If you don't go, you don't know

A conversation with Herman Poklukar, Elan’s long-standing North American markets representative.

We make skis

Sooner or later, almost every avid skier begins to question how their favorite pair of skis came to be. Making skis is fundamentally a rather complex interplay of the knowledge of materials, physics, various laws, the search for clever solutions and, above all, the dexterity of the hands and the knowledge of the human mind. At Elan, we have been doing this in our own unique way for almost eighty years. 

Village of talents

Begunje na Gorenjskem is a special place - the birthplace of two global phenomena. In addition to ski innovator Elan, Begunje is also the home of the Avsenik Brothers Ensemble, the founders of Slovenian folk pop music.

The institute

Elan has been recognized as one of the most innovative brands in skiing for several decades. Much of the credit for this well-deserved acclaim goes to the Elan Development Institute. Established in 1963, it has played a leading role in the development of groundbreaking technologies and products.

Glory days

 
In 1980 Bojan Križaj scored the first Slovenian victory in a World Cup race at the Wengen slalom. The following year he did it again. In both cases, he was propelled to victory by the legendary Elan RC05 skis. 

It is all about people and good energy

Leon Korošec's physical appearance radiates youth, freshness, and dynamism. At only 48 years of age, he already has more than 20 years of experience in the ski industry. It would be hard to imagine a more suitable profile for the leader of the winter sports division.

Friends

I still vividly remember that March day in 1974. It was just before my eighteenth birthday, so I was still officially a minor. Jurij Vogelnik, a technologist from Elan, visited me in the High Tatras in today's Slovakia. At that time, I was still a completely unknown Swedish ski newcomer, and I didn't have a single World Cup victory in my collection.

Just one pair of skis

Many years have passed since the end of my career. Sometimes it seems like it all happened in some other life. Nevertheless, every now and then some unusual detail comes to mind from the days when I was still an active skier. I put my racing skis away in 1989, and skiing has really changed a lot in just over three decades. Just the look of the skis says it all.

If you don't go, you don't know

A conversation with Herman Poklukar, Elan’s long-standing North American markets representative.