Dynafit opened its new headquarters in Kiefersfelden, Germany, on September 19 for its more than 100 employees. Nicknamed the Speed Factory, it includes manufacturing, meeting spaces for athletes to work alongside the company in product development, and open-to-the-public care and repair facility, retail store and bistro.
Heiner Oberrauch, founder and president of the Oberalp Group, said, “Every brand needs a home base”. The Dynafit brand has been part of the South Tyrolian Mountain sports Oberalp Group, headquartered in Bolzano, since 2003.
The futuristic minimalist building, with six floors at 105 feet in height, is an architectural landmark near the highway. “Anyone moving from northern Europe to the Alps will pass by here,” said Christoph Engl, CEO of the Oberalp Group. “Our employees can enjoy the surrounding mountains every day when they are looking for inspiration for the most innovative ideas for mountain athletes.”
“Dynafit has always been committed to a minimalist approach to our products,” said Benedikt Böhm, general manager at Dynafit. “Those who are in the mountains with less weight and effort make themselves faster and more efficient.” Dynafit’s heraldic animal, the rare snow leopard, exemplifies this: Suppleness and elegance of movement unite in the greatest speed and instinctive planning.
“In the new world of experience, the snow leopard guides through Dynatfi’s product systems and makes every visitor realize—I could also be 20 percent faster. In order to do this, you have to avoid the superfluous and focus on the essential, as impressively demonstrated by Dynafit’s ski touring bindings, running shoes and touring skis.
“In the new building, it will be possible to observe how these products are created, it will be possible to take a look at the binding development department, to build your own individual pair of skis, to have your equipment repaired or to have your sports equipment optimally adapted to your own needs. Dynafit in Kiefersfelden will make all this possible exclusively for customers,” continued Böhm,
Sustainability is also at the heart of the building’s design—from an innovative climate control concept to a heat exchanger primarily powered by solar to a shade system, the building is almost entirely CO₂ neutral.
“The Speed Factory is a 100 percent Dynafit brand experience and the perfect location for our entire team to push the boundaries of athletic mountain sports. The proximity to the mountains and the modern work areas are an absolute inspiration. The entire building, with its clear yet innovative style, fits us perfectly as a brand. We look forward to bringing every visitor here in Kiefersfelden closer to the Dynafit DNA in all its diversity—by athletes for athletes,” said Böhm
In the store, consumers can purchase current season collections and bestsellers, previewing innovations from the coming season. In the Speed Lab and Speed Tunnel, visitors can take a deep dive into various sports and the brand’s mindset. Services offered in the store include professional running and foot analyses and ski mounting in the glass-walled binding factory
The Care & Repair Center is available for all Oberalp Group products (Salewa, Pomoca, Wild Country, LaMunt, and Evolv).
The Dynafit Ski Factory will offer evening and Saturday workshops, during which consumers can build skis under professionally trained instructors and individually choose ski shape, material, and design.
Images courtesy Dynafit
