ALPINE SKIING - Amer Sports

AN AMER SPORTS MAGAZINE 4. 2006
ALPINE
SKIING
A NEW WAVE SPURS DEVELOPMENT
OUTDOOR
THE STORY OF ARC'TERYX
SKI INDUSTRY LEGEND
RUPERT ”KILLY” HUBER

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The magazine is published
quarterly in Finnish,
English and German.
Editorial Staff
Editor-in-chief
Maarit Mikkonen
Amer Sports Corporation,
Communications
Department, P.O. Box 130,
FI-00601 Helsinki,
FINLAND
Tel. +358 9 7257 8306
Fax +358 9 791 385
maarit.mikkonen@
amersports.com
Alma Media
Lehdentekijät Oy
P.O. Box 502, FI-00101
Helsinki, FINLAND
www.lehdentekijat.fi
Producer
Markku Rimpiläinen
markku.rimpilainen@
lehdentekijat.fi
WHITE WITH SNOW
The winter season has begun, and Lapland is already white as snow. An indication
of the start of the winter season was seen on November 10–12 when the world’s
best men’s and women’s Giant slalom skiers met first time ever on Finland’s Levi
Black slope. The brightest stars of the Atomic Racing Team were present: Giorgio
Rocca, Benjamin Raich, Aksel Lund Svindahl, Markus Larsson, Jukka Leino, Felix
Neureuther, Kentaro Minagawa, Marlies Schildt, Kathrin Zettel and Ana Jelusic.
We at Amer Sports can be happy knowing that the popularity of alpine and
crosscountry skiing is on the rise. Various skiing disciplines are also beginning to
converge, as many skiers have noticed that they can also have fun in ungroomed
terrain. This new wave in skiing has become a powerful trend that is directing,
among other things, equipment development. Salomon was the first ski manufacturer
to get enthusiastic about Ski Cross and came up with the Saab Salomon
Crossmax series. At the same time, a new type of ski was born for fast piste skiing.
Read more about this high-speed series on page 34.
Enjoy the coming ski season – and remember your helmet! These days, all
freestyle skiers and snowboarders wear helmets, too. It’s a question of safety,
but also of style.
Maarit Mikkonen
Communications Manager
Editorial Secretary
Outi Rinne
AD Mika Soikkeli
Cover photo
Salomon
Composition and Repro
Faktor Oy
Printed by Libris Oy
ISSN 1459-5095 (print)
ISSN 1795-2247 (online)
AN AMER SPORTS MAGAZINE
Address Source
Amer Sports’ Register
of Shareholders
and Customers,
Amer Sports Corporation,
P.O. Box 130,
FI-00601 Helsinki,
FINLAND
Changes
of addresses
amer.communications@
amersports.com
www.amersports.com
www.wilson.com
www.atomicsnow.com
www.suunto.com
www.precor.com
www.salomonsports.com

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Next 4.06: Contents
NEXT HOT. The Salomon SPK is a new boot
for new school freestyle skiers. The Precor
M9.57 treadmill comes with an integrated
entertainment center.
ALPINE SKIING. The new wave is
attracting both skiers and the equipment
industry alike.
NEXT GUIDE. Introducing Ed Viesturs’
book on conquering 8,000-meter peaks,
and much more.
PROFILE. Atomic’s Rupert Huber knows
everything there is to know about designing
alpine skis.
FITNESS. Precor is installing top-class
fitness facilities in Hilton hotels.
NEXT PRODUCT. The new Wilson Staff
Di7 irons.
RESULT. 2006 is a transitional year
for Amer Sports.
THE NEW WAVE CHANGED ALPINE
SKIING, EQUIPMENT AND SKI CENTERS.
THIS COMING WINTER, MORE SKIERS
THAN EVER WILL BE ON TWIN-TIPS.
6
22 BRANDS. Arc’teryx designs and
manufactures top quality products
in Vancouver, Canada.
26 AMER SPORTS. Winter Sports have
generated growth for Amer Sports Canada.
28 BASEBALL. New age groups are taking up
the sport.
31 GOLF. Padraig Harrington putts his way to
the top of the European Tour Order of Merit.
32 NEWS. Suunto D9 nominated for notable
design award.
34 CLASSIC. The Saab Salomon Crossmax.
VICE PRESIDENT RUPERT HUBER,
IN CHARGE OF ATOMIC’S PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND THE ATOMIC
RACING TEAM, IS KNOWN BY THE
NICKNAME KILLY.
PRECOR AND HILTON ARE AIMING TO
ENTICE MORE GUESTS INTO
HOTEL FITNESS CENTERS WITH THE
NEW FITNESS BY PRECOR CONCEPT.
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PIPE BOOTS. New school freestyle skiers now have their own boot from
Salomon. The Salomon SPK boot’s outer shell is made of extra tough
plastic to protect your feet from knocks. Effective shock absorption in
the heel ensures a comfortable descent. Good forward lean and a wide
toe box make jumps easier. There are only two buckles.
HYBRID. Precor has brought to market the S3.15 – a multi-station home gym.
The Precor S3.15 offers a blend of fixed-path motion and functional movement
to target either specific muscle groups or train several muscle groups
simultaneously. The S3.15 comes with a guide that depicts correct form for 26
different exercises.
RADICAL STYLE. A progressive looking jacket, a core freestyle design that’s
pushing style as far as performance. Salomon’s Borderline Down Jacket
has an exceptionally high collar to protect your face from the chilly winds of
the mountaintops. Breath holes have been punched into the collar on both
sides of the zip to prevent your goggles from steaming up. The jacket is
extra long too. Its stretchy waist band has an over-wide low rider cut, which
provides your back with extra protection from the cold and flying snow.

SUUNTO D9, NOW WITH TITANIUM BRACELET. The innovative,
award-winning Suunto D9 all-in-one dive instrument is
now also available with an eye-catching and durable titanium
bracelet. The Suunto D9 is the first dive instrument to provide
all the vital information you will need when diving – and also
boasts a digital compass.
INTEGRATED ENTERTAINMENT CENTER. Precor’s products have been commended
for their integrated entertainment equipment. For example, the flat
screens installed in treadmills have been especially popular in US fitness clubs.
A comparable screen is now available for home treadmills. The M9.57 treadmill
on sale in the United States has a total of 23 different running programs and its
top-quality construction will guarantee many years of trouble-free use.
SILK ORCHIDS. Salomon is delighted to present Siam Origins - limited edition skis
with hand-placed silk orchids under a transparent top and base. The skis were the
result of a design workshop in which 30 women skiers from all over Europe were
invited by Salomon product designers to present their views on design.
THE SUCCESS STORY CONTINUES. The SX:12pb supercross ski – successor to
the test and sales success SX:11 – now has a completely revamped structure and
cut. The new Powerbridge binding base, coupled with integrated rubber inserts at
the front and rear of the binding, damps vibration at even the fastest speeds.
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Freestyling takes
skiing by storm
A powerful trend has emerged from new wave skiing – one that is
already shaping the development of ski resorts and equipment.
■ Text by Markku Rimpiläinen, Tuija Seipell
■ Photos by Rami Lappalainen
“
Life is an important part of skiing!” This 70s ski bum declaration
also aptly describes the attitude of today’s young freestyle and
freeride skiers. Skiing is a way of life for them, encompassing not
only their sporting performances, but also their circle of friends,
fashion, music and individual style. Young people jumping in parks
and pipes want to do so with their own individual style and not according
to traditional rules.
Just as vital as the skiing itself is having a photographic or
cinematic record to distribute among the Internet community. The
main prize in Salomon’s Jib Academy – an international freestyle
event for young skiers this coming winter – is a shoot on Mammoth
Mountain in the USA with Salomon’s pro skiers.
From competition to images
New wave skiing can be divided into three sub-disciplines.
Freeride, or free skiing, is done on ungroomed slopes with
jumps over natural formations. The aspects judged in free skiing
competitions include the line of descent chosen, jumps and descent
speed – the faster the better. On the new, broad free skis, you can
descend at great speed in deep snow.
Competing is, however, only one part of the picture.
“In freeride, we clearly moved from competition to ‘image’.
Mountains, nature, powder, sensations, road trips rule freeride skiing,”
says Lionel Favret, who is in charge of Salomon’s free skiing,
freestyle and ski cross skiers’ contracts.
Free skiers value natural slopes, but the terrain in freestyle
– the second main direction in the new wave – is the complete opposite.
The sport is practiced on a stage of purposely-built halfpipes,
quarterpipes and huge big air ramps, which just seem to keep
growing from year to year. Slopestyle competitions comprise a mix
of different jumps, boxes and rails.
One of the sport’s first major competitions – the US Open Freesking
Championships – is being held for the tenth time this winter.
It says a lot that the event’s major sponsors now include the
prestigious and time-honored magazine Skiing, which has to date
focused on mainstream skiing. If you don’t know what free skiing
and freestyle are all about, you’re hopelessly out of touch.
In spite of its name, the US Open Freesking championship is
not actually free skiing, as its disciplines are superpipe, slopestyle
and big air. The championship will be held on Copper Mountain
from January 17–21 and is such a major event that the sport’s
elite will all, for once, be there – as long as their filming schedules
permit.
Favret has followed the development of the young sport closely.
“It’s incredible how the sport has progressed in ten years. The
riders are more and more professional and each year they invent
new tricks – they are obsessed with style.”
Simon Dumont’s Truck Driver and Jon Olson’s Double Rotation
were two of last season’s new tricks.
The third sport in the new wave is ski cross, a general start race
and a veritable battle between skiers.
A mishmash of disciplines
Although the sub-disciplines in new wave skiing are sports in their
own right, they clearly belong to the same family. Many skiers happily
practice them all in parallel without caring too much about
definitions. The disciplines begin to merge into one.
“They’re two different sports, but freeriders & freestyle skiers
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Skis: Atomic Urban
Triplet. Apparel: Salomon.
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approach them with the same freestyle spirit. Freestyle becomes
a culture,” says Lionel Favret.
France’s Enak Gavaggio undoubtedly belongs to the ski cross
elite, but also spends plenty of time free skiing.
“Freeride is one of the aspects of skiing I like the most. The
only rules you have are the ones you want. Many free skiers, like
Kaj Zachrisson, don’t do any freestyle at all – but they’re so good at
free skiing that they don’t need to,” says Gavaggio.
“If you want to stay on the scene, you need to be able to mix
elements from both,” he adds.
Taking a note out of the snowboarding book
The new wave in skiing has a clear role model: snowboarding.
“Snowboarders came with their own style to high-level competitions
and brought with them so many other skills, cameramen,
photographers and so on. Skiers and snowboarders are starting to
have similar attitudes,” says Favret.
“Freestyle and free skiing are now rapidly heading in the same
direction snowboarding did ten years ago. The new skiing disciplines
are similar. Development is just faster, because a decade ago
the equipment industry didn’t yet really understand what was going
on,” says Marko Martikainen from the Swedish-Finnish athlete
management agency Sportsyard.
Martikainen started out working with snowboarders, but now
his company is also very involved with skiers. It says a lot about
the sport that Martikainen also arranges events in addition to his
managerial tasks. There can’t be one without the other, as no ski
factory could ever imagine success without skiers and events.
Freestyle events already draw in huge crowds of young people.
freestyle.ch – Europe’s largest competition – attracted 50,000 spectators
in the center of Zurich in September.
The best snowboarders are already riding full-time and consider
themselves professionals. “Many freestyle skiers still think
that being as cool as possible is what it’s all about. Freestyle is still

learning to walk, but it has the chance to go anywhere – and it’s
definitely heading in the right direction,” says Martikainen.
Youth culture
Snowboarding and freestyle are already influencing ski center investments
and construction.
“Well-managed ski centers know how to build excellent terrain
parks for snowboarders and freestyle skiers. It’s essential that terrain
parks are well-constructed and well-maintained – an untended
ramp can easily become dangerous. It’s also vital that there are
ramps suitable for skiers of all levels, and that these levels are
clearly labeled,” says Martikainen.
The Canadian Whistler Blackcomb ski resort built the first half
pipes in 1991. They were previously only intended for snowboarders.
“It all changed with twin-tip skis. From there on, skiing was
never the same. You could do on skis what used to be possible
You can achieve really high and impressive jumps
with these skis. Pictured: Iisko Heiskanen.
only on snowboards,” says Whistler Blackcomb’s Public Relations
Coordinator Ryan Proctor.
Whistler – one of the most esteemed ski centers in the world
– now has two half pipes and four separate parks. All of the terrain
features are clearly categorized according to their level of difficulty
using an S-XL scale familiar from clothing. The features are snowed
as required and several piste machines have been allocated for
their maintenance.
Salomon
Mike Douglas,
inventor of twin-tip skis
Mike Douglas from Canada’s Whistler Mountain took a real
shine to moguls and jumps and, at the end of the 90s, became
interested in snowboarding jumps. He came up with
an idea for skis that could be used for jumps and also to ski
backwards down ramps. Skis of this type had been tested
in the 80s. The skis got their name from their appearance:
twin-tip.
Douglas and his partner Steve Fearing presented their
idea to ten ski manufacturers, who didn’t want anything to
do with them. Finally, Salomon took an interest in Douglas’
ideas and brought to market the first Teneighty skis in 1998.
Todays’s twin-tip ski had been born – and skiing had changed
forever.
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The sub-disciplines
of new skiing
Free skiing. Skiing and jumping in natural snow on
unmanaged slopes.
Freestyle. Jumps and skilful tricks in half pipes
and off of ramps. FIS has already accepted this new
discipline into its official competition program.
Ski cross. A general start race on a marked track,
which has gates, jumps and banked curves. Possibly
an Olympic event in 2010.
Towards the mainstream
Is free skiing splitting off completely from alpine skiing into a sport
of its own? Salomon’s Lionel Favret doesn’t believe so.
“More and more people try a 360° for the first time at 35 and
over, and we meet more and more modest skiers who want to go
on powder.”
Enak Gavaggio, who was raised in the heart of the French Alps,
agrees.
“Ten years ago, everybody was skiing on the slopes. For the
past four years, people who come on vacation to the French Alps
just want to free ski.”
Increasing numbers of people are also leaving the parks and
pipes for off-piste tracks, and attention has already been paid to
this when developing equipment. A number of the latest twin-tip
skis, such as Salomon’s Teneighty Foil and Atomic’s Rascal Junior,
also handle well in deep snow and carving turns. These are real
all-purpose skis for young people who want to try everything the
mountains have to offer.
“Freestyle is not only parks and pipes,” says Salomon’s Lionel
Favret. “I really like the way young skiers are curious to discover the
mountains – ‘making great lines on backcountry’ is really important
for them. It shows whether you’re a good skier ... or not.”
In Favret’s opinion, more mature skiers should also take the
plunge and try twin-tips.
“People have come to understand that they can have fun off
groomed pistes. Now you can play with all the terrain offered by
the mountains, and it’s easier to do that with a mid-fat twin-tip ski.
It came from ‘the FREE movement’, but it works for you and me
too,” says Favret. ■

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Books
ED VIESTURS, DAVID
ROBERTS: NO SHORTCUTS
TO THE TOP: CLIMBING
THE WORLD’S 14 HIGHEST
PEAKS, BROADWAY 2006
Ed Viesturs is the first
American to have succeeded
in scaling all the mountains
in the world higher than
8,000 meters. A strong focus
on safety comes through in
Online
Armchair adventurer.
National Geographic
magazine’s website offers
fabulous photos and exciting
tales of adventure from
around the world: kayaking
in Cambodia, cycling from
the Dead Sea to the Red Sea,
snorkeling with white whales
in Australia.
www.nationalgeographic.
com/adventure/
Fast-paced triathlon. Who
will make it to Peking 2008?
You can follow the fast pace
of triathlon athletes’ shorter
races in swimming, cycling
and running over Internet TV
and through results listings
on the International Triathlon
Union’s website.
www.triathlon.org
Safety in the Alps. The German
Alpine Association
(Deutscher Alpenverein,
DAV) website provides an
excellent portal for mountain
weather forecasts, avalanche
warnings, Alpine accommodation
and other relevant
information for those
with a grasp of the German
language.
www.alpenverein.de
All-time top basketball
players. The world’s top basketball
league, the NBA, has
listed all the essential data
on its best players – personal
information, careers
and match listings.
www.nba.com/history/
players/index.html
the book: “Getting to the top
is optional, getting down is
mandatory,” Viesturs reminds
us. In the space of 18
years, Viesturs – a father of
three who lives in Washington
State, USA – managed
to conquer 14 of the world’s
highest peaks in Nepal,
Pakistan and Tibet. His list
of achievements includes
six triumphant trips to the
top of Mount Everest,
although he was once
forced to turn back a mere
100 meters from the roof of
the world.
BEST QUOTE
“Cycling is a sport of the people. How many people in the
world have never been on a bike? Not many. It always comes
through and always will. It is unstoppable. What we must do is
to make sure it is well managed and policed. After that it has a
dynamic of its own. I have no worries for cycling. It remains a
great spectacle and a passion for many.”
THE WORLD’S ALL-TIME BEST PROFESSIONAL CYCLIST, EDDY MERCKX,
IN THE TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER.
Getty Images
DECEMBER
What’s
next?
DECEMBER 1–3
DAVIS CUP FINAL
Russia and Argentina will
battle it out in Moscow for
the Davis Cup tennis trophy.
Statistically, the home
team leads 2-1 in previous
encounters, but surprises
have been seen before in this
weekend of one doubles and
four singles matches. Every
one of the Olimpiinsky indoor
hall’s 10,000-16,000 spectator
places will no doubt be
filled when the best players
from these two countries
meet.
www.daviscup.com
DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 7
FIS TOUR DE SKI
Following the example set
by the great tours in cycling,
the Tour de Ski will be held
for the first time at the turn
of the year. The crosscountry
ski tour starts from Nove
Mesto in the Czech Republic,
continues through Munich
and Oberstdorf, Germany,
and finally reaches its peak
in Asiago and Val di Fiemme
nextguide
The deciding jumps of the Central
European Four Hills Tournament will be
made from Bischofshofen’s natural hills.
Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images
in Italy. The skiers on the
tour will be competing in
both styles and over several
different routes. The women
will travel a total distance of
about 60 km and the men just
over 100 km.
www.tour-de-ski.com
JANUARY
JANUARY 7
SKI JUMPING – CENTRAL
EUROPEAN FOUR HILLS
TOURNAMENT FINAL
As has been the tradition for
decades, Bischofshofen in
Austria will host the final
competition of this Central
European ski jumping week.
The 55th Jack Wolfskin Four
Hills Tournament culminates
in two rounds of jumping from
world-famous natural hills in
front of an ecstatic audience.
www.skiclub-bischofshofen.at
JANUARY 17–27
WINTER UNIVERSIADE
IN TORINO
These “Winter Olympics” for
students will be held in Torino,
Italy. About 1,500 athletes from
50 countries are expected to
compete in the official sports.
www.universiadetorino2007.
org
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“You can’t rest
on your laurels”
Rupert “Killy” Huber is the product development wizard for the most successful team in the
alpine circus: Atomic. He still burns with the desire to test the ultimate pair of skis – skis that
are not only the best of the best, but also manufactured in the most cost-effective way.
■ Text by Tapio Nurminen
■ Photos by Werner Bachmeier
Vice President Rupert “Killy” Huber, who is in charge of
Atomic’s product development and the Atomic Racing
Team, has had an exceptionally successful career in the ski
industry. There is little that he hasn’t achieved in the last 38 years.
In spite of this, Huber states that he’s still fervently searching for
the optimal alpine ski with his team so that Atomic can be even
more dominant in both the consumer market and on the competition
slopes. Huber loves slopes and powder with a passion and his
motto is: “You can’t rest on your laurels if you want to succeed.”
Everyone knows Killy
A company that calls itself “one big, happy family” is undoubtedly a
rather off-putting cliché. At Atomic’s plant, nestled in the Pongau
Alps in Altenmarkt, Austria, this worn-out phrase does, however,
spring unavoidably to mind.
At the plant gates, it’s pointless to ask officially for Vice President
Huber, in charge of Atomic’s product development, quality management
and the Atomic Racing Team. The visitor will be questioned
suspiciously on which Huber they mean. If you want to get things
rolling, you have to ask members of the “one big happy family” if
“Killy” is around.
Across the yard comes a 58-year-old regular guy, casually dressed
in jeans and a blue sweater. In the Alps, it’s said that in the narrow
valleys, people are quite guarded when it comes to visitors, but
when the ice melts there is true warmth; in the wide valleys, such
as Zillertal, life is one big smile, but superficial.
When it comes Killy Huber, who has spent his whole life playing
around with skis in Altenmarkt at the base of a narrow Pongau
valley, this saying rings true. His handshake is strong and friendly,
but he initially avoids any unnecessary chatter. At first, his hands
stay crossed on the desk as he describes the exceptional turns in
his exceptional career.
“Contrary to what is generally thought, I already joined Atomic
as a trainee back in August 1964,” says Killy Huber, correcting misconceptions
about when his career with Atomic began.
“At that time, I used to ski competitively, and my father went to
find me some good equipment from Atomic’s founder and then President
& CEO Alois Rohrmoser. He asked me what my plans for the
future were. In fact, I wanted to go back to school. I’d spent far more
time on the snow than I’d done at a school desk. Rohrmoser offered
me an apprentice’s position, as well as training to become a ski and
ski equipment manufacturer. I grabbed the chance and I’m still on
that path today,” says Huber, flashing his first friendly grin.
Winters in the USA, summers in Austria
Officially, Killy Huber was first employed by Atomic in 1968 in the
product development department and as a model builder. Since
then, he has toured the world constantly. The young Huber got to
taste Atomic’s success straight away in 1968, when injury forced him
to take a break from skiing. Huber was one of the helpers on Atomic’s
team when Olga Pall won gold in the downhill at Grenoble.
“I was developing the ski that Pall won with, and I was also
there to help get her skis into competition condition,” remembers
Huber.
His own active alpine skiing career continued until 1973. He
spent winters on the alpine circus, summers learning the secrets
of the ski industry in Austria. At the beginning of the 70s, Huber
won two competitions as a professional skier in the US. He counts
those as his greatest achievements as a skier. It’s also from those
times that the name “Killy”, known to everyone in the alpine circus,
originated.
“It was the product development manager of the time that
started using it, but I really don’t remember where it came from,”
he insists.

Rupert Huber’s career with Atomic has lasted
almost 40 years. Product development is as
close to his heart as the Atomic Racing Team.
Since 1973, Killy has been developing new
skis for Atomic and spurring the Atomic Racing
Team from one success to another. Right from the
word go, Huber was put in charge of building prototypes.
Since the end of the 70s, Huber has headed
up Atomic’s product development, and later also
production. He has, for example, integrated Dynamic
into Atomic and built its subcontractor’s
production lines in Bulgaria, which Atomic still
uses with great success today.
“Nowadays, the majority of our product
development is done using various computerbased
design programs. However, it is much
easier to evaluate which new solutions can be
made and which can’t from a hand-built model,”
says Huber.
All you need is boyish enthusiasm
Alongside the Atomic Racing Team, product development
is obviously close to Huber’s heart. He
still has a boyish enthusiasm for innovations.
“My own most important invention, which
is still in use today, is the twin cap – a double
shell for skis – that helps us to manufacture
top-level skis both economically and efficiently,”
says Huber.
“The twin cap, which I invented at the beginning
of the 90s, is very important to me because
although it was initially opposed by supporters of
old technology, it is now a vital part of our production.
Using the Cap sandwich technique, one
worker can make 34 skis during a single shift. In
one shift, 130 skis are made.”
Twin cap is a part of the production process.
The breakthrough of Atomic’s Beta technology,
in which Rupert Huber also played a key role,
revolutionized ski technology. q
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“It was a German inventor who came up with
the original innovation. He contacted me in 1995
at the ISPO fair in Munich. He had a number of
drawings and designs, which got me excited. I
asked whether we at Atomic could see if they
would work. He told me there were already prototypes
in existence,” says Huber.
“At that time, the merger with Amer was
underway. We tested the Beta skis. Although
they were exceptionally lightweight and the
shape design of the prototype was way off, I
noted that the new technology brought unbelievable
stability. We thought that there was
every reason to make use of it. Our company
was headed for bank ruptcy and we desperately
needed something new and revolutionary.”
The rest is ski industry product development
history. Killy presented the new technology to
Atomic’s President & CEO Roger Talermo, who
also approved of the technology and liked the
way the ski looked. Talermo, however, was more
interested in when the finished ski – which could
revolution ize alpine skiing – could be brought
to market.
“Talermo asked me this in June 1995. I told
him that the ski could be exhibited at the next
ISPO. Roger later admitted that he’d reckoned
I was a bit insane when I promised a new ski on
such a rapid timetable. At other ski factories, the
lead time from concept to production might be
as long as three years. In spite of the pressure
and difficulties, we did bring the Beta skis to
market in February 1996 – and they were a huge
success,” says Killy.
Killy, who had been so reserved early during
the interview, is now emphasizing his points
with his hands and he keeps breaking out into
enthusiastic laughs.
In addition to the twin cap and Beta, Huber
also counts as his own successes the optimization
of Atomic’s production process, which has
enabled essential operations to remain at the
Altenmarkt plant.
“We make the fiberglass laminate here ourselves,
and the ski shell manufacture, including
graphics, is also carried out here. While we coat
our skis in two days, it takes our competitors four
weeks, because they have outsourced these processes,”
explains Huber, proudly showing off the
production line where familiar Atomic graphics
are transferred onto skis.
As well as these landmarks in product development,
Killy also fondly remembers the deserved
success of the Atomic Racing Team and
“The twin cap is
the most important
innovation of mine
still in use.”
its top skiers during his decades of heading up
the team.
“Doing the rounds of the competitions and
catching up with old friends is still fun for me
even after all these years, and I definitely want
to play a part in paving the way for future teams
to match the great successes to date.”
To competitors’ ears, Atomic’s “great successes
to date” are no doubt a sore topic, as
Atomic has towered above other brands of competition
skis in recent years.
“Even so, you can’t rest on your laurels. Otherwise
your competitors will pass you left, right
and center,” Killy Huber reminds us.
Competitive skiers are conservative
The Beta technology customized by Huber’s product
development team has been one of the guarantees
behind the exceptional and continued
success of the Atomic Racing Team since the end
of the 90s, despite the fact that it’s very difficult
to convince competitive skiers on the merits of
new innovations.
“Competitive skiers are extremely conservative,
which was evident when Beta technology
was introduced onto the competition slopes at
Talermo’s request,” says Huber.
“My good friend Hans Knauss promised to
use the Beta skis at the last competition of the
1996-97 season. However, even he was doubtful
right up until the end and – this he told me later
– even planned on crashing out of the last descent
on purpose so as not to completely shame
himself with the new equipment. However, after
about six or seven turns, Knauss realized that
the skis were exceptionally fast and went on to
finish the descent and win the competition in
April 1997.”
The Cinderella story continued in the 97-98
season at the first competition in Tignes, France.
“We had about 18 or 19 starters in the Giant
Slalom, about half of which were on Beta skis,
although Hermann Maier, for example, wasn’t.
After the first descent, Atomic’s skiers held the
top five places and all of those were on Betas.
Hermann wanted to swap skis for the second
descent, but we didn’t have any that were suitable
for him. In the end, we took the top four
places with Beta skis.”

In Killy’s opinion, the power of the Betas was,
and still is, in their stability. Skiers can focus
completely on speed without having to think of
stability. In spite of their conservative natures,
Huber says that stars like Hermann Maier, Benni
Raich, Aksel Lund Svindal and Michael Walchhofer
all take an active role in further development
once new products are in use.
“They provide us with a constant stream of
tips on how we can improve the skis, and 90
percent of the feedback from competitive skiers
leads to concrete product developments,” notes
Huber. He admits that he’s left with little free
time after heading up the Atomic Racing Team
and intensive product development – and some
of that tends to be spent on skis.
Hearing the call of the powder
“This is surely difficult to believe, but the best
thing about being on holiday is the chance to
try out new powder skis on the heliski slopes
in Canada.”
Atomic’s stalwart is not a reader or a music
listener. When he wakes in the early hours, Killy
says he does a little brainwork and ponders how
to solve the problems plaguing certain skis.
“Construction, building and designing houses,
is something I like. It’s the best way to relax
and get away from work,” says Huber, who is
now building his third house on the slopes of
the Alps.
The first icing sugar coating of snow has fallen
on the peaks surrounding Altenmarkt, and
the weak October sun is unlikely to melt it. Killy’s
thoughts stray now more than ever to the coming
season rather than hobbies.
“Looking at the overall men’s World Cup
Championship, the main battle is definitely going
to be between Raich and Svindal. Although Maier
has been unbelievably strong during practice,
he really isn’t a good slalom racer and so will be
left behind in the overall championship,” says
Killy Huber as he leads his visitors to the parking
lot.
Right on cue, in through the gates walks Hermann
Maier’s father Hermann Maier Senior, who
works in Atomic’s quality assurance. Only moments
before we had been talking about Maier
Junior, one of Atomic’s legendary stars.
“One big, happy family” doesn’t sound at all
clichéd in Altenmarkt. ■
Ski production in Altenmarkt,
the world’s largest ski factory.
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A new era in hotel fitness
Precor – the world’s leading supplier of fitness equipment – can expect great
things from the cooperation agreement signed with the global Hilton Hotels chain.
Fitness by Precor facilities will revolutionize the hotel fitness experience.
■ Text by Olli Herrala
■ Photos by Precor
“We’re more than excited about the Precor
project. All of our North American
full-service Hilton, Doubletree and Embassy
Suites hotels will get Precor fitness
equipment in a very rapid timetable,” says
Hilton Hotels’ Alexander Mirza, Senior Vice
President, Corporate Development.
“Co-branded fitness centers will open in
at least 500 Hilton, Doubletree and Embassy
Suites hotels by 2009. It’s highly probable that
our fitness center initiative with Precor will
expand to encompass the rest of Hilton’s hotel
brands,” speculates Mirza on the potential
of the agreement. “We already have 200 fitness
facility projects on the go,” he adds.
The Hilton Family currently comprises over 2,800 hotels, but
that number will rise to at least 3,200 in the next five years. Mirza’s
vision has Fitness by Precor coming to many more hotels, meaning
extra orders from Hampton and Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood
Suites, and Hilton Grand Vacations hotels.
“The Hilton Family of Hotels is expanding rapidly in Europe and
Asia,” says Mirza.
Mirza displays some unbelievable figures on fitness facility
use, as the Hilton chain’s full-service hotels in North America and
the rest of the world attract an annual total of 24.2 million guests.
Therefore it’s no wonder that Hilton is installing brand new Precor
equipment all over the world.
Fitness by Precor fitness centers are being installed at all Hilton,
Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels and The Waldorf=Astoria.
First facilities already open
“Fitness facilities are some of the most important
targets for development. Two out of
three business travelers surveyed use fitness
facility services during their stay. Fitness
facilities are one of the top five criteria
when business travelers choose a hotel,”
explains Mirza.
The first of these jointly developed facilities
have already been opened at the Beverly
Hilton, the Doubletree Claremont in California,
the Doubletree Club at Las Vegas airport,
the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu
and the Embassy Suites hotel in Alexandria,
Virginia. New York’s famous Waldorf=Astoria and the Hilton New
York have also received their own Fitness by Precor centers.
“The new fitness facilities have been favorably received, with
customer satisfaction surveys at the Beverly Hilton giving promising
results: customer satisfaction has risen by tens of points,” says
Mirza.
Surveys conducted by the Hilton Family of Hotels reveal that
fitness facilities outfitted with top-quality equipment increase guest
satisfaction by up to 30 percent. Fitness by Precor centers therefore
Hilton Hotels Corporation
– estimated fitness facility users
(visits per year)
Full-service hotels, USA 14.4 million
Full-service hotels, rest of the world 9.8 million
Total worldwide visits 24.2 million
Source: Hilton Hotels Corporation
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offer a distinct competitive edge and make Hilton stand out from
other chains.
Demanding design
Mirza emphasizes that fitness facilities at the Hilton Family’s fullservice
hotels comply with strict design requirements. First, Precor’s
equipment is installed, including special flooring and logos.
The walls are painted and the facility lit to an agreed design.
“During the second stage, the facility can be expanded, but it’s
vital not to make any compromises, because we’re aiming to revolutionize
our guests’ experiences of hotel fitness,” says Mirza.
“I’m extremely encouraged that Precor renews its fitness equipment
every three years. We can also develop new kinds of fitness
entertainment and equipment together,” says Mirza.
The co-branded fitness centers are equipped with Precor Cardio
Theater Exercise Entertainment technology. Every piece of cardio
equipment features a personal viewing screen, while strength
areas have a large, wall-mounted plasma screen.
“Guests can improve their fitness experience using these
systems. They can choose whatever network entertainment they
want and can, for example, follow ESPN’s sports broadcasts on the
screens,” says Mirza.
Fitness by Precor facilities are equipped with a range of treadmills,
cross trainers and exercise bikes that can be found in the best
fitness centers. In addition to adjustable weight training equipment,
guests also have dumbbell and barbell weights at their disposal.
Core training, balance and stretch machines round out the training
options.
“Traditional hotel fitness centers don’t really offer experiences.
Fitness by Precor will turn that notion completely on its head,” Mirza
assures us. ■
Top-performing AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour Player Rachel
Wacholder and world-renowned gymnast Peter Vidmar visit
the Fitness by Precor facilities at The Beverly Hilton.
An all-round success
Precor and Hilton began discussing cooperation in the summer
of 2005. By then, Hilton had already conducted a lot of research
and collected plenty of background information and had concluded
that a quality fitness concept was the way to stand out
from its competitors.
“They then went out to see which vendor best matched their
desired outcomes of differentiating. Through the negotiation
process we found that the outcomes Hilton was looking for and
the core competencies of Precor’s Customer Oriented business
approach, our distribution and field resources and our products
best matched their requirements as outlined in their Fitness
Concepts for their properties,” says Precor’s Guy Williams,
Director of Dealer and Vertical Markets, North America Commercial
Sales.
The Hilton cooperation agreement was a major one for
Precor, as the production, installation and maintenance of
equipment for hundreds of facilities will keep Precor personnel
occupied for years to come.
Williams is confident that Hilton will forge the Fitness by
Precor concept into a lasting competitive edge.
“Hilton and Precor obviously feel that this new initiative will
allow Hilton to expect higher than average usage of its fitness
centers and for this to become a core competitive factor for
them within the hospitality industry as more and more travelers
use the access to a quality fitness offering as a Top Five reason
to choose one property over another,” says Williams.
It’s evident from customer feedback that Fitness by Precor
is a success.
“Guests at Hiltons outfitted with Fitness by Precor facilities
have given the properties some of Hilton’s highest-ever guest
satisfaction ratings.”

■ Text by Markku Rimpiläinen
■ Photos by Wilson
Wilson Staff Di7
The next generation of irons
The new Wilson Staff Di7 irons contain a whole bundle of
technical solutions that provide longer, straighter and more
precise shots. Even club players will find the green more easily
with the Di7.
The Di7 golf clubs have been designed for players with a
handicap of 10 plus, who make up about 75% of all golfers.
Low-profile clubs
The club’s lower profile pushes the clubhead’s center of gravity
lower, giving higher ball flight and greater distance.
The wide sole also shifts the clubhead’s center of gravity
deeper, which promotes greater stability during swings and
results in straighter and more precise shots.
The thin clubface gives the ball an excellent launch speed.
It also has a very wide sweet spot – the part of the clubhead
where hitting is most effective. The clubhead’s rear cavity
has been coated with an Elastomeric Dampening Layer that
reduces vibration, even on miss-hits.
Standard Tip
Geometry.
Wide Tip
Geometry.
Di7 clubs have a classic
aesthetic, although the
lower section of the shaft
is wider than usual.
nextproduct
POWERFUL HEAD DESIGN
Lower profile pulls CG (center of gravity)
lower promoting a higher ball flight
for greater distance. Wider sole moves
CG deeper promoting head stability for
straighter ball flight.
Lower profile.
Lower,
deeper CG.
Wider sole.
Wide Tip shafts
The Di7’s new features don’t stop at the clubhead. The lower
section of the Di7’s shaft is wider than an average iron’s. This
patented Wilson Wide Tip technology reduces shaft torque and
twisting on off-center shots.
Di7 clubs come with either graphite or steel shafts. The
graphite shafts are made by UST and the steel ones by True
Temper – both leading manufacturers of lightweight shafts.
The line includes clubs from a 4 iron to a gap wedge. You
can buy gap, sand and lob wedges separately. ■
TWIST-CONTROLLING SHAFT
85% of all shots are hit center-to-toe on
an iron. Shots struck toward the toe cause
the clubhead to twist open.
Wider shaft tip diameter reduces torque
for less twisting on off-center hits.
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“We will maximize the synergies
of Atomic and Salomon while
upholding their differences.”

A transitional year
2006 was a transitional year for Amer Sports. The focus of its efforts has been the integration of Salomon
into the Amer Sports family. It has progressed in line with plans, says Amer Sports CFO Pekka Paalanne.
■ Text by Pekka Rinne
■ Photo by Sarri Kukkonen
The acquisition of Salomon boosts Amer Sports’ net sales
from one billion to two billion euros, increasing the relative
importance of winter sports in Amer Sports’ portfolio.
“It’s now particularly important to bolster our competitiveness
in winter sports. To this end, we must review all the subareas of our
winter sports business,” says Amer Sports CFO Pekka Paalanne.
Salomon’s social plan negotiations have already been concluded.
In addition, Salomon and Atomic have initiated numerous
industrial cooperation projects.
The setting up of a shared country organization with Amer
Sports is also continuing. Paalanne emphasizes that there will be
no changes in how Salomon interfaces with its customers.
Higher efficiency
Paalanne says that there is significant potential for stepping up
Salomon’s efficiency in the employment of capital. The objective is to
free up at least EUR 50 million in restricted equity over 2–3 years.
Salomon has begun a process review of its ski boot production.
According to Paalanne, this is especially important because Atomic
boots will be manufactured at a Salomon outsourcer’s plant
in Romania.
“The project will carefully assess demand forecasting, production
planning, manufacturing and logistics processes.”
A similar project carried out at Atomic shortened production
lead times from 12 to six weeks. The results of this project will
largely be brought to fruition this year. The experiences gleaned at
Atomic will also be applied at Salomon. In addition, synergies are
being sought from the Salomon and Atomic product platforms.
CFO Pekka Paalanne enjoys sports such as
crosscountry skiing, tennis and golf.
“We are actively seeking opportunities for utilizing the same
raw materials and components, while ensuring that Salomon and
Atomic retain their distinctive stamp. We will maximize synergies
while upholding their differences.”
When distribution failed
The integration of Salomon has unfolded in line with plans, but
one unforeseen hitch caused a hiccup. In September, Salomon’s
logistics partner was unable to supply products to customers as
scheduled – this is a significant hit because approximately half of
the full-year deliveries of winter sports equipment are made to
customers in September and October. Due to the delayed deliveries,
the range of Amer Sports forecast earnings per share had to be
widened. The delays may be reflected in the amount of additional
orders for the rest of the year.
“Because Salomon has a great significance at the Group level,
the delay will have a moderately substantial effect on the Group’s
earnings. For this reason, we adjusted our guidance figure.
“This problem cannot recur,” says Paalanne. ■
Key figures
result
Pro forma Pro forma
1–9/2006 1–9/2005 Ch % 2005
NET SALES (MEUR) 1,211.1 1,173.5 3 1,732.0
EBIT (MEUR) 50.5 49.3 2 117.1
% OF NET SALES 4 4 7
EBT (MEUR) 32.2 31.9 1 93.1
EPS (EUR) 0.33 0.30 0.87
The January–September interim report can be found in its entirety at www.amersports.com.
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■ Text by Tuija Seipell
■ Photos by Arc’teryx
22 | Next
Arc’teryx – rock solid as ever
Arc’teryx believes in the importance of quality, manufacturing 75 percent of its
products in its home country, Canada. The company also has complete control
over the design process.
2002, when the company was bought by Salomon,
Arc’teryx had already developed into a strong midsized
brand. It was well known in the hard-core outdoor
circles for its top-of-the-line climbing harnesses, backpacks
and clothing. And that’s how it still is today. Arc’teryx tells its story
through innovation milestones, product breakthroughs and awards
from outdoor publications. The Vapor harness in 1993, Bora backpack
in 1994, Targa harness in 1997, Gore-Tex ® By
outwear in 1998,
and the Descent line of harsh-condition clothing in 2001 – these
are just some of the highlights. They represent the best quality and
the latest proprietary technology, and although the prices were

sometimes as much as 60 percent higher than the next equivalent,
sales were always strong.
Roots in Vancouver
Arc’teryx was born in 1989 in Vancouver, an outdoor paradise
wedged between the magnificent Coast Mountains and the Pacific
Ocean. The company was originally called Rock Solid Manufacturing,
a home-based business of a stubborn rock climber, David
Lane, who decided he could make better climbing products than
what was around. He started making climbing harnesses and chalk
bags and was soon joined in the business by fellow local climber,
Jeremy Guard.
They changed the company name to Arc’teryx in 1991. The name
and the logo mark come from Archaeopteryx Lithographica — a
fossil with a dramatic past. The creature’s story is now the company’s
manifesto: ”A hundred and forty million years ago a creature
struggled to escape the hostile horizontal world. It became lean
and strong and developed into a magnificent climber. Then, driven
by success and the gears of evolution, it developed the feather. For
the father of the modern bird, downclimbing had become a thing
of the past.”
The old name Rock Solid Manufacturing and the characteristics
of the Arc’teryx describe the company today perfectly. ”For us,
Arc’teryx was a symbol of evolution, a symbol of continuous change.
That’s what we strive to do with our products — to make them
evolutionary,” says Tyler Jordan, the company’s 36-year-old presi-
Arc’teryx’s production facilities are located
at the base of the Coast Mountains.
milestones
VAPOR 1993 BORA 70 1994 THETA LT 1998 GAMMA SV 1998
dent and CEO. A passionate enthusiast of multiple sports himself,
Jordan was hired in 1993 by Guard as the fourth office employee of
the company, which had 12 factory workers at the time. ”Our first
slogan was ‘Arc’teryx — evolution in action.’ Our theme has always
been to not just take products to the next level but to be the people
that reinvent each product category.”
Professionals as testers
Jordan sits at a mismatched huddle of desks at the end of an enormous
hall at Arc’teryx’s new 36,000-square-foot headquarters,
which has a total of 107 employees. The small management team
shares the open-concept second floor with the all-important R&D
and production management. ”We wanted the management to be literally
in the middle of R&D,” says Jordan. ”We cannot go anywhere
without passing the guys who work on the products.”
In total, Arc’teryx occupies 140,000 square feet in three buildings
in the Vancouver area — headquarters, factory and warehouse
— and has 440 employees. To retain compete control of the design
and manufacturing process, Arc’teryx has an unusual business
model for an outdoor softgoods firm. ”We are vertically integrated,”
says Jordan. ”We do our own product development and we have
our own manufacturing facility right here in Vancouver. This gives
us tremendous control over the entire process.” Over 75 percent
of Arc’teryx’s production takes place in Canada. The remaining 25
percent is contracted elsewhere around the world in eight countries,
a situation usually reversed in the industry.
At Arc’teryx, the entire design process takes place in-house,
also an unusual situation for a softgoods brand. ”Our senior designers
can do all of the designs from the technical point of view
— from cutting to patternmaking to technology to the look — so we
q
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M40 2002 JAVELIN SV 2002 ALPHA SL 2004 NAOS 55 2006
are completely vertical as opposed to being what we call sketch
designers,” explains Jordan.
To ensure that the products perform in real life, Arc’teryx’s
staff members – most of whom are avid climbers, bikers and skiers
– use the prototypes constantly. In addition, the company uses local
professionals including climbing guides, avalanche crews and park
rangers. ”We are here close to the mountains so we have access to
professionals who are out in harsh conditions 200-plus days a year,
whom we can talk to regularly and get quick feedback from. We give
them stuff, they test it in the harshest conditions, trash it, give us
feedback and we give them a new one. We look for wear points, any
comfort feedback, anything that they’d like to see improved about
the usability or functionality.”
Own store coming to Montreal
Arc’teryx started from climbing harnesses, moved onto backpacks
and from there to technical outerwear and other assorted apparel.
Today, apparel generates close to 90 percent of the company’s
revenue but harnesses and backpacks remain very important to
the company. ”I am a strong believer in heritage, remembering
where you came from,” explains Jordan. ”We started as a climbing
company and we should not forget that. The other thing is that we
go into product categories for a variety of reasons. One is potential
sales, one is that we think we can make a product difference, and
also because we are personally interested in those products and in
those markets.”
So in 2006, Arc’teryx introduced the AC² (Advanced Composite
Construction) backpacks and – and it has introduced some of the
Senior members of the design team
reviewing textile samples.
technologies into larger packs for 2007, and into a women’s series,
the Maias. Arc’teryx is also currently working on several different
new harness technologies for release in 2008.
While the company’s focus is on the products, other areas are
being developed as well. In November 2006, Arc’teryx opened its
first retail store in downtown Montreal at Concordia University’s
Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex.
Jordan describes the 4,000-square-foot space as a perfect fit
for Arc’teryx: ”Super streamlined and product focused.”
”Our own store is part of an effort to learn more about our core
consumers, and about how we can better service our retailers, and
how they can in turn better serve the needs of our consumers,”
says Jordan. ■
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Winter sports businesses
fuel growth for
Amer Sports Canada
With a strong Wilson business, a growing Atomic business and now
with the acquisition of Salomon, Amer Sports Canada has become
a major player in the Canadian sporting goods market.
■ Text by Teppo Kuittinen
■ Photos by Amer Sports Canada, Atomic
Amer Sports Canada’s Country Manager,
David Deasley, is very proud to lead the
new Amer Sports Canada Organization.
With Salomon joining the fold this summer, the
Canadian operation now combines all brands
into one Amer Sports location just north of Toronto.
The “back office” functions are in the
process of being fully consolidated in Belleville
and Montreal. “The integration of the Salomon
business into Amer Sports Canada’s operation
has gone extremely well, and it’s a credit to everyone
on the team for making this a very smooth
transition,” said Deasley.
Working with retailers
Amer Sports Canada has developed a strong
reputation for providing excellent service in the
Canadian market. Deasley states, “We will continue
to build upon our strong service levels and
brand specific expertise to our customers. We
have strong and deeply experienced sales organizations
for Wilson, Atomic and Salomon, and
they will continue to work with our dealers to
provide them all the tools for a win-win partnership
to drive profitable sales.”
In Deasley’s opinion, the general trend today
in the sports industry is consolidation and it’s no
different in Canada.
“We see the big accounts becoming larger,
stronger and more demanding everyday. We
need to make sure we provide the products,
service, expertise and knowledge they expect.
It’s increasingly important that you must be a
top tier brand if you want to make it into the key
programs of these key top accounts.”
Atomic and Salomon – strong teams
According to Deasley, with the addition of the
Salomon business, along with Atomic, Amer
David Deasley began his career at
Wilson Canada 25 years ago.
Sports Canada is well positioned to experience
strong growth over the years to come. We have
very strong teams in place on both the Atomic
and Salomon sides to grow in the winter sports
categories.
With the 2010 Whistler Winter Olympics on
the radar screen, we will see more focus on
winter sports in the next few years. In Canada,
Atomic and Salomon both have excellent platforms
with regards to athletes, sponsorship and
marketing programs to promote their respective
brands.

David Deasley began his career as a sales
representative for Wilson Canada 25 years ago
and has watched the Wilson business grow and
evolve over these years. “We have experienced
excellent growth in rackets and team sports in
the last few seasons.”
Wilson – Strong racket
and team sport businesses
“Wilson is the #1 racket company in Canada
with over 60% market share in tennis balls and
over 40% in tennis rackets. On the team sport
side, Wilson has a very strong inflatable presence
in the market. Wilson is the official ball of
the Canadian Football League (CFL) and sells
even more CFL footballs than the popular NFL
footballs in Canada – all adding up to over 80%
market share in Canada.
“Additionally, our strong sales in basketball,
volleyball and soccer all add to the strength of
the business in Canada. The team sports business
utilizes key adoptions and sponsorships
throughout the nation, providing credibility to
both the products and the Wilson brand.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for all of
us at Amer Sports Canada, and we look forward
to building our business in the years to come,”
says Deasley. ■
“Atomic has a strong
position in Canada.”
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Baseball for all
28 | Next

Baseball is played
at all levels.
■ Text by Jennifer Lyng
■ Photos by Wilson
It’s a ground ball to the shortstop, deftly swept up,
tossed to second for one out, then fired to first for
the double play. The players head back to the dugout,
eager for their turn at bat.
These aren’t professional players; they play for the
love of the game and the camaraderie of their team
mates. This attraction to baseball is usually apparent
at a young age, with 2.7 million children playing Little
League baseball and more than another million playing
in other organized leagues in the United States alone.
In addition to playing the game, many are fans of major
league baseball, the local minor league team or an area
college team. Some of these youngsters have aspirations
of being one of those players, or at least trying to play
like them.
The T-ball helps children to practice hitting
One of the trends affecting baseball today is that the
players are getting younger. With the introduction of
T-ball, where the children hit the ball off of a tee, the
basics of the game are introduced at the age of 4 or 5.
Next comes a few years of pitching by the coaches, then
the players are allowed to pitch to each other. This is
when the cream starts to rise to the top.
Another trend is that the talented, or those ‘with
potential,’ are being nurtured more intensely, and at a
younger age, than ever. While most programs are open
to players of all talent levels, elite travel squads are avai-
Look the part in this easy-to-use NXTGEN helmet
from Wilson, complete with comfort foam padding
made from the latest breathable materials.
lable for children as young as 8 and 9 years old. These
teams hold try-outs and the game gets taken to a different
level. These players often play year-round baseball,
some with personal coaches, with their eyes on coveted
spots on their high school team. (Yes, indoor facilities
have been built to take weather out of the equation.) The
hope is to get noticed by either college or pro scouts,
which could lead to a lucrative college scholarship and/
or an invitation to try out for a professional squad.
Of course, most of the children playing youth baseball
will not make the pros or get a college scholarship;
most won’t even make their high school team. These
players are often content to simply enjoy the game of
baseball while learning some valuable life-long skills,
such as teamwork, sportsmanship and how to handle
individual pressure. They also make new friends along
the way.
Improved helmets
An emphasis on safety is yet another rising trend. With
increased bat speed and corresponding velocity of the
ball off the bat, the safety of the players has received
added attention. Batting helmets are made of stronger
materials, have better fitting designs and many now
include air vents for added comfort. Face shields are
now also an option.
Wilson has had a major influence in this trend. Only in
the batting helmet market since 2000, Wilson has alrea-
q
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dy garnered a 30% share. Jim Hackett, Wilson’s
General Manager for Baseball and Softball, says
that “not only has Wilson made helmets that are
more protective, but we’ve been able to raise
the expected price point of helmets by providing
increased quality, comfort and that all-important
‘coolness’ factor.”
Since many of the prime players are playing
year-round or on multiple teams, the coaches are
now being very careful not to ‘over use’ the young
arms. Pitchers are throwing faster fastballs and
learning to throw breaking pitches that years
ago were not taught until high school. Too much,
too soon, can lead to an early end to an aspiring
pitching career. Pitch counts, or the number of
pitches a player can throw before being replaced,
are even a relatively new phenomenon in the
major leagues, but are now being instituted for
some Little Leagues.
Corresponding with the younger age of
player development is the demand for top quality
equipment at an ever earlier age. Jim Uhrich, a
coach of his son’s team in the Chicago suburbs,
says that he “is impressed with the quality of the
baseball gloves today at all price points. There is
a well-made glove for every level of play.”
Wilson, the Official Ball Glove of Major League
Baseball, makes top-quality gloves for about a
third of the pros. Hackett boasts that “Wilson is
the only company that offers a pro quality glove
to consumers in the exact specs that the pros
use.” Taking their popular A2000 model’s looks
The Wilson A2K DW5 glove.
Junior players look to top athletes
for role models.
and patterns down throughout the line, Wilson
has been able to create a marketable point of
difference down to $69.
Here come the seniors
Regarding the importance of equipment, Bill
Foss became a catcher at 9 years old when he
was given Wilson catcher’s gear as a gift. He
went on to play scholarship ball in college and
play for the Chicago Cubs in the minor leagues.
Now a financial planner, Foss continues to play
organized ball, but now he’s in the ‘48 & over’
division.
This is yet another growing trend in baseball.
The Mens Senior and Adult Baseball Leagues
are growing, with more than 45,000 members
currently playing on 3,200 teams. These leagues
provide the opportunity for players 18 & over, 28
& over, and so on to play competitive baseball on
a regular basis. Similar to the younger leagues,
players come from every talent level. There are
some serious athletes (some former collegiate
and minor league players) playing alongside
guys who just love the game and want some
exercise. There are even players who never made
their high-school team but now have a chance to
put on a uniform and get an at-bat or two.
What brings them together is their often
life-long love of baseball. Foss says that his
team’s roster includes a surgeon and an attorney,
as well as a truck driver and warehouse
worker. “Baseball transcends our differences,”
he claims. “The bench is diverse in race, income
and interests, but is full of mutual respect and
esprit de corps.”
One final trend is the importance of snacks
for the athletes after the final out is made. For
some players, post-game treats are more of
a motivation than the game itself. This timehonored
and seemingly growing tradition applies
to all levels of baseball, whether it is cupcakes
and juice boxes for the kids, pizza for the teens
or post-game beers for the adults. In the end,
baseball’s a game for all. ■

Harrington tops Order of Merit
and tames Tiger Woods
During the closing months of 2006, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington has played what is maybe some
of the best golf of his career. At the end of October, Harrington clinched the European Tour Order
of Merit title at the final event of the season in Valderrama, Spain. November saw him defeat Tiger
Woods at the Dunlop Phoenix after a dramatic final round including two play off holes.
■ Text by Markku Rimpiläinen
■ Photos by AFP/Getty Images
Harrington’s top spot on the European money list came with
the narrowest of margins. Just one shot more and the win
would have gone to England’s Paul Casey, who led the
money list before the final tournament.
Harrington’s approach shots over the final holes in Valderrama
were nigh on perfect – so precise that he only needed to take out his
putter five times in as many holes.
At the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan, Harrington took maybe the
sweetest first place of his career. Harrington, who teed off with
Tiger Woods for the last two rounds, was just three shots behind
him going into the final round. With only six holes to go, Woods still
retained that lead. Although the majority expected Woods to take his
third consecutive Dunlop Phoenix win, Harrington had other ideas.
After the 16th , it was level pegging.
On the second par 5 play off hole, Harrington’s tee shot ended
up in the trees. Most people would have put the ball back onto the
fairway, but not Harrington. He took a long shot with his Wilson Staff
Fh6 hybrid and squeezed the ball back onto the fairway through a
narrow y-shaped gap in the trunks.
Harrington pulled off an unbelievably precise third approach
shot with his Wilson Staff Tw7 gap wedge, the ball coming to rest
a mere 60 centimeters from the hole. When Woods fluffed his own
3.5-meter birdie putt, the game was over. Harrington sunk his ball
and started celebrating.
“I definitely got lucky, but sometimes fortune favors the brave,”
Harrington so rightly said at the prize ceremony.
Harrington will now start the 2007 season in excellent stead. His
victory over Tiger Woods will lend him the self-confidence that’s all
important during the deciding moments of major tournaments. ■
In Valderrama, Padraig Harrington showed us
that he is a real master of the short game.
Next | 31

news
Precor honored by the
Anytime Fitness chain
The North American fitness club chain Anytime Fitness has
chosen Precor as Best Vendor. The Anytime Fitness chain has
over 700 franchise facilities in the United States and Canada.
Franchisees named Precor as the best supplier in a survey
conducted by the chain’s head office. The criteria assessed
were reaction time, quality, price and follow-up.
“Vendor performance is something we value and closely
monitor,” says Anytime Fitness CEO Jeff Klinger.
“Precor’s line of fitness equipment has been a big part of
our success,” he adds.
Anytime Fitness began franchising in 2002 and has since
grown rapidly. The chain expects to break the 1,500 fitness
facility mark within five years.
32 | Next
Suunto D9 nominated
for major design award
Suunto’s D9 dive computer has been nominated for
one of the world’s most esteemed design awards. The
D9 is competing for the Deutsche Designpreis – held
by many influential people in the design industry to be
“the prize of prizes”.
Only products that have already received a national
or international design award can be nominated
for the Deutsche Designpreis. No other design competition
sets such strict entry requirements, which is why
this is such a respected award.
The German jury will consider such things as
innovation in the product’s design and technology, design
strategy, and usability. The Suunto D9 has already
been commended for its design and user-friendliness.
A whole season in one week
The Saab Salomon Transalp X-Wing Rally is a new and unique
multi-discipline alpine skiing tour that will be held from March
23-30, 2007.
Competitors will ski at the world’s most famous centers:
Sölden, St. Anton am Arlberg, Engadin St. Moritz, Cervinia &
Zermatt, Chamonix, Les 3 Vallées and Tignes.
Each group of three skiers will have a Saab car, and every
skier will have just a single pair of skis to be used for every
discipline. Both the center and the discipline will change every
day. Disciplines include ski cross, Giant Slalom, derby and
freestyle.
The event is being organized by Salomon and Saab in
cooperation with Suunto, the world’s leading manufacturer of
sports instruments. Saab and Salomon arrange a number of
events together, such as the Saab Salomon Crossmax Series.
www.SalomonXWing.com.
Jean Marc Favre/Salomon
Intelligent ski boot
for jumpers
Finnish footwear manufacturer
Jalas has developed
an intelligent boot for ski
jumpers.
The boot contains a
measuring system that provides
real-time data, such as
speed and trajectory, during
a jump.
The real-time measurement
system will noticeably
speed up performance
analyses, because it used to
take several months – and
sometimes up to half a year
– to receive feedback. Now,
every practice jump can be
accurately analyzed right
away.
Jalas, Nokia, Suunto and
VTI are all participating in
the project.
Harrington and Wall
hit the spot
Wilson Staff players Padraig
Harrington and Anthony
Wall hit the green with astounding
accuracy at the
classic Dunhill Links Championship.
The pair made a
combined total of 43 birdies,
with a whopping 80 percent
of their approach shots ending
on the green. Harrington
won the tournament and
Wall came in second. Both
players use Wilson Pi5 irons.
Amazing adventures
on Arc’teryx’s
website
Did you know that you can
read incredible travel stories
on Arc’teryx’s website? The
tales, many of which are
about climbing, are accompanied
by plenty of fabulous
photographs. You can read
the stories of climbers and
other adventurers by visiting
www.arcteryx.com and clicking
on ABOUT and NEWS.
Arc’teryx has recently
revamped its website. A
large, stylish photograph
now greets you on the home
page, and the other pages
have magnificent, mystical
winter landscapes as backdrops.
It makes you want to
whip out your pick, skis or
snowboard this very second!

The top three in the men's opening competition:
Magnus Larson (left), Benni Raich and Giorgio Rocca.
A super start for Atomic
The opening of the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Levi really was
a party for Atomic - Atomic skiers took no less than five out of
the six podium places.
In the women’s slalom, Austria’s Marlies Schildt skied to
a definitive victory. Austria’s Kathrin Zettel was second and
Croatia’s young Ana Jelusic clinched a fine fourth place.
Three smiling men with Atomic equipment in hand
climbed onto the podium after the men’s competition.
Benni Raich is no doubt happy to celebrate his first win
at a World Cup opening event – and with an especially fine
descent. In second was Sweden’s Magnus Larsson, delighted
at a top-three place for the second time in a row after finishing
on the podium at the World Cup final in Åre in the spring.
Italy’s Giorgio Rocca said he was satisfied with his third place,
although his second descent could have been better.
“I’ve still not come close to my limits,” says Rocca.
Rudolf Huber, who heads up the Atomic Racing Team,
was pleased with his athletes’ performances. The experienced
crew was up to speed and young skiers, like Sweden’s Jens
Byggmark, were coming on fast. Byggmark started out at 32,
but held on to his lead for a long time before finally coming in
sixth. In the second round, only Raich was faster.
The Salomon Jib Academy – a dream come
true for young freestyle skiers
Salomon is offering young freestyle skiers the chance of a
lifetime through the Jib Academy: skiing, photographs and
making movies with Salomon’s professional skiers. At the Jib
Academy, young people will have the chance to improve their
skiing and make their dreams come true with a movie segment.
Heats will be held in many countries. The 10-16 year-old
skiers will get to meet Salomon representatives and show
them what they can do, as well as getting the chance to improve
their skills on jumps and rails. The professionals will
provide coaching in small groups, and the most skilled from
each group will then battle it out in a two-descent final. The
winner will go on to the national final.
Photographers and reporters will be present at the events
to photograph and interview the skiers.
At the end of the season, the world’s best skiers will meet
for a week’s skiing with Salomon’s international professional
team in the USA’s best park in Mammoth. Well-known producers
will be filming and the best takes will make it into movies
such as Salomon Adrenaline Hunters.
Miika Kainu
Julien Absalon becomes Crosscountry
World Champion on Mavic Crossmax
SLR wheels
Julien Absalon, winner of Olympic Gold in Athens, is
rapidly becoming one of the all-time biggest names
in crosscountry cycling. At the end of August, the 26year-old
Frenchman dominated in New Zealand to win
his third consecutive Cross Country World Championship.
In the World Championship race, Absalon rode on
a Bianchi bike with Mavic’s new Crossmax SLR wheels.
The Crossmax SLR is Mavic’s number one model for
2007. The competition wheels are intended primarily
for crosscountry use and provide good support and excellent
roll. The V brake version weighs in at just 1,410
grams per pair, and the disc brake version at 1,520
grams. The color scheme of these top-level crosscountry
wheels follows the familiar red and black aesthetic
of Mavic’s Ksyrium ES road racing wheels.
www.absalon-julien.com, www.mavic.com
Osterman
joins Wilson
Olympic Gold Medal winner
and pitcher Cat Osterman
- regarded as one of the
world's best Fastpitch players
- has signed a multiyear
agreement with Wilson.
Osterman will serve as
an ambassador to the Wilson
brand, representing Wilson
ball gloves, DeMarini Fastpitch
bats and ATEC training
equipment. She will also
help with the design of new
Wilson and DeMarini equipment
including a signature
line of Cat Osterman fastpitch
gear.
Mavic products win Eurobike Awards
Two Mavic products have received esteemed Eurobike Awards
– the Wintech HR cycle computer and the Crossmax SR
wheelset.
The Wintech HR is a lightweight and easy-to-install wireless
cycle computer that offers distance traveled, speed and
many other useful measurements, including a broad range of
heart rate monitor functions.
The Crossmax SR is a crosscountry wheelset made
from super lightweight materials for optimum lightness and
strength.
The Eurobike Award was contested by 212 products from
19 countries. The winners were chosen by a jury consisting of
cycling journalists and representatives from manufacturers
and retailers.
Suunto launches new website for divers
At the beginning of November, Suunto launched Diving World,
a new section on its website suunto.com aimed at divers of all
levels.
Suunto’s Diving World is choc-full of both information and
experiences: divers can find out about Suunto’s diving products,
chat in the discussion forum, and learn more about the
finer points of diving.
A competition for the best underwater photos is currently
running on Diving World. The first prize winner gets to choose
either a Suunto Vyper2 or a Suunto Cobra2 diving computer.
www.suunto.com/diving
Next | 33

classic
How Salomon found ski cross
Salomon was the first ski manufacturer to get into ski cross, creating both
the Saab Salomon Crossmax Series and a new type of fast piste ski.
■ Text by Markku Rimpiläinen
■ Photos by Salomon
At
the end of the 1990s, the world
of snowboarding began to blow
a breath of fresh air into alpine
skiing, which had until then remained very
traditional. Open-minded snowboarders had
invented such disciplines as boarder cross, a
general start race in which four snowboarders
compete on a motocross-style track. The discipline
includes jumps, turns and high speeds, but
is above all a strongly contended battle between
individuals.
Sportspeople in the USA noticed that boarder
cross could also work on skis - ski cross was
Enak Gavaggio: the top name in ski cross since 2001.
34 | Next
born. In 1998, the sport reached Europe and rapidly
attracted both participants and spectators.
Salomon, always interested in fresh new forms of
skiing, decided to devote efforts to ski cross and
created the Saab Salomon Crossmax Series – a
true classic in this young sport.
The first competitions were held in the 2000-
2001 season. Among those who took part in the
Les Deux Alpes competition was Enak Gavaggio,
who had quit alpine racing a couple of years previously.
Gavaggio had already been successfully
skiing in cross races, but the track still came as
a shock to him.
“All the skiers were terrified when they saw
the track, but after the first descent everyone
was so enthusiastic. There was a lot of snow, and
the organizers had constructed an abso lutely
brilliant track: full-speed from start to finish
with long, high jumps. That was one of the best
tracks I’ve ever skied. It was a monster race! I
think I won,” adds Gavaggio, apologizing for his
bad memory.
Gavaggio has remained at the top of the sport
to this day.
The Saab Salomon Crossmax Series grew
quickly. Alpine racers and even the odd mogul
skier joined in the races. Competition was tough,
but racing was always fun. Both national and
international competitions began to be organized
– an effective way of getting the sport recognized.
As Salomon was the first to get rolling, its Series
also re ceived plenty of publicity.
Salomon launched new Crossmax skis in
conjunction with the Series, and both skis and
Series gained recognition so successfully that
the Crossmax brand became almost synonymous
with the sport as a whole.
The FIS (International Ski Federation) started
to take interest in the new sport and made it part
of the freestyle in 2002, at the same time fixing
its name as ski cross. Ski cross was part of the
Freestyle World Championships for the first time
in 2005, and it seems highly probable that it will
be an Olympic Sport in 2010.
The nature of ski cross changed with the arrival
of the FIS. Now, it is a competition between
skiers specialized in the sport.
“Competition is tougher than ever before, but
the fun has not disappeared,” says Gavaggio.
He intends to be around next season too,
when the Saab Salomon Crossmax Series starts
up again for the seventh time, bigger than ever
before. ■
www.saabcrossmaxseries.com

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