It took me some time, but I finally noticed Kristoffersen’s grey ski boots and did a quick search to find out that it was a good old Lange. 

While I wasn’t looking for it, or expecting it, that search brought me lot of of other information or “conspiracy theories” about the whole Van Deer project and its opaque relationship with Rossignol. There was first the rumor that the Van Deer ski used by Henrik Kristoffersen, Timon Haugan and the Brit Charlie Raposo was nothing more than a Rossignol. 

For those of you who don’t remember, Marcel Hirscher left Atomic in 2021 for his new baby. the Van Deer-Red Bull Sports program. For Red Bull to be represented in the ski industry, the company must have its own production plant and Van Deer purchased Augment, a small “niche” Austrian ski manufacturer so it could potentially join the Austrian pool after those of Norway and Great Britain. 

Obviously many people who are into conspiracy theories suspect that Kristoffersen always rides on Rossignol skis as Van Deer name is only top-skin deep. This kind camouflage is very easy to do with skis, not so much with boots (well, rumor had it that around january 2019, the French racer Pinturault, not happy with the performance of his Head boot had used a Rossignol boot camouflaged into what appeared as Head product, but who really knows?) 

Perhaps Van Deer just got some inspiration from Rossignol by cutting open one of Kristoffersen’s winning pairs, looked at what was inside and copied it; who knows? Further, Lange and Rossignol are the same company, so it’s also rumored that Kristoffersen had to negotiate with Rossignol to get his custom boot mold back (I didn’t know there was such a thing, and yet, I’ve worked with Lange...), which the brand, according to rumors, refused at first to let go of. 

To edge his bet, the Norwegian also tested Nordica at length around Livigno, and was negotiating in earnest with the Italian brand. 

But Van Deer got an agreement going with Lange and this appears to be the reason for these grey Lange racing boots, reminescent of the old and successful Lange XLS or “Soft” from the 80s and for the moment, that’s the end of this speculative story!