Amy and I have just wrapped up our June visit with Madshus, and I’m writing on the train from Moelv to Gardermoen airport; a perfect time to recap some thoughts from our five-day visit. The biggest impression is a reinforcement of the importance of this annual trip. Every time we get to see inside the development and production process we are reminded how dynamic and forward looking the ski business is.
I have already described the background of the REDline skis, and there are no great changes to describe in the skis. But the Spring is an important and busy testing time for Madshus, and even since World Championships they’ve been hard at work refining the cambers and looking for more from the skis. Small changes get worked into the production continually, and the process doesn’t stop.
The REDline product launch is representative of a design-cycle incorporating everything – materials, geometry (thickness profile and 3-D shape), and camber profile. Ongoing development involves continual testing of the elements that can easily be changed from one production to the next – the laminations and the camber profile. So, most of the ongoing testing involves small changes to these variables. But Madshus is already starting to experiment with ideas for the next design cycle, incorporating adjustments to geometry as well. Yesterday Per Wiik (director of marketing and also in charge of the racing department) got a text message from Ole Einar Bjorndalen who was testing some prototype skate skis at Sognefjell. The prototype skis were beating Ole’s best race skis, and he reported that they are “raw” (which Per says means “awesome”, but which you can interpret however you like).
It’s cool that Madshus has embraced the development process and built it into their REDline branding. The “D” in REDline stands for development, and the REDline brand is representative of the continual search for small advantages that has always been a reality at a World Cup level. Instead of attaching the brand to a set of materials, they have attached it to a process which promises to deliver new materials over time. And when new designs come to market, Madshus won’t be apologizing – they’ve made room for this in their marketing and sales plan. This is pretty big news in an industry where the public has often been kept very separate from what happens at a World Cup level. Maybe it’s a matter of semantics, but I believe that it is also representative of an attitude of openness that high-end customers will really appreciate.
This “open” attitude is a conscious move by Madshus, and it’s been evident in our experience over the past five days. I’ve been able to take pictures and shoot videos of parts of the production process that they’ve asked us not to share in the past (you’ll have to wait until we get home to see those). It’s also a big part of the reason for our excitement about the brand. Part of our business model is to take our customers’ needs and experiences seriously, and I think this attitude is really valued by our customers. Madshus extends the same courtesy to us, and to our customers through our involvement. It’s a rewarding series of connections.
As far as specific impressions are concerned, I will address the skis in updated product descriptions later in the summer. One interesting experience was getting a look at the skis that Thomas Alsgaard used to win the 1994 Olympic 30K. These were some of the earliest skis produced using the construction method that Madshus still uses today. But, at the time, most of the camber profiles and ski characteristics were really different from what we see today. But these skis looked familiar to me – in their shape and camber profile alone I would recognize them as a ski with great potential in cold conditions. This is in stark contrast to the skis we saw a couple of years ago – Alsgaard’s skis from the 1998 Nagano Olympic relay, which were almost unrecognizable as warm skis by modern standards.