Key Takeaways:
- Elevate Outdoor Collective has signed an agreement to sell its Madshus cross-country ski brand to ConsilTech, the Czech industrial company that owns Kästle.
- Former Rottefella CEO Torstein Myklebostad becomes the new CEO and co-owner of Madshus once the deal closes.
- EOC has named Fredrik Kjellberg, who led Madshus and prepared it for the sale, as its new Group Chief Marketing Officer.
Snow industry powerhouse Elevate Outdoor Collective (EOC), whose brand portfolio includes K2, Völkl, Marker, Dalbello, LINE, RIDE, Backcountry Access, Atlas and Tubbs, is selling its Madshus cross-country ski brand to ConsilTech and has named a new Group Chief Marketing Officer, the company announced this week in a pair of moves that reshape its portfolio and leadership team.
Madshus Sale
EOC and ConsilTech announced that ConsilTech is acquiring Madshus, the 120-year-old Norwegian cross-country ski brand, from EOC. The parties have signed the agreement, and the transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks.
Torstein Myklebostad, who has led ski binding manufacturer Rottefella for the past 10 years, is joining forces with ConsilTech to acquire Madshus and will become the brand’s new CEO and co-owner.
“Madshus is one of the most respected brands in cross-country skiing, and our goal is to ensure the brand’s continued success,” Myklebostad said in a statement. “Under the new ownership, Madshus will still have owners who truly understand skiing and production. We are deeply committed to the sport, and together we will make sure that Madshus remains the preferred choice for cross-country enthusiasts and recreational skiers around the world.”
“We are very pleased that Madshus is moving forward with an owner whose roots are in skiing and ski production, and with a leader who has solid experience and genuine passion for the sport,” said Josée Larocque, CEO of Elevate Outdoor Collective, in a statement. “Madshus is a brand with a truly special history, and the new ownership will be a good home for Madshus.”
Through the deal, Madshus becomes part of an industrial family that operates high-tech ski production in Nové Město, a Czech cross-country hub that hosts the biathlon World Cup each year. ConsilTech previously rebuilt Kästle’s product portfolio and brand after acquiring the struggling ski maker and now runs a professional race team that includes several of the sport’s top athletes.
Just before the summer, Madshus restarted production at its Biri, Norway facility after a temporary halt of several months. Part of the brand’s production, previously located in China, has already been shifted to Kästle’s factory in Nové Město.
Myklebostad said in a statement that the market for cross-country skis has been challenged since the pandemic, with weak results across the industry and demand roughly half of what it was a few years ago, even as participation grows in long-distance races such as Birkebeinerrennet in Norway and Vasaloppet in Sweden.
New Elevate Group CMO
Fredrik Kjellberg, who has led Madshus until now, is moving into a new role as Chief Marketing Officer of Elevate Outdoor Collective.
EOC said the appointment reflects its continued investment in its brands’ presence and visibility, aimed at supporting retail partners and building consumer excitement across a portfolio that includes K2, Völkl, Marker, Dalbello, LINE, RIDE, Backcountry Access, Atlas and Tubbs.
Kjellberg brings close to 20 years of experience in brand positioning, having led repositioning efforts for winter sports brands including Peak Performance, Haglöfs, Atomic, MIPS, Twiceme and Madshus. He spent the past two years leading Madshus, steering the brand through a period of significant change and preparing it for the ConsilTech sale.
While EOC is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, a large share of its portfolio is made up of European brands. The company said having a senior leader based in a compatible time zone, with short travel distance to core markets in the Alps and a strong presence in Scandinavian markets, was an important factor in the appointment.
“Fredrik is one of the most experienced and well connected marketing leaders in the winter sports industry, with a strong track record across a wide range of brands. He knows what it takes to build brand relevance in this space, and having led Madshus through its most transformative period, he’s exactly the leader we want driving that focus across the rest of our portfolio,” Larocque said in a statement.
“Skiing is my greatest passion, and brand positioning has defined my career. It’s hard to imagine a better opportunity than working with the strongest portfolio of iconic brands in the entire industry. Having worked in the organization for several years, I’m already very familiar with both the leadership team and the brand leaders, and I’m looking forward to working even more closely with this great collective,” Kjellberg said in a statement.
