Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

It's true.

https://www.norrona.com/en-GB/highlights/ski/

Norrøna are striking out from the 'GoreTex jackets for millionaire hikers' market to the 'minimalist skis for instagram influencers' market.

I will never own a pair because I do not work in the oil industry and my parents did not buy up the fishing quotas between Ålesund and Trondheim in the early '90s.

Nevertheless. Gypsy Musk Ox predicts:

Minimalist topptur/ touring/ freeride skis in powder blue, uranium orange and chlorophyll green (I've actually seen a picture of what I realise now was a prototype and it was blue and wide).

They'll have some innovative skin attachment system that will be kind of elegant and not bad actually, but the skins will cost an enormous amount and will be colour-matched to the skis, which will cost the equivalent of north of 2000 USD. These are handmade in Norway and have 'Norrøna' on them. It'll be 25,000 kroner a pair, won't it.

The skis will be marketed ruthlessly on instagram by people who really know what they're doing, and will feature blonde people looking beautiful in shell jackets, the whole thing will be gorgeous but holy god these are going to cost as much as a second hand car.

omg...Im in. Norrøna is one of my favorite brands. Mammut was my fav until they started mass producing garbage products and got REI to pimp their swill.

Fortunately, my wife works in the oil industry, but sadly neither of us are the heir and heiress of a fishing tycoon.

jyw5 wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 20, 2021 1:26 am

Mammut was my fav until they started mass producing garbage products and got REI to pimp their swill.

This seems like a good rant. Care to expound?

Norrona was known for low end "price point" and "package" XC skis and metal edged touring skis in the US many years ago. I wasn't aware they still existed; haven't seen the brand in years and years.

fgd135 wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:29 am

Norrona was known for low end "price point" and "package" XC skis and metal edged touring skis in the US many years ago. I wasn't aware they still existed; haven't seen the brand in years and years.

Norrøna is an institution in Norway. Their stuff is really excellent, but they walk a very tight line between 'premium equipment manufacturer' and 'product arm of a marketing company'.

Edit: Are you sure, by the way? I honestly don't think Norrøna have made actual skis before... I could be wrong!

Funny, I just realized I mixed up Ronning with Norrona.

https://ronningski.no/

I'm blocked from their website except the homepage, anyone else have any luck?

Woodserson wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:53 pm

Funny, I just realized I mixed up Ronning with Norrona.

https://ronningski.no/

I'm blocked from their website except the homepage, anyone else have any luck?

I can browse it at will. I'm sorry you can't get in to commune with your people, Woods.

I kind of want a pair of the fjellski. Free customisation with text burned into the topsheet! Finally, the Ronning Musk Ox.

I'd want to use ermine fur skins attached with some kind of mastic made from marsh plants and goat fat.

Musk Ox wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 21, 2021 1:26 pm

fgd135 wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:29 am

Norrona was known for low end "price point" and "package" XC skis and metal edged touring skis in the US many years ago. I wasn't aware they still existed; haven't seen the brand in years and years.

Norrøna is an institution in Norway. Their stuff is really excellent, but they walk a very tight line between 'premium equipment manufacturer' and 'product arm of a marketing company'.

Edit: Are you sure, by the way? I honestly don't think Norrøna have made actual skis before... I could be wrong!

Oops, I might be thinking about "Normark" skis...which now that I think about it was a sub-brand of Landsem. It was an inexpensive line of wood and then fiberglass skis in the 1970s.

fgd135 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 22, 2021 10:25 am

Musk Ox wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 21, 2021 1:26 pm

fgd135 wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:29 am

Norrona was known for low end "price point" and "package" XC skis and metal edged touring skis in the US many years ago. I wasn't aware they still existed; haven't seen the brand in years and years.

Norrøna is an institution in Norway. Their stuff is really excellent, but they walk a very tight line between 'premium equipment manufacturer' and 'product arm of a marketing company'.

Edit: Are you sure, by the way? I honestly don't think Norrøna have made actual skis before... I could be wrong!

Oops, I might be thinking about "Normark" skis...which now that I think about it was a sub-brand of Landsem. It was an inexpensive line of wood and then fiberglass skis in the 1970s.

Last month we bought an old Thule roofbox from a farmer in the middle of one of the neighbouring islands (when we got there he gave it to us because he'd lost the keys, he just wanted to get rid of it). It had something inside it. I joked it was vintage skis. We ordered some new keys from Thule and they came in about ten days. Inside was a pair of gigantic old waxless Landsems and a pair of 150cm aluminium Swix mountain poles of same vintage!

Edit: here they are:

Well, I knew I'd seen Norrona hardgoods, just had to jar the memory. Norrona did make/sell XC boots and shoes in the distant past... I think I'll keep searching but there were probably bindings as well.