SALOMON AND A COSMIC SHIFT

“I’m fascinated by what I’ll do tomorrow.” – Georges Salomon

A Legend is Born

Enticed by the growing sport of skiing, Francois and Georges Salomon transformed their family business making saw blades by attaching modified blades to the bases of wooden skis in order to provide skiers of Chamonix and the surrounding French Alps with a more predictable and controllable experience. Since that humble beginning in 1947 in their home in Annecy, France, the Salomon brand has built and maintained their leading presence in all aspects of the ski and snowboard industry, as well as in running, hiking, and mountaineering.

Salomon’s Core

Salomon has long been recognized for their commitment to the design and manufacture of amazing and innovative products, but their business philosophy contains a much more global approach to their corporate responsibilities and sustainability footprint. Salomon not only holds a strong place as a leader in their commitment to the toys we use, but also to the places we use them, to the players who use them, and even to the players who can no longer use them. 

Enter the Play Minded Program.

It’s an initiative to hold themselves accountable for their part in the future of our outdoor world and its inhabitants.  With objectives set out thru 2025, Salomon commits to:

MIND THE PLAYERS

Since 1999 in a spirit of reciprocity and solidarity, the Salomon Foundation values and supports those who dedicate their lives to protecting and teaching in the mountains — guides, ski instructors, ski patrollers, and the like — whose livelihoods may be affected by the dangers inherent in our sports.

Salomon invests 1% of its annual revenue to educate the players.

MIND THE TOYS

Salomon is committed to reduce the environmental impact of all of their products and their carbon footprint by complying with several progressive agencies, including Bluesign.

100% of their top tier materials suppliers have signed or complied with category-level Materials Compliance Programs and Restricted Substances Lists.

MIND THE PLAYMAKERS

Salomon is committed to the happiness and satisfaction of its employees.

80% of Salomon employees report being “satisfied” or “extremely satisfied” with Salomon.

MIND THE PLAYGROUND

Salomon recognizes that “there is no play without the playground” (Salomon CEO Jean-Marc Pambet), and therefore, commit their future to one of sustainability and responsibility for our earth.

Salomon will reduce its carbon emissions by 20% per million € annual revenue (compare to 2015 level).

These foundational efforts resonate with the crew at Mountain Chalet, and we’re proud to announce our expanded partnership with Salomon this season. Teaming up with Salomon goes back many years, but 2018 marks a thrilling new chapter for us.

A Cosmic Shift

We couldn’t be more excited to work with them to introduce their new game-changing backcountry ski technology that constitutes the S/LAB SHIFT MNC 13 binding.

In an effort to create the “holy grail” of touring bindings, Salomon spent 7 years on the design and manufacture of the Shift beginning with absolutely no blueprint. Along with athletes Cody Townsend and Greg Hill, their design team was able to bring together the best of our ski worlds for the first time. In the S/LAB Shift MC, they’ve engineered a binding with the responsiveness and safety of a downhill binding and the touring ability of a low-tech binding. With 47mm of elasticity in the toe and 30mm of adjustment lengthwise, the Shift ushers in the next generation of free ride capability. Weighing in at 3.75lbs./pair, the Salomon Shift will prove to be a great choice for those pushing the boundaries of the mountain and their skiing, as well.

UPHILL FREEDOM  +  DOWNHILL POWER  =  ZERO COMPROMISE

Needless to say, the whole ski community has been super psyched to see how this new development affects our sport, and our industry. Because the popularity of the Shift seems to have surpassed even Salomon’s best efforts to forecast demand, supplies will be quite limited this introductory/ season. 

If you’re an early adopter, and you think you’d like to slide on these this season, you ought to make your best effort to acquire/get a hold of them early. Mountain Chalet is poised to receive some of the first Shifts off the line and we’ve already pre-sold some of the pairs we’re anticipating to arrive soon.

Come see us if you’re as amped for the S/LAB Shift MC as we are.  And hope for snow.

SALOMON TIMELINE OF ACHIEVEMENTS

1947 Salomon family opens saw blade ski edge workshop
1995 Introduces “Le Lift” binding replacing old leather straps
1966 Invents first self-release heel piece binding
1972 First manufacturer to sell 1 million bindings in one year
1979 Introduces their first ski boot to the market
1980 Develops and introduces SNS – Salomon Nordic System
1990 Introduces their first ski – the S9000
1992 First offers hiking shoes
1997 Enters snowboard market with boots, bindings & boards
2001 Offers first XA shoe
2011 Launches their backcountry range with X-ALP boots
2018 Alters the AT binding world with S/LAB Shift Binding