At Outdoor Retailer last summer, I asked Swedish company POC if they planned to launch a women's specific line of gear. The answer was "I don't know." Well it looks like POC has finally taken on the female form with the POC WO snow collection for the 2011/2012 season.
POC noticed that many women were complaining of back protectors riding up, helmets that were too big or gloves not fitting properly. So instead of fighting these issues, POC decided to design more adequate products for their female athletes and customers. The resulting POC WO snow collection features a line of helmets, goggles, gloves and body armour.
The Skull Light WO helmet takes into consideration the slightly different head shape among women. The helmet comes in sizes XS-L, with a convenient size adjustment system to dial in the best personal fit. The comfortable suede like padding has an anti-static treatment so you don't get the dreaded static cling head upon removing your helmet.
The WO Freeride gloves and mitts are specifically designed for generally longer and thinner female fingers and are packed with extra Thinsulate insulation. Made from smooth and supple sheep leather, the gloves and mitts offer great dexterity.
The Retina WO goggles feature a face foam that is designed to specifically fit the contours of a female face. The Retina goggles include a high quality PC lens with anti-fog and anti-scratch treatment.
Finally, POC took their popular Spine VPD Vest and created a women's specific version. The vest features a low front neck with an added grippy waistband to keep the back protector from riding up. The VPD back protector material is soft and agile but hardens when force is applied, absorbing most of the shock to your body.
I can't wait to see how POC extends the POC WO line through to the summer collection as well.