Rossignol is a ski and snowboard brand founded in Voiron, France, in 1907. Its North American headquarters is in Park City, Utah.
Quiksilver bought Rossignol in 2005 for $560 million and sold it in 2008 for $147 million. In between, the surf company moved Rossignol's North American headquarters from Vermont to Park City. Francois Goulet, then president of Rossignol North America, called the town "the cultural center of the outdoor lifestyle." Quiksilver left. Park City stayed.
In 1907 Abel Rossignol, a carpenter in Voiron who turned out wooden spindles for the textile trade, built his first pair of skis from solid wood. His surname is French for nightingale. The company introduced the Strato, its first fiberglass ski, in 1964, and it went on to become the first ski to sell a million pairs.
Since 2013 the group has been controlled by the Swedish firm Altor Equity Partners, with the Boix-Vives family holding a minority stake. It is still run from Saint-Jean-de-Moirans in Isère, and a plant in Artés, Spain, turns out 78 percent of its alpine skis.
Rossignol told Ski Utah that its Park City team can test product on the hill and debrief at the office "all before lunch." Most of us would need a sick day for that.
At the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, racers on Rossignol won six of the 10 alpine gold medals.
My first big powder skis were Rossignol S7s, and I've been a fan ever since. A premier ski brand, right here in Utah.
Alex
