June 1, 2006 marked a serious day in the freeheel ski world when K2 sports announced that they acquired the LINE ski brand as well as the Karhu Telemark and Nordic ski brands, which were previously owned by Trak Sports USA. Karhu Telemark in recent years has become a dominate force in the smaller independent retailers and a popular favorite with the core Telemark skier. In response to concerns about such a core company becoming part of a large corporation like K2 “There may be a few negatives along the way, but overall the product will be better because of it. We are learning from the best,” said Charlie Lozner, General Manager of the Karhu/LINE brands. He emphasized that while Karhu will be associated with K2 sports it will still possess “the small independent company feel that it always has.”

The two brands will relocate the majority of their headquarters to Vashon Island, WA where K2’s headquarters stand. Key people from the Karhu office in Vermont will be continuing to work for the company including: Charlie Lozner, Nate Canupp (graphic design), Francois Sylvain (Chief Ski director), and a few others that will be able to continue the vision of Karhu as a leading brand in the Telemark world. Lozner stated, “K2 is great at keeping the indie feel of the brands they acquire…Karhu is going to be the same guys dreaming up the most progressive skis possible.” It’s exciting to hear since they have brought us so many exciting skis in the past couple of years, namely: The Jak, Jak Team, Jak BC, and the Agents.

The additional access to technology, materials, and overall resources is sure to push Karhu into a new realm of excellence in the coming years. This will be exciting to see in an industry that is continually growing each year. In addition Karhu and LINE, we are told, will never share molds with K2 and that the brands will continue to function independently and compete with one another in the future, something that has fueled the progression of Telemark ski technology in recent years.

Stay tuned to Freeheellife.com in the coming months as we will keep you up-to-date on the progress of this story and the coming changes and announcements that are sure to follow.