“Van Deer”: Hirscher becomes a ski manufacturer
All his passion and know-how as a skier has gone into this product, which covers all categories of alpine skiing: from FIS skis to piste skis to touring, powder and children’s skis. “This ski will win World Cup races,” predicted the eight-time overall World Cup winner.
Handcraft from Mittersill
“This winter we will start with an initial edition of 1,500 pairs of skis,” says Hirscher. The “hand-made” ski is made in Mittersill (Pinzgau). “We share the company location with Augment Ski,” said “Van Deer” managing director Dominic Tritscher, also a friend and manager of Hirscher. The high-priced product is available in ten to 15 models and costs between 700 euros and 1,000 euros. It is only available in selected Bründl Sports shops in Austria.
The brand name “Van Deer” refers to the family name of the former ski star. “Van” means “von” translated from Dutch and “deer” translated from English “deer”. Marcel Hirscher’s mother was born in the Netherlands. “We work in a family environment,” says the 32-year-old ski star. “We are a small crew”, mostly “young boys”, and the Hirscher DNA “is definitely inside”.
Brother Leon is a trained ski maker
His father Ferdinand is the “supervisor”, and Marcel Hirscher’s brother Leon, who learned to make skis, is also part of the team. Sebastian Höllwarth is responsible for the logo and gave the ski the design – subtle and reduced, dignified in colors such as black, white and khaki green.
The decision to start the project was made in June of this year, says Tritscher. He worked on it for a long time and brought his many years of experience, obsession and professionalism to the customer, his feeling for skiing, his enthusiasm and the best setup. That is why the product is also under the motto “When perfection is obsessed. Magical things are created ”.
Own advertising line, limited editions
“For two years I had time to think about where the journey was going”, said Hirscher, also seven-time world champion and double Olympic champion, about his thoughts on his professional future after the end of his 15-year career as a ski racer. “I am a skier. I always was and I always will be. ”This joy of skiing, this expertise that he has acquired, is what he is now putting into this quality product. The ski is suitable “for everyone who can take a curve”, for slightly advanced skiers, as he then specified. Children’s skis are made from the same materials as adult skis. It is possible that “Van Deer” will later also produce ski boots, said Tritscher.
World Cup racers wanted
So that the ski can also win World Cup races, Hirscher is on the lookout for young, national and international talents who could be considered for a performance. If possible, the ski should be present in the World Cup as early as next year. “If I can’t find a driver, I’ll drive myself,” he joked, only to wave it off immediately. “No, I don’t like it anymore.” He is now interested in ski testing and “taking it to the extreme”. He’s not lacking in all the trappings in the Ski World Cup. “My life is so comfortable now since I stepped out of the madness.”
What is the old injury doing?
With his leg, which he broke at the Romaniacs motorcycle rally in Romania in July – he also tore the syndesmosis ligament – he is doing very well, emphasizes Hirscher. He was very satisfied with the healing process and WILL be skiing again this winter. He made a brief statement about his private situation – Hirscher and his wife Laura separated this year. “Unfortunately, not everything always works as planned.”
Cooperation with Kaprun sports retailer
The Bründl flagship store will reopen almost 1.5 years after the groundbreaking on October 1st and now has a sales area of 2,500 square meters with a total area of 5,600 square meters. At a press conference, owner and managing director Christoph Bründl listed highlights such as a glass ski service workshop, a glass skywalk at a height of 20 meters, the “Weitblick” restaurant and also a boulder wall and a giant slide for children. The investments amounted to 16 million euros. The focus is on sustainability, said Bründl, the house is ÖGNI-certified.