My career in the ski industry has allowed me to travel all over the world with some of my best friends and colleagues doing what we love. It has granted me opportunities to live-out experiences that still don’t feel like real life. After recently returning home from Slovenia (fresh off another ski factory tour in 2022), I really thought about how fortunate I am to be in this position.

I remember quite vividly the first time I was introduced to the sport of skiing. I was nine years old and in the 5th grade at Holy Cross elementary school in Springfield, Massachusetts. I, like many other kids, joined the school ski program and took a bus every Thursday to a little western mass ski area called Mount Tom (RIP). I look back and think about the absolute chaos of the ski area and how the energy back then was just electric! Little did I know that those days at Mount Tom would start me down a path that lead me to where I am today.

Whenever I travel for TSM, I try to reflect about this first introduction into the sport of skiing. It’s an important thought process for me, especially when I’m experiencing something that is so wildly outside the scope of what I would consider normal. Being able to travel to the beautiful country of Slovenia is already a massive privilege in its own right, but being presented with a full white glove tour of Elan’s ski factory is one of furtherest things from normal that I have ever experienced.

Elan’s manufacturing operation is nothing short of incredible. We were lucky enough to spend most of our time there with Marko Kozjek. Marko is Elan’s Research and Development Project Manager. Not only can you see his passion for the brand, but you can hear it in his voice. The way he explains everything exudes excitement and intensity for what Elan is doing.

Part of Marko’s job is to take new design or construction ideas and turn them into a reality. He knows absolutely every inch of that ski factory. His explanations of every piece of machinery and tooling had all of us captivated by the intricacies of the ski building process. Having him walk us through each part of the ski manufacturing process was a true pleasure, and I am incredibly grateful for his expertise and for the time he allocated to us during our stay. Marko thank you for all you do!

Elan’s ski factory is a short drive from the town of Bled. Famous for its gorgeous lake (Lake Bled) and its mountain top castle. We were lucky enough to also be in Slovenia during Elan’s international sales meeting. The event was held on the shores of Lake Bled and Elan showcased all of their new exciting products for 23/24.

Elan controls their ski wood cores from their raw form all the way to end product. The company has a sprawling wood shop that’s fully operational for three shifts a day and six days a week. One of the most interesting components of the core building, is that each worker is never shaping/building the same core at the same time. They are always building multiple different types of skis at the same time, during the same shift.

Elan’s Ripstick series skis have been absolutely on fire worldwide, but especially here in North America. It’s one of TSM’s top tested skis and has been since its conception. A big part of the reason why they ski so well is Elan’s tube light core construction. They utilize carbon rods by integrating them into the ski’s wood core. This provides the ski with a stable, snappy, energetic feel without adding much weight.

Massive digital printing machines are used for ski top sheets, which Elan pioneered in the ski industry years ago. One of the major benefits is a substantial reduction of VOCs when the digital process is used. Certain models still use a more traditional screen printing method to acheive certain colors and vibrancy.

Metal edges need to be cut and shaped before being put into the production process. Ski molds are made entirely of metal. They are insanely expensive and surprisingly extremely heavy. A major part of getting a new ski model right is the mold. Thats why when a ski manufacturer gets a mold dialed to near perfect specifications, they want to build skis with that mold for as long as possible.

Here, fiberglass and a top sheet material are being combined to form a shell that is used in the construction of cap skis.

Once the metal edges have been bent and cut to the appropriate lengths, they need to be hand laid and hammered into place. The ski builder then lays up each individual piece of construction material one at a time. Every ski model has a different process and different set of materials. The builders are incredibly meticulous and extremely skilled at this process. Especially for how fast they are building each ski.

Walking into the ski factory the morning of the tour, we were jazzed up at the thought of potentially being able to build a pair of skis. Consensus was that we wanted to build a Ripstick 96.  When the opportunity presented itself, Marko was gracious and patient enough to let us have a go. Here you see George building a Ripstick 96 from start to finish.

Attempting to build a pair of skis is a very in detailed process that takes a great deal of skill and patience. Not that we didn’t already, but you really gain a huge level of respect and appreciation for these ski builders.

Skis need to be ground once they come out of the press. All of the excess material needs to be removed before they can be moved on to the finishing process.

Once all the hard work of ski construction is completed, each ski needs to be given a code and scanned into Elan’s database. They then go to quality control for a final once over before heading to packaging.

When you walk out of the Elan ski factory, the view of the Slovenian Alps is just incredible. Slovenia is truly one of the most naturally beautiful places I’ve ever visited.

Attached to the factory is Elan’s ski museum. They did a really great job with this exhibit. You are able to walk their history as a brand and all of the things the company has built both in and out of the ski industry.

One of the first things you learn upon walking into the museum, is that Elan’s founder Rudi Finzgar initially started building skis to fight the Nazi’s in WW2. Pretty badass!

As part of the festivities for Elan’s international sales meeting, there was a Wild West themed party. Everyone turned out in their best cowboy attire and the Elan crew definitely turned up!

A little line dancing and fake guns never hurt anyone. I feel like we held on our own. (Left to Right - George, Matt, Eric)

Touring a ski factory is an experience that should never be taken for granted or ever feel like it’s a normal part of life. I am incredibly grateful to the Elan family and the people of Slovenia for making our trip so special.

As our tour was nearing its end, Marko said something to us that really stuck with me. He said that everyone in this factory isn’t just building skis. They are building Slovenian skis. They are building things that they can be proud of. They are building things that they know everyone single person in Slovenia can be proud of.

Every person at Elan wants you to have a one of your best days ever on their product. “Always Good Times” isn’t just marketing slogan, its a phrase the company lives by. And after spending a week in Slovenia, it’s easy to see how they are building and designing some of the best skis in the world.

 

ALWAYS GOOD TIMES. Alpha Team, out.