The company announced this on Saturday after the Norwegian had announced his departure from his long-standing French outfitter Rossignol the day before.
“I’m very happy to be a part of the Van Deer project. It’s a great opportunity to take things to a new level. Ultimately, gear is the most important thing to go fast and win races. With the With the new Van Deer skis, that will be possible,” the 27-year-old giant slalom world champion from 2019 was quoted as saying in a broadcast. The relationship with Hirscher, who retired in 2019, was described by the winner of 28 individual World Cup races as really special. “It’s a friendship that started as a fair rivalry. We fought each other – every time I came second, Marcel came first and vice versa. And now it’s time to win together.”
Hirscher himself spoke of Kristoffersen as the strongest competitor during his active time and is looking forward to working with the technical specialist and slalom world cup winner, who recovered after problems last season. “It’s really a privilege to be able to work with such a top athlete. It’s unbelievable that something like this is possible at such an early stage of our project,” said Hirscher, who founded Van Deer in 2021 and most recently the Brit Charlie Raposo committed as a World Cup driver.
Kristoffersen is a meticulous worker and probably the best athlete in the technical disciplines, Hirscher said. “We are proud that Henrik puts his trust in us – we will do everything we can to meet these demands. It’s a dream story,” said the eight-time overall World Cup winner, who, like the Norwegian, has been supported by Red Bull for years. Toni Giger, who has been in charge of the Van Deer project for many years, has recently been in charge of the beverage company.
Source: Nachrichten
