Henrik Kristofferson Leaving Rossignol ... Joining Van Deer?

[Philpug]

From FB:

Jukka Peltola
The trip to Vienna ended an era in my life and yesterday we signed a deal there where Van Deer-Red Bull bought the Augment Ski. The seller was a Finnish CSH Group Oy, who owned 100% Augment Ski company.
We worked hard with the team for 7 years. Starting from a small storage hall in Neukirchen, ending up winning two Olympic golds this season: Manuel Fettner in hill jump (also Olympic silver) and Santeri Kiiveri in para-alps. Our company's ski development expertise is world-class and that's exactly why Van Deer-Red Bull Sports bought us. There are only less than 10 winners in the world. Now the company has wider or perhaps the widest possible shoulders and can further develop Augment Ski operations to a new level. And also to recruit top athletes. Our shots weren't enough, even though we could make top performance skis.
Red Bull's entry into the alpine skiing world through Van Deer and Augment is the biggest thing in alpine skiing in decades. And that's super cool for me because that was my own goal back in 2015 when we started the ski factory. Alpine skiing world cup and the entire skiing sport needs something new and in the long run this will surely be good for the whole skiing world.
Just over a year ago it was amazing to get to know and work with Marcel Hirscher the greatest alpine skier of all time. And learn to understand why he was the best. Even back then, knowing Red Bull's presence in his background, I believed that this cooperation would end up in Van Deer-Red Bull buying Augment. And that's the best possible buyer for us. I wouldn't sell my company to someone I wouldn't believe could take the company big steps forward and take good care of our staff.
Augment Ski:llä is a great and highly skilled staff. And we have some great founders with us - thank you Albert, Franz and Mike!! it was great working with you guys and through CSH it still continues. And thank you to the other staff, athletes, corporate partners, partners and customers. Thanks Thomas / Red Bull, Marcel, Dominik, Toni, Stefan & other VD-RB team.
In the future, we will surely see dozens of World Cup podiums and victories.
The saga of Augment continues. Augment is my personal focus right now. eco e-scooter for service development. We share the Augment brand with Van Deer-Red Bull and will continue to work actively together on developing and marketing the Augment brand.

And the same in Swedish:

The Vienna trip ended an era in my life and we signed a deal where Van Deer-Red Bull purchased Augment Ski. The seller was the Finnish CSH Group Oy, which owned 100% of Augment Ski.
We worked hard with the team for 7 years. Starting from a small warehouse in Neukirchen, ending this season with two Olympic gold medals: in ski jumping Manuel Fettner (also personal Olympic silver) and Santeri Kiiveri Gold in para-alpine skiing. Our company's ski development expertise is world class and that's why Van Deer-Red Bull Sports bought us. There are only less than 10 people in the world who are experts in developing winning skis. Now the company has broader, or perhaps the broadest, shoulders and can continue to develop Augment Ski to a new level. And also recruit the top athletes. We didn't have the muscle to do that, even though we were able to make top performance WC skis.
Red Bull coming into the alpine skiing world through Van Deer and Augment is the biggest thing in alpine skiing in decades. And it's super cool for me, because that was my own goal back in 2015 when we set up the ski factory. The Alpine Skiing World Cup and the whole skiing world needs something new and in the long run this is definitely good for the whole ski family.
A year ago it was great to meet and start working with Marcel Hirscher, the best alpine skier of all time. And to understand why he was the best. Already at that time, knowing Red Bull was behind him, I believed that this collaboration would end up with Van Deer-Red Bull buying Augment. And that's the best possible buyer for us. I wouldn't sell my company to someone who I didn't think could take the company forward in big steps and take good care of our staff.
Augment Ski has a great and highly skilled staff. And we have great founders on board - thanks Albert, Franz and Mike!!! it was great working with you and through CSH it will continue. And thanks to the rest of the staff, athletes, partners and customers. Thanks Thomas / RB, Marcel, Dominik, Toni, Stefan & other VD-RB team.
In the future we will surely see tens of World Cup podiums and victories.
The Augment story continues. Personally, I'm now focusing on developing the Augment.eco e-scooter service. And now that we share the Augment brand with Van Deer-Red Bull, we're working together on brand development and marketing.

 

[wnyskier]

More interesting news:
SkiWeltcup.TV

"The Austrian ski racer Max Franz will compete in the 2022/23 World Cup winter with a new material. The speed specialist from Carinthia thanked Fischer for the three “super cool” years on social media. Now is the time to try something new. In the coming season he will start with "Augment". This outfitter manufactures its skis like Marcel Hirscher's company "Van Deer" in Stuhlfelden, Salzburg. By switching to "Augment", the three-time winner of a World Cup race can also benefit from Hirscher's know-how."

I believe Augment is in the Austrian Ski Pool so VD-RB can use that as a pathway to get more upper echleon athletes on the product.

 

[Primoz]

Augment is in OSV pool from pretty much first season (might not actually be first, but second, as my memory is not all that great), but even though they bought Augment, I'm not sure their goal is to have skiers on Augment skis but more on Van Deer. And Augment being in pool most likely won't change this for Van Deer. But then again, with so much money behind, there might be some rule bending.

Jukka Peltola
Just over a year ago it was amazing to get to know and work with Marcel Hirscher the greatest alpine skier of all time. And learn to understand why he was the best. Even back then, knowing Red Bull's presence in his background, I believed that this cooperation would end up in Van Deer-Red Bull buying Augment.

Another Hirscher's accountant or he has just wild fantasies too? Just that this guy actually has pretty damn accurate numbers and info, yet he's still claiming it was Red Bull behind this beforehand.... must be weird fantasies

 

[bbbradley]

Another Hirscher's accountant or he has just wild fantasies too? Just that this guy actually has pretty damn accurate numbers and info, yet he's still claiming it was Red Bull behind this beforehand.... must be weird fantasies

Never ruin a good story with the facts.

 

[dj61]

Looks like I'm Hirscher's accountant afterall... or at least my fantasies were pretty right

You were dead wrong. You claimed that Marcel was only the “poster boy” and that he definitely had other investors. All of this was false.

 

[tromano]

I demoed some augments in 2019 At a public demo day. I give them credit for trying.

When we gonna see a blossom skis demo fleet making the rounds in UT?

 

[Philpug]

I demoed some augments in 2019 At a public demo day. I give them credit for trying.

There was a lot of reasons why Augment failed (too strong of a word?) here in the US, both internal and external. With Van Deer-Redbull happening, I am not sure it would have mattered now even if everything worked out right.

When we gonna see a blossom skis demo fleet making the rounds in UT?

Being a direct to consumer brand, it is unlikely.

 

[DocGKR]

"You were dead wrong. You claimed that Marcel was only the “poster boy” and that he definitely had other investors. All of this was false."

Hmmmm--based on what I have been reading, it sure seems like Primoz was pretty much right on target.......

I'm not even sure Augment/Croc "failed", as they seem to have gotten exactly what they wanted in just a few short years--their skis being used on the World Cup and in the Olympics.

 

[James]

With 16 pairs of skis in North America it’s practically nonexistent. It’s garage level production, despite all the geniuses involved. I’m dubious that Japan and Australia had many more.
Blaming it on their distributor- that’s a good one.

 

[Swiss Toni]

I don’t think you can say Augment “failed” it was taken over as a going concern and Van Deer / Red Bull probably had to pay over the odds and give some guarantees to get it.

In a newspaper interview in May Toni Giger said that they thought they could use Augment as a back door into the ÖSV ski pool, so Jukka Peltola and the rest of the management will have had plenty of notice of what was coming. Before providing the finance for Croc/Augment he was involved in startups in the IT and airline industries, which were later taken over by larger players so he will be well aware of how it goes.

Small ski manufacturing companies don’t make much money and often need cash injections to pay for expansion and new equipment etc. The Finns behind Augment always planned to subsidize the ski business, initially they were going to do this via a clothing company but in the end decided to do it via a e-scooter rental business. In December 2021 the Augment e-scooter business raised 20 million euros, they are aiming to put 65,000 e-scooters on Europe’s sidewalks in 2022. The takeover means that they don’t have to put any more money into Augment skis, but still get brand exposure.

Croc/Augment was a startup they were doubling production every year, in 2018 they made 6000 pairs, in 2019 they expanded the production facility with the aim of producing 15,000 to 20,000 p.a. Due to Covid there were delays in the delivery of the new machinery and the lead times for some ski components increased from 6 to 24 weeks. They were obviously very challenging times. Van Deer was registered in July 2021, they launched the ski collection in September and the initial order of 1000 pairs was sold out by the end of October. Once they got back on their feet there didn’t seem to be any problems with production. How many pairs of skis did the US distributor actually order before launching the brand in the US?

 

[Philpug]

With 16 pairs of skis in North America it’s practically nonexistent. It’s garage level production, despite all the geniuses involved. I’m dubious that Japan and Australia had many more.
Blaming it on their distributor- that’s a good one.

There might be that left on retailers walls which is minimal. I would not be surprised if Van Deer-Redbull decides to go to those retailers that were carrying Augment ( I know of 4, but there very well may be more) to exchange any Augment skis for Van Deer ones to close the books on Augments short US history.

I don’t think you can say Augment “failed” it was taken over as a going concern and Van Deer / Red Bull probably had to pay over the odds and give some guarantees to get it.

I am not saying at all that Augment as a whole failed, but in the US, there are a lot of things that were uhmmm "counter successful" and that included the the pandemic not helping the cause.

 

[DocGKR]

"With 16 pairs of skis in North America it’s practically nonexistent."

Is 16 total North American sales a factual number? It does not seem so based on folks I know who have Augments....

 

[Philpug]

"With 16 pairs of skis in North America it’s practically nonexistent."

Is 16 total North American sales a factual number? It does not seem so based on folks I know who have Augments....

James is NOT good at Math.

Check your arithmetic and Phils post James.......160 pairs in the US is a tenth of 1600, 16 pairs would be a hundredth....

And I said it maybe about a tenth if Van Deer sales, not that it was but that I am pretty sure the sales were significantly less than Van Deer's sales of 1600.

 

[ScotsSkier]

Check your arithmetic and Phils post James.......160 pairs in the US is a tenth of 1600, 16 pairs would be a hundredth....

With 16 pairs of skis in North America it’s practically nonexistent. It’s garage level production, despite all the geniuses involved. I’m dubious that Japan and Australia had many more.
Blaming it on their distributor- that’s a good one.

James is NOT good at Math.

And I said it maybe about a tenth if Van Deer sales, not that it was but that I am pretty sure the sales were significantly less than Van Deer's sales of 1600.

really James? Use some dodgy math to perpetuate this 16 pairs garage level BS? I have eight pairs in my closet and at lest 12 pairs among my athletes. My maths makes that 20+ and that is in Tahoe only…..

and I also have the inventory list of what is still available from the distributor which is also more than 16…

doesnt sound like “ Bigfoot” to me….especilly since I’m in a 24 plug…..

 

[ScotsSkier]

I demoed some augments in 2019 At a public demo day. I give them credit for trying.

When we gonna see a blossom skis demo fleet making the rounds in UT?

Yes, they did do demos wherever possible. Also @Philpug put a lot of all mountain demos out, and I put a lot of athletes out on my FIS skis

 

[DocGKR]

And it is not like Augments are not available from European sources: https://www.skicenter.it/en/augment-gs-world-cup-fis

 

[Primoz]

You were dead wrong. You claimed that Marcel was only the “poster boy” and that he definitely had other investors. All of this was false.

Sure about this? Try to google who is Jukka Peltola and what position he has at Augment. I guess that's pretty much good enough proof that he knows slightly more then you wish you would know about this, and it's proof that you can actually believe what he wrote. And based on what was quoted here, and I will quote again, I much more spot on then dead wrong In case you missed, read especially that bold part of what Peltola wrote

Jukka Peltola
Just over a year ago it was amazing to get to know and work with Marcel Hirscher the greatest alpine skier of all time. And learn to understand why he was the best. Even back then, knowing Red Bull's presence in his background, I believed that this cooperation would end up in Van Deer-Red Bull buying Augment.

 

[James]

really James? Use some dodgy math to perpetuate this 16 pairs garage level BS? I have eight pairs in my closet and at lest 12 pairs among my athletes. My maths makes that 20+ and that is in Tahoe only…..

and I also have the inventory list of what is still available from the distributor which is also more than 16…

doesnt sound like “ Bigfoot” to me….especilly since I’m in a 24 plug…..

Stunning, huh? That’s based on Phil’s number below. Assume that means non race skis, non nordic jumping skis. Alpine rec skis.
Dodginess abounds.

People not able to purchase through the website. Lack of communication from that site.

The flex nonsense. “Flimsy” to “concrete” with just random manufacturing variation? Ok. That misdirection took over a year to come clean on, despite Augment posting here.

There’s a bunch of makers you can specify flex, though it’s maybe 3 levels. Normal, stiff, soft. So that’s not unreasonable for people to assume having 20 flexes with such a huge range means something is different.

I don't think Augment sold 160, a tenth of that in the US last year ... and that was a full year ... Van Deer started late.

 

[dbostedo]

Stunning, huh? That’s based on Phil’s number below.

Phil was saying he doesn't think Augment sold 160 pairs (a tenth of the 1600 Van Deer sold) in the US.

He wasn't saying he didn't think Augment sold "a tenth of 160" in the US.

 

[DocGKR]

"That misdirection took over a year to come clean on, despite Augment posting here."

I guess I'm still confused, as no one directly associated with the Augment factory or corporation ever posted here; the only person was an independent US distributor who did not appear to be an Augment employee.