Wintersports roundup: Elan moves, Vonn signs and ski areas open
Dalbello and Elan's boot and ski distribution partnership has come to an end, Lindsey Vonn will get a new Briko helmet, and across the country ski areas are starting to open.
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Alpine ski manufacturer Elan and ski boot manufacturer Dalbello are ending their joint distibution partnership in the United States on Jan.1. Dalbello will continue as a standalone ski boot distributor, while Elan’s U.S. distribution will be taken over by Alpina Sports.
Bill Irwin, a former mainstay at Elan, will return to the brand to manage its rental business. And more new management hires are expected to be announced in the near future.
Matt Titus, vice president of marketing for Dalbello Sports, said in an email to the industry that the Dalbello “brand experienced 30% growth globally last year and shows no signs of slowing. Our strength as the innovation leader in Freeskiing continues, while our entry into the technical side of skiing with the Scorpion Series has taken the racing world by storm.”
He wrote, “While we have enjoyed a great deal of growth and success with Elan, we have just come to the point where Dalbello requires our full attention.”
Lindsey Vonn signs equipment contract with Briko
Olympic gold medalist and World Cup Skiing Champion Lindsey Vonn will join the Briko team. Briko will supply Vonn with the Phoenix helmet, a racing model which will be decorated with the blue and silver of her personal sponsor, Red Bull.
“Being part of the Briko team is going to be really awesome,” said Vonn. “Just looking at the names of those that have been part of Briko’s program so far, you immediately understand that you really become part of the elite of world sport, not only of skiing.”
Loveland, A-Basin and Sunday River all open
Ski areas have started opening from coast to coast in the past seven days, with Colorado’s Loveland and Arapahoe Ski Basin opening and Sunday River opening in Maine. Recent storms across the country are raising hopes that other ski areas will start opening soon.
Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort is in the tail end of a four-day late October storm that has dropped nearly three feet of snow overall, and 15 inches overnight.
As of Thursday, Snowbird is projected to open Nov. 20, conditions permitting, but could open earlier depending on snow accumulations and snowmaking efforts.
–Peter Kray
On Oct. 6, 2010, veteran journalist Peter Kray joined the SNEWS team and is now editor of the new SNEWS WinterSports channel. We trust you are enjoying the full offering of WinterSports news. Be sure to email your friends and let them know the best WinterSports news has arrived — just in time for the start of the winter season. Got WinterSports news? Send your WinterSports news to Kray at pkray@snewsnet.com. Subscribers can also post WinterSports news releases directly to the SNEWS website. Email us at snewsbox@snewsnet.com to learn about posting your own news releases, or for any other questions or comments. We love to hear from our readers!
