Why would a relatively small ski company decide – seemingly out of the blue – to absorb the absurd expense of becoming a boot supplier? The answer to this question isn’t the usual brand-extension story, although that must be part of the overall strategy. The new boot brand’s laser focus is on the race community, with a real-deal 150-flex model as its flagship.
To solve the puzzle of why anyone would introduce a new race boot brand, we need to rewind to 2018, when ConsilSport, a Czech manufacturer owned by former ski racer Tomáš Němec, acquired a majority stake in Kästle. As a former World Cup competitor, Němec was itching to enter the Austrian pool, which Kästle promptly set out to do in 2019, signing a Rossignol racer named Katherine Leinsburger to race on Kastle skis while continuing to use Rossi boots. Not so fast, cautioned the Austrian ski federation; if you don’t have a sanctioned boot sponsor, you can’t race. If Kästle wanted to put racers on its skis, they would need to become a member of the boot supplier pool.
Fast forward to the more recent past, when Kästle signed Ester Ledecka – the snowboarder who rocked the ski universe when she won an Olympic Super G gold – to race for its factory team. So, there’s your answer: Kästle wanted full access to top talent to represent the brand. It’s a lot to spend in order to be allowed to spend a lot more, which is why the answer begs further questions. I suppose it’s an indication of what can happen when racers rule the boardroom.
Since Kästle’s first target customer is a world-class racer, it shouldn’t surprise that the new Kästle boots coming to market this season include an authentic150-flex, competition boot, paired with a 130-flex sibling, along with a small entourage of more flexible clones, two for men (130 & 110 flex) and two for women (120 & 100). Every feature is straight out of the 4-buckle, 2-piece, overlap, race-boot bible, at pricing a full step up from the norm. In a genre in which customization is expected , there are a fistful of custom options: a foam liner, carbon spoiler and better booster strap can all be added à la carte.
