Debbie Graves, apparel buyer for Seattle's Fiorini Sports, says there's more color available this year than she's seen in her 15 years on the job. Color is back. It's not just dark green, eggplant and chamois. It's yellow, bright red, cobalt blue. They're high-visibility colors that look good outside and on the hill.
Graves is even happier that shoppers are responding to the colorful arrays.
She says people walk into the store, look around clothes and just smile. There are color choices this year that haven't always been available. And Swanson confirms that sizing is moving away from the big and baggy. Snowboard clothing still needs to be oversized, but it's not as huge as it was in the beginning. Color and closer fits may be the drift in this market, but high-tech clothing still rules the hills.