Hart Skis

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Hart Ski Corporation
Type	Private
Founded	1955 (brand established)
Headquarters	Wayzata, Minnesota, USA
Key people	Chris Farni, CEO Bill Holmberg, COO BIll Maitland, VP Marketing
Industry	Sports Equipment
Products	Downhill skis, Snowboards,
Website	http://www.hartskis.com/

[edit] Hart History

In 1943, Hartvig “Hart” Holmberg opened a carpentry shop in St. Paul, MN Specializing in designing and manufacturing customized cribbage boards, chess sets and wood or metal card games, word of Hartvig’s ability to create fine crafted goods quickly spread. Soon, the shop began to take on custom jobs using a variety of commercial manufacturing techniques, primarily custom painting and sheet metal work. This work led to fabricating runners for Ski-Doo snowmobiles. Hartvig's brother Harry, worked as a ski engineer and designer for Gregg skis in St. Paul. Knowing that the addition of a seamless metal edge would revolutionize ski design, Harry called upon Hartvig’s manufacturing skills and together they began working on a prototype. After three years of creating and refining, Hartvig, Harry and friend Ed Bjork were ready. And, in 1955 the first "Hart" metal-edged ski was introduced.

Much to the surprise of Hart Ski founders, Head Ski Company also was developing metal ski technology. In fact, the two companies launched their new skis at the same time. Ongoing court litigation between the two companies continued for years. The case was later settled when both companies agreed that neither was the “winner.”

By the mid-1960’s Hart Skis dominated the ski market with an overwhelming U.S. market share and global brand recognition. At its peak in the late 1960’s, Hart shipped 144,000 pairs of skis per year—achieving revenues in the tens of millions. It also was during the 1960’s that freestyle skiing became a global phenomenon.

[edit] Pioneer in Freestyle Skiing

The evolution of freestyle skiing can be traced to 1907 when the first ski flip was recorded. By the 1950s, high-profile Olympic skiers like Stein Erickson, were performing front and back aerial somersaults during professional ski shows in Vermont and Colorado.

In 1965, Austrian gymnast Herman Goellner surpassed the single somersaults achieved by Erickson by performing the first double, triple and mobius (full-twisting) flips. Ski enthusiasts in Vermont were the first to witness the feats of Goellner and Tom Leroy, who performed simultaneous inverted aerials to the astonishment of large ski-show crowds.

In 1965, Swiss racer Art Furrer appeared on the U.S. ski scene. Claiming that increased agility through acrobatics on skis, could improve ski performance, Furrer thrilled crowds. His stunts included “the butterfly,” “the Charleston” and a crossed-ski turn called the “javelin.” Furrer’s relationship with Hart Skis and his early appearance in ski press photos performing stunts made him “the face” of the 1960s freestyle movement.

Hart Skis was honored that Furrer chose to perform his stunts on the Hart Javelin. Produced in 1966, the Javelin was one of the first skis in metal and fiberglass. It soon became the standard for freestyle skiers everywhere. Acrobatics were key to the success of the first extreme skiing movies, produced for Hart, by Summit Films.These early films included, “The Incredible Ski,” “The Moebius Flip” and perhaps the most popular ever, “Ski the Outer Limits.”

Freestyle skiing was officially recognized in 1979 by the International Ski Federation and was introduced at the Olympics as a demonstration event at the 1988 Calgary Games. Mogul skiing became part of the official program for the Albertville Games in 199 2— and aerials were added in 1994 during the Lillehammer Games.

[edit] 1970's to Now

During the 1970s, the Hart brand remained strong, thanks in part to Olympic medal winner, Billy Kidd, who joined the company as an advisor and designer. In 1971, Kidd won the first World-Wide Championship Professionals wearing skis made by Hart. Hart also secured endorsements of ‘70s ski superstars like Susie Chaffee, Hank Kashiwa and many others.

The 1980s continued to see all Freestyle competition dominated by Hart. In its never-ending quest for design excellence, the company introduced the first ski with wood okume and honeycomb structure in aluminum. Launched in 1984 and known as “The Comp,” this ski won raves with its excellent performance, lightness and versatility. The symbiotic relationship between top athletes, peak performance and Hart Skis continued into the 1990s.

At the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, most American ski team members chose Freestyle by Hart, winning two medals — one silver and one gold.

Due to the popularity of “The Comp,” Hart took it to the next level with its 1991 Comp SL. This new ski included a construction torsion box with aluminum honeycomb and an Internal Absorption Shock (IAS) system (guaranteeing optimal stability at elevated speeds).

Athletes wearing Hart continued to dominate global ski competitions. In 1995, for instance, Hart athletes took center stage at the World of Freestyle in Clusaz, France, winning six medals—including four gold.

In 2003 Hart Ski Manufacturing LLC was formed to formally reintroduce the brand to American Athletes and consumers. Re-started by Hart Holmberg's grandson William "Bill" Holmberg from St. Paul and some friends, they sought to bring back the brand with high quality handmade products that "Reflect the way my Grabdfather would have done it were he still alive.", according to Mr. Holmberg.

Today, athletes and enthusiasts alike continue to choose Hart. With a history that has been passed through generations of ownership, Hart remains one of the few American ski brands.