Elan alpine skis were a synonym for high-quality skis in the late seventies and early eighties of the last century. Now, after a few years of pause, Elan is again the brand of the best possible standard with a lot of innovations in the skiing industry. It gains the lost prominence among professional and recreational skiers and levels other known brands like Atomic, Salomon or Rossignol. North America is the market where Elan records the fastest growth and you can notice Elan alpine skis in shops all around the USA and Canada. Therefore, we prepared an overview of company history, innovations and current product range.
Elan Logo Sign
About the Company
Elan was established in Begunje, Slovenia (former Yugoslavia) in 1945. It focuses on four segments: snow, sun, water, wind. Almost half of its revenues come from alpine skis manufacturing. A third of revenues come from producing complex composites for the offshore wind power industry and sailing yachts. The rest of the revenues is produced by Elan Inventa, the subsidiary offering seating solutions and equipment for sports and multi-purpose arenas and halls.
Elan is owned by VR Capital Funds and Bank America Merill Lynch Funds. The consortium bought Elan from Slovenia state back in 2015. Currently, they look for the potential exit after the successful restructuralisation of the company.
All Elan alpine skis and snowboards are produced in factories based in Begunje, a small town in Julian Town, close to famous Slovenian ski-resort Kranjska Gora and Austrian borders. The location of the production site is the reason for Elan alpine skis proudly bearing the sign “Handcrafted in the Alps” on every original item.
Handcrafted in the Alps
Elan in Alpine Ski Racing
Elan impacted skiing sport in many ways. Ingemar Stenmark, the Swedish skiing legend, was the first skiing “influencer” ever. He used Elan skis during his career, which resulted in double gold from the 1980s Olympic Games in Lake Placid in Slalom and Giant Slalom. Besides that, he won three golds from World Championships (1978 – Slalom & Giant Slalom in Garmisch, 1982 – Slalom in Schladming), and altogether won 86 World Cup races. Ingemar Stenmark was the first global skiing superstar and his fame was strongly connected with Elan. Stenmark made Elan the global brand of skiing.
Currently, Elan is not present among the top alpine professional skiers. But it can change quickly in 2022 as Elan is the sponsor of the Chinese Olympic skiing team. We can expect Elan’s prominence in ski racing to rise again as the 2022 Olympic Games will be hosted in Chinese Peking.
Elan Ski Innovations – Carving Skis & Folding Touring Skis
Elan had a big impact also on the way how we ski today. Jurij Franko and Pavel Skofic, Elan engineers, calculated and produced the prototype of sidecut skis, later known as carving skis in 1988. This invention changed all in the alpine skis industry forever. Carving skis came to the retail market in 1993 and it became a global standard years later after other companies adopted Elan’s invention. Now we can hardly imagine to ski on non-curved skis.
Another innovation from Elan came recently. Folding touring skis were introduced and they can be another game-changer in the ski industry. At the moment, nobody expects they will be a big retail hit due to the price. But later they can become affordable to all customers. The skis packed in small check-in bags can make traveling to skiing resorts easy and affordable to everyone.
Elan Alpine Skis Models
Elan offers a full range for alpine skis models. Its production includes All Mountain, Race, FreeRide and Touring Skis. Elan also produces Kids and Tweener skis. Kids skis are designed to help with the first steps on hills. Tweener Skis are dedicated to teenagers to help them with the transition from kids to adult skis.
Elan All Mountain Skis
All Mountain Skis are the base, with six different Elan models (three for men and three for women), all skiers can find what suits them best.
| Elan ELEMENT | Elan ELEMENT W | Elan WINGMAN | Elan DELIGHT W | Elan AMPHIBIO | Elan AMPHIBIO W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  |   |   |   |   | |
| All Mountain Skis for Men | All Mountain Skis for Women | All Mountain Skis for Men | All Mountain Skis for Women | All Mountain Skis for Men | All Mountain Skis for Women |
| Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Terrain: Groomed or Variable Speed: Slow to Medium | Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Terrain: Groomed or Variable Speed: Slow to Medium | Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced Terrain: Groomed or Variable Speed: Medium | Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced Terrain: Groomed or Variable Speed: Medium | Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced Terrain: Groomed or Variable Speed: Medium | Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced Terrain: Groomed or Variable Speed: Medium |
| CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON |
Elan Race Skis
The best skiers who like speed will enjoy Elan race skis.
| Elan PRECISION | Elan PRECISION W | Elan WORLD CUP |
|---|---|---|
| Race Skis for Men | Race Skis for Women | Race Skis for Men |
| Skill level: Advanced to Expert Terrain: Groomed Speed: Medium to Fast | Skill level: Advanced to Expert Terrain: Groomed Speed: Medium to Fast | Skill level: Expert Terrain: Groomed Speed: Fast |
| CHECK ALL ELAN SKIS ON AMAZON | CHECK ALL ELAN SKIS ON AMAZON | CHECK ALL ELAN SKIS ON AMAZON |
Elan Freeride Skis
Freeride skis are for people who like skiing on ungroomed terrain. Elan Rispstick series provide a combination of excellent float and stability for all free-riders.
| Elan RIPSTICK | Elan RIPSTICK W |
|---|---|
  |   |
| Freeride Skis for Men | Freeride Skis for Women |
| Skill level: Expert Terrain: Variable to Powder Speed: Medium to Fast | Skill level: Advanced to Expert Terrain: Groomed Speed: Medium to Fast |
| CHECK ELAN RIPSTICK SKIS ON AMAZON | CHECK ELAN RIPSTICK SKIS ON AMAZON |
Elan Touring Skis
Touring skiing is more and more popular these days. Elan put emphasis not just on the easy-going downhill but also help to climb any hill you wish.
| Elan IBEX | Elan IBEX W |
|---|---|
| Touring Skis for Men | Touring Skis for Women |
| Skill level: Expert Terrain: Variable, Up & Down Speed: Medium | Skill level: Advanced to Expert Terrain: Variable, Up & Down Speed: Medium |
| CHECK ALL ELAN SKIS ON AMAZON | CHECK ALL ELAN SKIS ON AMAZON |
Elan Kids Skis
Kids Skis are the starter point for any kid with the desire to learn how to ski.
| Elan SKY | Elan STARR | Elan JETT | Elan MAXX | Elan MAXX BLK RED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  |   |   |   |   |
| Kids Skis | Kids Skis | Kids Skis | Kids Skis | Kids Skis |
| Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Terrain: Groomed to Variable Speed: Slow | Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Terrain: Groomed to Variable Speed: Slow | Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Terrain: Groomed to Variable Speed: Slow | Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Terrain: Groomed to Variable Speed: Slow | Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Terrain: Groomed to Variable Speed: Slow |
| CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON |
Elan Tweener Skis
Tweener Skis are for teenagers. They are bigger than kids skis and designed especially for this demanding generation to get used to biggers skis and challenges on the hills. The transition to adult skis is much easier after using tweener skis for a while.
| Elan TWIST | Elan TWIST PRO | Elan PINBALL | Elan PINBALL PRO | Elan RC RACE SHIFT | Elan RIPSTICK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  |   |   |   | |   |
| Tweener Skis | Tweener Skis | Tweener Skis | Tweener Skis | Tweener Skis | Tweener Skis |
| Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Terrain: Groomed to Variable Speed: Slow to Medium | Skill level: Beginner Terrain: Groomed Speed: Slow | Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Terrain: Groomed to Variable Speed: Slow to Medium | Skill level: Beginner Terrain: Groomed Speed: Slow | Skill level: Beginner to Intermediate Terrain: Groomed to Variable Speed: Slow | Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Terrain: Groomed to Variable Speed: Medium |
| CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON | CHECK ALL ELAN SKIS ON AMAZON | CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON |
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