NIDECKER

1887 Company founded in Etoy, Vaud , Switzerland.

1897 Henri Nidecker sets up in Rolle, Vaud , Switzerland with the region’s first electric motor. He manufactures cartwheels, ladders and wheelbarrows.

1912 The first pair of skis, made out of ash and solid hickory, is produced.

1946 Production of plywood skis, market demand steps up.

1962 The first metal skis are produced.

1963 The first fibreglass skis are produced.

1969 Unbreakable’ fibreglass cross-country skis are produced.

1978 Henri Nidecker invents the ’Varia-Clix’ system, enabling the strip of Mohai on the base of the cross-country ski to be turned over. He is awarded the gold medal at the Salon des Inventions in Geneva for this revolutionary idea.

1982 A new snowsports are begins. Nidecker launches the first monoski, which becomes an instant hit in France and Switzerland.

1984 Looking for new sensations, Nidecker produces its first 50 snowboards. These are designed exclusively for powder, with a 3D base and fins.

1985 The first 700 snowboards are sold. With its wealth of experience, Nidecker is already developing snowboards with steel edges.

1986 A professional team is formed and wins its first victories in the world cup. First descent of Mont Blanc on a prototype ’Gun’ designed by Nidecker.

1987 Launch of the ’Gun’ model, a revolution in snowsports. This is a snowboard with a straight outline, similar to the shapes used today. The first children’s snowboard is produced.

1988 Development of a full range, with the first bindings and boots and the first technical clothing.

1989 The first shaped snowboard… Carving is born.

1990 The revolution continues, with the first asymmetrical snowboard. Birth of the legendary ’Concept’ model.

1991 Launch of the first wakeboard (similar to a water ski) enabling snowboarders to practice a water sport derived from snowboarding.

1992 Freestyle takes on a new dimension thanks to ’Double Flex Control’. This avant-garde manufacturing concept gives the board unequalled stability and manoeuvrability. A new generation of freestyle riders adopts the brand. Hansi Roesch is crowned European Slalom Champion on an ’Extreme Asymétrique’.

1995 Creation of the brand Donuts by Thierry Kunz, a former pro team rider. Sandra Farmand becomes Women’s Combined World Champion and Hansi Roesch wins Silver in the World Championships. Launch of the limited edition ’Proto’ model. The Proto is recognised as a technologically innovative model, with its combination of composite materials (Kevlar, carbon) and revolutionary cap structure.

1996 Nidecker presents a new line designed especially for women (snowboards, bindings, boots and clothing). A new collection of soft bindings including a world first: the Soft Back’in is the first rear-entry binding.

1997 Nidecker uses the cap structure in all its boards and creates the Megalight. The wood chosen is optimised using magnetic resonance, a procedure developed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.

1998 Donuts launches the first snowboard made with hemp fibre and uses a real hemp leaf to decorate the board.

1999 Nidecker signs up one of the biggest American freestyle stars Tommy Czeschin and creates a model especially for him: the Project FS, with a new revolutionary construction.

2000 Nidecker redefines the standards in the technology and comfort of soft bindings. The new range establishes Nidecker as one of the top bindings manufacturers in the world. New markets boom in Korea and the USA .

2001 Nidecker continues its efforts to make its boots and bags a benchmark snowboarding brand with the help of an American designer.

2002 A new sales record is set. Nidecker sells as many bindings as boards.

2003 In a stagnating market, Nidecker sees sales increase, mainly in Eastern Europe and through its boots line, which sees sales going through the roof.

2004 Nidecker and Donuts join forces to create NDK, the Nidecker brand’s new freestyle line.

2006 Thanks to its collaboration with Ultimate Grip, Nidecker works out a new revolutionary technology which allows to carve, even on the hardest tracks. Edges are in 3D with teeth as on a knife to hook better on the ice. The same year, Nidecker introduces into the market a new binding: the "Act One" revolutionary in any kinds, her allows a precise and simplified regulation. Introduction of a new shape : the "NConcept" on its up-market models.

2007 Nidecker created, with the partnership of the school’s wood of Bienne, the "Wood Welding". This technology allows to return the lighter and more ecological snowboard. A new snowboard enters the collection: "Ultralight", based on the shape of "Megalight", it has a full-top carbon.