by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
When Laurent Boix-Vives acquired the distressed fledgling brand Dynastar, he already had Rossignol in his portfolio. Thus was born a sibling rivalry that persists to this day, with the elder trying to establish an untouchable record and the younger always looking for...
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
Dynastar’s investment in its future didn’t manifest itself in many new models for 2019, but in behind-the-scenes improvements in quality control measures that will pay dividends for many seasons to come. The only model to undergo a meaningful makeover was its team...
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
No other brand in our sport owes as much to the records and legacy of single athlete as Elan. The athlete, of course, is the incomparable Ingemar Stenmark, winner of 86 World Cup wins, all on Elan. There would be no second act on the World Cup for Elan après Ingemar,...
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
Elan’s issues with market presence in the U.S. have nothing to do with product. They make enough different models to equip an army. (Which, BTW, is how Elan began, making skis for Slovenian freedom fighters in WWII.) If anything, Elan suffers from a surfeit of riches,...
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
If one were to distill Fischer to its essence, the resulting elixir would be made of equal parts precision and speed. Rigorous quality control is the driving force in the corporate culture, a comforting thought for a brand that also makes components for aircraft....
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
No doubt K2 is tired of hearing about the success of the Blizzard Black Pearl. Just who was it that practically invented the women’s ski? Who for 20 years has insinuated women into its prototype-testing loop? Who made made-for-women skis a viable genre in the first...
