Kastle Going For A Medal At Beijing Olympics
Kästle staged a comeback on the World Cup circuit, to great approbation, just over a year ago. Numerous requests started to pour into the Hohenems headquarters from athletes and ski associations. This was in no small part down to the fact that Kästle athlete Adriana Jelinkova won the North America Cup in giant slalom, and Alain Zurbriggen, son of Kästle ski legend Pirmin, soon started to see results after switching over to Kästle.
Kästle official equipment supplier to Swiss-Ski
The positive response from the racing world led to discussions taking place with the Swiss Ski Pool. It was soon clear that both parties were keen to come to an arrangement. Kästle is the Swiss association’s first new ski manufacturer signing since 1994. Initially, Kästle only planned to equip the junior athletes. But when giant slalom athlete Cedric Noger wanted to test the skis too, things moved forward at pace. Cedric Noger (28), who came 4th in the 2019 Kranjska Gora Giant Slalom, immediately felt good on Kästle skis and his tuning requirements were met within just a few days. “For us, it was confirmation that Kästle should be welcomed into the pool”, says Swiss Ski Pool Managing Director, Christian Zingg. He went on to say: “These skis are so much more than just race-ready, and the professionalism and speed with which Kästle builds skis is impressive”. Cedric Noger is also thrilled to have switched to the brand. “The Kästle family have welcomed me with open arms and I’m really looking forward to representing the Austrian ski brand both in Switzerland and around the world”, said Noger.
New contract with Austria Ski Pool
After a few difficulties in summer 2019, and in the wake of the Katharina Liensberger case, Kästle and Austria Ski Pool have in recent weeks agreed on a new equipment contract. With Mathias Graf (24) from Dornbirn, Vorarlberg, Kästle has signed up its first Austrian Ski Association athlete with World Cup experience under his belt. “As a Vorarlberger, it’s a huge honour to be a part of our local ski brand’s historic racing comeback. Aside from the outstanding quality of the skis, it was also the local aspect and their professional service that convinced me to change to Kästle”, explains Graf.
Boot collaboration agreed with Dalbello and Lange
For its World Cup participation, Kästle partnered up with Marker for bindings and Dalbello for boots. But now, Lange has agreed to join up as a second ski boot supplier to support Kästle athletes.
Kästle Managing Director Clemens Tinzl is obviously relieved that after such a fraught year, it is the sport of skiing that can once again be the centre of attention. “We are now fully focused on testing materials and ski finishes, which is all done at our home base in Hohenems, under the watchful eye of Rainer Nachbaur and his team. Our aim is to build up a hand-picked team of top athletes, with the dream of winning a medal for Kästle at the 2022 Peking Olympics, and carrying on the brand’s winning tradition.
