La Sportiva Set to Enter the Ski Market in 2011

La Sportiva N.A., makers of technical climbing, mountaineering, Mountain Running®, hiking footwear and ski mountaineering hardware, announces its support of the US Ski Mountaineering Association (USSMA) in 2011 as well as the Colorado Ski Mountaineering Cup (COSMIC).

“We are excited to be partnering with the USSMA,” says Laura Fryer, La Sportiva N.A.’s Marketing Manager. “With La Sportiva entering the ski mountaineering market next year, we want to align ourselves with enthusiasts and organizations that are as passionate about mountain sports as we are. While partnering with the USSMA is a great way to showcase our new ski mountaineering line, we feel that our pro athletes and heritage in competitive ski mountaineering in the Dolomites also make this a great fit moving forward.”

This weekend, La Sportiva pro ski mountaineering athletes Janelle Smiley and Luke Nelson will both be competing in the Ski Mountaineering World Championships in Claut Valcellina FVG, Italy. Both Smiley and Nelson qualified for the event with product from the forthcoming La Sportiva line. Another La Sportiva skier, Sari Anderson, is the overall leader in the COSMIC series, winning all three races she’s entered in this season so far.

La Sportiva’s Fall 2011 line of four ski touring boots are aimed at ambitious off-piste skiers looking for lightweight gear without compromising performance. Models range from the flagship carbon fiber Stratos ($3,000) and the crossover Spitfire with Grilamid® shell/carbon fiber cuff ($1,500) to the all-around ski mountaineering boots, the Sideral and women’s specific Starlet ($800). La Sportiva will also debut five new ski models including the fat, light and rockered Hi5 (135-105-125/$799), the perfect one ski quiver GT/GTS (123-89-111/$629), the multi-purpose mountaineering RST (116-77-106/$579) and high-tech carbon fiber race RSR (97-65-77/$1200). Already on sale throughout North America, is the new La Sportiva RT (175grams/$750) race performance and touring binding utilizing four innovative patents to make it one of the world’s lightest touring bindings. Lastly, HiGlide Precut Skins and RSR Race Skins round out the ski mountaineering line from La Sportiva for winter 2011/12.

In support of their ski mountaineering line debut, La Sportiva is launching The White Room (http://www.lasportivawhiteroom.com/), a ski blog focused on the world of ski mountaineering. La Sportiva Pro Ski Athlete Luke Nelson will be blogging live from The White Room at this weekend’s World Cup in Italy.

As a sponsor of this year’s Colorado Ski Mountaineering Cup (COSMIC), La Sportiva N.A. will be present at the following COSMIC events:

3/5/11 – The Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race, Aspen/Snowmass, CO

4/9/11 – The Five Peaks, Breckenridge, CO

4/23/11 – San Juans Rando, San Juans Mts, CO

4/30/11 – Marmot Grind, Arapahoe Basin, CO