Archive / 2011

Hok-Vert-web

Altai Skis Press Release

    Our press release announcing Altai Skis to the World!       Altai Skis Press Release   CONTACT: Nils Larsen Francois Sylvain nils@altaiskis.com francois@altaiskis.com www.altaiskis.com   New hybrid ski and snowshoe introduced   North America (April, 2011): The Altai Ski Company is born. Altai Skis represent a convergence of utility and adventure in backcountry ski design. Altai Skis’ first ski, the Hok, is a hybrid of ski and snowshoe. The design is short and wide with a climbing skin integrated into its base. The ski allows for easy climbing and predictable downhill control by the user.   The Hok is incredibly maneuverable and easy to use, a great cross between snowshoes and cross-country skis. The skis is designed for use whenever and wherever there is snow and is the ideal tool for the pocket backcountry found out the back door and in nearby parks and woodlands. The ski is equally well suited for exploring the local hills or mountains.   Founded by Nils Larsen and Francois Sylvain, Altai Skis is focused on design inspired by the true spirit and utility of backcountry skiing.   Larsen and Sylvain are ski industry veterans who have worked extensively together in the past. They believe that the easily accessible, everyday backcountry is generally overlooked by much of the current equipment offered. “We believe that the term ‘backcountry’ can and should include the patch of woods behind your house or the hills just out of town. For many of us, this is the most accessible and affordable terrain we can get to on a regular basis.” says Larsen.   The name Altai Skis was inspired by the ski culture found in the Altai Mountains of northern Asia. Since 2005, Larsen has been documenting the indigenous ski culture in the region that dates back thousands of years. The local culture’s go-everywhere, do-everything skis are the inspiration for Altai Skis.   Sylvain brings 12 years of ski design and construction experience with Karhu and Line skis to Altai Skis. His designs are highly regarded in alpine and nordic ski categories.   Larsen has been at the forefront of the backcountry ski scene for the last 25 years and started working at Karhu Skis in the early 1990’s. Together, they developed the majority of telemark, backcountry, and XCD skis that Karhu released in the last 10 years.   More information can be found at the website www.altaiskis.com   .  

Welcome to Altai Skis

Altai Skis was conceived by Nils Larsen and Francois Sylvain in 2009.   We both have had extensive ski industry experience and had worked together designing nordic and backcountry skis for over ten years. We felt there was a great potential for skis designed for what we like to call ‘pocket backcountry’, the skiing many skiers have ready access to close to where they live. In both Quebec (Francois’ home) and NE Washington (Nils’ home), skiing out the back door or close to it offers us great and easy access to the winter world. We set to work on new designs, with the goal to create easy to use and accessible gear to match the often overlooked skiing terrain hiding in plain view.   Nils has been working on a documentary project on indigenous skiers in the remote Altai Mountains of Northern Asia since 2005. The ski traditions in the area date back thousands of years, possibly to the origins of skiing. The skiers in the Altai still use one ski design for all their skiing, whether it’s a short trip to feed their livestock, over the hill to visit a neighbor, or a two week hunting expedition deep into the rugged mountains. All skiing in the Altai is ‘backcountry’. This was the inspiration for Altai Skis, it defines the spirit of our company and it will drive our designs into the future.