Industry News
A former Atomic Skis employee has been sentenced to 14 months of suspended imprisonment for stealing 2,600 pairs of skis from the Austrian manufacturer. The now-58-year-old employee, who worked at Atomic’s factory in Pongau, Austria, was responsible for disposing of skis with minor defects but instead sold them for personal profit. Between 2022 and his dismissal in November 2023, he sold many skis, valued at approximately €50 ($55) per pair, to various buyers. The Salzburg Regional Court also ordered him to pay €80,000 ($88,317) in damages to Atomic. Under the suspended sentence, he will avoid jail time, provided he adheres to court-imposed conditions during probation.
The case revealed that the employee had stored hundreds of skis at home. He stole them from the factory overnight, and company surveillance footage captured the act, reports the Salzburger Nachrichten. During the trial, he admitted to taking over 1,000 pairs of skis but denied selling 900 pairs to unknown buyers or consistently receiving €50 per pair. He expressed remorse during the proceedings, calling his actions “a stupidity” and apologizing to Atomic, his family, and the court.
The trial also implicated a second defendant—a 72-year-old Bulgarian—accused of purchasing 600 stolen skis and reselling them for profit. Despite claiming he was unaware the skis were stolen, he was found guilty of concealment and sentenced to eight months of conditional detention. The court determined that he had resold the skis for around €74 ($82) per pair, though he disputed this figure.
Many companies will destroy products that don’t pass quality checks. Faulty products entering the mainstream market can ruin a brand’s reputation and cause warranty issues. Atomic sells around 600,000 pairs of skis a year, making it one of the largest ski manufacturers in the world. The company sponsors many elite athletes, including Mikaela Shiffrin, Sofia Goggia, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Kai Jones, and Julia Kern.
Atomic was founded in 1955 in Austria and purchased in 1994 by Amer Sports Group, which owns Peak Performance, Armada, and Salomon, among other brands.
