03/03/2021
Lagazuoi Winning Ideas Mountain Awards 2021 rewards the clothing and accessories of the future
A green program puts a running shoe on the market, that turns into a ski boot, strange "spacemen" wearing high-tech suits roam the mountains, while a smart shoe analyses the style of skiers to improve their skills. This is how the companies and creatives of the winning projects in the Mountain clothes and equipment category of the award devised by the Lagazuoi EXPO Dolomiti exhibition centre, located at 2,732 metres above sea level between Cortina and Val Badia, imagine the future.
The second edition of the Lagazuoi Winning Ideas Mountain Awards focused on talent, innovation and green tourism in connection with the mountains and now puts those who have promoted the mountains as a laboratory for responsible and sustainable technologies, lifestyles and consumption in the spotlight.
The first place was won by Salomon's Index.01, symbol of its Play Minded Program, a concrete project for sustainability, circular economy, environmental protection, followed by three students of the course Alpine Design at the Polytechnic University of Milan, who designed the winter suit ASTRO*, and Hawx Ultra Connected, a digital ski boot realised by Atomic.
The award ceremony and the exhibition of the winning projects at the Lagazuoi Expo Dolomiti cultural centre will take place as soon as it will be possible to hold in-person attendance events again.
Cortina d’Ampezzo, 3d March 2021_The running shoe of the future? Once worn-out, it is reduced into small pieces and reused to build ski boot shells. Its name is Index.01 and it's the tangible symbol of a very ambitious project. Play Minded Program by Salomon is the absolute winner in the Mountain clothes and equipment category of the Lagazuoi Winning Ideas Mountain Awards 2021.
The second edition of this award, a substantial curatorial project by Lagazuoi EXPO Dolomiti, also honours two other projects, the second and third place winners: ASTRO*, a sporting suit created by some students of the course Alpine Design at the Polytechnic University of Milan and Hawx Ultra Connected, a smart ski boot, which can read the skiing technique. The winners have been determined by a jury made up of university students of the Ski Club of the SDA Bocconi of Milan, co-ordinated by the lecturer of the Department of Finance, Prof. Federico Pippo.
Some of the participating projects were selected by highly qualified experts: Luca Castaldini (Sportweek and Gazzetta dello Sport), Marco di Marco (director of the magazine Sciare) and Maria Corbi (manager of the society sector of the daily newspaper La Stampa).
These projects will be officially presented together with the winners of the other three competing categories, namely Digital innovations & apps for the mountains, Sustainable mountain tourism and Mountain gastronomy industry. As soon as the epidemic situation makes it possible, the public will have the opportunity to admire them at the Lagazuoi EXPO Dolomiti, next to the top station of the Lagazuoi cable car, between Cortina and the Val Badia, amid the stunning scenery that embraces a gallery and one of Europe’s highest cultural centres.
INDEX.01_A shoe that goes far: so far that, at the end of its service, worn-out and unusable, it becomes material for the production of ski boot shells. It is an object that visually sums up Salomon's Play Minded Program, the symbol of a company dedicated to environmental sustainability and the circular economy. The shoe has undergone eighteen months of research at the Annecy Design Center and is ideally suited to convey a range of specific objectives. In addition to the production of sustainable products, the company takes care of environmental protection, sports advice and – a quite rarely-considered aspect - the maintenance of a high level of employee satisfaction. One of the various commitments made by Salomon is a 30% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030.
ASTRO*_A high-tech winter sports suit for mountain freaks who are ready for anything: Finally an affordable desire: a complete entry-level suit. ASTRO* was developed by three brilliant students of the course Alpine Design of the Polytechnic University of Milan: Lorenzo Guslandi, Cristina Pirovano and Alessandra Rota. The name is evocative: Whoever wears this suit has an avant-garde snow look that is worthy of a spacial experience. Thanks to the ultra-resistant and eco-friendly material, able to adequately protect from cold, shocks and pathogens, it is ideal for 360° mountain experiences, Not only that: the suit is equipped with integrated sensors and accessories which can be combined and integrated to achieve the perfect suit based on usage. It's like wearing an armour, except that it is light, of minimum dimensions and thus easy to carry.
HAWX ULTRA CONNECTED_The ski boot becomes digital. Thanks to the collaboration between the technicians from Altenmarkt and biomechanics experts from the University of Salzburg, Atomic has launched a product that reads the skiing technique with attention to every detail. As the name suggests, the smart ski boot Hawk Ultra Connected can communicate constantly: using embedded sensors, ski performance data such as balance, pressure control and edging skills are monitored and recorded and analysed through the Atomic mobile app. The skier can thus track the routes with GPS, evaluate his progress with objective data, and - why not -, compare his results with those of the community.
Development and coordination of special projects Lagazuoi Expo Dolomiti and DOC-COM Press Office
