Company Background
Alpina Sports Corporation (ASC) is the importer/distribution company for
Alpina Nordic and downhill boots and skis, Bjorn Daehlie clothing, Exel
poles, Crispi boots, Masters poles, Peltonen skis Rottefella bindings and Start
waxes.

Alpina Manufacturing
Company Background

The Alpina brands are headquartered in the foothills of the Southern Alps in a charming small town called Žiri, which is, located Western part of Slovenia. Alpina employs just over 2000 in four factories.

Alpina Žiri has a long history of shoe and boot manufacturing, dating back to the turn of the 1900s. Since just after WWll in 1948, Alpina has been active in the export of outdoor sports footwear including Nordic and Alpine skiing boots, winter footwear, Hiking, and Trekking boots.

Today the Alpina brand name can be found throughout the world, distributed through over a dozen importers such as Alpina Sports USA.
The Slovenian manufacturer is widely known in Southern Europe for their woman’s and men’s fashion shoes and casual footwear. In addition to manufacturing, Alpina owns and operates a chain of 110 stores throughout Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia that attract many of their neighboring countrymen, including the savvy, style conscious Italian consumer.

While steeped in traditional manufacturing experience, Alpina is also blending that skill and knowledge with very state-of-the–art materials and technology.
For example, Alpina has developed a computer driven scanning device that reads 12 key dimensions of a foot, including the instep height, ankle placement, heel to forefoot ratio and overall volume. With over 2500 foot records, Alpina is recasting their lasts, which are the core to their already renowned great fit. Hand-lasting footwear is not the norm of manufactures today, it requires a more skilled artisan, and it takes more time, but the results are superior.
Alpina Žiri also brought their innovative thinking and practical experience to Cross-Country Racing boots, where they were the first to bring plastic cuffs engineered with asymmetrical flex to follow the biomechanics of a foot while it skis.

Bjørn DÆhlie

The Bjørn Dæhlie brand builds on two simple values. P U R E. F U N C T I O N. These two values are something Daehlie brought with him from his years as the Winning-est Winter athlete in History. And they are essential in all of his products. Bjorn Daehlie pays attention to the fit, to allow freedom of movement and zoned function.
Form follows function. It is all about performance, so materials and construction are integrated parts in each and every design.

“I bring to the sports industry the same philosophy and high demand for quality and performance as I did to my ski racing. Bjørn Dæhlie is a brand that understands cross-country skiers’ needs and surpasses their expectations, from racers to recreational cross-country skiers of all ages. We respect tradition, yet we are committed to push boundaries and break barriers for design, function and use.” Bjorn Daehlie

CRISPI SPORT
Company Background

CRISPI is today a rare example of a perfect balance between TECHNOLOGY and TRADITION. It’s the dream of a man whose small Italian company has become a world leader in all of its production niches, without any dazzling slogans or big promises - simply driven by a passion for quality footwear and the courage to put on the line the results it obtained in order to achieve constant improvement, model after model.

“Looking ahead is what this company is about. Improving every day through ongoing research into materials and technical solutions is our objective and our strength”.-Alessandro Marcolin

In the early 70s Italy was booming and everybody was excitedly doing everything they could to reach modern comforts at an “American” pace.
“Such is progress,” one would say, but back then just as now, there was still one place where none of that mattered, a place where peace and tranquillity were unaffected by all the hustle and bustle of everyday modern life - the Alps.
Alessandro Marcolin loved rambling on Monte Grappa near his home, the familiar background of his life. During one of those long treks he once ran across a bearish old man (mountain people are big-hearted but protect themselves from intruders behind their gruff manners). After walking for one hour and exchanging just few words, the two men finally started talking at length about the great passion they shared: the Mountains.
The man lived with his family in an old house still with no electricity or running water. Alessandro was pleased to accept his invitation for supper and to spend the night in that small chalet overlooking the mountains. A guest has to be made welcome, so the table was laid out with the best local specialties, especially cheese and good wine, and the atmosphere immediately got lively and friendly.
The town of Montebelluna has always been renowned for sports and trekking boot making and Alessandro had already been working for more than ten years in the industry. So after supper the conversation quite naturally dwelt on mountain boots, an interest shared by everybody there.
Even at a time when the word ‘Trekking’ was unknown to most Italians, mountain people knew very well that a good pair of boots is the first and foremost piece of gear. Alessandro loved his job and he was particularly pleased with the conversation because he had a chance to talk to people who wore mountain boots every day, in all seasons and weathers.
The old man was particularly proud of his latest purchase, a pair of boots he had bought 3 months before and that, after long suffering, were finally starting to become comfortable. The old man had “worn out” many pairs of boots over the years and for each of them he could remember very well the brand or maker as well as the pain of the first treks. His children, who worked as lumbermen and breeders, also knew very well that boots, independently from their quality and materials, needed a certain running-in time before perfectly fitting the foot’s shape.
In the heat of the conversation the old man took off his boots to show better their characteristics, but what really struck Alessandro most were his deformed feet in the thick socks. Over all those years, not only did the boots give in around the foot’s shape, but the feet themselves had adapted to the constriction. The old man was convinced that the only way to have comfortable mountain boots was to continue wearing them despite the pain, and little by little manage to mould them around one’s feet.
The next morning Alessandro resumed his trek with a pledge in his heart: being able to make mountain boots as sturdy and strong as the boots of those days or even more, yet comfortable from the very first step. The old man had decided to walk with him for the first part of the way and was particularly happy about Alessandro’s resolution. Thanks to him, the mountains would have offered a more enjoyable and relaxing experience for everyone, with no need for painfully molding one’s boots around one’s feet.
The encounter led to designing sturdy but soft boots with a manic attention for the foot, made of first choice leather, with micro-pore midsoles to improve absorption of heel micro-shocks due to the gait and padded cuffs. The CRISPI brand name was thus born in 1975, and recognized ever since by “connoisseurs” for its top quality.

Today, after nearly 30 years, CRISPI is still loyal to this philosophy and produces high quality footwear, in a highly competitive market which is, however, better capable of acknowledging superior class.
Crispi nowadays caters for a market of “specialists”, because it concentrates on producing niche items, to better exploit the technology and know-how acquired over the years. Hence the diverse Crispi ranges: TELEMARK, of which Crispi is the world champion.
Alessandro Marcolin today is 59 years old and has spent most of his life producing ever better footwear, continually staking on the results obtained. Second millennium Crispi footwear is developed with the help and advice of the best testers from all over the world and in close contact with the major specialists.

Exel Sports

In 2006, in celebration of the Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Exel announced its 30th anniversary in cross-country ski pole industry with the return of a Legend – the Black Feather pole. 56 medals were won with Black Feather poles at those Games.

Exel’s success story began with the introduction of the first carbon fiber x-country ski pole at the Innsbruck Winter Olympic Games in 1976.

1972 Exel manufactures and introduces the first tapered composite ski poles.
1974 Exel exhibits the first time at ISPO fair with ski poles.
1976 Innsbruck Olympic Games. 70% of the Olympic medals with Exel poles.
Grafil Champion, world’s first carbon fiber ski pole with asymmetric basket.
1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games, 82% of the Olympic medals won with Exel poles.
1984 Sarajevo Olympic Games. 72% of the Olympic medals with Exel poles. Black Feather becomes an Olympic legend. Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen wins three gold medals and one bronze medal.
1986 Exel’s Carbon fiber Kevlar poles for new skating style.
1988 Calgary Olympic Games. 70% of the Olympic medals with Exel poles. Introduction of sensational Ergo grip.
1994 Lillehammer Olympic Games. Manuela di Centa with Exel poles – the best female skier. Exel introduces the first Control strap in the world.
1998 Nagano Olympic Games. Introduction of the Quick Lock System (QLS) in Exel ski poles.
2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games. 54 Olympic medals with Exel poles.
2006 Torino Olympic Games. An Olympic Legend returns - the Exel Black Feather.
56 Medals with Exel poles.

Masters

Manufacturing ski poles and accessories since 1977. Located in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, Masters produces 600,000 pairs of poles annually, and distributes them to over 40 countries around the world. Their products are an ideal balance of Innovation, Technology, and Quality. Over the years their poles have expanded into four categories: Nordic Walking, Alpina, Cross-country and Trekking. Alpina Sports distributes Masters' Alpine Performance, Fun and Junior level poles in North America.

Peltonen Ski

“Guaranteeing the Best Skiing Experience for Every Kind of Skier.”

Peltonen has been offering uncompromised high-end equipment for top-level skiers in pursuit of excellence since they began making skis. In 2007 they continued to make improvements at every level. Combined with new production equipment, like their state-of-the-art ski chamber and stiffness measuring device, they have made their production process more efficient and capable than ever.

Peltonen also introduced the world’s first carbon nanotube (CNT) implementation in cross-country skis. With nanotechnology, they are able to make skis that are both lighter as well as stronger than before. The HYBTONITE ® nanoepoxy construction they use features the latest innovations made for carbon nanotube composites.

Peltonen skis offer the 9-click NIS-binding systems on its skis.

Peltonen Ski Oy is located in Hartola, Finland, and is a member of Rapala VMC Group.

Rotteffella Bindings
Company Background

Innovators since 1927.
Throughout the history of Rottefella the ability to seek solutions when facing challenges is apparent.

The history starts with the inventor and daredevil Bror With. , the occasion being his start in a cross country ski race. The name Rottefella - in Norwegian it means "rat trap" - has a somewhat curious background. The name came into being at the ski race where Bror participated using his new bindings. Crown Prince Olav was present, he looked at the different looking bindings and asked Bror what on earth he had on his skis. The inventor quickly replied: "oh, they're just a couple of rat traps I picked up at the hardware store". The binding proved itself a success and the name "Rottefella" was a reality He forged the first split toe binding back in 1927, and already the following year the binding was attached to the skis of the Norwegian military team during the Olympics in St. Moritz. The team won and Rottefella was on its way to conquer the world market.
The following years saw the improvement of the increasingly popular Rottefella binding as well as the introduction of several other models covering every aspect of the sport, be it competition or touring.
In 1985 Rottefella developed NNN (New Nordic Norm), a system where boot soles and bindings are carefully adapted to each other. In introducing this system, the basis for a new technology for modern skiing was made. The combination of high quality and creative design makes the brand name ROTTEFELLA just as fresh and innovative today as it was when the modern cross country binding was invented more than 70 years ago.

Start Ski Wax

Startex Oy is a private company, founded in 1981. They have produced ski waxes and rollerskis nearly a quarter of decade with increasing success. Their product development team is constantly at work, developing new waxes every year for all skiers, from beginners to the world cup winners.

Their latest innovation, Start Grip Tape, solves the waxing problems in classis skiing. It is the first wax product for all snow conditions. Start Grip Tape is also very durable and lasts for more than 250 km of skiing. There is no need to change wax according to the temperature. The skis are always ready for skiing.

In 2007 Start also developed new line of fluoro powders, blocks and liquid for the racing skiers. The fourth generation of fluoro waxes, the SFR-series, represents the latest fluoro technology. The great success in the season's World Cup races and in other main competitions is excellent sign of the high quality of these new waxes.

Start is never satisfied with compromises or small improvements. They make real innovations and top quality products for World Cup racers to recreational skiers.