78 Years ago, in 1923, Franz Völkl decided to try to make skis like those he had seen in Scandinavia. Using technology developed in the carriage building business, he began to produce skis in his factory in the Bavarian town of Straubing, Germany. In 1952, his son Franz Völkl, Jr. took over the management of what had become a full-scale ski manufacturing company. Franz Jr. shared his father's passion for quality, innovation, and performance. He was responsible for a number of innovations in ski production, including making the first full fiberglass ski in 1970. In 1992, Franz Völkl, Jr. sold the factory and German distributorship to Gregor Furrer and Partner Holding, then the Swiss distributor for the Völkl brand. Furrer and Partner formed Völkl International, the Swiss company that now markets the brand worldwide. In the summer of 1993, Völkl International and Tecnica USA entered a joint venture to distribute and market Völkl in the US: Völkl Sport America, located in West Lebanon, NH. As important as Völkl's long heritage has been its commitment to innovation. In the past several years, our modernization of ski geometry has created more new ways for skiers to enjoy the mountain than ever thought possible. Yet another leap ahead is the new Supersport Series, Völkl's latest high-performance all-mountain series. The award-winning Motion System has been expanded, with a new, higher-performance Piston Motion offering. Völkl engineers continue to innovate ski construction, as well. Refinements in our signature energY constructions improve the precise handling of every Völkl ski. Dimension-3 sidecuts continue to be the smoothest, best-performing shapes on snow. A new factory is in its fourth year in Straubing, solidifying Völkl's role as the most modernized, highest technology ski producer well into the new century.