A group of 10 Russian outdoor brands and importers led by Vladimir Bogdanov of BASK has formed the Russian Outdoor Group, representing about 90 different brands, mostly foreign. Their main goal is to broaden the appeal of hiking, trekking and other outdoor sports among consumers in Russia, where the technical branded outdoor market is estimated to have been worth only $125 million in 2005, up from $105 million in 2004, excluding ski and snowboarding. According to BASK, its development is running five years behind that of the total Russian sporting goods market, but the growth is higher, and it is likely to take the total Russian outdoor market up to $385 million in five years’ time. That would place it in the #5 position in Europe. Incidentally, the Scandinavian Outdoor Group, which helped in the formation of the Russian one, will have a collective stand at ISPO Russia in Moscow this September. Also, a few days before the Russian group, a group of 15 Italian brands and the Italian representatives of four foreign ones formed the Italian Outdoor Group, run by Luca Zanatta of Asolo.