The Director’s editorial / Made in Italy on the podium

Shannon Abeda was born in Canada to Eritrean parents. The Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics marked his third participation in the Winter Olympics for the African country. His story, which you can find in the attached Snowbusiness Mag, is not the usual news in the style of Gialappa’s Band about an exotic athlete competing on the snow. There are many meanings and perspectives that go beyond the sporting gesture because around the figure of the Eritrean skier, a pool of Italian excellence – from sports brands to technicians – has gathered to launch a message of intercultural dialogue, personal growth, and social development. The same intercultural dialogue that the Games star Eileen Gu brings with her, a brand worth 23 million dollars. The freestyler takes us to another level of discussion, that of numbers, because Milan Cortina 2026 was a success. The Sportsystem Economic Observatory has calculated that over 70% of the boots and skis worn by athletes were produced or designed in the Montebelluna district, generating an impact of 3.2 billion, and the image transmitted to the world by the Games was a perfect showcase of made in Italy. The Olympics – as you may have already understood – are one of the strong topics of this issue of Outdoor Magazine and its attachments, starting from the debut of ski mountaineering, which gathered unexpected television shares (by the way, the general audience of Milan Cortina involved two-thirds of the Italian population and exceeded that of all previous Olympics in Italy) and also some criticism, but it had a global visibility never reached before. An important springboard for a sport whose protagonists are still micro-influencers compared to the Games stars like Brignone and Klaebo. You can find all this information and reflections in the Skialp Special, along with a double interview with Alba De Silvestro and Michele Boscacci, two of the prominent Italians at the ski mountaineering debut. If we look beyond the five rings, it is always the numbers that speak, starting from those communicated by the major outdoor and running brands, which often closed 2025 with double-digit growth, data that seem to contrast with those of some major Chinese footwear manufacturers that are more “tepid”. From this issue, we have included a “market” section in the news, where you can find all this information as well as that of an Italian retail protagonist, Maxi Sport, which passed into foreign hands, news that we address separately. Other numbers come from the Charge of the 101, a trademark of Outdoor Magazine since its inception. The stores consulted for this episode see a slight prevalence of growing activities in 2025, slightly higher than those with stable turnover compared to 2024 and only a few realities in decline. A fact that gives hope because positivity is contagious. If there is a positive aspect of the moment that Italy is experiencing, it is related to events. We point out one that you cannot miss, but there are really many news and our publishing house MagNet is the protagonist: the European Outdoor Week. Read the article on page 24 carefully. The project born from the strategic partnership between the European Outdoor Group and MagNet focuses on the trade show (ORBDAYS and Outdoor), but includes several other events dedicated to a wider audience, from the Outdoor Impact Summit to the European Outdoor Award and the Activation Days. Mark the date and place on your calendar: May 14-19, Riva del Garda. It seems like a long way off, but time flies. Just like my first month as editorial director of Outdoor Magazine flew by. Allow me to thank MagNet and CEO Benedetto Sironi for the trust they have placed in me, the entire editorial team for the enormous work done, and you readers, whom I ask to open the channels of dialogue with the editorial team. Because in dialogue – even in constructive criticism – there is the seed of collective growth.

Claudio Primavesi- Editorial Outdoor Magazine n°02/2026