The company is increasing its activities abroad and is also focusing more on mountaineering.
(Photo: Ortovox)
Munich During the pandemic, many people discovered ski touring for themselves. When the lifts stopped, in some areas thousands climbed the slopes with skins under their skis, only to swing back down the unprepared slopes.
The trend continues, even now that the lifts are back in operation. Most recently, national goalkeeper Manuel Neuer caused a stir when he fell on a ski tour on Spitzingsee and broke his lower leg.
But the risks, which there are as with many sports, do not deter recreational athletes. The German Alpine Association estimates that there are now more than half a million ski tourers in Germany. This means that the number of active members has doubled in the past ten years. “This is a trend that will remain,” Ortovox boss Christian Schneidermeier is convinced.
The company is a specialist in clothing and emergency equipment used in the sport. According to industry estimates, sales should have increased sevenfold over the past ten years to a high double-digit million amount.
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It could go on like this. However, Ortovox, which has focused on sustainability from the start, faces two problems. Schneidermeier grew up at Tegernsee and knows how badly the mountains suffer from the crowds. Ski tourers, often without knowing it, penetrate into sensitive areas again and again.
Experts expect further decreases in the amount of snow in the Alps
“We want to protect the mountaineers, but we also want to protect the mountains,” says the Ortovox boss. Sometimes he worries that more people are encouraged to go to the mountains. Among other things, the company offers free courses worldwide to increase awareness of the dangers and nature.
It is also unclear how long ski tours will still be possible in many regions of the Alps in times of climate change. “We have historically grown a major focus on Germany and Austria,” says Schneidermeier. There will be less and less snow in winter here.
“We want to protect the mountaineers, but we also want to protect the mountains.”
(Photo: Ortovox)
Studies also confirm this. “Local measurements have been showing a decrease in snow thickness at lower altitudes for years,” says Grégoire Mariéthoz from the University of Lausanne, who has been evaluating satellite images together with other researchers since 1984. “At least in places, this decline has already resulted in areas that have largely become snow-free.” The trend will intensify as global warming progresses.
Ortovox is reacting to the consequences of climate change with a dual strategy. On the one hand, the company wants to expand its foreign activities. “For example, we want to expand more in North America,” says Schneidermeier. There is still a lot of potential in other European countries such as France. To this end, the sales structures were expanded and new national companies opened.
In addition, Ortovox intends to focus even more on mountaineering in the future. “Here, too, we are concerned with demanding specialists, with mountain guides, climbers and high-altitude tourers,” says Schneidermeier. The positioning of the brand should remain “pointed”, with functional clothing in a reduced but high-quality design. There are also, for example, first aid kits and bivy bags.
Ortovox expands repair service
The topic also moves other sporting goods manufacturers. The touring ski specialist Hagan, for example, is working together with the organization “Protect our Winters” to combat climate change. Customers are to be motivated to “deal with the mountains responsibly”. The company itself has switched to electric cars and green electricity.
Ortovox, on the other hand, has also greatly expanded the repair service when it comes to sustainability. “Longevity is one of the most important aspects of sustainability,” says Schneidermeier. Ortovox was recently nominated for the German Sustainability Award for its digital knowledge platform “Protact Lab”.
The company belongs to the outdoor group of the family company Schwan-Stabilo. The division was able to increase its sales in the past financial year by a good 16 percent to 217 million euros. This also includes the backpack manufacturer Deuter and the brands Gonso and Maier Sports.
Schwan-Stabilo wants to give the brands as much independence as possible. Deuter and Ortovox are competitors in the backpack segment for ski tours, for example. However, synergies in the background should be used more intensively. For example, for the first time in France there has been a sales organization for all four brands.
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