16Jun 2017 by DS News Team
Premium Rollerski From Bavaria That Really Stand Out In the Crowd

Premium Rollerski From Bavaria That Really Stand Out In the Crowd

Gear News, Money & Finance, Newsfeed
A popularity of rollerskiing must be exploding. At least, seriously increasing. That is a strong impression one gets from observing the amount of the new entrants to already pretty saturated field of rollerski producers. The latest trend seems to be easy to summarize in one word: "suspension" A Canadian Rundle advertises " a unique suspension that helps absorb the bumps, tracks straight, and make rollerski overall more comfortable" for its Flex model. A close-to-impossible to find in Europe US-made Pursuit Fork Flex ( that gets raving reviews in the North American skiing press ,. http://fasterskier.com/fsarticle/living-the-dream-2016-skate-rollerski-review/ is featuring spring-steel fork to provide flex " that simulates the flex of a ski better than concave flex typical of composite frames" Needless to say, those are flagship, top-of-the line models costing quite a bit of…
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01Jun 2017 by DS News Team
Most Expensive/Exotic Training Classic Rollerskis

Most Expensive/Exotic Training Classic Rollerskis

Gear News, Money & Finance, Newsfeed
The classic training rollerskis segment is dominated by solid, time-tested models such as Marwe Rollerski 800 XC Classic, Swenor Fiberglass, and Elpex Evolution. We, however, take a look at what expensive exotics can be found in this most conservative of rollerski sectors. 1. Ski Skett Elite Classic Flex (formerly known as Flex CL) The Italians are world leaders in carbon fiber monocoque manufacturing (Ferrari, Colnago anybody?). Whatever they learned in supercar and superbike production is, obviously, drifting into rollerski making. The first of the two Italian entries on our list is a brightly colored pair from Sandrigo. They feature a carbon monocoque frame - with forks, however, made of stainless steel. Wow-factor: they are bright. Ski Skett is one of the oldest names on the market – they were making…
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27May 2017 by DS News Team
Madshus Sold

Madshus Sold

Gear News, Money & Finance, Newsfeed
A business deal much awaited in the skiing world was announced late on Friday. Madshus AS, together with its corporate parent K2, was sold to Kohlberg & Company, a private equity firm. Many, especially in Norway, had expected that the storied Norwegian ski & apparel producer would be spun off and sold back to a Norwegian business. Rumors swirled that Swix Sport (or its owner, Ferd Group) were looking to purchase Madshus. It would make sense: the two companies are located close to each other in the outskirts of Lillehammer – working together would bring massive savings in everything from manufacturing and warehousing to marketing and distribution. Alas, that was not to be the case, as Madshus AS remains in American hands – at least for now. New-York based Kohlberg…
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26May 2017 by DS News Team
Magnificent Five

Magnificent Five

Gear News, Money & Finance, Newsfeed
It's almost summer. Time to finally pack away your skis and switch to their wheeled brethren. You know what's the biggest difference between the two? It's cold in the winter – hardly a good time for standing and chatting. Meanwhile, summer is perfect for just that – discussing training methods, tactics – and most of all, ideal gear. Today we look at what is likely the most popular category of them all - training skate rollerskis. Marwe 620ХС, Swenor Elite, SRB SR02 Professional Flex – those are the names that come to mind when one is talking about high-end skate rollerskis. There's nothing wrong (and a lot right) with them – except for one thing: they are too ubiquitous. Everyone and his coach has them already – what's there to…
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10May 2017 by DS News Team
Madshus Awaits Its Fate

Madshus Awaits Its Fate

Gear News, Money & Finance, Newsfeed, Training & Outfitting
The Madshus' fate is about to be decided. According to SGB Media, a social media marketing firm, Michael Polk, CEO of Newell Brands, said this week that "...Negotiations around the sale of the Winter Sports unit are in full flight and are expected to close in the second quarter..." You want to know the connection? Well, let's see. Back in 1988, a legacy Norwegian ski producer was bought by K2 Sports Inc. from Seattle, best known for its eponymous Alpine ski. Then, in 2007, K2 itself was bought by Jarden Corp.., owned and run by Martin Franklin, a British investor and triathlete. Finally, last year Jarden was swallowed whole by an even bigger corporate fish, Newell Brands Inc., whose boss, Mr. Polk, had immediately announced his intention to sell off…
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