History Volkl. From wooden sleds to workshop skis. New Volkl plant

They’ll invent something that doesn’t even have to turn the pedals, then... I can’t even think of a name for it, but see for yourself:

Craftsman Nicholas Sawyers enjoyed riding both a bicycle and a skateboard, but he was completely unhappy with a couple of facts:
a) a bicycle does not provide the freedom of movement that is inherent in a skateboard;
b) it is easier and faster to move on a bicycle, thanks to the pedal drive.
As a result, either a bicycle skate or a skate bike was born. If you don’t pay attention to the dimensions (which are much larger than a regular skateboard), then this vehicle has a lot of advantages, for example, it’s easy to ride uphill, and you don’t have to constantly push off the ground with your foot. Traction is achieved thanks to a special spring, swaying on which you can easily roll into the distance without touching the ground with your feet.

I don't know if another bicycle inventor, Michael Jenkins, likes skateboarding, but I can confidently say that in warm weather he misses ski resorts. And in order not to go outside in the summer wearing skis, so that it would not work out in one very famous poem, he decided to cross skis and a bicycle.

Skiing and Völkl snowboards, in the slang of the Russian rider “fekla”, are now known to every more or less experienced skier; many professionals choose them. Volkl equipment can be found in many specialized stores; not a single world test is complete without high-tech “volkl”. How did they manage to achieve such popularity? Only many years of work, love for skiing, and continuous improvement.

Founding of the company

One hundred and fifty years ago in Staubing, a small town in Lower Bavaria, there lived a master builder of horse-drawn carriages and sleds, Georg Völkl. The family workshop began with them, which received the family name in 1875. Georg's son, Franz, when the business passed to him, added boats to the simple assortment of the factory. And even later, already in 1923, when the craze for alpine skiing began in Europe, Franz began making charming skis from wood, called them Vöstras - it was a witty hybrid of the brand name and the Latin word “Vestras”, i.e. "yours"!

The skis gained extraordinary popularity, this series was in production for many years, famous skiers of the 30s cut the Alpine slopes on just such skis. Today it is an element of retro design and a model for pin-up calendars, but in those years many people skied Vöstras!

During the Second World War, of course, sports equipment They were not sold very actively, and the new heyday of the company came in 1952, when Franz Völkl Jr., the third generation of the family, took the helm. He was already thinking more progressively: he modernized the entire production, established mass, conveyor production of alpine and cross-country skis.

Snowy zebras and mountain tigers

In 1967, Völkl, which had a reputation as an old, conservative brand, surprises everyone. A revolutionary ski design is put into mass production, and the skis are painted as a zebra. Competitors mocked this coloring, but mountain skiing enthusiasts appreciated the convenient, fast and easy-to-control new product, and Zebra Ski soon gained worldwide popularity.

Simultaneously with the development of a line of popular amateur skis, Völkl products began to compete with sports brands and sponsor athletes. And in 1970, she was one of the leaders in unofficial competitions for manufacturers in terms of the number of medals earned by athletes. Alpine athletes were especially distinguished in ski racing, this direction became the most innovative in the 70s. But in other disciplines, Völkl skis are assembled olympic medals, titled world championship winners are holding elegant Völkl skis in their hands! These are Hanni Wenzel, Frank Wornel, Maria Wallischer, Anita Wachter, Katja Seitzinger, Brigitte Ortli, Martina Ertl, Christie Kinshofer, Hilda Gerg, Sonja Nef, Alexandra Meisnitzer, Tanja Poutiainen and many others!

In 1973, another legendary ski model rolled off the Völkl assembly line: the Völkl Renntiger! At first, these skis were made entirely of metal, they cut the slopes perfectly, but they weighed a lot. And soon the Völkl ski developers made another technological leap - they introduced carbon fiber into the skis! This technology was far ahead of its time, and is still used today, but, of course, in a greatly modified form, we can see it in a number of carbon ski models. However, it was Völkl that first introduced carbon into the ski industry in the 70s.

Looking ahead, let's say that a replica of the Racetiger ski was produced even in 1998, 25 years after the release of the first ski - and was snapped up right away! And in 2005, the legendary model of the 70s Völkl Racetiger returned to the line of sports models in an updated and improved form. Technology has come a long way over the years, but the ideal ski geometry for racing has not lost its relevance.

The next surge in the popularity of Volkl skis and a sharp increase in sales occurred in 1985. It was then that a line of skis with the letter P appeared, which means that the skis used technology Professional Skinetik Powerline Volkl. Its peculiarity is that the designer sees skis as an extension of the human body. Many years of research into the biomechanics of alpine ski masters have made it possible to achieve an almost ideal transfer of forces from the rider’s body to the edge of the ski. This series existed for 20 years, its popularity began with the P9 model and ended with the P60 model, that is, all these twenty years the skis were steadily improved.

Soon a formal event occurs, little noticed by skiers - Völkl has changed his “registration”. The Voelkl family no longer found a talented director ready to take over the management of the factories. And Franz Voelkl Jr. was no longer young. And in 1992, having served as director for forty years, Franz decided to sell the brand to the Swiss concern Gregor Furrer & Partner Holding AG. This is why there is still a paradox: Völkl skis are made in Germany, in good old Straubing, but are officially considered to be produced by a Swiss brand.

In 1994, carving as a ski discipline began to gain popularity. And Völkl were one of the first to notice this trend and presented specialized skis for carving at the annual ISPO exhibition Snow Ranger. The model was a great success and resonance, the Völkl laboratory patented the Carver trademark and owns it to this day. The invention of carving skis is the most important event in alpine skiing in the 90s of the twentieth century. And this invention is made by Völkl.

New Volkl plant

On November 6, 1997, a new Völkl plant opened in its native Straubing, where all the workshops that had grown over the century moved. Today it is an ultra-modern production complex that combines all stages of production into a full cycle - from the developer’s idea in the laboratory to the finished product warehouse. And even sports Complex, which helps shapers test products for ideal compliance with the athlete’s biomechanics, is located right there.

Alpine skiing Volkl Freeski

In the late 1990s, the hobby of freeskiing, with jumps and tricks in the air, became popular among young people and alpine skiers. Skis for such skiing required the jumping and buoyancy of a snowboard; a new ski design was required. Völkl engineers saw this trend and set themselves the goal of developing light, springy skis that are stable on any terrain and can ride in all directions. And Völkl coped with the task brilliantly, setting new standards for the production of freeski skis for spectacular and popular world tournaments: Big Air Masters and X-Games. The Völkl Freeski team finds itself on the podium every year.

The Motion Binding

The most important technological breakthrough occurred in the Völkl ski line in 2001. Together with the largest manufacturer of ski bindings Marker, the Motion binding installation system was developed. The solution is simple, like everything ingenious - rails are installed on both sides of the ski, onto which the mount is fixed. Firstly, such a system does not damage the skis - not a single screw is screwed into them! Secondly, it is convenient if you need to rearrange the fastenings a little forward or backward - the rearrangement is quick, it is possible to do this right on the slope. Thirdly, the Motion system provides an ideal, flexible combination of binding and ski, making skiing free, harmonious, and problem-free.

In 2002 - another milestone that made the entire ski community admire Völkl technologies - ski Völkl SuperSport. One-piece ski, aggressive edges, wider than usual - this was unexpected for universal ski- but the result turned out to be amazing, and expert skiers quickly appreciated the new product, ensuring its popularity throughout long years. This model still exists today, fully justifying its initial motto - “No more Limits”!

Power Switch system

In 2007, Völkl developers surprised the world once again: they introduced a ski with variable stiffness technology. This mechanism made it possible to change the characteristics of the ski using a manual switch, adapting them throughout the day to different conditions snow and varying degrees of rider progress. In 2007, it was a powerful leap in ski manufacturing technology!

Ski clothing Volkl

In 2000, the range of ski products expanded greatly due to the release of new lines of clothing for winter sports under the brand Völkl Performance Wear. The use of high-tech membranes, insulation, wear resistance and stylish, elegant design - all this has ensured Völkl ski clothing wide popularity among amateur skiers.

Alpine skiing Volkl in Russia and other countries

Skis and other Völkl products are now supplied to 40 countries around the world. Promotion has become easier thanks to strategic agreements concluded with the largest ski companies: K2, Tecnica. Among the partners are the most unexpected ones, for example, the children's series of skis Disney Ski System was released in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company!

Inventions, technologies, ideas in the review of the Network Overseer. (Part No. 30)

Some of us still know what a Finnish sled is and what it looks like. For those who don’t, let’s explain - this is such a tricky cross between a sled, skis, skates and a scooter. You stand on the runner with one foot, push with the other and forward! And it should be noted, very much with the breeze ahead... Especially if we are talking about the classic version of the sled on skating runners and moving on ice. To move on snow, Chukhonians (this is the original name of today's Finns) either put the entire structure on skis or install special “ski-like” pads on skates. In general, when moving over more or less long distances under your own power, the thing is very practical and effective - I tested it personally. But they don’t have much space for cargo... Well, you can’t expect much comfort when fishing from them...

But, as they say: “Finland has not yet perished!” There are intellectual titans in this harsh snowy country! For example, in 2007, our Finnish colleague Pekka Mehtonen from Milliniemi distinguished himself in this regard. From the illustrations attached to his patent (in the original, naturally, made on birch bark), at the moment of creative ecstasy, our younger brother in mind was obviously worried about three problems:
A) Secondary: how to protect the stern part of the Finnish body from the piercing northern winds...
B) Home: where to put that huge pile of fish that Pekka usually catches “with one left hand”...
C) Additional: how to organize the process of returning home from fishing so that the carcass of his always dead-drunk friend-neighbor Ukko no longer falls from the seat of a traditional sleigh, which means the need to tie the sufferer with tape to the vehicle would have disappeared by itself. Note: at the same time, naturally, the idea of ​​​​not taking fire water with you on fishing was not even considered theoretically...

The solution, which illuminated the darkest recesses of the mental gyrus of our “draugs”, was so original that I involuntarily suspected “romantic” in reference to those times when in the forties of the last century Russian soldiers were billeted in the plague with his grandmother... Put the wheelbarrow on skis? – for such an explosion of creativity in the blood of Pekka (Petrukha in our opinion) there clearly had to be ancestors who, in addition to skis and dog exercise, at least also saw the wheel and the wheelbarrow itself!...

Here it is - the living embodiment of the thesis that all people are brothers! The truth is still only in the form of drawings... But I believe that somewhere out there - far, far away - in the land of eternal snow, a working prototype of the Chukhonian (not to be confused with Finnish) sleds is already being tested, which means that in the evenings (and sometimes even before lunch...) you can see a touching picture when one courageous Finn, through the blizzard and wind, time after time saves his insensitive friend from terrible death on the ice... In general, the Finns don’t abandon their own people in battle! Or are they Russians?...