List of ski brands
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Skis[edit]
The following is a list of businesses known for manufacturing skis. Some of these manufacturers may also produce boots and bindings.
| Brand | Main Products | Origins | Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4FRNT | Alpine Skis | USA | 2002 | Purchased by J Skis in 2018, and sold in 2020.[1] |
| Armada skis | Alpine Skis | USA | 2002 | Armada was founded in 2002 by a group of professional skiers and the ski and snowboard photographer Chris O'Connell. Purchased by Amer Sports March, 2017.[2] |
| Atomic | alpine skis, cross-country skis, ski jumping skis, twin tips, bindings, ski boots, ski clothes | Austria | 1955 | Founded by Alois Rohrmoser. This manufacturer created the first ski used to ski Mount Everest by Hans Kammerlander in 1996 on the Atomic Tourcap. Amer Sports purchased Atomic in 1994.[3] |
| Black Crows | alpine skis, touring skis, outerwear | France | 2006 | Independent freeskiing-oriented company based out of Chamonix, France. Founded by professional skiers Camille Jaccoux and Bruno Compagnet.[4] |
| Black Diamond Equipment | alpine skis, telemark skis, cross-country skis, ski boots, ski bindings | USA | 1989 | Formerly Chouinard Equipment (founded in 1957), Black Diamond first entered the ski market in the early 1980s with the XCD telemark binding. |
| Blizzard | alpine skis | Austria | 1945 | Founded by Toni Arnsteiner. It is part of Tecnica Group since 2006. |
| Blossom | hand-made alpine skis | Italy | 1906 | Founded by Franco Moro, an entrepreneur from Valchiavenna, and the speed coach for the national ski team and Mario Cotelli, the technical director of Valanga Azzurra. |
| DPS Skis | alpine skis, ski clothes | United States | 2005 | DPS Skis - Based in Salt Lake City, UT at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, DPS was founded in 2005 by Stephen Drake and ski engineer Peter Turner[5] and is the largest domestic producer of skis. |
| Dynastar | alpine skis | France | 1963 | Launched as a joint venture between Dynamic and Starflex skis. Acquired by Rossignol in 1967. |
| Elan | alpine skis, ski jumping skis, touring skis, mogul skis | Slovenia | 1945 | Produced a variety of fiberglass products, including skis, then sailboats and sailplanes. Started winning on the World Cup circuit in 1964 and became famous as the ski of Ingemar Stenmark. Introduced the first widely used carving ski ("parabolic" or "shaped") in 1992, the Elan SCX. |
| Faction Skis | alpine skis, twin tips, touring skis, mogul skis | Switzerland | 2006 | Founded in the Swiss Alps by Tony McWilliam and Alex Hoye in 2006 and sponsor of notable French professional skier, filmmaker, and X-Games Champion Candide Thovex. |
| Fischer | alpine skis, ski jumping skis, cross-country skis, ski boots | Austria | 1924 | One of the largest brands through the 1960s and into the 80s, and became a force in the downhill racing market with their C4 design in the early 1980s. Today Fischer concentrates on back-country and cross-country skis. |
| Forest Skis | freeride, ski touring and carving skis | Slovakia | 2012 | Boutique eco responsible ski brand founded in 2012, focused on high-tech customised hand made skis. |
| Freyrie | alpine skis | Italy | Also sold under the Spalding brand name | |
| Friztmeir Skis | Germany | |||
| Hart | alpine skis, mogul skis | United States | 1955 | Founded in St. Paul, Minn. by Harry and Hart Holmberg and Ed Bjork, to make metal laminate skis. After Head, Hart became the best-selling American-made ski during the 1950s and '60s. |
| Head | alpine skis, ski boots, ski bindings, poles, helmets, goggles | United States of America | 1950 | Introduced the Head Standard, the first successful metal/wood composite ski, and took over the majority of the ski market in the US and UK in the 1960s. Was slow to move to fibreglass, and Howard Head left the company in 1969 handing it to AMF. AMF rebuilt the brand in the 1970s and became a force again, purchasing Tyrolia. Taken over in 1989 and currently owned by Head NV, a Dutch company. |
| Identity One / Id One | Mogul skis, Freeride skis, Technical Skis, Ski poles, Ski clothes | Japan | 2000 | Founded by Janne Lahtela to make Many skis for most of the Mogul Olympians And, WC competitors, skis made with stainless steel edges and a fiberglass base. |
| J Skis | Alpine Skis, Freeride Skis, Freestyle Skis | United States of America | 2013 | After founding and selling Line Skis to K2, J Skis was created by Jason Levinthal.[6] J Skis is an independent manufacturer of small production and limited edition skis. |
| K2 | alpine skis, twin tip skis, snowboards, mogul skis | United States | 1962 | Founded by Bill and Don Kirschner to make fiberglass skis on Vashon Island, Wash. In 2001, manufacturing was moved to China and the executive offices to Seattle. In 2007, consumer products company, Jarden Corp, bought out K2 and its subsidiaries. Subsequently, it was purchased by Newell Rubbermaid. |
| Kneissl | alpine skis | Austria | 1861 | Started ski production in 1919 and becomes Kneissl Ski in 1921. Introduced the composite "White Star" in 1960, sparking a revolution in materials. Merged with Dachstein in 1991 and merged with Raichle and Dynafit in 1996. |
| Liberty Skis | alpine skis, twin tips, touring skis, freeskis, women's skis, bindings, ski poles | United States | 2003 | Founded by James Satloff and Dan Chalfant, and pioneered the use of bamboo in its full ski line. One of the largest independent ski manufacturers worldwide, with shops and distributors in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. |
| Line Skis | alpine skis | United States | 1995 | Introduced a radical-sidecut mini-ski in 1995, and then developed this basic idea into one of the first twin-tip skis in 1999. Purchased by K2 around 2002. Continues to cater to the free ride market. |
| Madshus | cross-country | Norway | 1906 | Only major producer left in Norway. Begins production of fiberglass skis in 1974. Purchased by K2 in 1988. Madshus became the number two worldwide in Nordic ski sales in 1997. |
| Moment Skis | alpine skis, twin tips | United States | 2003 | Founded by Casey Hakansson, he turned his passion for building skis for family and friends into a business. |
| Nordica | alpine skis, touring skis, twin tips, freeskis | Italy | 1939 | Founded in Montebelluna, Italy and part of the Tecnica group since 2003. |
| Ogasaka Skis | alpine skis | Japan | 1912 | Founded by Hamataro Kogasaka, a furniture craftsman from Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture[7] |
| Olin | alpine skis | United States | 1960s | Major player in the 1970s and 80s with their Mark IV. Licensed their line to K2 in 1986 and exited the business. The brand was re-introduced in 2010 and then abandoned again. |
| Paradise Skis | Freeride Skis, Park Skis, Touring Skis, Snowboards, Splitboards | Canada | 2020 | Launched out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. [8] |
| Peltonen | cross-country | Finland | 1945 | Founded by Toivo Peltonen (1921–2007). Currently owned by Normark Suomi Oy, a Rapala VMC company. Produces competition level skis with advanced nanocarbon technology at the Heinola ski factory, but also markets cross-country skis for all price classes. |
| Romp Skis | alpine skis | United States | 2010 | Founded by brothers Morgan and Caleb Weinberg in Crested Butte, Colorado, Romp Skis produces custom and stock alpine skis.[9] |
| Rønning Treski | cross-country skis, alpine | Norway | 1936 | Historic producer of mainly cross-country but also other types of skis such as Telemark, Big Mountain, and Hunter. Started production under the Rønning brand in 1936, and is currently the only producer of wooden skis in Norway. Still produces all skies by hand. |
| Rossignol | alpine skis, ski jumping skis, cross-country skis, twin tips, ski boots, bindings, snowboards | France | 1907 | Introduced one of the first successful all-round fibreglass ski designs. Built a major conglomerate in the 1990s, including Rossignol, Dynastar, Lange, Look, Kerma, and other brands. Taken over by Quiksilver in 2005 but lost money and sold only two years later to its CEO, Bruno Cercley.[10] |
| Salomon | alpine skis, cross-country skis, ski boots, twin tips, bindings, snowboards | France | 1947 | Began as a family-owned shop making saw blades, then ski edges beginning around 1947. Expanded to make bindings (1955), then ski boots (1979) and cross-country ski gear, then golf (1985), the alpine skis (1989). Purchased by Adidas in 1997 and sold to Amer Sports (owner of Atomic, Wilson, Suunto, and other brands) in 2005. See Georges Salomon. |
| Slatnar | ski jumping skis, ski jumping bindings | Slovenia | 2006 | Made a breakthrough in the world of ski jumping with an innovative carbon heel. |
| Spalding Skis | alpine skis | Italy | Made by Freyrie | |
| Stöckli | alpine skis | Switzerland | 1935 | Founded by Josef Stöckli when he made 50 skis; now produces around 70,000 annually.[11] |
| Voit | alpine skis | United States | 1966 | Used a new fibreglass/epoxy technique that was well-liked but very expensive. Exited the industry after only three years. |
| Volant | alpine skis | United States | 1966–1989 | Introduced a stainless steel cap-ski in 1989, but was very expensive to produce and went out of business in 2001. Purchased by Amer Sports in 2003 and the brand abandoned around 2008. |
| Völkl | alpine skis, twin tips, ski clothes | Germany | 1923 | Distributed in the 1960s by Sears in the US. Purchased by K2, and in turn, Jarden in 2007. Subsequently, purchased by Newell Rubbermaid. |
Boots[edit]
The following list consists of companies known primarily for their ski boots. Some entries are duplicated from above, but not all. Some brands, like Head, sell branded boots from other companies and are therefore not listed here.
| Brand | Origins | Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpina | Slovenia | 1947 | Cross-country ski boots received the 2008 and 2010 Red Dot design award and 2009 American Good Design award |
| Black Diamond Equipment | United States | 1989 | Formerly Chouinard Equipment (founded in 1957), Black Diamond first entered the ski market in the early 1980s with the XCD telemark binding.[12] Today, Black Diamond designs and manufacturers a full line of skis, boots and bindings for alpine, telemark and touring pursuits. Black Diamond Equipment and Scarpa began a partnership in 1987 that ended in 2005. |
| Hanson | United States | 1969 | Chris and Denny Hanson developed the rear-entry boot while working at Lange, and left to form their own company. Successful during the 1970s, mis-steps during the early 1980s led to their bankruptcy in 1984. Purchased by Daiwa and continues to exist in Japan. |
| K2 | United States | 1962 | K2 launched its first boot production on Vashon Island in 1975. That effort failed. Purchased Raichle Flexon molds and started Full Tilt around 2006; launched a boot line under the K2 label in 2013. Sold to Jarden Corp. and then to Newell Rubbermaid. Sold to private equity company Kohlberg. |
| La Sportiva | Italy | 1928 | Founded by Narciso Delladio, La Sportiva has been producing footwear for mountain sports since 1928, specialising in mountain running, rock climbing, ice climbing, alpine climbing, and skiing. |
| Lange | United States | 1962 | Introduced the first plastic ski boots in 1962, and followed up with a greatly improved model in 1965/66. After 1968, they were a must-have for racers, and rapidly took over the market. Remain a major player to this day, especially in racing. |
| Nordica | Italy | 1939 | Nordica was formed in Montebelluna, the center of Italian ski boot manufacturing to this day. Entered the plastic ski boot market in 1968, following the lead set by Lange. Nordica pioneered use of the removable, customizable innerboot. Also produces skis and other equipment today. Part of the Tecnica Group. |
| Rosemount | United States | 1965 | Another contender for title of "first plastic boot", Rosemount was an all-fibreglass shell with a unique side-opening design. Was in the process of introducing a rear-entry model in 1973 when they were purchased by G.H. Bass, then the United States distributor for Raichle. Rosemount ceased production around 1975. |
| Salomon | France | 1947 | Introduced the famed SX series of rear-entry boots in 1979, and was a major success through the 1980s. When the rear-entry design rapidly fell from favour around 1990, they purchased the San Giorgio factory and turned to traditional front-entry designs. Salomon remains a major boot producer today. |
| Scarpa | Italy | 1938 | Founded in Asolo, near Treviso by Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh, SCARPA (Società Calzaturieri Asolani Riuniti Pedemontana Anonima) has been producing mountaineering and ski boots since 1938. |
| Tecnica | Italy | 1960 | Formed in Montebelluna in 1960 to produce leather work boots, the company introduced the Moon Boot for apres-ski. They followed this with their first ski boots in 1973. Now control a large number of brands including Nordica, Rollerblade, Dolomite, Lowa, Think Pink, Blizzard, Moon Boot, and others. |
References[edit]
- ^ "Jason Levinthal Sells 4FRNT Ski Company". POWDER Magazine. 2020-09-09. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ O'Neill, Donny (2017-03-29). "Armada Skis acquired by Amer Sports, owners of Salomon and Atomic". FREESKIER. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ "Our history in a glance". Amer Sports. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ "about". www.black-crows.com. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ "About DPS". dpsskisstore. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ Whitney, Ben. "Jason Levinthal and J Skis Continue Turning the Ski Industry on its Ear". www.tetongravity.com. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ Skiing Japanese Ski, 2004
- ^ Skis, Paradise. "Story". Paradise Skis. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
- ^ Jay, Jon (2021) Once You Go Custom, You Might Never Buy Skis Off the Wall Again Ski
- ^ Masia, Seth (2008) 100 Years of Rossignol Skiing History
- ^ Hitz, Luzi (2011) Made in Switzerland Skiing History V23 #5:17
- ^ "Origins - Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd". Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2012-03-10.