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Hirscher and Atomic to "go separate ways....."

Primoz

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One thing can be for sure, any of the race skis will have a Marker Piston Plate and Comp 16.0 or 20.0 bindings ;)
I somehow doubt he will be making and/or selling race skis ;) Real business in skis is anywhere else but in race department (except for obviously Augment :roflmao:), and I'm pretty sure guys around Hirscher know this part pretty good.
As I wrote earlier, I'm pretty sure we won't see him on any other skis of established brand. Noone would pay him nowadays as much as Atomic still did, so there's no sense quiting Atomic contract to sign with anyone else. And if he will have his own brand producing also skis, I still think it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if Atomic would be doing it for them. It would actually make way more sense then any other company doing them.
 

Moose32

Attacking the Fall Line
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Nice turns :cool:
To be honest, I can’t tell what setup the Kaiser is on in this clip. I can see it is not Dynafit, Marker, and RC4’s :)

As a side, there is a movie coming out on Klammer and I wasn’t pleased seeing clips (note YouTube video below) that they did not try very hard to replicate his boots and bindings. Directors just slapped on red boots and bindings that are clearly not the famed Dynafits and Markers he wore in the seventies.

Not to worry, I wrote a sternly worded letter about the boots/bindings and the production of an English version and Region 1 DVD.

 
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Primoz

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@Moose32 I'm sure Hirscher would/will sell quite a bit of it in Austria, but even though Austria is big in skiing, it's, at least in my mind, pretty damn small to be able to do well with clothing line that sells only there. For elsewhere, I don't think Hirscher is a factor anymore. Sure ski fans know him, and will know him for years, but I doubt that's enough to have big sale of clothes (or other equipment) with your name on.
But then again, if I would be so good in these things, that my opinon would matter, I would have billion euro business myself, so my opinion about this has absolutely zero credibility.
 

James

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Killy clothing is still around. Seems to be fading? Don’t know, but it’s been like 30 years. Shred is still around.

I can guarantee most in the US buying Kjus have no idea who he was. Frankly, they don’t care, it’s only a plus he was some racer guy. At this point it’s its own thing. How many people who buy Armada know who JP Auclair was, or that he was killed?
In some sense it doesn’t matter. Plenty of non famous people start brands. They may work or not. Being famous will give certain access in the beginning, but it’ll quickly fall apart if there’s not a good team behind it and a host of other things.

Phenomenon is hardly limited to sports stars. How many failed mergers and acquisitions have there been by alleged business geniuses?
 
Thread Starter
TS
Muleski

Muleski

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BTW, Klammer is more than just an ambassador with Head. He is shown on their website with a huge number of former athletes, with bios, listed as ambassadors.

One big difference….he is on the Board of Head, NV. I guess when Eliasch wants you, he wants you. That is unusual.

He’s been with Head for 10-11 years, I believe.

Excellent point by @James about Kjus. I see a lot of their clothing….high end and expensive. At places like Aspen, BC, Vail….etc. I believe that buyers see it as “techical, quality” and the logo has some snob appeal. I agree that 98% of the buyers have no idea who Lasse is/was!
 

Moose32

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Yea, I left off Kjus my initial post as it seems to do well - high-end technical line that has its place. Killy (like Head/AMF and other brands of the era) likely has changed owners more times than I can track. I also put Shred in a separate category since it sells functional equipment / accessories and most of its existence the owner was still racing. Some exceptions, but having an active line from Lindsey or Aksel or others I give low chance for long-term success or profit. Just too crowded and their name coming from a niche sport won't be the deciding factor.
 

Tom K.

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If he wanted to, he could move beyond "just" skiing in Austria.

Could be a bigger announcement than a new line of parkas.
 

Philpug

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Marcel out testing skis. (from Skinews.ch)
Screen Shot 2021-06-30 at 5.43.51 PM.png

Bindings: I spy Look SPX12 Race Rocker hardly top end. (Orange 15/18 toes in the far right picture)

Boots: Where is the hinge for the upper cuff?
 

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