Fischer (company)
 | |
 Fischer Sports Factory at Ried im Innkreis, pictured in 2017 | |
| Industry | Sports equipment, textile |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1924 |
| Founder | Josef Fischer |
| Headquarters | Ried im Innkreis , |
Key people | Mag. Franz Föttinger, CEO Mag. Christian Egger, CFO |
| Products | Nordic skiing, Alpine skiing, and ice hockey equipment |
| Revenue | show
List |
Number of employees | Approx. 450 in Ried, Austria Approx. 1.200 at other locations |
| Website | fischersports.com |
Fischer Sports is an Austrian sports equipment manufacturing company that produces goods for snow sports, more specifically Nordic skiing, Alpine skiing and ice hockey equipment. Winter sports equipment include skis, boots, bindings, and accessories (bags, backpacks). For ice hockey, Fischer produces sticks, skates, pucks, blades, jerseys, and protective gear (jockstraps, socks, gloves, and visors).
The company's clothing line includes t-shirts, polo shirts, jackets, pants, hoodies, raincoats, knit caps, gloves, kerchiefs, and socks.
History[]
The company was founded in 1924 by Josef Fischer Sr., a cartwright, in Ried im Innkreis, northeast of Salzburg, Austria. In addition to making wagons, he made an occasional pair of skis. By 1938,[1] the company had significantly expanded its ski manufacturing, with 30 employees, and was selling 2,000 pairs of handmade skis in the United States alone. Following the conclusion of World War II, Josef Fischer Jr. became involved in the reconstruction of the company.
In 1949, Fischer developed the first ski press to speed up production, which was still by hand. By 1958,[1] the company employed 137 craftsmen, and was manufacturing 53,000 pairs of skis annually. In that year, Fischer adopted its three-triangle logo. In 1964, the company completed a new factory on the outskirts of town, featuring a state-of-the-art computerized sawmill. Fischer also introduces metal skis for the first time, on which Egon Zimmerman won the downhill at the 1964 Winter Olympics. By 1967, the company had 775 employees, and produced 330,000 pairs of skis. The company has devoted considerable research efforts over the years to develop skis for racing, including alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and skis for attempting the world speed record.[2]
In the early 70s, Fischer became the biggest ski manufacturer in the world.[1] The Europa 77, with its fibre-glass technology, was revolutionary. This was the foundation to capture the Scandinavian market. Franz Klammer won the Olympics in 1976 on Fischer C4 skis. In 1988, Fischer opened the factory in Mukachevo, Ukraine.
2002 was the year of Fischer's stock buy-back. Since then, Fischer has been 100% family-owned.[1]
Success in professional sports[]
At the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi 39 gold, 36 silver and 35 bronze medals were awarded to Fischer athletes: A total of 108 medals, which were won mainly in the Nordic disciplines.[1] This surpassed the result at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver 2010 (74 medals). The Norwegian athlete Marit Bjørgen, who is equipped by Fischer, has become the best Olympic cross country skier of all time. In Sochi she won three gold medals.[3] US-American Joss Christensen is the first Olympic champion in the Alpine discipline of Freeski Slopestyle.[4] At the Alpine, Nordic and Biathlon World Championships 2017 in St. Moritz (SUI), Lahti (FIN) and Hochfilzen (AUT) the Fischer Race Family took 45 gold-, 43 silver- and 38 bronze medals – a total of 126 medals. At the 2019 World Championships in Seefeld (AUT), Östersund (SWE)and Åre (SWE) there were 129 medals - 45 gold, 40 silver and 43 bronze.
Affiliated companies[]
Fischer Sports has several affiliates:[5]
- Fischer Deutschland GmbH (Germany)
- OOO Fischer (Russia)
- Fischer Mukachevo (Ukraine)
- Fischer Skis US, LLC (United States)
- Fischer Footwear SRL, Montebelluna (Italy)
- Fischer France SARL (France)
In Alpine skiing[]
Active[]
| Athlete | Sport |
|---|---|
Eva-Maria Brem  |
alpine skiing |
Adrien Coirier  |
freeskiing |
Lynsey Dyer  |
freeskiing |
| Thomas Fanara |
alpine skiing |
Max Kroneck  |
freeskiing |
| Sandra Lahnsteiner
|
freeskiing |
| Roland Leitinger
|
alpine skiing |
Manfred Mölgg 
|
alpine skiing |
| Steven Nyman
|
alpine skiing |
| Nicole Schmidhofer
|
alpine skiing |
| Max Franz
|
alpine skiing |
| Kyle Smaine
|
freeskiing |
Retired[]
| Athlete | Sport |
|---|---|
| Kristian Ghedina
|
alpine skiing |
| Nicole Hosp
|
alpine skiing |
| Denise Karbon |
alpine skiing |
| Franz Klammer |
alpine skiing |
| Hans Knauß |
alpine skiing |
Tanja Poutiainen  |
alpine skiing |
Michael von Grünigen  |
alpine skiing |
| Harti Weirather |
alpine skiing |
| Egon Zimmermann |
alpine skiing |
In Nordic skiing[]
Active[]
| Athlete | Sport |
|---|---|
Kamil Stoch  |
ski jumping |
Maiken Caspersen Falla  |
cross country |
| Dario Cologna |
cross country |
Charlotte Kalla  |
cross country |
| Eric Frenzel |
nordic combined |
| Jarl Magnus Riiber |
nordic combined |
| Johannes Høsflot Klæbo |
cross country |
| Martin Johnsrud Sundby |
cross country |
| Therese Johaug |
cross country |
| Ingvild Flugstad Østberg |
cross country |
| Denise Herrmann |
biathlon |
| Johannes Thingnes Bø |
biathlon |
| Kaisa Mäkäräinen |
biathlon |
| Stefan Kraft |
ski jumping |
Sergey Ustiugov  |
cross country |
Retired:
| Athlete | Sport |
|---|---|
| Tora Berger |
biathlon |
| Laura Dahlmeier |
biathlon |
| Sven Fischer |
biathlon |
| Magdalena Forsberg |
cross country / biathlon |
| Andreas Goldberger |
ski jumping |
| Adam Małysz |
ski jumping |
| Magdalena Neuner |
biathlon |
Anastasiya Kuzmina  |
biathlon |
| Petter Northug |
cross country |
| Marit Bjørgen |
cross country |
| Bente Skari |
cross country |
| Yelena Välbe |
cross country |
| Thomas Wassberg |
cross country |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e 90 Years Fischer History
- ^ "The Fischer Story", Skiing (November 1985) p. 142
- ^ "Athletes - Famous Olympic Athletes, Medalists, Sports Heroes". Olympic.org. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Sochi 2014 Ski Slopestyle men - Olympic Freestyle Skiing". Olympic.org. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Home - Fischer Sports". FischerSports.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
External links[]
| show Sports equipment brands |
|---|
Authority control  |
|---|
- Sporting goods manufacturers of Austria
- Ski equipment manufacturers
- Manufacturing companies established in 1924
- Austrian brands
- Austrian companies established in 1924
- Economy of Upper Austria