Salomon ski shop goes ‘soft’

Shoppers shouldn’t expect to see much downhill technical equipment and nary a snowboard at the new Salomon store in downtown Montreal. Aside from a picturesque display of skis crossed in front of a makeshift chalet — fashioned with Quebec flags and an interactive flat screen TV — the first Salomon store in Montreal focuses on building the brand experience.

This involves selling Salomons “soft-good” apparel, including ski jackets, hats, gloves and helmets, along with trail running shoes and gear, in a carefully crafted outdoorchic environment.

“We try to keep our brand stores separate from the ski side of the business. It’s kind of an atmosphere we’re promoting here,” said manager Peter Lavictoire. Salomon is mainly known for skis and bindings in North America, Lavictoire said, and the company, owned by Amer Sports, which also owns Wilson and Arc’teryx, hopes to make its apparel side better known. If a customer wishes to buy skis, snowboards or boots, he or she will be directed to expert retail outlets, according to a company press release.

Salomon was established in 1947 in Annecy, France, and in the ’60s became known for a self-release heel-piece bindings. By the ’70s, the company expanded to include apparel and eventually ski boots. In the ’80s, Salomon’s one-piece ski suit became popular and in 1990, the first ski model, the S9000, was introduced.

Today, Salomon even boasts an extensive line of trail running shoes, earning the company many dis- tinctions. The Salomon Snowcross CS ($200) was awarded as the top outdoor running shoe for 2013 by Outdoor Magazine. The shoe is designed for winter running on snow and ice with nine carbide metal spikes and ankle-high gaiters. In 2011, the company’s form-fitting Salomon XR Crossmax ($140) was listed in Consumer Research magazine as the top choice for road-totrail running.

Salomon’s outdoor cardio garments are designed with technically savvy features to suit an athlete’s needs. The trail runner long-sleeve has branded features like high-performance fabric blend SmartSkin and the quick drying ActiLITE ($75). In the ski section, the women’s S-Line Prima jacket has a special synthetic down blend and a lightweight and waterproof ClimaPro Active coating ($650). As the company is European, cuts are mostly lean and colours are streamlined.

Salomon is located adjacent to high-tech outdoors line Arc’teryx at 1515 Ste. Catherine St. W.