Boa Technology’s H3 High Power Platform was named an ISPO Award Nominee in the Action Ingredients category today by the ISPO Award committee. The ISPO AWARD is a seal of approval for innovative new sporting goods and is a respected global industry trend indicator. Award nominees and winners will be on display at the ISPO Munich tradeshow taking place January 29 to February 1, 2012.

The H3 system, featured on the new Vans Infuse and Salomon Synapse snowboard boots and others, is Boa’s seventh-generation snowboard reel platform. It delivers high-precision, watch-like resolution for achieving a truly customized fit.

“Our engineers and designers have been rethinking snowboard boot closure systems for over 10 years,” says Vin Connelly, Global Category Manager at Boa Technology, maker of the award-winning, patented Boa Closure System. “The result is the Boa H3, which is part of a high-power closure system that provides riders with unparalleled security and micro-adjustability to improve performance and comfort. Partner brands appreciate the H3 system’s improved design, smaller size, no special tools required for maintainence and our exclusive Coiler option that quickly takes up excess lace.

The Boa Closure System is found of one third of the world’s snowboard boots and provides performance benefits lauded by professional snowboarders worldwide. Since 2010, Boa has sponsored a team of eight pro riders, including X-Games slopestyle medalist Eric Willett of the U.S. (who wears the Vans Cirro Boa Boot) and freerider Fredrik Evensen, of Oslo, Norway (who wears the Head 5 Star Boa Instep Grasp).

While Boa is the most durable and reliable closure system on the market and backed by the Dialed In For Life Guarantee, the H3 dial requires no special tool for on-the-fly repair or maintenance in the backcountry or resort. Rather, it involves a simple twist-and-remove, twist-and-insert-replacement process.

Check out those Boa AC and heater dials!

686® and Scion® are pleased to introduce the world’s first and only car solely dedicated to snowboarding, “Numeric”. Built for snowboarders by snowboarders, the car is the caveat in the 20th anniversary celebration for 686.

686 teamed up with Scion Racing® and Spin Imaging® to develop the one-of-a-kind custom winter masterpiece. The Numeric is based off of Scion’s xB model. Never before has a car been re-created, re-developed and re-invigorated in such a unique manner. Each aspect of the build was directly inspired from a product and brand that’s progressively pushed snowboarding to new levels.

Numeric: 686 and Scion Snowboarding Concept Car from 686 Technical Apparel on Vimeo.

Each involved brand brought a unique twist to Numeric’s look. The snow specific tires reflect NB686® snowboarding boots and are branded as New Balance® tires. The top of the car is designed like a Bern® protective carbon fiber helmet, complete with their patented brim technology. The windshield is designed from Dragon’s APX® frameless goggle and offers full peripheral view inside the car. The Sparco® modified seats are inspired from actual Union® team snowboard bindings and are constructed in a high-back cup shaped form. The sound system is engineered and designed by the Skullcandy® team, which used their premiere Aviator headphones as inspiration. GoPro® came in with their POV expertise in visual racing mirrors and interior mapping. Vestal® watches and their ZR-3 Chronograph inspired the custom built time gauges. The devil is in the details and Freewaters® sandals clearly did this in the first ever heated floor mats. BOA® Technology added their “dialed” in fit to the cars heating and cooling system. Recco® Avalanche Rescue systems supplied their sophisticated radar technology on the road and mountain terrain. Blind® skateboards legendary artist, Marc Mckee provided his custom touch to the interior panels. To finalize the winter shred story, 686’s technical textile background pushed manufacturing boundaries by successfully wrapping the world’s first and only fully functional waterproof and breathable snowboarding outerwear vehicle, complete with stitched panels, laser welded seams, waterproof zipper and mesh venting.

“The 686 Scion Numeric is a dream come true,” says Michael Akira West, president and creative director at 686. “What better way to celebrate our twentieth anniversary by doing something that’s never been done before? Every part of this build has a story and a separate product that it was inspired from. I’m psyched we were able to show it to the world, our way.”

“The 686 build is incredible,” says Steve Hatanaka, Scion auto show and special events manager, “The collaboration of the action sports lifestyle and automotive is a perfect fit for the Scion brand! The hard work of so many people and brands came together to make it happen, and we are very proud of the outcome. It is one of the most unique cars we’ve done to date and the synergy of the final product is amazing. We look forward to showcasing it during the auto show season, with tuner fans and at the action sports shows around the world.”

The action sports industry will get its first look at the vehicle in the 686 booth at SIA in Denver from January 26-29, 2012.

Sponsors and participants include: BOA Technology, 686 technical apparel, Scion Racing, Spin Imaging, MV Designz, Rokform,Roland Sands Designs, Light Force, Skullcandy, New Balance, Freewaters, Motegi Wheels, GoPro, Union Bindings, Cadence Apparel, Dragon Alliance, Bern Helmets, Vestal Watches, Blind Skateboards, and Recco Avalanche Rescue System.

Make a minimum $10 donation and Boa Technology will send you a free set of pink replacement dials for your Boa-powered footwear. 100% of your donation will go directly to Boarding For Breast Cancer – a non-profit, youth-focused education, awareness, and fund-raising foundation aiming to increase awareness about breast cancer, and The Breast Cancer Network of Strength® – a trusted organization providing immediate emotional relief to anyone affected by breast cancer.

Reel Pink 2011 from Boa Technology on Vimeo.

Boa is pleased to announce a new 2011 title sponsorship agreement with the Colorado Cross Cup, the state’s premier and most prestigious cyclocross race series.

Photo Credit: Les Handy/303cycling.com

“Boa is committed to all disciplines of cycling and we’re excited to be a part of this, one of the nation’s most prestigious cyclocross series,” says Boa Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Chuck Mason. “We love the fast and furious nature of cyclocross, and the fun vibe the Colorado Cross Cup brings. We know a decent number of riders in the series are on Boa-equipped shoes enjoying the benefits of its high-performance fit, micro-adjustability and,maybe most important for this sport, the ability to tweak the fit on-the-fly. We’re happy to support, give back, and be a part of it. ” For his part, Mason plans to compete at some of the series’ events.

Click visit 303cycling.com for race dates and details.

Boa’s Eric Irwin, Dieter Tantius and Jesse Cotterman logged mean hours on the bike last week to fulfill their commitments to Boa’s Health and Wellness employee program. Here’s the recap from Jesse and crew below.

Dear Boa H&W Committee,

Thanks,
Jesse “Jack-Rabbit Slim” Cotterman

From Left to Right: Eric Irwin, Dieter Tantius and Jesse Cotterman

So, here’s some stats on last week’s commuting effort:
19.8 – Approximate distance each direction, in miles
39.6 – Approximate round trip distance, miles
198 – Weekly Mileage, per group member
118.8 – Total miles per day, group total
594 – Weekly Mileage, group total
1600 – Estimated Daily Calories burned by each person
24000 – Estimated Calories burned over the week, group total
0.5 – Inches of rain during ride on Wednesday’s ride home
64 – Ounces of water consumed daily, by Jesse, during the ride
900 – Estimated ounces of water consumed over the week, group total
3 – Tire tubes consumed in one day (Thursday)
7250 – approximate elevation change ridden over the week, in feet
40 – approximate number of homeless people sited during the week
1 – number of leeches that tucked on the tail of our group to draft, but never pulled
48 – Low temperature of the week
81 – High temperature of the week
5:15 – Average wake-up time
6:40 – Average departure time from Morrison Park n Ride
450 – Miles of motorized communting saved by the group over the week
55 – Estimated gallons of gas saved by the group over the week
$200 – Gas money saved by group over the week
1 – number of joggers almost smacked on the ass
34 – group hours spent bicycling over the week

How many people thrive on riding a motorcycle over 1,000 miles in less than 24 hours? How about in less than 17 hours? Not many, but there are a few and there’s a club called the Iron Butt Association that pushes these road warriors to set lofty goals and then go for it!

Boa Product Design Engineer Eric Irwin set out this weekend to prove his case for inclusion in this coveted club and he rocked Boa all the way. Here’s his summary of the weekend’s adventure.

We started from Denver’s C470 and Santa Fe at 5:00am and returned back there at 9:15pm. In that time we went to Trinidad, CO; followed by Idaho Springs, CO; through the amazing Glenwood Canyon to Mesa, CO; back through Denver and out to Brush, CO at sunset; and finally back to our start.

Boa's Eric Irwin with his game face on during the 1008 mile ride around the block. begins!

We stopped about every 2 hours for 15 minutes or so. Every other stop was for fuel, just about every stop included a bathroom break for some reason. We snacked on PB&J’s and granola bars and drank water during each stop.

The odometer showed a total 1008 miles, start to finish. This particular route has already been verified by the Iron Butt Association. At the finish, we had to show our ride log, where we had recorded information at all the mandatory stops as well as gas receipts for each of those stops.

I had one brain malfunction and forgot to latch my saddlebag lid, which sent us back in Glenwood Canyon to find it along the side of the road. Luckily it landed on the side of the road, so it did not get run over. Some tweaking with a pair of pliers got the aluminum back into form enough to put back on the bike. That cost us about 30 minutes, otherwise we would have broken the 16 hour mark. Apparently, that is somewhat of an accomplishment.

Here is a link: http://www.mctourer.com/rides/2011/Regional_SS1K/Denver.html

I wore my Boa AXO Striker boots and Knox Handroid or Zero gloves for the entire ride. We had great weather with hi temps around 80 and low’s around 50 and only a few minutes of light rain on the return trip through Glenwood Canyon.

Boa Technology, maker of the award-winning, patented Boa Closure System, today was named to Outside Magazine’s fourth annual “Best Places to Work” list. Boa Technology was ranked No. 4 out of 50 selected companies. The full list and related story will be published in the September issue of Outside magazine, available on newsstands August 16, 2011.

Producing the world’s finest product closure systems since 1998, Boa Technology sprouted from the idea of a snowboarding visionary crammed into a small office space in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and has grown into a multi-national company headquartered in Denver with over 50 employees all while preserving its energetic, dog-, bike- and family-friendly atmosphere. Boa promotes workplace wellness and enthusiasm by offering a variety of lunchtime fitness and nutrition workshops, company outdoor and volunteer activities, profit-sharing benefits and paying an annual bonus that can be used towards any fitness-related pursuit or goal.

“Since day one we wanted Boa to be a different kind of company,” comments Boa Creator and Founder Gary Hammerslag. “From our experience, you build great companies around great people. We believe in cultivating an employee culture that promotes a healthy work-life balance allowing employees to exercise daily, have fun and think out loud. I think this philosophy is just one of the many reasons we have so much positive engagement and exceptional productivity from our team. Outside editors and experts recognizing us on this list of Best Places to Work 2011 really exemplifies everything we try to achieve here on a daily basis.”

Outside’s “Best Places to Work” project celebrates innovative companies setting a new standard for a healthy work-life balance. The year-long selection process began with an outreach effort that identified a wide range of non-profit and for-profit organizations with at least 15 employees working in the United States.

All of the results were analyzed by experts, who selected the 50 companies that strive to enhance their employees’ enjoyment of active endeavors, and environmental and social involvement.

“These 50 companies are successful precisely because they support a proper work-life balance,” says Michael Roberts, Executive Editor of Outside. “Happy workers that feel part of an active community are guaranteed to be more engaged and productive. And the companies on our list are offering amazing benefits: organic cafeterias, on-site fitness classes, reimbursements for gym memberships and ski passes, opportunities for on-the-clock community service, and much more.”

Welcome…Welcome Back…and Congrats!

Responding to a 2010 sales surge and anticipating even greater demand for its award-winning patented Boa Closure System, Denver-based Boa Technology has recently re-structured its team and added several employees.

“These moves position us well to better serve our growing partner base while also ensuring that we maintain close collaboration with our current partners, continue to innovate product, and work to raise the profile of Boa worldwide,” says Boa President Mark Soderberg.

The recent changes include a wide range of hires, departmental shifts and promotions:

Eight-year Boa veteran Jimmy Capra will head up the new Medical Business Unit. Says Boa CEO Gary Hammerslag, “Jimmy has worn many hats at Boa, from sales to product development to marketing; he is uniquely and perfectly qualified to maximize the exciting avenues for our product in the Medical Category.”

In response to Capra’s promotion, Ilya Minkin—the former Global Category Manager in the sales department—will assume Capra’s previous position as Product Manager. “Ilya possesses a deep understanding of our product and a personable collaborative approach that make him ideal for this spot,” adds Hammerslag.

The Sales Department, overseen by recent hire Vice President of Sales & Marketing Chuck Mason, has also welcomed several new team members. Most recently, Vin Connolly re-joined the company as Global Category Manager. The move represents a homecoming for Connolly, who spent the past two years at Burton Snowboards. In addition, both Karl Wurm and Eric Weis will join Boa as Development Support Specialists. Wurm comes from One Track Mind, a snowboard shop in Beaver Creek, Colo., and adds twenty years of snowboard expertise to an already seasoned team. Eric Weis comes to Boa after working for four years at Recreational Equipment Incorporated, where he was a sales and product expert. At the same time, Kim Polak and Jeff “Woody” Woodard have moved from Development Coordinator positions to become Regional Account Managers.
(more…)

Boa is pleased to welcome back and announce the hiring of action sports industry sales veteran Vin Connolly as Global Category Manager.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to reunite with the Boa team here in Colorado,” says Connolly. “Boa operates on great leadership, collaboration and passion with infinite possibilities evolving and innovating the closure business. To be blunt, I’m stoked to be back on board with Boa.”

In his new role as Boa Global Category Manager, Connolly will manage relationships and sales from new and existing partners in Boa’s Athletic category.

“We’re thrilled to have Vin back on the Boa team,” says Chuck Mason Boa Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “Vin has a great understanding of our technology, products, and culture and knows many of our brand partners extremely well. Linking all of this with his inexhaustible energy, this means even more great things in the future for Boa and our partners.”

Launching his action sports sales career at the age of 16, Connolly cut his teeth as a sponsored snowboarder and tech rep for Ride, Nixon and Smith before moving on to general manager and snowboard buyer for legendary Princeton Ski Shops in New Jersey. For the last two and a half years, Connolly had served as Burton’s Snowboards’ The Program Sales Director, re-launching Foursquare, Forum and Special Blend to North America. Prior to his time at Burton, Connolly worked at Boa Technology for two years in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, handling sales, marketing and account services.

Welcome back Vin!

Celebrating 10 years of business and record growth in 2010, Boa Technology, creators of the Boa® Lacing System, announced today that it has changed its patented technology name from “Boa Lacing System” to “Boa® Closure System.” This shift follows recent expansion into non-footwear applications, including the medical and helmet categories.

Gary Hammerslag, founder and CEO of Boa Technology, commented, “As awareness of Boa Technology has expanded, it has grown apparent that application of the system has tremendous potential in many footwear categories and also on non-footwear products. For example, you can now find the Boa Closure System on helmets by both Pro-Tec and Smith as well as medical braces.”

With the successful launch of the Boa Closure System on medical braces by Futuro and Exos Medical, as well as apparel by Marmot, hydration packs by The North Face and motorcycle gloves by Knox Armor, a growing number of product partners are utilizing the Boa Closure System in new and exciting ways.

“This year will be very strong for Boa, with significant growth and several product launches,” Hammerslag continues. “Our partners see the inherent added value of having the Boa Closure System on their products and feel confident that their consumers will, too.”