Alpkit's innovation award reaches it's final stages with nine designers going to the final at the NEC.
Alpkit has
announced the
finalists
for the
2009 coLab Award
for design innovation with nine entrants going forward to this year's
OS Outdoors Show, where they'll be able to showcase their ideas and be
put to the public vote.
The finalists were selected by an expert panel
consisting of Graham Thompson from Trail Magazine, Mark Taylor of Leeds
University and top climber and gear guru Andy Kirkpatrick.
The idea behind the competition is to highlight innovative outdoor
designs and in the process 'show the big guys what they are missing'.
The criteria for selection are a mixture of pure innovation and also
production practicality - there's no point in having a great idea, if
it's near impossible to manufacture.
Who And What?
So who are the finalists and what have they designed? You can find a
full list on the Alpkit web site, but there's a wide spread with a
slight bias towards safety and stoves. The finalists include Ian
Cornwell's design for a
better
climbing shoe, which can be used either in rigid mode for
edging on tiny holds or by turning a dial, become a more flexible shoe
for smearing use.
Then there's Yu Ting Yau's
charcoal-based
insulated stove, Liz Asquith's
sleep system for
young children, an
SOS
Sleep Mat, some
segmented
dry bags, and more including the amazing sounding
Jamulator, a
climbing wall crack simulator that can easily be adapted to create
different width cracks.
And finally, there's a name that will be familiar to regular OMers,
Kevin Beeden - aka Captain Paranoia - has made the final with the
innvotive
Squeezebox
Stove - pictured above - that we
featured
on the site last year.
Finalists At The NEC
Just like last year, the finalists will be presenting
their ideas at a special booth at this year's
OS Outdoors Show at
the NEC in Birmingham from
27-29
March with the overall winner being decided by a public
vote.
You can find out more about the coLab Award at
www.alpkit.com/colab/award/
