This week the SIA Snow Show Preview magazine arrived. I am always intrigued by this magazine, which includes a bunch of hints at what’s coming next year. The show takes place in Denver from Jan. 30 to Feb.2 with an on snow demo of next year’s gear at Copper Mountain on Feb. 3 and 4. Those of us here in the East who choose to wait will get our chance to check out the same equipment at Stratton Mountain in Vermont on Feb. 4 and 6.

Years ago, when I was a senior editor for a trade publication published by the late I. William Berry, a writer/editor for Ski Magazine I would receive an annual call from Bill. It would always start the same: “When we get to Vegas.” In those days, the show was in Las Vegas in March. I would always interrupt, “What do you mean we? There’s no skiing in Vegas and March is the best time of year to ski in New England. You cover the show and I’ll cover New England.”

That’s why I have never attended this show even during years when the publication would have paid my way. And I have no intention of ever attending as long as I can ski the new stuff here in the East. That being said there is a Maine connection. SIA, Ski (now Snow Sports) Industries of America was founded by Ralph “Doc” Desroches, a Rumford skier who starred in skiing at Stephens High in Rumford and at the University of New Hampshire. After training 10th Mountain troops in World War II, Doc worked as a mountain manager, ski school director and ski shop supervisor in Pennsylvania, which led to his selection as executive VP and CEO of the newly formed SIA in 1963.

The big trade show was his baby representing all the manufacturers, importers and distributors of ski products. On his retirement, he hand picked Dave Ingemie who is the current president of the organization, which is celebrating its 60th Anniversary at this year’s show. Maine skiers are familiar with how he worked with Tom Reynolds to found the very successful Ski Industries Program at UMF. Doc is a member of the National Ski Hall of Fame and was part of the first class inducted into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame in 2003. His was one more example of how Maine skiers have impacted the sport on a national level.

I wonder how many ski Maine ski shop owners and buyers who attend the show know the part a Maine skier had in building the whole show. Mostly it’s the larger shops who attend the show, coming as it does right in the middle of their busy season. Most of the shops will attend regional shows here in New England, some for clothing and accessories and the On Snow for hard goods at Stratton, which is where I will get my look at next year’s gear. I call it three days in toy land.

The preview magazine highlights some of the products and trends we can expect when the new stuff hits the shops next summer. Of course, some of it will turn up before the season ends, but most will be ordered for shipment in August and September in time for preseason sales.

I use the preview to give me an idea of what I should look for when I get to try some of next year’s skis at Stratton in February. Occasionally, all I get is a chuckle. For example, one bit was headlined “Shrinking Waist Widths.” Looking for a return to the race ski widths of my choice I read that versatility is the name of the game with 95-110 mm where the top sellers are. That must have come from someone with a shop or territory in the West. Those are powder ski widths. Here in the East 75-84 mm is more common and if all you ski are groomed runs race ski widths of 65-68 will work fine. There are a lot of skis in the 70-75mm range that will also handle groomed runs very well.

A more rational comment came from a Maine native. Erik Anderson, sales director for Salomon and a graduate of the UMF Ski Industries program, “The pendulum swung to the wider side for a few years, and now it’s coming back.” He was referring to Salomon’s new W-24 for women in 72-74 mm. These are called “Front Side” skis, a term meaning groomed runs. If you stick to those runs, these are good widths. If you like to ski off piste, in ungroomed snow, consider something wider, but if you have only one pair of skis here in the East, don’t go beyond that 84 mm width.

Perhaps the most interesting headline was “Camber Comeback.” The reference was to snowboards, but for many older skiers used to carving turns on race skis, Camber never left. I have tried a number of rockers and have a couple of pair of tip and tail rocker models to try in various conditions. They are easy to turn and very forgiving in soft snow. But, most days when I head out, I take a pair of slalom or GS skis. I keep mine well tuned, with a sharp, smooth edge and a universal wax for a variety of snow conditions. With the materials and construction techniques of today’s skis a 165 cm SL or a 175 cm GS is plenty of ski for skiing at speed or making slow turns when necessary.

While it would be fun to attend the big show, I’ll leave that to the shop owners and when I get to Stratton in a few weeks I’ll look for skis that work here in the East. Look for a report on those in February. See you on the slopes.