and yogi, Quixotic, MC Yogi, and experimental violinist Hannah Thiem, just to name a few. It will be an amazing and rejuvenating weekend that will be both physically demanding and yet soul-enlightening.

For tickets click here and for last year's recap, click here!

Amanda