evolve
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9:42 PM
Page 46
climbing
ROCKon +
+
THE
ROCK SHOE MARKET
CONTINUES TO
evolve
+
+
A QUIET REVOLUTION began in the world of rock
climbing in the fall of 1982. John Bachar laced on his first pair of Firé rock shoes given to him by Boreal’s Miguel Angel Gallego. Although the shoe itself was nothing fancy, the outsole was made of a phenomenally sticky rub-
B Y C LY D E S O L E S
ber. The following spring, Bachar and business partner Mike Graham imported 265 pairs of the off-white leather shoes from Spain and began selling them in the Yosemite Mountain Shop in California’s Yosemite Valley. Word of mouth morning, a long line of climbers had formed and within two hours, every pair had sold. No product since the introduction of Wild Country’s spring-loaded camming devices in 1978 had created such a sea of change in rock climbing. By the spring of 1984, it seemed as if virtually every climber in the United States either owned a pair of Firés or was planning to buy them. The other rock shoes on the market were quickly rendered obsolete and manufacturers scrambled to introduce their own sticky rubber shoes. Since then, we have witnessed the rise and fall of numerous rock shoe brands. The most recognized brand may be Boreal, which owned a
46
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2007
» W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M
BRIAN SOLANO PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF LA SPORTIVA
spread like wildfire and before the shop opened that fateful
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6/30/07
10:04 PM
Page 47
+
+
significant share of the U.S. market up until the late ’90s. Today, Boreal, still a leading player in the European climbing scene, is now little more than a footnote in the United States with no U.S. distributor and only a few retailers importing directly from Spain— consumer demand is a miniscule fraction of the glory days. Some failures were ill-considered ventures by shoe companies that left many people wondering, “What were they thinking?” Merrell and Reebok’s forays into rock shoe manufacturing quickly come to mind. The most recent to pull the plug was Montrail, which notified retailers on March 2, 2007, that its short-lived rock shoe experiment was ending—the news of which was met with a collective yawn.
MARKET PLAYERS Most in the climbing industry agree that the bulk of the North American rock shoe market continues to be ruled by Five Ten, La Sportiva and Mad Rock. While the Leisure Trends Group tracks outdoor industry sales of rock shoes, there is no clear consensus on which brand domi-
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2007
W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M » 4 7
40-51_Green_RockShoes.qxd
6/30/07
9:42 PM
Page 48
climbing
ride it climb it live it
organic cotton
hemp
eco dyes
OR booth # 13005 don’t forget to pick up your clay dyed OR show shirt! clay dyed • t-shirts • clothing • organic cotton • hemp • bamboo • tencel
DO YOU RSS? WE DO! Many of you have been asking for it, and SNEWS® has delivered—RSS feed capability for all of our content. Now, you can be in-the-know about industry events, news, stories and more, as soon as the story goes live. Yet another reason SNEWS® is your outdoor industry news leader. To learn more, go to www.snewsnet.com/rss. 48
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2007
nates and each company has its own spin on the numbers. Charles Cole, president of Five Ten, told GearTrends®, “Our intelligence indicates that while Five Ten and Sportiva are still jousting for the No. 1 position, Mad Rock has dropped drastically in popularity in much of the U.S.” Joe Garland, president of Mad Rock, countered that his brand “is still the largest in terms of sales in North America.” However, he did acknowledge that, “growth was slower in 2006. Our sales office move, warehouse move and staff changes probably hurt us more than any particular competitor.” Insiders tell us that both the New England and Pacific Northwest markets have slowed considerably for the company. Jonathan Lantz, marketing director for La Sportiva, said that the Italian-owned company dominates in the high-end rock shoe market. “We have our Chinese-made price-point shoes to be competitive, but our premium models, such as the new Solution, are what get the attention. Ultimately, consumers who are first tempted by low price will upgrade for better performance and quality.” While these major players are primarily watching each other, other contenders could step up and become more of a factor. In particular, Scarpa—long known for high quality—has recently revamped its rock shoe line with technology improvements. Additionally, the brand has leverage with outdoor specialty shops that carry its backcountry ski boots. And now that Koflach has abandoned the plastic mountaineering boot market, Scarpa is even more important to climbing shops. (Asolo and Lowa are the only other brands that offer plastic climbing boots.) Mammut is another brand with good quality rock shoes, an extensive product line and serious marketing dollars. Specialty shops have incentives to carry Mammut rock shoes because of all the other gear and clothing Mammut offers. For specialty retailers seeking brands to set themselves apart, Acopa is one line of high performance rock shoes that isn’t found in big-box stores. Designed by John Bachar, this niche company offers quality shoes at reasonable prices. Among the other players in North » W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M
ROB FROST PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF MAMMUT
+
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6/30/07
9:42 PM
Page 50
+
America are Evolv and Red Chili, both of which have loyal adherents. Since Evolv is sold in most REI stores, the shoes have become more common at crags and gyms around the country. Red Chili is distributed by Excalibur, which also distributes DMM and Wild Country climbing gear, so most climbing shops have access to the line.
While $80 rock shoes are still common— and the typical purchase price of first-time climbers—GearTrends® is hearing that the market has swung back toward shoes in the $120 area. Reportedly, experienced climbers who were tempted by shoes under $100 have been disappointed in either performance or durability. As one industry pundit put it, “Everybody tries the cheap shoes…once.” While the influx of inexpensive Asianmade shoes and discount Internet sales changed the market in a profound way, neither killed rock shoe sales at the specialty retail level as some had feared. One trend that several companies mentioned to GearTrends® in interviews is a resurgence in more comfortable shoes for trad climbing. According to Cole at Five Ten, “We are seeing surprisingly strong sales of the Piton—a multi-pitch shoe designed for cracks. We always wondered if there’d be a swing of the pendulum back to trad climbing. … It sure looks (from shoe sale numbers) as if people are gearing up for crack climbing again.” La Sportiva’s Lantz told us he agreed that traditional shoes are doing well, pointing out that its Mythos continues to be one of its most popular shoes even after 15 years on the market. Women’s rock shoes are continuing to grow in popularity as well. Most companies report that they are still seeing steady sales increases. While there have been innumerable incremental improvements in rock climbing gear, the introduction of the Firé rock shoe 25 years ago has proven to be the last true revolution. Everyone continues to hope for a really fresh product to come along that will shake up the sport. But, in the meantime, the rock shoe market continues to evolve. » To read all the back issues of GearTrends®, go to www.geartrends.com/magazines.
50
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2007
» W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M
RAINER EDER PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF MAMMUT
TREND WATCH
6/30/07
9:42 PM
Page 46
climbing
ROCKon +
+
THE
ROCK SHOE MARKET
CONTINUES TO
evolve
+
+
A QUIET REVOLUTION began in the world of rock
climbing in the fall of 1982. John Bachar laced on his first pair of Firé rock shoes given to him by Boreal’s Miguel Angel Gallego. Although the shoe itself was nothing fancy, the outsole was made of a phenomenally sticky rub-
B Y C LY D E S O L E S
ber. The following spring, Bachar and business partner Mike Graham imported 265 pairs of the off-white leather shoes from Spain and began selling them in the Yosemite Mountain Shop in California’s Yosemite Valley. Word of mouth morning, a long line of climbers had formed and within two hours, every pair had sold. No product since the introduction of Wild Country’s spring-loaded camming devices in 1978 had created such a sea of change in rock climbing. By the spring of 1984, it seemed as if virtually every climber in the United States either owned a pair of Firés or was planning to buy them. The other rock shoes on the market were quickly rendered obsolete and manufacturers scrambled to introduce their own sticky rubber shoes. Since then, we have witnessed the rise and fall of numerous rock shoe brands. The most recognized brand may be Boreal, which owned a
46
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2007
» W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M
BRIAN SOLANO PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF LA SPORTIVA
spread like wildfire and before the shop opened that fateful
40-51_Green_RockShoes.qxd
6/30/07
10:04 PM
Page 47
+
+
significant share of the U.S. market up until the late ’90s. Today, Boreal, still a leading player in the European climbing scene, is now little more than a footnote in the United States with no U.S. distributor and only a few retailers importing directly from Spain— consumer demand is a miniscule fraction of the glory days. Some failures were ill-considered ventures by shoe companies that left many people wondering, “What were they thinking?” Merrell and Reebok’s forays into rock shoe manufacturing quickly come to mind. The most recent to pull the plug was Montrail, which notified retailers on March 2, 2007, that its short-lived rock shoe experiment was ending—the news of which was met with a collective yawn.
MARKET PLAYERS Most in the climbing industry agree that the bulk of the North American rock shoe market continues to be ruled by Five Ten, La Sportiva and Mad Rock. While the Leisure Trends Group tracks outdoor industry sales of rock shoes, there is no clear consensus on which brand domi-
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2007
W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M » 4 7
40-51_Green_RockShoes.qxd
6/30/07
9:42 PM
Page 48
climbing
ride it climb it live it
organic cotton
hemp
eco dyes
OR booth # 13005 don’t forget to pick up your clay dyed OR show shirt! clay dyed • t-shirts • clothing • organic cotton • hemp • bamboo • tencel
DO YOU RSS? WE DO! Many of you have been asking for it, and SNEWS® has delivered—RSS feed capability for all of our content. Now, you can be in-the-know about industry events, news, stories and more, as soon as the story goes live. Yet another reason SNEWS® is your outdoor industry news leader. To learn more, go to www.snewsnet.com/rss. 48
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2007
nates and each company has its own spin on the numbers. Charles Cole, president of Five Ten, told GearTrends®, “Our intelligence indicates that while Five Ten and Sportiva are still jousting for the No. 1 position, Mad Rock has dropped drastically in popularity in much of the U.S.” Joe Garland, president of Mad Rock, countered that his brand “is still the largest in terms of sales in North America.” However, he did acknowledge that, “growth was slower in 2006. Our sales office move, warehouse move and staff changes probably hurt us more than any particular competitor.” Insiders tell us that both the New England and Pacific Northwest markets have slowed considerably for the company. Jonathan Lantz, marketing director for La Sportiva, said that the Italian-owned company dominates in the high-end rock shoe market. “We have our Chinese-made price-point shoes to be competitive, but our premium models, such as the new Solution, are what get the attention. Ultimately, consumers who are first tempted by low price will upgrade for better performance and quality.” While these major players are primarily watching each other, other contenders could step up and become more of a factor. In particular, Scarpa—long known for high quality—has recently revamped its rock shoe line with technology improvements. Additionally, the brand has leverage with outdoor specialty shops that carry its backcountry ski boots. And now that Koflach has abandoned the plastic mountaineering boot market, Scarpa is even more important to climbing shops. (Asolo and Lowa are the only other brands that offer plastic climbing boots.) Mammut is another brand with good quality rock shoes, an extensive product line and serious marketing dollars. Specialty shops have incentives to carry Mammut rock shoes because of all the other gear and clothing Mammut offers. For specialty retailers seeking brands to set themselves apart, Acopa is one line of high performance rock shoes that isn’t found in big-box stores. Designed by John Bachar, this niche company offers quality shoes at reasonable prices. Among the other players in North » W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M
ROB FROST PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF MAMMUT
+
40-51_Green_RockShoes.qxd
6/30/07
9:42 PM
Page 49
40-51_Green_RockShoes.qxd
6/30/07
9:42 PM
Page 50
+
America are Evolv and Red Chili, both of which have loyal adherents. Since Evolv is sold in most REI stores, the shoes have become more common at crags and gyms around the country. Red Chili is distributed by Excalibur, which also distributes DMM and Wild Country climbing gear, so most climbing shops have access to the line.
While $80 rock shoes are still common— and the typical purchase price of first-time climbers—GearTrends® is hearing that the market has swung back toward shoes in the $120 area. Reportedly, experienced climbers who were tempted by shoes under $100 have been disappointed in either performance or durability. As one industry pundit put it, “Everybody tries the cheap shoes…once.” While the influx of inexpensive Asianmade shoes and discount Internet sales changed the market in a profound way, neither killed rock shoe sales at the specialty retail level as some had feared. One trend that several companies mentioned to GearTrends® in interviews is a resurgence in more comfortable shoes for trad climbing. According to Cole at Five Ten, “We are seeing surprisingly strong sales of the Piton—a multi-pitch shoe designed for cracks. We always wondered if there’d be a swing of the pendulum back to trad climbing. … It sure looks (from shoe sale numbers) as if people are gearing up for crack climbing again.” La Sportiva’s Lantz told us he agreed that traditional shoes are doing well, pointing out that its Mythos continues to be one of its most popular shoes even after 15 years on the market. Women’s rock shoes are continuing to grow in popularity as well. Most companies report that they are still seeing steady sales increases. While there have been innumerable incremental improvements in rock climbing gear, the introduction of the Firé rock shoe 25 years ago has proven to be the last true revolution. Everyone continues to hope for a really fresh product to come along that will shake up the sport. But, in the meantime, the rock shoe market continues to evolve. » To read all the back issues of GearTrends®, go to www.geartrends.com/magazines.
50
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2007
» W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M
RAINER EDER PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF MAMMUT
TREND WATCH
