Rossignol’s Nick Castagnoli discusses maintaining a top position in the ski hard goods market, new carbon technology & the decision to consolidate its bindings offering.
When you have the top two selling skis in North America, how do you possibly go up from there? Rossignol has been a staple in the ski industry since the early days, so it comes as no surprise that they’ve continued to dominate that top list of sellers each season.
Nick Castagnoli, Rossignol’s brand and communications manager, points out ski construction and trends have stabilized in the ski industry, revealing a “sweet spot” to focus on innovation in other areas. “We’re going back to the drawing board in terms of materials,” says Castagnoli when discussing innovation.
The brand welcomed the all-new Carbon Alloy Matrix at SIA this year, revolutionary for its open weave carbon, basalt construction. The ability to “deliver a balanced product” is key Castagnoli says .
Accessibility has also remained a focal point for the brand, and Castagnoli admits that Rossignol’s evolutionary next step is to create more of an intuitive experience when building the next generation of skis, allowing the brand to carry skis for every level of skier.
Castagnoli also discussed the consolidating of Rossignol’s bindings offering with Look Bindings. The decision has allowed them to open new doors on the retail and consumer level with one a-la-carte binding brand, but also from a sports marketing position. “We’re seeing opportunities to reach out to athletes like Henrik Harlaut,” an X Games gold freeskier, now supporting the Look Pivot binding.
Check out the full interview with Nick Castagnoli in The Sessions @ SIA.