Mt. Hood. Ore. (Ski Press)-The Elan Test Center at Mt. Hood Oregon shut its doors early this month, ending with a record number of test skis put out on the hill for the 2004 summer. The Elan Test Center opened in early June with young racers waiting at the door so they could try Elan’s newest and most talked about skis. U.S. Ski Team and junior athletes alike tested Elan’s newest ski, plate and binding models with great feedback.

World Cup athletes such as Chip Knight, Dane Spencer, and Wade Bishop proved themselves the fastest on Elan Skis and Bindings and made the switch. As winter approaches, many young racers are expected to do the same. “We are adding International and National Team Athletes to our Elan Team every year. It isn’t surprising that we see such a demanding increase among junior racers,” Hans Dyhrman, Promotions Manager.

“We had a constant line of kids anxiously waiting at our doors to test skis. The demand we saw at Mt. Hood will undoubtedly carry over into our in season sales. Lime green will be the hottest color on the hill.” Daniel Gustafsson, Race Director.

Slovenia (Ski Press)-Racing legend Ingemar Stenmark signed a new contract with Elan on May 20th 2004. Elan already has a strong stable of athletes and has asked Stenmark to focus on Elan ski promotion and brand development instead.

Elan partnered with Ingemar Stenmark when he dominated the World Cup with 86 victories through the 1980’s. Despite Ingemar’s everlasting ski rivalry with Bojan Krizaj, the two came together in the product testing and the presentation of Elan’s Revolutionary ski technology, Fusion. Krizaj currently heads up the international race department.

When Ingemar was only 9, he wrote in an essay that he would like to become a ski racer. His teacher found his dreams quite unrealistic and impossible to accomplish. Seven years later, Ingemar won his first World Cup race.
In the seventies he became one of World Cup’s biggest stars and it was with Elan’s superior skis that he finished with victory after victory. When he finished his career in 1989, he had entered 347 races and won an amazing 165 of them.

Other Accomplishments:
3 overall titles in World Cup
8 titles in the slalom overall standings
8 in giantslalom overall standings
twice Olympic winner
3 times World champion