Between Seasons and Brands: the Off-Season's Biggest Brand Shakeups

As the curtain has fallen on the 2025/26 season and the dust has settled on another winter of racing, attention has shifted to one of the sport's most closely followed off-season storylines: equipment changes. In the weeks since the season concluded, athletes and brands have unveiled new partnerships and strategic moves ahead of the next winter. Whether motivated by the pursuit of greater performance, long-term ambitions, or a fresh challenge, these decisions shape careers and influence results, making the equipment market a focal point of the off-season.

Head: High-Profile Additions to Reinforce the Team

Head remains a central player in this off-season reshuffle, enhancing its lineup with several high-profile additions. Alice Robinson joins from Salomon, Henrik Kristoffersen arrives from Van Deer, and Christoph Innerhofer makes the switch from Rossignol, reinforcing Head’s presence across both the Women’s and Men’s World Cup circuits. However, despite these acquisitions, the brand experiences significant exits, with Justin Murisier departing to Kästle and Albert Popov heading to Nordica.

Van Deer: Building Momentum and Expansion

Van Deer continues to grow its roster with some exciting and iconic signings. Paula Moltzan, one of the most prominent names on the Women's World Cup circuit, makes the move from Rossignol – becoming the first woman ever to join the brand at World Cup level. Laine Tormis also comes on board from Völkl, adding more technical power to the lineup. On top of that, Eirik Hystad Solberg (from Fischer) and Hans Grahl-Madsen (from Head) join the group.

Nordica: New Arrivals for a Competitive Edge

Nordica is among the brands with the highest number of athlete changes, adding several high-profile names to its roster. Zan Kranjec transitions from Rossignol, and Filip Zubčić arrives from Atomic, while Albert Popov from Head and Quim Salarich Baucells from Rossignol all strengthen Nordica's technical core.

Völkl, Fischer & Kästle: Targeted Moves

While other brands dominated the headlines, Völkl, Fischer, and Kästle also made meaningful moves of their own. Völkl saw Ramon Zenhäusern join from Rossignol while Laine Tormis headed to Van Deer. Fischer, meanwhile, felt the pull of Van Deer's expansion firsthand with Eirik Hystad Solberg's departure and has yet to announce new arrivals to their team. On the other end of the spectrum, Kästle landed a big name of the Swiss skiing pros, Justin Murisier from Head – a proven competitor whose experience adds real weight to their roster heading into winter.

Stöckli

The Swiss ski brand also presents a new addition to their roster that already includes big names such as Marco Odermatt and Alexis Monney – this time the newest addition is from the US Ski Team: Kyle Negomir changes from Atomic to Stöckli in the quest of finding even faster edges.

Atomic: New Addition to the Speed Team

After announcing her departure from Head earlier in April – ending a six-year stint with the brand – French speed specialist Laura Gauché has since confirmed Atomic as her new home for the upcoming season, marking a full-circle return to the brand where it all began for her as a young skier.

Still Up in the Air

Not every move has been settled just yet, though, meaning the off-season puzzle still has a few missing pieces. Italy’s Roberta Melesi has mentioned equipment changes ahead of next season, although no official brand confirmation has been published yet. Melesi parted ways with Rossignol – who had accompanied her since the age of six.