The following press release was recently received from Skiplukker’n (“ski picker”), an established Norwegian ski company that is now expanding to serve the American and Canadian markets. This is not a paid post; rather, as someone who spends a fair amount of his waking hours thinking about fast skis and where to get them, I found their services intriguing and thought that readers would as well. As a longtime friend and friendly rival in Alaskan master skiing circles observes, “You can’t buy youth, but you can buy skis.” (Said friend has an individual gold medal from World Masters and I don’t, so you should probably listen to him. Also, to clarify, Skiplukker’n will gladly pick skis for you if you are currently blessed with youth, and also wish to buy skis.)
Anyway, here’s what Skiplukker’n would like you to know about them. And here is their American website if you’d like to find out more. Their new North American rep is one David Norris, whom you can reach at david (at) skiplukkern.us.
Skiplukker’n of Norway, the world’s leading ski picking and grinding company, is excited to offer their services to the North American ski community. David Norris has recently joined the team to lead the expansion of Skiplukker’n USA. The U.S. National Champion, two-time American Birkie winner, and top-performing World Cup skier speaks to the services that Skiplukker’n offers American cross-country skiers.
“This is an incredible resource that I am so excited to bring to North American skiers. Skiers can now get World Cup quality skis without first placing amongst the top 30 on the World Cup circuit,” Norris says. “Skiplukker’n will pick top end skis for aspiring juniors, collegiate and SuperTour skiers, master racers, and weekend warriors, while simultaneously finding skis for Norwegian World Championship medalists. Their attention to detail and efforts to pick the very best ski will not deviate depending on who the skier is.”
Skiplukker’n, which means “ski picker” in Norwegian, is a well-established and industry-leading ski picking and grinding company. They have picked winning skis for athletes who have earned top results including Olympic and World Championship gold medals, multiple wins at the Norwegian Birkie, Vasaloppet, and Marcialonga, and many top World Cup results.
Skiplukker’n was founded by Aslak Berglund in the belief that “every pair of skis is unique.” Aslak has hand-picked over 3,000 pairs of skis per year for the last 15 years, making him an expert in the field.
Skiplukker’n sets themselves apart from the competition — and particularly from even the largest domestic ski shops in North America — because they are not burdened down with fixed inventory. Skiplukker’n travels directly to the ski companies’ Norwegian warehouses, where they have access to hundreds of pairs of skis, to select skis on site. Skiplukker’n has strong relationships with all of Fischer, Madshus, and Rossignol, and has experience picking the optimal ski for each skier from all of these manufacturers’ warehouses.
With this unparalleled level of ski inventory access, Aslak can ensure that he picks the very best ski for each client. Aslak will not compromise on ski quality — if he does not find the right pair for a client he will return the following week to review new pairs that have since arrived. This resource cannot be rivaled by domestic ski shops that have the burden of the Atlantic Ocean between their shop and the warehouses filled with new production skis, and that are not in a position to return the following week to see if there is a better match for a customer.
Skiplukker’n is also renowned for their stone grinding, which is used on both the World Cup and by the leading Ski Classics athletes (formerly VISMA Ski Classics). These grinds are tested across Scandinavia and Europe each winter, giving them a large range of snow conditions to be tested and adapted for. Whether you ski in the high mountain west, cold wind-blown snow, or coastal slush, Skiplukker’n has a grind that is proven to be fast in each of these conditions.
