Blossom, custom-made skis
29 settembre 2025
The tradition of handcrafted skiing in Italy dates back to the early decades of the 20th century: during that period, as the sport became increasingly popular, the only suitable response for equipment was “handmade.” It was precisely in Valchiavenna, as well as in the Biella area, that production began, entrusted to the skilled hands of carpenters and artisans. Among the very first to enter the market was the Persenico factory, founded in 1906, which is the direct predecessor of Blossom.
Skiing arrived in Italy in 1891, brought by the Swiss engineer Adolfo Kind, and ten years later, in 1901, his passion led to the founding of the first ski club in Turin, from which the sport quickly spread. In fact, Kind’s first job in Italy had been in Mira, in the Veneto region, at a company that produced soap and candles; from there, he moved to Turin, where in 1890 he founded his own business producing candle wicks.
Even today, in Via Monti in Turin, one can admire Villino Kind, the residence built in perfect Liberty style that the engineer commissioned for his family. In the living room of that house, and in the garden, he gave the first demonstrations of what could be done with two ash wood boards on one’s feet: the so-called “Norwegian skis,” a Nordic evolution of snow skates, which he had shipped from the Swiss company Jakober and with which he would demonstrate to friends, on the carpet, the thrill of carving turns.
The first outdoor experiments took place in Parco del Valentino; the first organized excursion dates back to January 8, 1896, when a group of twelve pioneers led by Kind took the tram to Gianeno and from there reached the higher hamlets up to the summit of Monte Cugno dell’Alpet: it was the first documented ski descent in the Italian mountains.
In 1901, within the Italian Alpine Club, the Ski Club Torino was founded—the first in Italy. In January 1906, the "first Italian alpine station" was inaugurated in Oulx, in Alta Valsusa, and in February of the same year the first ski course was organized. That same year, Persenico was founded, which decades later would lead to the triumph of the Valanga Azzurra. From that long and glorious experience arose Blossom, whose name embodies the idea of restarting, of a new beginning.
In the philosophy of this company, skiing is not just about having a pair of skis on your feet; you need that precise pair of skis, designed according to the weight, height, and technical abilities of the person who will wear them. Taking into account what they want to do, above all: racing? freeride? Or perhaps Race Carve? And if so: short turns or long turns?
Blossom skis are truly products of the third millennium: the first pair under this brand left the workshop in January 2000. Twenty-five years later, nothing of the handcrafted essence has been sacrificed. Seventy percent of the product continues to be forged by human hands.
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