Kästle
In 1924, Vorarlberg native Anton Kästle produced the first skis made of wood with solid ash in his father's wainwright's workshop in Hohenems. At the end of the 1930s, Kästle introduced the Arlberg ski , a high-quality ski that quickly became popular among top skiers. During the war years, production had to be halted due to a lack of raw materials. Kästle became internationally renowned in the 1950s when the first gold medal was won on Kästle skis. The takeover by Benetton. In March 2007, an Austrian investment group acquired the worldwide brand rights to Kästle from the Benetton Group. Kästle skis were now once again being developed and produced in Austria. In the winter of 2007/08, Kästle introduced the “comeback collection” consisting of four ski models to the market.
In 2013, US freerider Chris Davenport was brought on board as a co-owner and has held a 5 percent stake in the ski brand ever since. The two-time world champion in extreme skiing is also involved in product development. Today, every third Kästle ski in America is on the slopes.