Ski and snowboard pants, many of which are manufactured in China, are exempt from an apparel-import quota imposed on the country, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall said Tuesday.
“I understand that corrective measures need to be in place to prevent China from flooding the U.S. markets with cheap goods,” Udall, D-Colo., said in a statement. “But since nearly all ski- and snowboard-pants imports come from China, consumers and retailers would have been hit hard, especially with the ski season right around the corner.”
In May, the Bush administration implemented quotas on the import of all “man-made fiber trousers” from China, which included ski and snowboard pants.Boulder-based Spyder Active Sports Inc. said about 50 percent of its ski and snowboard pants come from China.
“We were very proactive in pre-empting any problems this winter,” said Spyder spokeswoman Laura Wisner. “This will stave off any problems in the future.”
Skea Limited, a sportswear manufacturer and distributor in Vail, said roughly 70 percent of its ski pants come from China.
“From a supplier’s standpoint, we were terribly concerned,” said president Diane Boyer. “If the pants hadn’t been carved out of the quota, Colorado’s retail shops would have been very short of product this winter.”
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
