13.03.2018

Brilliant Olympic Result for WINTERSTEIGER

Race Service machine Race NCRace service machine Race NC

Now that the Olympic games are over, ski associations and companies have been releasing their successful medal results. WINTERSTEIGER can be particularly proud of its achievements as the majority of all medals in Pyeongchang were won on skis ground on machines provided by the Austrian ski service specialist.

 

This year’s Olympic games in Pyeongchang were marked by some very specific weather conditions; it was unusually cold and windy. To add to this, many events only started late in the evening. These conditions made selecting the right skis particularly challenging. “The conditions were very difficult and unexpected and were also constantly changing,” confirmed Toni Giger, Head of the Race Service & Technology department at ÖSV. “WINTERSTEIGER’s machines allowed us to react extremely quickly on-site. In South Korea, we ground around 300 pairs of skis, both Alpine and Nordic, to ensure our athletes were provided with the perfect equipment to tackle the prevailing weather conditions. We're really pleased with the results.” Apart from the ski’s structure, the grind is the most important quality criterion to ensure the ski has the right gliding properties. Achieving the right grind depends on factors such as temperature, the consistency of the snow and humidity.

 

The German Ski Association (Deutscher Skiverband – DSV) was delighted with its performance at the Olympic games. “These were the most successful games to date for the DSV. For every medal we won at Pyeongchang, the skis were ground on WINTERSTEIGER service machines,” reports Enrico Heisig, Head Technician at the German Ski Association.

 

Even for the medals claimed by ski companies such as Atomic, Fischer, Head, Rossignol, Salomon, etc., grinding was largely carried out on WINTERSTEIGER machines.



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Skiers and cross-country skiers alike benefit from the successes at Pyeongchang.

WINTERSTEIGER invests a lot of time in its partnerships with ski companies and associations, and this really pays off. From the hundreds of skis tested, the athletes are given 15 to 20 pairs for each discipline they compete in; for cross-country skiing, this can even reach 30 individually tailored pairs. Before competing, each athlete speaks with their service rep to decide which ski to use. The skis may even be swapped up to two hours before the start depending on changes in the snow and weather conditions. And the race service machines from WINTERSTEIGER are also used up to this point – after all, the base structures stored in the machines can be quickly and precisely reproduced on-site at the touch of a button. The ability to reproduce grinds for both bases and edges is a quality feature specific to the WINTERSTEIGER service machines.

 

“The experiences gathered by the athletes and the support team during competitions, training, and in tests are discussed during regular meetings with the associations and ski companies, and are then incorporated into the ongoing development of our machines,” emphasizes Daniel Steininger, Head of Sales in the Business Unit SPORTS at WINTERSTEIGER AG. “The modules optimized in racing are then integrated into the service machines for the sports trade. So amateur skiers and cross-country skiers also benefit from racing.”

 

One race service machine from WINTERSTEIGER which has benefited a lot from the know-how gleaned from the world cup is the Race NC, which can reproduce base structures with extreme accuracy. With the Race NC, WINTERSTEIGER highlights its market and technology leadership in the field of race service. Components of the Race NC have also been used in WINTERSTEIGER's Omega racing models, which also feature impressive racing technologies and parameter-driven race structures.

WINTERSTEIGER's state-of-the-art Ceramic Disc Finish technology, for edge grinding, is an innovation which is now being used across the globe, and is used to process and deliver 90 percent of all skis produced. This is another technology perfected at the world cup. The self-sharpening discs guarantee an extremely accurate edge geometry, a precise grinding angle, smooth edge surfaces and consistent grinding quality over the entire length of the ski. Due to the low, steady abrasion, the skis also have a longer service life. The Ceramic Disc Finish technology is at the core of the Mercury and Trimjet automated race service machines.

 

World market leaders in ski service and rentals.

Based in the Upper Austrian town of Ried im Innkreis, WINTERSTEIGER AG is a world market leader in service and rental services for skiing and snowboarding. Sports retailers, rental outlets, reputable ski and snowboard manufacturers, and leading national ski associations all place their trust in the system solutions and first-class service offered by WINTERSTEIGER.

 

Names such as Atomic, Blizzard/Nordica, Croc, Dynastar/Lange, Elan, Fischer, Head, K2, Kneissl, Rossignol, Salomon, S.K.I. (Sport 2000 and Flüge.de-Sprungski), Stöckli, and Völkl all benefit from WINTERSTEIGER's cutting-edge technology. Along with the ÖSV, WINTERSTEIGER also works with the national ski associations of Germany, Canada, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the USA.