Exclusive: USSS to Move from Kappa to The North Face for Uniforms and Apparel

By Gavin Kentch

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U.S. Ski & Snowboard is changing its official uniform and apparel sponsor for the upcoming season, from Kappa to The North Face, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the imminent change.

Kappa, a longtime Italian sportswear company, became the official apparel partner for all USSS teams in 2022. At the time, it was announced as a decade-long sponsorship agreement.

“U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today that Kappa, Italy’s leading sportswear brand, has signed a multi-year sponsorship as Official Technical Apparel Partner,” USSS wrote in May 2022, four years ago this week.

The initial press release does not explicitly refer to a term of years, but it does refer to Kappa supporting domestic events through 2032, as well as to outfitting American skiers competing at the 2030 Winter Olympics. By November 2022, USSS was explicitly describing the deal as “a 10-year partnership.”

The apparent end of the Kappa deal comes four years into this ten-year period. USSS media representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reasons behind the premature cessation. I will update this story if they do.

The North Face has previously outfitted some of the teams within the USSS family, most notably freeskiing. For example, here are Alex Ferreira, left, and David Wise on the podium at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang wearing North Face gear:

My thanks to the dozen or so (lol) folks who reached out to me with this news over the past few weeks. If you know more about this story and would like to share, emails (info (at) nordicinsights.news) and DMs (@nordicinsights) are open.

Most remaining items in the Kappa/USSS collection are currently available on Kappa’s site at a 50 percent discount from retail.

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