Chartreuse and Mont Blanc employees and pro-racers asked to accept cuts

Chartreuse and Mont Blanc, the consortium led by former Rossignol CEO Bruno Cercly who bought back the Rossignol group from parent company Quiksilver at the end of 2008 for a knock-down 40 million euros, first found itself having to further reduce the workforce by a third and ask those who remain to take pay cuts. The company now needs to reduce pro sponsored skier benefits in order to survive.

The group is made up of Rossignol, Dynastar (in Sallanches), Lange and Look brands. The buy out was backed by an Australian corporation and supported by Jarden Corporation, an American company who already owns K2, Volkl, Marmot and Marker.

It now seems despite already cutting back on the workforce previously, pro-skiers are also being asked to assist in the 'collective cost reduction effort'. The exact nature of the exercise has not been revealed, but CEO Bruno Cercly tried to assure all involved saying: "We are still focussing on building the best equipment for our current and future champions. Our presence in ski racing is an absolute priority and we fully intend to continue actively participating in the major world championships."

The move comes after a particularly good winter season for Dynastar pros, with Chamonix local Aurelien Ducroz winning the men's Freeride World Tour and the Norwegian Ane Enderud winning the women's Freeride World Tour.