Skis Rossignol S.A., or simply Rossignol, is a French manufacturer of

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

snowboard Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...

, and Nordic equipment, as well as related outerwear and accessories, located in

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

skis. The company also owns the brands ''Dynastar'' and LOOK. In 2005, Rossignol was bought by

boardsport Boardsports are active outdoor sports that are played with some sort of board as the primary equipment. These sports take place on a variety of terrain, from paved flat-ground and snow-covered hills to water and air. Most boardsports are considere ...

equipment manufacturer Quiksilver for $560 million. In 2008, Quiksilver made a deal to sell Rossignol for $147 million to a former chief executive, Bruno Cercley. In July 2013, Macquarie sold the Rossignol Group, along with its subsidiaries

Lange Lange may refer to: People *Lange (surname), a German surname * Lange (musician) (born 1974), British DJ * Lange (Brazilian footballer) (born 1966), Brazilian footballer Companies * Lange (ski boots), a producer of ski boots used in alpine (dow ...

and Dynastar, to a partnership of Altor Equity Partners (a Swedish investment group) and the Boix-Vives family.

History

2018-01-01 (202) Rossignol Alltrack 70 ski boots

The company was founded in 1907 by Abel Rossignol, who manufactured wood products (such as spindles) for the textile industry. Rossignol, a committed skier, used his carpentry skills to make a pair of skis out of solid wood. In 1937,

Émile Allais Émile Allais (25 February 1912 – 17 October 2012) was a champion alpine ski racer from France; he won all three events at the 1937 world championships in Chamonix and the gold in the combined in 1938. Born in Megève, he was a dominant r ...

of France became triple

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

on Rossignol Olympic 41 skis. When

Laurent Boix-Vives Laurent may refer to: *Laurent (name), a French masculine given name and a surname **Saint Laurence (aka: Saint ''Laurent''), the martyr Laurent **Pierre Alphonse Laurent, mathematician **Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, amateur astronomer, discoverer ...

bought the company in 1956, the company only focused on skiing equipment and began to sell them worldwide. Rossignol had a breakthrough during the

1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Vall ...

in Squaw Valley,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States, when

Jean Vuarnet Jean Vuarnet (18 January 1933 – 1 January 2017) was an Alpine skiing, alpine ski racer from France. An Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics, Olympic gold medalist, he was born in Le Bardo, Tunisia. Career The high point of Vuarnet's ra ...

of France won the

downhill Downhill may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Downhill'' (1927 film), a British film by Alfred Hitchcock * ''Downhill'' (2014 film), a British comedy directed by James Rouse * ''Downhill'' (2016 film), a Chilean thriller directed by Patrici ...

on Allais 60s, the company's first all-metal skis. In 1964, Rossignol released the Strato, its first

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

ski. In the 1970s, Rossignol set up a distribution company in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, launching its first Nordic skis, and soon became the world's largest ski manufacturer. At the

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, Mohkínsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts� ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada, Rossignol triumphed, winning six out of 10 gold medals in alpine events. In 1990, Rossignol acquired the Caber boot factory in Italy and rebranded the product under the Rossignol label (Rossignol already controlled the Lange ski boot brand). The company also acquired the Geze and Look ski-bindings ranges, rebranding Geze. It soon moved into snowboards and mountain clothing. Athletes using Rossignol products won at both the Winter Olympic games in

Albertville Albertville (; Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a subprefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In 2018, the commune had ...

and in

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...

Alberto Tomba Alberto Tomba (born 19 December 1966 in San Lazzaro di Savena) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Italy. He was the dominant technical skier ( slalom and giant slalom) in the late 1980s and 1990s. At 182 cm and 90 kg, his powerfu ...

of Italy, the dominant technical skier of the late 1980s and 1990s, raced on Rossignol skis. Rossignol is the French word for

nightingale The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is no ...

Team riders and skiers

Freestyle *Mike Hopkins *Olivier Meynet *

Xavier Bertoni Xavier Bertoni (born 4 May 1988 in La Clusaz La Clusaz (; frp, La Klyuza, ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Overview It is a ski resort in the Alps near the Swiss b ...

Lynsey Dyer Lynsey Dyer (born March 13, 1983) is an American freestyle skier and big mountain skier. She grew up and learned to ski in Sun Valley, Idaho. Dyer co-founded the non-profit SheJumps.org and founded the movie production and apparel companUnico ...

*Manu Gaidet *Kattia Griffiths *JF Houle * Kye Petersen *Dan Treadway

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

Pierrick Bourgeat Pierrick Bourgeat (born 28 January 1976) is a retired French alpine skier. He was born in Grenoble. Bourgeat represented France at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He also won a bronze medal in team competition at the FIS Alpine World Ski Champi ...

Johan Clarey Johan Clarey (born 8 January 1981) is a French World Cup alpine ski racer. He specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G. Born in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, Clarey made his World Cup debut in November 2003 and has ten World Cup podiums ...

* Didier Défago * Gauthier de Tessieres *

Jean-Baptiste Grange Jean-Baptiste Grange (born 10 October 1984) is a French retired World Cup alpine ski racer. He competed primarily in slalom and earlier also in giant slalom and combined. Born in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Savoie, Grange grew up in Valloire, ...

Mattias Hargin Mattias Hargin, born 7 October 1985 in Stockholm, Sweden, is a Swedish former World Cup alpine ski racer. Born in Stockholm, he competed mainly in slalom, and is the younger brother of Janette Hargin (b. 1977), who also raced for Sweden. Hargi ...

Werner Heel Werner Heel (born 23 March 1982) is an Italian former World Cup alpine ski racer. Born in Meran, Heel grew up in St. Leonhard in Passeier and currently resides in Meran, where he works as a police officer. Heel began skiing at the age of four ...

Jan Hudec Jan Hudec Jr. (born August 19, 1981) is a Czech-Canadian alpine ski racer who previously represented Canada until 2016 and specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G. Beset by injuries for several seasons, he returned to World Cup ...

Christof Innerhofer Christof Innerhofer (born 17 December 1984) is an Italian World Cup alpine ski racer, the 2011 world champion in super-G. in all five alpine disciplines and specializes in the speed events of downhill Biography Born in Bruneck, Innerhofer li ...

Mike Janyk Michael Janyk (born March 22, 1982, in Vancouver) is a Canadian retired alpine skier. Janyk appeared for the Canadian team in the slalom event at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where he finished in 17th place. Janyk has yet to win a World Cup ra ...

Lars Elton Myhre Lars Elton Myhre (born 17 August 1984) is a retired Norwegian alpine skier. He primarily competed in slalom and combined events. Myhre took a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2004, and made his World Cup debut the same year. He pa ...

Manuel Osborne-Paradis Manuel Osborne-Paradis (born 8 February 1984) is a Canadian former World Cup alpine ski racer. Born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Osborne-Paradis grew up racing for the Whistler Mountain Ski Club. His first World Cup podium came in N ...

Alessandro Roberto Alessandro Roberto (born 22 May 1977) is an Italian former alpine skier who completed predominantly in the Giant slalom discipline between 1995 and 2009. Career He began to compete in International Ski Federation sanctioned events in 1995. He ...

Jean-Philippe Roy Jean-Philippe Roy (born February 18, 1979, in Sainte-Flavie, Quebec) is a Canadian alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skii ...

*Matik Skube * Adrien Theaux * Stéphane Tissot *

Silvan Zurbriggen Silvan Zurbriggen (born 15 August 1981) is a retired Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer who competed primarily in downhill and combined, and occasionally in super-G. In 2012, he stopped competing in slalom due to poor results. Born in Brig, V ...

Brigitte Acton Brigitte Acton (born November 30, 1985) is a Canadian alpine skier. Acton competed at the 2006 Winter Games, where she finished 11th in the giant slalom, 17th in the slalom, and 10th in the combined. She also competed at the 2010 Winter Games. S ...

Fränzi Aufdenblatten Franziska Christine "Fränzi" Aufdenblatten (born 10 February 1981) is a retired Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer. Born in Zermatt, Valais, Aufdenblatten made her World Cup debut in March 2000 in a giant slalom at Sestriere. She scored four p ...

Anne-Sophie Barthet Anne-Sophie Barthet (born 23 February 1988) is a French World Cup alpine ski racer and soldier. She competed for France at four Winter Olympics and five World Championships. Born in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, Barthet made her World Cup debut at ...

Nike Bent Nike Bent (born 1 December 1981) is a Sweden, Swedish former Alpine skiing, alpine skier who competed in the Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics, 2006 Winter Olympics. On 18 August 2010, she announced her retirement from alpine skiing foll ...

*Marion Bertrand *

Catherine Borghi Catherine Borghi (born 23 September 1976 in Les Diablerets) is a Swiss former alpine skier who competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics and 2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly ...

Stacey Cook Stacey Janelle Cook (born July 3, 1984) is a World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States, and specializes in the speed events. Racing career Born in Truckee, California, Cook started skiing at age 4 with her father at various Lake Tahoe ...

Ana Drev Ana Drev (born 6 August 1985) is a Slovenian World Cup alpine ski racer. She specializes in the giant slalom and started her first European Cup race at age 15 on February 24, 2001, in Rogla, Slovenia. Drev made her World Cup debut in October ...

Allison Forsyth Allison Forsyth (born 14 October 1978) is a Canadian former alpine skier from Nanaimo, British Columbia, who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics. She retired from competitive skiing after the 2007–08 season, due to injuries suffered over he ...

Maria Pietilä Holmner Maria Helena Pietilä-Holmner (born 25 July 1986) is a retired Swedish World Cup alpine ski racer. She specialised in the technical events of slalom and giant slalom. Born in Umeå, Pietilä-Holmner took up alpine skiing at the age of seven. ...

*Jessica Kelley *

Jessica Lindell-Vikarby Jessica Lindell-Vikarby (born 7 February 1984) is a retired Swedish World Cup alpine ski racer. Born in Huddinge, Stockholm County, she made her World Cup debut in October 2002, and has two World Cup victories and seven podiums. Lindell-Vikar ...

* Christina Lustenberger *

Tina Maze Tina Maze (; born 2 May 1983) is a retired Slovenian World Cup alpine ski racer. Career Maze is the most successful Slovenian ski racer in history with a career that culminated with two gold medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics. She was awarded t ...

* Urska Rabic *

Petra Robnik Petra Robnik (born 16 October 1984 in Blejska Dobrava, Jesenice, Jesenice, Jesenice, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Slovenian alpine skier. A member of SK Jesenice, she competes in all disciplines. Robnik represented Slovenia at the 2006 Wi ...

* Geneviève Simard *

Vanessa Vidal Vanessa Vidal (born 21 December 1974) is a former Alpine skiing, alpine skier from France, who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2006 Winter Olympics. She is the sister of former Olympic slalom champion Jean-Pierre Vidal and the niece of ...

*Kathrin Wilhelm *

Tessa Worley Tessa Worley (born 4 October 1989) is a French World Cup alpine ski racer and non-commissioned officer. competed in all five alpine disciplines and specialises Career Born in Annemasse, in the département of Haute-Savoie, Worley's father S ...

Veronika Zuzulova Veronica, Veronika, etc., may refer to: People * Veronica (name) * Saint Veronica * Saint Veronica of Syria Arts and media Comics and literature * ''Veronica'', an 1870 novel by Frances Eleanor Trollope * ''Veronica'', a 2005 novel by Mary Gaits ...

Petra Vlhová Petra Vlhová (born 13 June 1995) is a Slovak World Cup alpine ski racer who specialises in the technical events of slalom and giant slalom. Vlhová won the World Cup overall title in 2021 and the gold medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics in the sl ...

Snowboard Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...

*Jonas Emery * Mathieu Crépel *

Kjersti Buaas Kjersti Østgaard Buaas (born 5 January 1982) is a Norwegian snowboarder from Trondheim. She placed 4th in women's half-pipe at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. She received a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in ...

* Xavier de Le Rue * Jeremy Jones 1989-2009 *Wyatt Caldwell *Beji Ritche *

Doriane Vidal Doriane Vidal (born 16 April 1976) is a French snowboarder and Olympic medalist. She received a silver medal in ''halfpipe'' at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.Biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not tim ...

Martin Fourcade Martin Fourcade (; born 14 September 1988) is a French biathlete and sous-lieutenant. He is a five-time Olympic champion, a thirteen-time World Champion and a seven-time winner of the Overall World Cup. As of February 2018, he is the most succes ...

References

* Chappaz, Gilles (2008) ''La légende Rossignol - 100 Ans'' Free Presse

External links

Official website

The Story Behind Rossignol Skis
{{Authority control Sportswear brands Clothing companies of France Sporting goods manufacturers of France Rossignol French brands Cycle manufacturers of France Snowboarding

History

Team riders and skiers

See also

References

External links