{
  "id": 3577260,
  "title": "Kladdeføre for langrennsbransjen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/kladdef-re-for-langrennsbransjen",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-26T19:18:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "E24 Norway",
    "slug": "e24-norway",
    "url": "https://e24.no/naeringsliv/i/zOQqQ4/kladdefoere-for-langrennsbransjen"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The cross-country skiing market is in a deep decline. Sportsbransjeforeningen estimates that Norwegian sales are more than halved since the golden years around 2017. Globally, the trend is similar. Last season, only around 550,000 pairs of skis were sold, down from nearly a million in 2023/2024. This is particularly true for Norwegian players, including Rottefella, a traditional producer of ski bindings. John Bratland, the CEO of Rottefella, told E24 that no one in the industry expected sales to be so poor for three consecutive seasons. He noted that Rottefella managed to cope with the slump until last year, but 2025 has been a tough year, and 2026 has also been challenging so far, though slightly better than last year. Bratland hopes for a good start to the winter with snowfall and skiing before Christmas. Madshus has joined Rottefella's experience, and the company's accounts show a loss last year and are expected to be the same this year. The goal is, of course, to turn things around. Madshus CEO Torstein Myklebostad believes they have hit the bottom and expects recovery. He notes that they have been hit by a double effect after the pandemic. Firstly, the whole industry has struggled with large stockpiles, leading to massive marketing campaigns and price pressure. Secondly, many have stopped buying during \"lockdown,\" especially for everyday skiing. He expects the cross-country skiing market to recover eventually, but doubts it will return to its previous heights. He admits he is very skeptical. The industry needs to be prepared that the market will stabilize at a lower level. Trond Evald Hansen, CEO of the Norwegian Sports Federation, is concerned about cross-country skiing players. The sport must be profitable in the long run, he says. Sports Federation has started a project to find out what is behind the sales decline. He agrees with the analysis that the market is now oversupplied with cross-country skis, but believes economics, climate, and other trends also contribute. Hansen notes there are fewer skiing days in a season, especially in Eastern Norway, and people repair their skis and buy used ones. He also thinks the large skiing trend could contribute to the decline. When there is no snow and the slopes are not slippery, as there hasn't been in the past two winters, you can switch to running shoes and get a good 45-minute workout. Hansen sees bright spots. Registration numbers for runs like Birken are growing. And in some areas, such as Bærum and West Oslo, interest is still high, and infrastructure is good. However, there are many actors in the skiing market who are struggling now. There is no doubt about that.",
  "summary": "Rottefella tapte penger for første gang på åtte vintre. For Madshus blir det fire sammenhengende år…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}