Across the Pond: Skinnyski Overseas, Part 2

This article is a continuation of our coverage from Across the Pond: Skinnyski Overseas, Part 1.

I arrived in Annecy, France on a Tuesday, a day earlier than scheduled events so that I could settle in and see some of the city. A beautiful town at the base of the Alps, Annecy provided a juxtaposition to Davos not just in its larger size, but also in its historical presence. One of its biggest draws was its Vieille Ville or “old town", a section of the city that, like many places in Europe, was a preservation of the past. There was also the ever-present and picturesque body of water that borders the old town, Lake Annecy, which was, like many of the perialpine lakes in the region, crystal clear and a rich turquoise in color.

Despite the draw of the surrounding scenery, one of the primary reasons I had traveled well over 4,000 miles to this remote part of France was to visit Salomon’s Annecy Design Center, or ADC for short. From skis to shoes, boots to bindings, pants to poles, just about every product Salomon puts forward is prototyped in-house at the ADC. Over 750 people work there, each contributing their own unique expertise, from PhDs to active athletes, which allows new ideas and concepts to be developed on the spot, rather than in any number of disjointed steps. Together with about a dozen other media outlets from across Europe, we had been invited to the ADC to first get a tour of their operations, and then, the following day, to be a part of a pretty special product reveal. But first, the tour!

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From the start it was made clear that this was not a regular occurrence. As our guide for the day, Nicolas Stamos, head of Nordic operations for Salomon, put it, “We don't open the factory often; it used to be never.” From that moment on I approached the tour with an open mind, ready to take in everything I saw, which was a lot.

Right off the bat we were introduced to one of the pieces that was prominently displayed in their lobby, and which will soon be displayed internationally at the Winter Games: the official uniforms that will be worn by more than 18,0000 volunteers and staff at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics and Paralympics. A really cool introduction to the breadth of Salomon’s involvement throughout the sports community, the uniforms really stuck out to me as something their staff was clearly proud of and were excited to see on the international stage in just a few months' time.

Entering the ADC campus from the lobby, our first major stop was the Nordic offices. I immediately felt a sense of pride as we walked in, catching a glimpse of a Jessie Diggins banner predominantly displayed on the way into the space. This section of the Center was where the process started. Product designers would collaborate to come up with sketches, patterns, and models, and then send them off to another section of the building to start bringing their concepts to life. It was also where Stamos gave us our first snippet of Salomon history, pointing out that while the brand is known for trail running and snow sports, a lot of the trail design actually came from the cross-country side of the company. In fact, their first hiking shoes were actually just stripped down ski boots.

Moving on, our next stop was one of the main workshops where much of Salomon’s softgoods take shape. An expansive space, the room contained just about every machine you could think of to make just about whatever you could think up. Coupled with the adjoining materials room, which housed well over 2,000 different kinds of fabric for prototyping, the space really was a designer’s dreamland. It was here that we got to do our own designing, albeit on a smaller scale, personalizing a new pair of shoes.

From there we made our way to another workshop where a majority of Salomon’s hardgoods were mocked up and put to the test. From pressurized ovens to oversized CNC machines, here skis and ski boots were molded and measured to assess whether or not a new model would make its way into their product lineup and eventually into the hands of elite athletes and enthusiasts alike. This also presented a good opportunity for a segue as this was, in part, where Salomon got its start. Originally a producer of saw blades, Stamos informed us, Salomon shifted into selling sporting equipment after they started using their expertise to manufacture metal edges for skis in 1947.

Finally, the last location of our tour was a staging area where the latest Salomon equipment was set aside to either be shipped out to support staff or allocated to athletes in-house. With a full-service boot fitting department and several machines for making precise measurements of skis, this area was like an F1 pit lane. Here technicians could fine-tune the fit of boots, bindings, skis, and poles before sending athletes out for their next lap. It was the perfect place to end the tour as it tied together a theme that would be driven home the following day: connection.

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The next morning we were heading in the opposite direction, out of town and into the hills surrounding Annecy. About a 45 minute drive later we arrived in La Clusaz, a small village in the Alps. As we exited our vehicles we were ushered into a compact concrete space shared with a ski lift which was where Salomon had a special reveal waiting for us.

At first it appeared that it was just us and the four walls surrounding us, but then the show started. One by one the walls lit up in the interactive space as a selection of Salomon’s senior staff told the story of where they’ve been and where they are going. Around and around we went, absorbing the writing on the walls and embracing the imagery together in the unique environment. Imagery of Jessie Diggins again made an appearance, showcasing just how important she is as an inspiration to their creative team, but she wasn’t the only one. There were a number of individuals included that Salomon proudly drew inspiration from (Alice Robinson, Marco Odermatt, and Lisa Vittozzi to name a few), and ultimately that brought us to the point of this reveal.

That day they had brought us there to officially announce their ÉQUIPE line, but it was also clear that it was about more than that. Taken with yesterday's tour of the ADC, Salomon was presenting a picture of their process for bringing this particular product to market: one that was put forward with a purpose, not just to sell more skis. At the heart of it the ÉQUIPE line was centered around connection: connection between athletes and their equipment, connection between skiers and the sport, and perhaps most importantly, connection between each other.

The ÉQUIPE line, as some may undoubtedly notice, is not new to Salomon. In that regard, the reforming of the product line draws from their past while looking to the future, creating a clear sense of connection. Later that day I had the opportunity to talk to David Farcot, creative director for Salomon winter sports, and he made it clear that they had two things in mind when they were designing the new ÉQUIPE line: joy and purpose. Purpose is evident in the designers’ drive for connection, but joy is the last piece that hasn’t been touched on yet, and which becomes clear when you look at the inspirations for the designers.

Admittedly important to him and their design team, one inspiration Farcot pointed to was Diggins who embodies a sense of joy in everything she does. Entering into her final round of World Cup racing this season she said that she had one goal: to have the most fun. An athlete who has won it all when it comes to World Cup racing, if there was an award for having the most fun I think it’s fair to assume that she would have won it too. That joy is what the ÉQUIPE designers set out to inspire in others, and perfectly sums up the new ÉQUIPE line: The purpose of the ÉQUIPE line is to drive connection, and joy is that connection.

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One more spectacle lay in store for us that day, the next valley over in Le Grand-Bornand. That Thursday the IBU World Cup was in town and, as an extra treat, Salomon had reserved a chalet that would, quite literally, be on-course. It ended up being a remarkable experience watching the race live and hearing the “Ouai. Oaui. Oaui. Oaui. Oaui!" of the crowd whenever a French favorite came out clean from the shooting range. My first time watching any biathlon competition in person, it was made all the more special by seeing Midwest native Deedra Irwin, herself a Salomon athlete, score a top-10 finish in the event, a season high for her.

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Heading home the following day I couldn’t help but feel my own sense of connection from the trip, meeting quite a few new faces I hope to see again, and developing an even better sense of connection with the ski community abroad. What started out as a simple product reveal shaped up to be much more purposeful, and I am exceptionally grateful to Salomon for creating this opportunity for connection. It was a whirlwind trip from start to finish with more travel packed into eight days than I would ever wish for, but a trip that was ultimately deeply impactful.

-Merci Salomon!

You can preview Salomon’s full ÉQUIPE line here, much of which will be on show by athletes during the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games starting Feb 6th.