ISPO 2012: Ready, steady, go!

We are very excited! Just a few days left until the leading international sports business trade show: ISPO Munich from January 29^th to February 1^st 2012.

Over 60,000 visitors from more than 100 countries and more than 2.000 international exhibitors are expected, including our business partners SOG, PrimaLoft, Polartec, Salomon and Suunto. Of course, the Mandel Team will be close to the action as well and we´re looking forward to discover the latest developments and innovations for technologies of sporting goods, athletic footwear and fashions especially from the outdoor segment. Furthermore, fashion shows, presentations, discussions, reports and movies will be on the agenda.

Another highlight will be the presentation of all the winners and nominees for the new ISPO AWARD which is presented for outstanding innovations within the sporting industry in the divisions Product and Eco Responsibility. Among the winners of this year’s ISPO Awards in the category Footwear & Binding is the Guardian 16 by Salomon – a freeride binding with an unlatching mechanism.

For more information about ISPO check out: www.ispo.com

Hope to see you soon in Munich!

Winter enjoyment: Ice skating at Stockholms Kungsträdgården

Bundle up your warm clothes, fill your thermos bottle and get to Stockholm´s park Kungsträdgården! Here, the outdoor ice rink is a popular local point all winter long and a must-do for many winter visitors. It´s open from mid-November until March – as long as it’s cold enough for the ice. You can rent skates at an accessible price or you bring your own equipment. Opening hours vary, but the rink normally opens before lunch and closes sometime between 6.30 and 8.30 pm.

But don´t get discouraged: Scandinavians are very good at ice skating. For Stockholm visitors coming to the city during the winter months, a great afternoon can be spent here at the venue Kungsträdgården.

Remake of Stieg Larsson´s “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”: Do we really need an American Version?

For months people have asked “Why do Hollywood feel the need to make an English-language remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? And right after the original version came out?”

The Swedish thriller, released in 2009, was the first of three films based on Stieg Larsson’s best-selling Millennium crime novels and was a huge hit in Scandinavia.
One main point for the new Version directed by David Fincher is that “American audiences typically hate subtitles,” says Tonia Edwards, who teaches film and media at Georgia State University. “For most foreign films, it’s an insurmountable challenge.”

So, however critically garlanded a film is, the English-speaking audience will automatically reduce the film’s chances at the box office and confine it to the status of art film, whatever its content.

Indeed! Even though the film was based on a bestselling novel, the Swedish version only grossed $10 million. So it´s more profitable to spend $100 million on a remake and getting the certainty that the Americans will love this film.

Furthermore, malicious tongues claim that Americans also want a familiar director, some thrilling chase scenes and a recognizable male lead (James Bond says hello). No one knows.

However, the result is, that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo doesn’t ignore the original movie and is neither a “cheap copy”. They build on it and maintain the original’s contemplative, methodical tone. The new version is neither better nor worse than the Swedish film, but it´s more cinematic. Män som hatar kvinnor was originally made for television whereas the remake meant to be seen in one shot. There are no wasted scenes or a single minute where the movie drags on.

So, do we really need this remake? Maybe we don´t, but since we’re now having one, at least David Fincher made a great job.

We wish you all a Merry and Peaceful Christmas and a Prosperous and Healthy New Year!

German Films go North!…

…is back. On the initiative of the German film organisation ”German Films”, the Cinema Sture in Stockholm is presenting a new edition of the German Film days in 2011. The Event will take place between 1^st and 4^th December, the price for a ticket is 70 SEK. The Film days festival is arranged for the purpose of focusing the German film which is on the increase and has been enjoying international success since the last years. Five movies have been selected this year and the program covers various genres as historic drama, horror film and romantic comedy.

For movie time and summary check out: http://www.biosture.se/festivaler, Cinema Sture Facebook Page

Winter Running and Launching of New Alpine Ski BBR

It´s getting colder and darker outside. In other words: Time to preparing for winter running and skiing! Come to the Salomon Brand Store Event on Thursday the 17^th November and let you guide through the winter. We´re expecting an exciting evening moderated by Anders Timell with a lot of specials and inspiring talks among sport and outdoor fans. The terrain runner Camilla Ringström will give you tips to make winter running an enjoyable experience! Furthermore Salomon will launch the new revolutionised alpine ski BBR and you have the golden opportunity to become one of five testpilotes for the BBR skies during winter season 2011/2012.
Another great thing: You can get 20% dicsount on ski and runningcollection.

We are looking forward to see you at Salomon Brand store!

Please sign up: Salomons Facebookpage or salomonbrandstore@live.se

When: Thursday the 17th November, between 17:00 – 19:00 o´clock
Where: Salomon Brand Store, Norrlandsgatan 18, Stockholm

Second successful Mandel-Showroom

Last Thursday we turned our Mandel office at Wallingatan into a showroom for the second time – full with new outdoor clothes and accessories which wanted to be discovered and tested. We proudly presented the winter and spring collection 2011/2012 of the outdoorbrands Salomon, Suunto, Polartec, Primaloft and Hestra – this time even with a Kids´ Corner hosted by Isbjörn of Sweden!

A lot of journalists from magazines like Hälsa, Outside, Friluftsliv och Runners World and bloggers as Anna Lissjanis (Trend o Träning) and Alexander Amprazis (CykelAlex) came to look around and test the huge varity of new clothes, watches and glooves. Altogether we had a great and cozy time among outdoor and livestyle fans!

Check out the upcoming trends and enjoy the winter and spring season with the goodies of our outdoorbrands!

Run the Mont-Blanc-Trailtour – without moving!

Hej Outdoorfans! Do you want to run the Mont-Blanc-Race whenever you want? Virtually that’s possible now.

Polartec, the leading manufacturer of performance fabrics, has partnered with The North Face®, to launch the The North Face® Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc® Giveaway, a Facebook application based on the infamous 166km trail running race around Mont Blanc, starting on August 22, 2011.

The application leads users on a virtual trail run through five of the most famous stops on the race. Starting in Chamonix, France, the app highlights some of the most picturesque and challenging sections of the route, asking virtual runners race-related quiz questions on the way to the finish.

Wonder how this looks like? To run the virtual race, visit the Polartec  or The North Face® - Facebook pages and click on Trail Giveaway. To learn more about the race itself, head to www.ultratrailmb.com.

We hope you have fun testing the trail tour and sharing your experience!

Glad Midsommar, Mandelfriends!

 We are really loooking forward to the weekend: It’s Midsummertime! One of the most important holidays in Sweden – and probably the most uniquely Swedish one! The main traditional celebrations take place on Friday, including raising and dancing around the midsommarstång.

We hope you have a great weekend and enjoy time with family and friends!

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