Jens Burman, together with Swedish Nordic athletes Viktor Thorn and Karl-Johan Westberg (both of whom have been Salomon team members since their junior years), did two weeks of training in the French Alps in October. Part of that time was a day spent at Salomon’s Annecy Design Center (ADC). After working closely with Salomon technicians during that visit and selecting their best skis and boots, the Swedes are fully armed and ready for the upcoming season.
The visit to Salomon ADC was important for both the athletes and the Salomon Nordic staff. For athletes, it’s a chance to get a feel for what Salomon is all about and to discuss with the people behind the product creation process. For Salomon specialists, meeting the professionals of the sport and hearing their feedback is an important step in improving products.
Jens took the opportunity to share a photo from his visit to Salomon on his Instagram account. Holding new Salomon S/LAB Classic skis, he said: “Visited Salomon headquarters yesterday and looked at the new skis. Fantastic service that will help me a lot in the winter.”
The Swedish athletes discovered how Salomon builds skis in the prototype area and had a chance to press their own skis that they will use this season. Also during the visit, Salomon’s race service specialists exchanged ideas with Swedish team technicians, which should help them successfully work together during the season to provide the Swedish athletes on the Salomon team with the best chance for success.
“’Train hard, fight easy’ is more than just rhetoric. There is a substantial technical process behind the selection of the skis for each athlete, with many nuances taken into consideration, including the athlete’s weight, snow type, humidity and temperature,” said Salomon Nordic Racing Manager Patrice Frison-Roche. “All of those things influence the glide and grip, as well as which grind, base and construction is used. During the season each athlete tries approximately 40 different S/Lab classic skis, S/Lab Carbon skate skis and a number of boots. About 120 pairs of skis are explored in total. Our technicians do their best, so at the day of the race all you have to do is not to worry, take the skis and go as fast as possible.”
Before departing to step up his training in advance of the World Cup season, Jens Burman explained why he chose to join.
“My goal next winter is to claim an individual medal at the Olympic Games,” he said. “I believe that Salomon can help me towards my goal with their great service and equipment. The things that convinced me to switch to Salomon was that, first of all, I knew that the service team is really professional, works closely with the athletes and always makes sure that athletes have great skis. When I first tried Salomon skis and the boots together, I felt that the equipment was good for my technique, especially skate equipment. The feeling of the skate skis was the best I ever had and they also work well in icy conditions.”
To see how the new S/LAB Classic Nordic Ski was created from start to finish, check out this video filmed inside the prototype area at the Annecy Design Center:
