At Kästle, we are dedicated to crafting exceptional sport equipment that embodies the spirit of adventure, empower athletes to reach new heights, and inspire a lifelong love for mountain sports. A passion for skiing is deeply rooted in the company's DNA and will sustain our main source of motivation.
since 1924
Striving for innovation. Love for technology. Unbroken pioneering spirit.
Born in Austria, Kästle and its products stand for performance, quality and durability. At the production site in the Czech winter sports and mountain biking Mecca Nové Město na Moravě, massive investments have therefore been made in state-of-the-art facilities to meet the high demands placed on the production of a Kästle ski.
Courageous pioneering spirit by Anton Kästle, the founder of Kästle, started the KÄSTLE story back in 1924 and it is exactly this spirit that still characterizes the brand, the team today and inspires everyone to continue the story. The result is innovative products for passionate winter sports enthusiasts who believe as little in limits as we do.
FAST AS EVER
Since 2019, when we celebrated our come back in World Cup racing, "fast as ever" has become the new slogan of the company. It stands for the companies transformation to become a leading player on the global ski market with a first class racing program at it's core again. World champs and olympic gold medallists such as Ester Ledecká, Ilka Štuhec or Jasmine Flury continue the legacy, that has been created years ago by legends like Toni Sailer and Pirmin Zurbriggen.
THE KÄSTLE TIMELINE
Wainwright Workshop
In Hohenems, Anton Kästle creates the first pair of skis made entirely from ash and sets the wheels in motion for Kästle.
Arlberg Ski
The Arlberg ski model is a huge success with ski racers. Production is halted during World War II (1937 - 1939), due to a shortage of resources.
Production restart
WW2 is over and production of Kästle skis resumes.
At the end of the war, occupying forces appropriate the company and prohibit ski production in Hohenems.
First gold medal
Trude Jochum-Beiser wins the first ever gold medal on Kästle skis at the Alpine World Championships in Aspen, Colorado.
Olympic success
The Winter Olympics in Oslo position Kästle firmly on the international map, with no fewer than 3 gold medals on Kästle skis.
CPM construction
Kästle develops ski construction that comes to be known by the acronym CPM (Compound Plastic Metal) – essentially the beginnings of the sandwich construction technique.
Takeover
Josef Fischer and his sister, Selma Sturmberger (of Fischer Sports) take over the Vorarlberg Ski Factory from Anton Kästle.
The logo
The ‘double arrows’ are introduced and are adopted as the new logo.
Bumper year
In addition to 4 gold, 6 silver and 6 bronze medals won on Kästle skis at the Calgary Olympics, Pirmin Zurbriggen wins the overall World Cup title for a third time.
New ownership
The Austrian ski brand has new owners. Italian clothing and fashion house, Benetton, acquires
7 years later, the brand suddenly disappears from the market to the disappointment of many passionate skiers and loyal Kästle supporters.
Comeback of Kästle
Kästle makes a fantastic comeback thanks to a group of investors, led by Rudolf Knünz.
Hollowtech technology revolutionises ski manufacturing. The comeback collection cleans up in ski tests and is awarded one accolade after another.
Back to the roots
Kästle goes back to its roots, where the story began: Hohenems is home to the company headquarters once again, with new and old employees back at the old site.
The product range includes over 10 models at this point. Predominantly allmountain, freeride and touring skis.
New partner
Czech firm, ConsilSport, acquires a majority stake in Kästle. Together with its new partner, Kästle increases its product portfolio, expands into new markets and strengthens its global brand positioning.
The brand is going to taken back to its racing roots. Thus, Kästle is returning to the World Cup. After a decade-long break, the traditional brand is back at the start in both alpine and nordic races.
Picture: Bernd Knünz, Tomas Nemec, Rudolf Knünz, Vladimir Dusanek
New hight
Kästle gets a new production site in Nové Mesto na Morave, where the Nordic Competence Center will also be located. The Alpine Race Department is based in Hohenems. The production site is continuously modernized in the following years.
Production capacity is greatly expanded with a fully automated production line. Thanks to the large-scale photovoltaic system, the whole site is almost fully powered by renewable energy.
New racing era
The year 2022 starts a new chapter in the Kästle racing team. With an increased service team and a new squad around Olympic champion Ester Ledecká and double world champion Ilka Štuhec in the speed disciplines and Martina Dubovská in slalom, the Race Department headed by Rainer Nachbaur has put itself in a promising position on the road to Cortina 2026.
Back at the top
On January 21, 2023, Ilka Štuhec wins the Cortina downhill after several top results. Kästle thus returns to the top of the Alpine World Cup. Another downhill victory follows at the World Cup final in Soldeu and Ilka is beaten only by Sofia Goggia in the overall downhill standings.