Partner Feature: Åsnes Ski
Sknow is proud to introduce our primary Norwegian ski partner, Åsnes Skis, who has been producing rugged skis for winter trekking and mountaineering for over 95 years. Frank Juklestad, Brand Manager at Åsnes, has been with the company for over ten years and sat down with Sknow to share more about the company. Juklestad works on all aspects of Åsnes, with a leading role in product development, sales, and brand management.
Åsnes is most known for their iconic “Fjellski”, or Nordic Backcountry Skis as they are called in English. A Fjellski is a cross-country ski with steel edges, intended for backcountry adventures where there are no groomed cross-country ski trails. Åsnes is the world leading producer in this category of Nordic-backcountry skis.
Juklestad shares with us the Åsnes Fjellski slogan: “Make your own tracks — take your own decisions,” expressing the freedom you get by moving outside the trails. “There is lots of backcountry terrain to explore in Norway,” he adds. While their largest segment is Fjellski, Åsnes also develops and produces alpine touring skis, a new growing segment within Åsnes. Most popular is the Fjøro 92 ski, which you may have seen in Sknow’s field testing posts this season.
In 1911, the oldest Åsnes brother moved to Christiania, Oslo to work at the Hagen Ski Factory where he learned the trade of ski production. But the company was founded in1922, when ski production started at Straumsnes, operating under the name “Brødrene Åsnes skifabrikk” [Åsnes Brothers Ski Factory in English]. Today, Åsnes headquarters is located in Voss, Norway with all ski development and testing in Norway. Production takes place in one of the best ski factories in the world, in the Czech Republic.
Åsnes has always been a company open to new ideas and innovations. When Monica Vaksdal, Think Outside CEO, first reached out, Åsnes quickly realized that the Sknow team was on to something unique. Juklestad sees the Sknow technology as groundbreaking and one of the biggest innovations the ski industry has seen the last 40–50 years.
Åsnes key role in Sknow’s development has been their help to integrate the technology into the skis. “Think Outside is the brains behind the idea and the technology development, while Åsnes has made it possible to incorporate the technology in a way that other ski producers can replicate in their own skis in the future,” Juklestad tells us. Specifically, Åsnes has provided guidance on the connection and shape of the Sknow unit that will be mounted on the ski, so that the device will not affect the value or quality of the ski.
For Åsnes, Sknow is a promising development because it can help improve safety in the mountains by giving skiers new data to inform their decisions. This data will provide preventative avalanche warnings so that fewer people will get caught or hurt in avalanches.
Åsnes recognizes that Sknow will become a more valuable platform if there is a further adaptation to other ski brands as well. “The snow data produced by Sknow will become more extensive and impactful if it’s collected by a larger network of skiers rather than Åsnes skiers alone,” Juklestad shares.
Åsnes Ski was an early supporter of Sknow and we’re so grateful for all the hard work and the impressive results this collaboration has produced!
