Skis Dynastar’s last waltz

After more than six decades of ski manufacturing, the Sallanches’ Dynastar factory is closing its doors today and some hapless 57 employees are also losing their jobs.

I remember when I used to drive my Citroën 2cv to the factory’s back door where the Instructors’ Pro Sales was located and leave with a spanking brand new pair of RG5 or S430 skis or some lightweight prototype skis that would disintegrate within one week of skiing... 

Rossignol cited the factory's lack of profitability as the reason for the closure. Despite three rounds of investments in 2021, 2022, and 2024 aimed at revitalizing the Sallanches site, the facility couldn’t make the numbers in a falling global ski market. 

Rossignol will only continue to make skis in Artés, Spain, and a few at the Saint-Jean-de-Moirans site in France where Rossignol and Dynastar racing ski and prototype workshops are locating, churning out 10,000 pairs of competition skis, including 3,000 for athletes. Launched as a joint venture between 

Dynamic and Starflex skis in 1963 and acquired by Rossignol in 1967, Dynastar quickly established itself as a producer of high-performance skis, building a solid reputation in the ski business. The Sallanches factory became synonymous with the brand's quality, innovation, sometimes marketing gimmicks like the “Dr. Barnard” anti-vibration red heart or the “airflow” tip among others… 

The last waltz, one ultimate turn, the end of an era.