In the world of skiing, the revolutionary information is confirmed. Ester Ledecká will be racing on Czech-Austrian Kästle skis from the coming season and will receive a very experienced serviceman. The brand was bought some time ago by Czech billionaire and great skiing enthusiast Tomáš Němec.
As the Austrian director of Kästle Alex Lotschak confirmed to Seznam Zprávám, Ledecká will become the main star of the old brand, which was once very successful in the World Cup in downhill skiing and at the Winter Olympics.
Ledecká will also get a new serviceman, the world-renowned Austrian expert Guntram Mathis. “Mathis is a great expert who has worked for example for Bode Miller or more recently for French World Cup winner Alexis Pinturault. In addition to Kästle skis, he also worked for the Head and Rossignol brands,” said Lotschak.
Mathis will work closely with race ski designer and lead developer of Kästle’s downhill racing program in Hohenems, Austria, Rainer Nachbaur.
At the end of May, Seznam Zprávy reported on Ledecky’s planned transition to a new brand of skis. The Czech amphibian has now published the official announcement on social networks through a funny video. It begins somewhere on a beach in Greece, where Ester puts a letter in a bottle and then throws it into the sea. By cutting, the bottle reaches Lake Constance near the shores of Austria, where it is caught by a young fisherman, probably a journalist. In the bottle, he finds a contract between Ester and the new brand. He immediately calls Nachbauer on his cell phone at the company’s headquarters to verify the information. He confirms and gives a thumbs up for emphasis.
It is an honor to introduce you to my new stable! Let me introduce you to my new team. STR Kästle Ski
Posted by Ester Ledecká on Friday, August 19, 2022
Ledecká cannot be the only competitor in the new speed downhill team. He needs a strong sparring partner. That is why she will be joined by another excellent downhill skier, the two-time downhill world champion, Slovenian Ilka Štuhecová. In addition, the excellent Czech slalom skier Martina Dubovská will be riding the new skis from the upcoming season.
The end of Ester at Atomik and the transition to Kästle has its own logic. For the Austrians, the business with the Czech billionaire was a good opportunity to expand the business. Tomáš Němec, on the other hand, needed world publicity for the old brand. Ledecká will ensure that for him. According to Sport.cz, the Czech downhill skier received an offer of 9 million crowns a year.
About the transfer of Ledecka to a new brand of skis
Changing material is a key and sometimes risky step for top skiers. In this case, it is also a transition to new skis that have not yet earned spurs. Coincidentally, the excellent Norwegian slalom skier Henrik Kristoffersen also took a similar step. From the coming season, he will no longer race on Rossignol skis, but on the new Van Deer brand, which was developed by the former great slalom skier Marcel Hirscher.
