We’re also happy to report that it’s been a strong year for sales of Swany gloves and mitts.

How strong? Take a look at these highlights from the Leisure Trends report for glove sales from August through January. In the Specialty Ski category, the Swany highlights include:

• The No. 1 ski glove brand in the US (The X-Change mens glove);
• Retail Sales through January that are 10.5% ahead of last year’s sales (The industry average is 4.65%);
• A 15.7% market share;
• Swany has the #1, #3, #4, #7, and #10 best-selling gloves in the U.S. and 10 of the top 30 best-selling gloves in the U.S.

Want to learn more about our great gloves and mitts? Visit our website. Or take a look at all the great reviews we’ve received.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Taylor Phinney

If you read only one story this week, you should read about Taylor Phinney‘s remarkable last-place finish in a stage of the recent Tirreno-Adriatico stage race.

We know what you’re thinking: “What’s so remarkable about a last-place finish?”

On most days, nothing. On this day, everything. Because on this day Taylor wasn’t just racing for himself or his team. As he soldiered on through the rain and cold on his own — after the group he was in abandoned — Taylor found himself riding for his father, cycling legend Davis Phinney, who has suffered from Parkinson’s disease for much of his life.

It’s the sort of stuff that makes a chilling ride a heartwarming read you will not forget. Read it now.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

March 17:  Slovenian superstar Tina Maze may have clinched the World Cup Giant Slalom season crown in January, but that didn’t stop her from winning the final race of the season on Sunday (March 17) in Lenzerheide. The victory means Maze brought home three titles — Giant Slalom, Super G and Overall — while also setting the season record for overall points with 2,414 and for total podiums (24). Read more.

March 16: There is NO way an 18-year-old should be able to do what Mikaela Shiffrin did this season. Not only did she ski well enough all season to be in the hunt for the slalom season title going into the season’s final race, she was able to battle through the intense pressure to not only win the race but get the best of Tina Maze, who had a record-setting season. See how she did it with an amazing second run. Read more.

Weather 2, Ski Racing 0. That’s the score after heavy snow overnight and strong winds during the men’s Super G forced cancellation Thursday (March 14) of that race and the women’s competition in Lenzerheide at the World Cup Finals.

As a result,  Aksel Lund Svindal earned his second Cup title (adding Super G to Downhill) and Tina Maze added a third to her previous crowns in Overall and Giant Slalom. It was a reversal of fortune for Maze, who was virtually assured the Downhill season crown before fog canceled that race on Wednesday. The World Cup does not make up races at the Finals.

The cancellation was a disappointment for Julia Mancuso, who had a chance to catch Maze with a good showing (she trailed the Slovenian 420-365).  Here’s where to find start lists, live timing and results for all  races.

DOWNHILL

March 13: We’ve finally discovered someone who can keep Slovenian superstar Tina Maze from claiming another season title: Old Man Winter. When a storm canceled Wednesday’s (March 13) Downhill in Lenzerheide at the World Cup Finals, it meant Maze could not score any points,  giving the season crown to injured Lindsey Vonn by a single point.

The same thing happened to the men, meaning Aksel Lund-Svindal took the Downhill Globe over defending champion Klaus Kroell by 58 points.

It’s a bit of karmic payback for Vonn. She lost a chance to win the Overall crown two seasons ago in Lenzerheide when, just three points behind Maria Hoefl-Riesch, the final race was canceled and she was forced to take second. It’s an odd rule not to make up a race in the season’s final week, but if they apply it consistently, we suppose it’s OK. Read more.

And Vonn DID win three downhills before she was injured at the World Championships, so it’s not like the American didn’t deserve it. Plus, it keeps her streak of Downhill titles intact at six straight.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.

Ted Ligety (US Ski Team)

Ted Ligety made it official with his Giant Slalom victory on Saturday (March 9) at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. The American really IS “Mr G.S.”, as he clinched his fourth season title in the discipline.

Not that is was a runaway. Even though Ligety has won five of the seven GS races this season, the amazing Austrian Marcel Hirscher, who ran second, had stayed close enough in the season standings that it took until Saturday for him to be eliminated. Read more.

The American has been on fire this season, dominating the recent FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Ligety won an astonishing three medals (Super G, Super Combined and Giant Slalom).

On Sunday (March 19), Austrian Marcel Hirscher clinched the season title in slalom with a second-place finish. See who won and how Hirscher accomplished his goal in this story.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

UPDATE:

March 9: Austrian Anna Fenninger won Saturday’s (March 9) Giant Slalom in Ofterschwang, Germany. Fenninger bested Tina Maze, who still will win the discipline for the season, and Viktoria Rebensburg filled out the podium. Julia Mancuso topped American skiers in eighth. Read more.

March 8: Tina Maze may have settled the issue for the Overall World Cup title, but Julia Mancuso and Mikaela Shiffrin still are challenging the Slovenian star for season titles in Super G and Slalom.

This Sunday’s slalom in Ofterschwang starts that season-ending competition with a crucial matchup between Shiffrin and Maze. The American seeks to maintain her slim lead (528-495) over Maze in the first of two season-ending slalom races. )On Saturday, the women will race a Giant Slalom.)

In the GS season race, Maze leads Mancuso 420-365 entering the season’s final race next weekend at the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. So it’s going to take a big day for the American. But if Mancuso manages to win and Maze finishes sixth or lower, the American can claim the title.

Here’s where to find start lists, live timing and results for both races this weekend.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.

Jarl Skibumdad Berg (Facebook user): What is your best choice for spring gloves?

John Kloser: I would recommend our FX-10. This is a light-weight Flexor glove with leather palms and fingers. Flexor has mobile knuckle joints for better dexterity. It also has a 3D mesh on the back and a wrap-around strap.

Skiing Business: Would that be a good backcountry glove too, John?

One of the new gloves with Touchtek leather coming out this fall from Swany

Kloser: Yes the FX-10 would be a good ascent glove, lightweight and flexible. But we have developed some backcountry specific gloves for 2013. We are using the NeoShell fabric from Polartec. NeoShell is a waterproof fabric that has unprecedented breathabilty. We have three models (See them here) that are being well received in the marketplace. REI is putting all three of our backcountry gloves into their stores for this fall.

Skiing Business: Speaking of new fabrics and technologies, it seems like more brands are incorporating technology into their handwear. Where do you see that market going?

Kloser: Wearable technology is becoming very important. We are currently selling G-Cell gloves that are bluetooth adaptable and will sync to your phone. You don’t need to take your gloves off to talk on the phone — you feel a vibration and just push a button to talk. The speaker and the receiver are on your thumb. In the next few years, you will have gloves that have heaters, play music, answer texts, it is almost unlimited where the technology will take us. The back of a hand is a natural place for the controls of your technology.

G-Cell gloves let users talk on the phone without taking out their phone

Skiing Business: Who does Swany Gloves see as the market for that kind of technology-enabled handwear?

Kloser: Early adapters are always the first to jump on new technology. But once you ski with a G-Cell glove, or as the technology improves on heated gloves, eventually it will just become a standard feature of a glove. Sort of a like windshield wipers on a car. Just expected.

Skiing Business: Speaking of gloves that have built-in phones, doesn’t Swany also have gloves that allow you to operate a smartphone without taking them off? How many kinds do you have?

Kloser: Yes, we have many touchscreen compatible gloves. All of our G-Cell gloves have Touchtec Leather. We also have several other gloves with touchscreen compatible materials. All of our Toaster Mitts will be touchscreen compatible for 2013.

The newest Toaster includes a smartphone-friendly inner glove.

Skiing Business: What are you doing to separate yourselves from the plethora of handwear brands on the market right now?

Kloser: We have always relied on making a good-fitting, quality glove that keeps your hands warm. We have grown through word of mouth. The best test for a glove is to ski on a cold day. Are your hands warm or not? Swany dominates the Rockies because we make a warm glove.

Skiing Business: You mentioned backcountry and technology, but in what market/category do you see the biggest growth potential for Swany Gloves?

Kloser: We are the #1 ski glove brand for the specialty ski market in the U.S. It will be difficult for us to get a larger market share in ski. I think backcountry is a natural fit for Swany because backcountry enthusiasts want the best product. If you build a better mouse trap, they will beat a path to your doorstep. We can build a better product and this market seems natural for Swany.

Skiing Business: We imagine owning your own factories makes R&D more fun. How does having your own factories play into what you’re putting on the market?

Kloser: Being a vertical producer of gloves gives us total control of our quality. We can develop new products and know our competition will not see it until we put it into the marketplace. The factories also have a vested interest in keeping the Swany brand strong and will show us new fabrics and technologies they find. It allows us to have more people working on growing Swany and making us stronger.

Skiing Business: What are the biggest challenges you guys face in the industry today?

Kloser: The biggest challenge is the warming earth. The winters are getting shorter and coming later. This is creating a very competitive market with an oversaturation of product. This devalues brands and is hurting the specialty ski industry.

The recyclable Eco-Circle

Skiing Business: Speaking of environmental issues, talk about Swany Gloves’ sustainability initiatives.

Kloser: We are very proud of our Eco Circle perpetual recycling glove program. We have developed a “closed loop” recycling system that uses a recycled polyester shell and recyclable insulation and lining. The consumer buys the gloves and after it finally wears outm they return the glove to Swany to be recycled again into another pair of gloves. This process uses 84% less energy to recycle polyester than to produce it from the original petrochemical base.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

We’ve all been there: your gloves are wet but it’s impossible to get enough air inside them to dry efficiently.

Enter the AIRLOOP, an easy-to-use tool that expands inside gloves and mitts to increase airflow and speed drying.

Here’s how it works (or watch the video):

• Roll the Airloop inside of itself by guiding the pointed end through the top of the hole. (Like you would a belt). Make sure the Swany logo is facing out.
• Squeeze the Airloop together until it is small enough to insert into the middle of gloves or mitts.
• Release Airloop, which will expand inside of gloves, keeping them open and increasing airflow.

Simple, right? Here’s something even simpler: We’ll send you a free set of two AIRLOOP rings if you do one of the following:

• Tweet at us on Twitter: Send this message to us @SwanyGloves “I want my #AirLoop” Glove Drying Rings!.” Find us on Twitter.
• Comment on our Facebook post:Use the link at the end of this sentence to find our Airloop status update and then post this comment: I want my #AirLoop” Glove Drying Rings!.” Find our post on Facebook.

We’ll connect with you and arrange to ship you the AIRLOOP. So what are you waiting for? Get your free AIRLOOP glove-drying system NOW!

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.

Julia Mancuso (US Ski Team)

UPDATE (March 4): Slovenian star Tina Maze received police protection on Sunday at the Super G in the wake of an e-mailed death threat after she won the Downhill on Saturday. Read more.

Tina Maze made World Cup history with her Downhill victory on Saturday (March 2), establishing a new season record for most overall points. Here’s a look at all the women’s World Cup races this weekend in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Find start lists and final results for all of the weekend’s races.

SUPER G (March 3)

Anna Fenninger of Austria sent the home country fans home disappointed when she won the Super G on Sunday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, edging Maria Hoefl-Riesch by .20 on her home race hill.

That was a bigger margin than the one between Hoefl-Riesch and Julia Mancuso, who was just .03 behind for third. The American would have loved to run .04 faster and gain the second-place points to use in her battle for the Super G season title with Tina Maze, who finished fourth. As it stands the Slovenian’s lead over Mancuso was shaved by 10 points to 420-365 with one Super G race remaining. Read more.

DOWNHILL (MARCH 2)

The victory by Tina Maze means she now owns the single-season record for overall points — her 2,024 has surpassed Hermann Maier’s single-season point record of 2,000 — and has set a record for most podiums (20) in a regular season. Her 23 total podiums, including Worlds, also is a record. And it seems like a sure thing that she will claim the Downhill discipline title for the season, barring a crash. The Americans took solace in the fact that Laurenne Ross, who finished second, became the sixth and final member of the speed team to make a podium. Teammates Julia Mancuso (6th) and Stacey Cook (9th) joind her in the top ten, while home country favorite Maria Hoefl-Riesch ran third. Read more.

SUPER G

Tina Weirather earned a surprise win in the Super G on Friday (March 1) at Garmisch, but the real excitement was lower on the podium. The racer from Liechtenstein was .12 ahead of Julia Mancuso and Tina Maze, who tied for the day and remain just 65 points apart in the standings for the Super G season crown. The American can up the odds of preventing the Slovenian star from winning a third season crown — she has already won Giant Slalom and the Overall title — by winning Sunday’s Super G. Read more.

Maze now has 1,824 World Cup points, which gives her a great  shot at being the first woman to crack the 2,000-point barrier in a season. Germany’s Maria Hoefl-Riesch, second in the overall standings, finished  11th. After Mancuso, the American finishers included Laurenne Ross (9th), Leanne Smith (12th), Stacey Cook (30) and Alice McKennis (35)

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.

HALFPIPE FINALS

Was there ever any doubt? Shaun White took gold in the men’s halfpipe on Saturday (March 2) at the Burton U.S. Open in Vail. But it wasn’t easy, as amazing 14-year-old Ayumu Hirano from Japan was a close second. Louie Vito took third to round out the podium.In Women’s halfpipe, the longstanding leader Kelly Clark defended her U.S. Open crown for her 6th title in this event and and 61st halfpipe win in her career. Hannah Teter earned the silver medal and rising star Arielle Gold, a 16-year-old from Steamboat Springs, continued her outstanding season with bronze. Read more.

SLOPESTYLE FINALS

MEN: Canadian Mark McMorris found a way to beat a red-hot Torstein Horgmo by the slimmest of margins on Friday (March 1) in a snowy Slopestyle finals at the Burton U.S. Open in Vail. Chas Guldemond took third. McMorris led the Norwegian (83.05 to 82.53) heading into the third run, forcing Horgmo to go for it on a course that was getting increasingly tricky because of the falling snow. He got off to a good start, but fell on his second jump to seal it for McMorris, who then took a no-risks victory run to secure his first U.S. Open gold. Read more.

WOMEN: The increasing snowfall on Friday forced cancellationof the women’s slopestyle final, which meant that the scores from the semis are now the final results.  That’s a tough break for Jamie Anderson, who lost her lead in the semis to Spencer O’Brien on the final run. That made O’Brien the winner, followed by Anderson and Brooke Voight. Read more.

Here’s a look at qualifying and the remaining schedule (all times MDT):

Wednesday

• Men’s and Women’s slopestyle semifinals: Torstein Horgmo, Eric Willett, Yuki Kadono and Mark McMorris topped Men’s qualifying. On the Women’s side, Spencer O’Brien, Jamie Anderson and Brooke Voigt led the way.  Read the story.

Thursday 

• Men’s and Women’s halfpipe semifinals: Scotty Lago and Shaun White topped men’s qualifying, although White’s second run was wiped out when he lost control and fell hard. On the women’s side, red-hot young rider Arielle Gold and veteran Kelly Clark topped qualifying. Gretchen Bleiler took a big step in her comeback from a serious injury to qualify in just her second competition back. Read more.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.

Ted Ligety (US Ski Team photo)

What kind of a season has it been for Ted Ligety? It’s news when he DOESN’T win a World Cup race.

The American has been on fire, dominating the Giant Slalom discipline on the circuit, and in the recent FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Ligety won an astonishing three medals (Super G, Super Combined and Giant Slalom).

But you can’t win ‘em all, as Ligety proved by placing third in a Giant Slalom on Sunday (Feb. 24) in Garmisch. Frenchman Alexis Pinturault won the race, followed by Austrian Marcel Hirscher. Read more.

Ligety’s result does mean he has finished on the podium in all six of this season’s giant slalom races (4 wins, 2 thirds) and leads (520-415) Hirscher in GS discipline standings.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.