Renewable Ski Factory

The origin of Åre Skidfabrik began in 1981 when Stefan Cederberg and Patrik Söderlund began building snowboards in their parent’s garage in Frösön. It is an origin story we connect with.

After 10 years of manufacturing for local snowboarders under company name ‘Extrem’, Patrik and Stefan moved further inland to Scandinavia’s largest ski resort, Åre. Upgrading their production facility from garage to an 800 square meter factory. By 1998, Extrem began manufacturing skis under the same name.

In 2011, Extrem was restructured to Āre Skifabrik which further evolved in 2015 when they began manufacturing for other ski brands. The rapid expansion of the successful factory reached another level in 2020 when investment was placed into efficient machinery, focused sustainability and a praised work environment. We are proud to work alongside the highly skilled Åre SkidFabrik team and their 40+ years of experience, producing skis out of the most environmentally friendly ski factory in the industry.

 

100% RENEWABLE 100% FOSSIL FREE ENERGY

On top of their sourcing 100% of their energy from local hydro-power, in 2020 the team invested in a new efficient energy solution. Excess heat from the two ski presses is now recycled through an innovative ventilation system. This ventilated air heats the factory building during working hours. During the evenings, geothermal heating is used. The combination of these two highly efficient systems reduced their heating consumption by 70%.

0.6KG CO2 ENERGY FOOTPRINT

Working with RISE ( the national Research Institute of Sweden ), Åre has examined all the major environmental factors involved in ski production. Contrary to belief, energy source is the largest environmental factor toward ski production. The Swedish factory runs solely on hydro-power which is the largest source of energy in this Swedish region, and on a five year average, this Swedish region is the lowest carbon emission consumer in the world.

As a result, the carbon footprint from energy consumption to produce a pair of skis at Åre Skidfabrik is 0.6 kg CO2, compared to alternative countries using carbon based fuel sources which can produce up to 90 kg CO2 per set of skis.

28.8KG CO2 SKI FOOTPRINT

The total CO2 production for a pair of skis is currently 28.8 Kg. To continue reducing the CO2 output, the Åre team is including recycled and biobased materials. We collectively test new materials and ski constructions to ensure no compromising quality. All skis will now be produced with 26% recycled steel edges, 50% biobased topsheets and tuned using a biodegradable ski wax. With further testing being conducted on pre-preg laminates using a combination of glass fiber and flax fiber, impregnated with a mix of epoxy and bioresin.

BY SKIERS, FOR SKIERS

The Åre team lives in a bustling ski town, like all of us at RMU. The cliche "For Skiers, By Skiers" rings true in this factory. Every pair of RMU skis and other brands that leave their doors is built by a local ripper who embodies the sport of skiing. We're proud to be in partnership with a manufacturer that promotes a healthy quality of life and living wages in the ski towns.

" North central Sweden, where we’re located, is dominated by 100% renewable and 100% fossil free, local, hydropower. With a five-year average of 16 g carbon intensity per kWh (gCO2 eq/kWh), our region is the lowest carbon emission consumer per kWh in the world.** Compared to other European ski producing countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and the Czech Republic, with an average five-year carbon intensity level of 352g per kWh, the difference is substantial.** "

Tobias Liljeroth
Åre Skidfabrik

"One pair of skis made at Åre Skidfabrik has a carbon footprint of 28,8 kg CO2 including raw materials, transportation, manufacturing and waste emissions. Only 0,6 kg CO2 originates from our own manufacturing due to the exceptionally low carbon intensity of our region.* Building an identical pair of skis, but in a high carbon-intensive country can therefore be up to 400% higher with a footprint of up to 120 kg CO2 per ski.*** "

Tobias Liljeroth
Åre Skidfabrik

* Source: RISE report BioSkiBoard | Closing Meeting 2021-12-16
** Source: app.electricitymaps.com
*** Sources: RISE and app.electricitymaps.com