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Alex Nicolai asked the pros to contribute to the further development and to articulate their ideas and visions. The shining eyes of the mountain sports stars emphasise that they are happy to do so.
27.11.2015 | End of November 2015 in Jetzendorf. The crème de la crème of the German-speaking mountain sports scene meets with the entire LOWA development team. A full house at the Athlete Feedback Meeting, where all the athletes from the high-calibre PRO Team are gathered in one room for the first time.
CONCENTRATED EXPERTISE
The LOWA development specialists from the team of LOWA Managing Director Alex Nicolai are looking forward to this meeting with the absolute greats of the mountain sports scene: Ines Papert, Alix von Melle, Hans Kammerlander, Stefan Glowacz, David Göttler, Rudi Hauser and Luis Stitzinger. The line-up reads like a who's who of the mountaineering elite.
The event will be hosted by Arthur Kudelka, himself an experienced alpinist who has already travelled to some great mountains. He is in charge of athlete support at LOWA and, as head of the service department, is very familiar with the brand's products.
Company boss Werner Riethmann is of course also there and knows all the athletes personally. After all, he is the one who decides who the brand supports in its extraordinary endeavours and who becomes a member of the LOWA PRO Team. However, LOWA PRO Team does not only mean financial and material support, but also professional co-operation. And this meeting is an essential part of that.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Werner Riethmann and the LOWA development team want to act primarily as questioners and listeners, whereby the company boss makes it clear right at the beginning that not every wish of the athletes can be directly translated into a product. Ultimately, it is always about bringing saleable products onto the market. After all, this is what the company makes its living from and allows it to afford the "hobby" of extreme sports.
Then things really get going. Alex Nicolai and the athletes get to the point very quickly: feedback on the products. The focus is naturally on the Pro models EXPEDITION 8000 EVO RD and EXPEDITION 6000 EVO RD, LATOK and ICE COMP. The development team listens to the athletes' comments with the utmost concentration. Praise and suggestions for improvement are meticulously noted down. The athletes discuss very intensively amongst themselves. It becomes clear that some of the ice climbing cracks have different priorities to the rock and high-altitude mountaineers. "We can't be the jack of all trades," interjects Arthur Kudelka at this point. And Alex Nicolai adds that there are simply limits to the shoe construction in some areas.
EVERY DETAIL COUNTS
However, you can see that the professionals are very deeply involved in the products and that the smallest details are addressed and evaluated. The developers keep nodding their heads, taking notes and quietly commenting among themselves on what they have heard. You can see that they are already analysing and thinking ahead.
The feedback round develops into a constructive discussion about the optimisation of individual features and models. There is no shortage of praise. "The shoes are really good," Hans Kammerlander comments several times in his thoughtful manner. Nevertheless, the desire to reduce weight runs like a red thread through the discussion of all Pro models. This is a key argument for the athletes, "whereby it is clear that there must be no compromises in terms of quality, reliability and insulation", as Rudi Hauser notes. The mountaineers make their own suggestions for improvement and ask Alex Nicolai and his team where they see opportunities. The discussion takes place on an equal footing. Both sides recognise that they are dealing with absolute professionals.
David Göttler tells the group that he had a shoe specially made for him last summer; hand-built by a modeller and not yet in the range. He is absolutely thrilled, has a few small suggestions for improvement and gives the shoe to the Jetzendorf experts. Here, too, there was collective nodding and enthusiastic comments. "This is exactly the kind of shoe that's missing from the collection," says Ines Papert, and all the LOWA PRO team members agree on this.
The equipment is already being discussed in detail, including design suggestions. This is where Alex Nicolai and Werner Riethmann get involved. They point out the commercial aspects. But at the end of the day, it was clear that a project group would be set up to develop this new shoe. The idea developed in the feedback round will be realised, possibly even with two models: a very special Pro version with a lot of elaborate manual work and a somewhat more broadly oriented version for the normal mountain sports fan, which can then go into series production.
FROM THE DRAWING BOARD TO DEVELOPMENT
This once again clearly demonstrates the advantage a company has when it has short decision-making channels on the one hand. And on the other hand, it has its own trained modellers, skilled shoemakers and appropriate machines directly on site.
The new model is not the only concrete result of this day. The development team has clear homework to take back to the offices and workshops. Specifically, this involves weight savings and material reinforcements at neuralgic points that have become apparent in extreme use. Some areas can also be slimmed down, as it has been shown that individual details can be dispensed with, because even under the toughest conditions, no signs of wear have been found in certain areas of the shoe.
SWAPPED ROLLS
Then it's time for the athletes to listen. Alex Nicolai presents the PRO Team with a new project that the company is working on. It's about the vision of a new alpine boot. Everything has been rethought: fit, sole construction, cushioning, sole, protection, look, weight. What is not up for discussion is the LOWA DNA. The PRO team is deeply impressed. The athletes see many of their wishes realised in this vision, for which an initial prototype is already available.
SUCCESS THROUGH REPETITION
This meeting is to become a permanent fixture in the future. LOWA wants to utilise the expertise of its PRO team even more in the future. And on behalf of all the athletes, Stefan Glowacz says:
"As PRO Team athletes, we want to get even more involved with LOWA in the future, to act even more as LOWA ambassadors."
It is really important to them to give more back to the company and Werner Riethmann, who make it possible for them to live their dreams. Dreams that are ultimately also reflected in LOWA shoes. Because what the professionals need for their adventures is later also incorporated into the models for us normal outdoor and mountain sports enthusiasts. So a PRO team really makes sense.
