Why so many racers are switching to a company known for its tennis rackets BY KELLEY MCMILLAN PHOTOS BY HANS BEZARD Advantage, HEAD?
Bode Miller leaves the Wengen start box. He went on
to win Wengen’s super combined, becoming only the
second American to win the Lauberhorn combined.
Miller. Vonn. Cuche. Riesch. Head’s list of
athletes reads like an all-star roster of alpine rac-
ing. Add Ligety, Heel, Jansrud and Svindal to
the Head mix and you’ve got one of the stron-
gest teams in the history of World Cup racing, a
Yankees-style empire with breadth and depth that
stretches across all disciplines.
The force behind Head’s ski renaissance is
Johan Eliasch, the company’s Swedish-born
CEO. A recreational racer and lifelong ski en-
thusiast — he’s even forerun the Hahnenkamm
— with a passion for ski racing, Eliasch bought
Head from an Austrian-government-owned entity
15 years ago and has transformed what was once
a fledging race program into one of the world’s
leading race teams and ski brands.
According to Eliasch, it’s his — and his compa-
ny’s — love of skiing that sets Head apart from
the competition. “Head is more passionate about
ski racing than any other ski company,” he says.
“I am very passionate about ski racing. From the
ground level up to the top racers…you can’t get
more committed than our team.”
Eliasch says that he wants the best racers with
the best personalities. And he’s not shy to pony
up the cash to woo them. “Johan loves ski rac-
ing and we’re fortunate beneficiaries of that,” says
Jon Rucker, Head USA’s director of sales and
marketing. “His passion for the sport is fantas-
tic and gives us a unique market position. We’ve
been able to support a lot of athletes because of
Johan’s spiritual support.””
According to Head, the strategy is working. “For
the first time, race is driving consumer sales,”
says Rucker. “Lindsey, Bode, they’ve absolutely
affected our sales.”
Though SnowSports Industries America (SIA)
reports for the 2009-10 season show that Head’s
U.S. market share dropped 31 percent and that its
ski sales fell by 10 percent in dollars sold, Rucker
asserts that Head’s post-Olympic speed ski sell-
