The ski equipment universe is a lot smaller than you might think. I found the following info on EpicSki.com, and it was a real eye opener for me:
Amer group: Atomic and Salomon share common ownership under Amer, though each brand's premium models are still made in Austria and France, respectively. US distribution of both is moving to Utah next year. Amer also owns Bonfire clothing and has an interest in Arc'Teryx clothing.
Tecnica Group: Tecnica boots, Nordica boots/skis, Dolomite boots, Rollerblade, Lowa footwear. Tecnica boots are made in Italy, Nordica boots in Hungary, and Nordica skis by Fischer in the Ukraine and Austria. Depending on which rumor you believe, US distribution of Tecnica, Nordica and Dolomite is in New Hampshire.
K2 Corp: K2, Völkl, Line and Marker bindings. All K2s and Lines are built in China. Most Völkls are still made in Germany, though a couple of models are made in China by K2. Marker bindings are made in the Czech Republic. US K2 distribution is in Seattle. Völkl and Marker USA are in New Hampshire. Also owns Red Feather/Tubbs snowshoes and Marmot clothing
Quicksilver group: Rossignol, Dynastar, Roxy, Look, Lange. Lots of production shared between these brands. Rossi makes skis in both France and Spain while I believe Dynastar is still entirely in France. US distribution of all just moved to Utah.
Elan is the OEM manufacturer for Armada. The US distribution of Elan was recently transferred from the Tecnica group to Dalbello (Andover, NH).
Head and Fischer are family run operations. And since Fischer makes skis for a number of other companies, they're the largest ski manufacturer. Many cheap "package" skis from many different brands that you see at big box stores are made by Fischer and Elan.
Also:
4Frnt and Armada skis are made by a mix of Elan and Atomic.
Rossignol bindings are made by Look.
Atomic bindings are made by Salomon.
Roxy is made by Dynastar and Rossignol.
Nordica and Blizzard bindings are made by Marker.
Elan and Fischer bindings are made by Tyrolia.
4Frnt bindings are made by VIST.
Be sure to visit TheSkiDiva.com, an internet forum especially for women skiers, where women can connect with one another to talk about everything and anything ski-related.
Friday, January 12, 2007
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