There are people who want an early fall snowfall despite the heatwave. For manufacturers of winter products like snowshoes, outerwear and snowmobiles, summer is anything but a time to sit back and wait for the snow to fall.
When you produce more than 70,000 pairs of snowshoes annually, as is the case for Quebec manufacturer Faber, the summer season is synonymous with production. Orders from retailers have been received for several months now and the factory located in Quebec City is operating at full capacity during the months of July and August.
No choice when the first units are expected in store and boutique warehouses from September.
PHOTO SIMON CLARK, PROVIDED BY GROUPE TAQ
Located in Quebec City, the factory of snowshoe manufacturer Faber, a division of Groupe TAQ, operates at full capacity during the summer.
“When we see our stocks rising in the middle of the production season, we hope the snow arrives on time,” jokes Luc Paris, executive vice-president of Groupe TAQ, owner of Faber. “We can’t do anything like that, but on November 20, we hope there has already been a storm.”
The reason is simple: a bad start to the season quickly snowballs and makes retailers more cautious when it comes time to plan for the following year, says Raccoon Skis co-founder Sébastien Moquin.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Sébastien Moquin, co-founder of Raccoon Skis
Since the beginning of the summer, the latter has already shipped some 750 pairs of skis to Europe, where the purchasing season starts more quickly than here. Unlike in previous years, Mr. Moquin says he has received almost all the pairs of skis that had been ordered from the company’s subcontractor, which is located in Rimouski.
It’s hard, despite everything, not to have winter in your head. November is a “super important” month, confides Mr. Moquin.
If we get too close to Christmas and there’s no snow, people wait for Boxing Day and the discounts, he says. “It complicates the season. The retailer sits down with us in February after looking at their needs. When the season starts well, they’re ready to put the pen to paper and buy more pairs.”
Ski-Doos in the yard
You might think that everything that revolves around snowmobile production is limited to the walls of BRP’s Valcourt plant in the Eastern Townships. However, the lack of snow and the heat don’t stop Ski-Doo models from coming out into the yard.
The team of Dominic Tessier, Ski-Doo’s director of engineering, continues to conduct tests (endurance, engine, transmission, etc.), but in a different way. For example, a “water basin” is set up so that the snowmobile’s propulsion system ends up in the water, which makes it possible to “simulate the effort required during acceleration.”
“This allows us to validate the resistance of the transmission components as well as the engine,” explains Mr. Tessier, during a videoconference. In new developments, it’s something that can run all summer sometimes.”
BRP also takes advantage of the warm season to conduct noise tests on grass, a necessary step to meet Transport Canada standards. Sensors are installed near the snowmobile. However, it is not an exact science.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BRP
The lack of snow does not prevent BRP from carrying out sound tests in Valcourt for its prototypes which will be presented to its dealers.
Snow has better sound absorption capabilities. The results [sur gazon] will not be identical. However, our engineers have defined correlation points. This is a reference that allows us to predict, with a certain level of precision, what it will be like when winter arrives.
Dominic Tessier, Ski-Doo Engineering Director
Members of the general public are not likely to see these models at their local dealerships anytime soon. Rather, these are new products that will be introduced to dealerships during the upcoming launches by the recreational vehicle manufacturer.
These tests, which are taking place in Valcourt, allow progress to be made in terms of development so that the new models are ready at the time of “global validation” and initial production, underlines Mr. Tessier.
Is it hard to focus on testing snowmobiles on grass when the mercury is so far from freezing? It’s a “mindset,” says Ski-Doo’s engineering director.
“Of course, when we first say it, some people are shocked,” he said. “When some people go on vacation, we tell them, ‘Hey, winter is coming! The leaves are going to change color.’ We have to make the most of our summer.”
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Bertrand Chiariglione, Product Director at Ciele
Testing winter in August
Montreal brand Ciele, behind the popular caps, hats and clothing for runners, is in a similar situation. Everything has already been planned for the winter season on the supply side. The young company is already looking ahead: it is waiting for its sales samples of the products that should in principle be in stores in the fall of 2025, explains its product manager, Bertrand Chiariglione.
This sets the stage for meetings where Ciele’s team must give or not the final green light to the hats, jackets and pants that will be presented to buyers.
“We can make evolutions, but not revolutions,” says Mr. Chiariglione. For example, if we find that a cap is too deep, we still have the possibility of adjusting it.”
The challenge: to make the guinea pigs feel like it’s winter.
“We often find ourselves in the summer having to try on things that are hot,” explains Ciele’s product manager. “We’ll take the coolest meeting room and install fans, for example. The samples need to be carried by someone who will give us feedback.”
There is a “slightly anachronistic side” to the fact that we are refining products that “keep you warm when it’s 40 degrees outside,” Mr. Chiariglione agrees, adding that you get used to it. After all, in the middle of winter, you have to repeat the same routine, thinking about summer.