Ester Ledecká Switches from Kästle to Head Skis After Four-Year Partnership

Three-time Olympic champion in alpine skiing and snowboarding Ester Ledecká has switched equipment brands — after four years with Kästle, owned by Czech billionaire Tomáš Němec, she has moved to Head. The 31-year-old Czech athlete announced the switch in a quirky video on social media, and Head confirmed the news on its official website.

"I'm convinced that ski and snowboard equipment is like a magic wand — it chooses the rider, not the other way around. Anyone who truly understands gear knows this," Ledecká said. She added that she trusts this "choice" is the right one and is confident that, paired with her new equipment, she can achieve even greater results.

It was on Atomic skis that Ledecká won gold in the super-G at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, and also claimed victory in the parallel giant slalom snowboarding event — a triumph she repeated four years later in Beijing.

New Team, New Expectations

At Head, Ledecká joins a star-studded lineup that includes Norwegian slalom specialist Henrik Kristoffersen, Italy's Christof Innerhofer, New Zealand's Alice Robinson, and 19-year-old Albanian talent Lara Colturi.

"Ester Ledecká is undoubtedly an exceptional athlete. Her combination of alpine skiing and snowboarding presents us with a new and exciting challenge," said Head's sports director Rainer Salzgeber, a former world vice-champion in giant slalom. He noted that if the company manages to perfectly tailor the equipment to Ledecká's needs, he expects her to compete for crystal globes in downhill and super-G.

A Fresh Start Ahead of the New Season

Following last season, Ledecká parted ways with ski coaches Franz Gamper and Tomáš Bank and announced plans for a series of changes before the new year, potentially including her equipment. "We'll be testing other brands too. Our focus is on the alpine disciplines — there's room for improvement there. I'm not saying everything was bad; these are things that need to be discussed with my service team. I believe we'll find a way to go faster," the athlete told reporters back in April.

Last winter season, Ledecká's best result was a third-place finish in the December super-G in Tarvisio. On the snowboard, she won the January parallel giant slalom race in Simonhöhe. However, she failed to medal at the Olympics.

The athlete plans to continue balancing both snowboarding and alpine skiing as she chases a crystal globe. Last season she finished fifth overall in the super-G standings, while her best career result remains second place in the overall World Cup downhill standings back in 2020.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz