Alinghi :
Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd
America’s Cup has launched a limited edition ski in Zermatt,
Switzerland.
This launch is the pinnacle of a project
between Alinghi, Stöckli and Dominique Perret, "Freerider of the Century."
Stöckli have been working closely with both, Ernesto Bertarelli, and Dominique
Perret, a good friend of his, to produce a limited edition, high end, freeride
ski, tailored for powder on and off the slopes.
There are several passionate skiers within the America’s Cup team: sailing team
members, Josh Belsky, Curtis Blewett, Yves Detrey, Nils Frei, Murray Jones, to
name just a few plus some ex-competitive skiers, such as Pierre-Yves Jorand, the
sailing coach, who was European Champion speed skier with a top speed of
225km/h.
Also Francine Moreillon, an Alinghi media
officer, with three World Champion extreme skier titles and time as the film
double for Sophie Marceau in the classic James Bond “The World Is Not Enough.”
Ernesto Bertarelli comments on a successful project: “This project has been
based on a shared passion for nature, sports and technology.
Thanks to Dominique Perret, Stöckli and
Alinghi decided to build a ski which would cement our friendship and remind us
of our common values.”
And Dominique Perret adds: “I am very happy and proud of this opportunity to
associate my ski partner Stöckli with the Alinghi adventure and thus to have
provided the best ski manufacturer for this project.
There are just a few turns from the
mountain peaks to the ocean and we want to make them with people that hold the
same values.”
Beni Stöckli, CEO of Stöckli Skis, reflects on the parallels between Alinghi and
Stöckli: “We both represent similar values: passion, high end technology and
team spirit and these are reflected in the development of the Alinghi freeride
ski.”
The Alinghi was limited to 1,000 pairs
The
Stockli Stormrider is simply put, is the most precise
skiing instrument on the market today.
Who they
are:
Based in Switzerland,
Stockli isn’t a major player in the
US market, and the company’s skis can be hard to find. Manufactured with
the same attention to detail as the heralded Swiss watches, Stockli’s
skis are built with a sandwich construction, with both wood and
synthetic cores, and the company isn’t afraid to tap into outside
expertise to help design the freeride line.
Both Scot Schmidt and
Dominique Perret have left their mark on the company’s big-mountain
tools. With three new park and pipe offerings, Stockli is bringing the
durability and toughness of their big-mountain line to jibbers.
Stockli are
renowned for
their levels of craftsmanship and finish. A Swiss company, 66 years
making skis, every ski hand made and only 40,000 pairs made a year.
Stockli is more of an institution to the ski industry than just a
manufacturer.
They have a very strong
heritage in specialist racing and Free-ride skis for skiers who equally
strong and technically competent. If you buy a World Cup slalom or GS
ski from Stockli it is essentially the same ski as that used on the
crystal circuit, you get lots of performance and speed but the flip side
is a very humbling experience if you do not ski to a high level.
