OVERVIEW
Elan has experienced a rollercoaster career as a player in the U.S. market. For the boomer generation whose lifespan roughly equates with that of the Slovenian brand (founded in 1945), Elan first popped on our radar on the feet of Ingemar Stenmark, the incomparable Swede whose dominating career was spent entirely on the then little-known brand. Because of lower labor costs, Elan became the prime OEM manufacturer in skiing, spinning out higher margin skis for a host of competitors, but of course this did little to boost its mind share among American skiers.
When Salomon launched its monocoque skis in 1989, Elan was right there beside the French marketing machine with its monoblock models built on the same principles. While this elevated its profile, the thrust of its commercial campaign remained a low-end package market that over the next 25 years would virtually disappear. A robust rental business kept the brand afloat and the name in front of skiers.
The game changer in terms of public perception came in the curious package of the SCX – the initials stood for SideCut eXperiment – the first shaped ski to capture the American’s public’s attention. Such was Elan’s head start on the field that some skiers still refer to any carving ski as “parabolic,” Elan’s term for its hourglass shape. The SCX series helped to convert the entire market to shaped skis within just a few seasons, lending Elan cachet to go along with its burgeoning sales figures.
Once the world market adopted deep sidecut skis as the standard, the SCX had to compete against well-entrenched marketing powerhouses like Rossignol (Bandit), K2 (Four) and Salomon (X-Scream) and some of Elan’s luster faded. To demonstrate its will to innovate, it launched the Stiletto, with a crazy-thin waist of 45mm; instead of appearing innovative, Elan looked goofy.
Elan retained a loyal following among carving enthusiasts, but the market was moving in another direction, to off-trail skiing and deep powder adventures. Elan remained current with a series of all-mountain skis with a durable wood/metal laminate structure that was the centerpiece of its US line for several seasons.
As both the world and the US market continued to shrink, Elan found it increasingly difficult to compete for the American skier’s affections. The launch of its latest cornerstone technology, Amphibio, focused as it was on carving attributes, did little to restimulate demand.
But while Americans appreciation for Elan may have waxed and waned over the years, the brand itself is as strong as ever. Elan claims to have the world’s largest ski manufacturing facility and it certainly can boast an extensive product offering of its own to complement its OEM business. Last year the brand earned 24 awards from U.S. media outlets, which can only help to raise its profile.
The 2017 Season
Last season our test panel identified the Ripstick Fusion as their favorite Elan; for 2017, Elan is exporting the Ripstick name from the Technical genre (where the original Ripstick resided) to the All-Mountain arena with the Ripstick 86, 94 W and 96, and to the Big Mountain 106 and Powder 116. Made for the specifically for the U.S. market, the new Ripsticks were tested on American turf (Colorado and Utah) to suit American tastes. Our panelists were able to report on the Ripstick 96 and, while it didn’t earn a Recommended medallion, it displayed sufficient chops in choppy terrain to justify Elan’s emphasis on the new Ripsticks.