This year, our partner HEAD is celebrating a very special anniversary: 75 years of HEAD . 75 years full of innovation and triumphs. And it all started not with a tennis racket, but with the very first metal ski with a sandwich construction, developed by Howard Head in the USA in 1947. With this, he revolutionized the ski market. Tennis came into the picture in 1968 when a "tennis division" was established within the company. And just one year later, the first metal tennis racket used at the US Open. Another innovation and a small revolution in tennis. Today, HEAD is a ubiquitous tennis brand, trusted by so many tennis professionals. Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Karolina Muchova – the list could go on and on with absolute top stars. It's also interesting to note that many technological innovations are conceived not far from us. Kennelbach near Bregenz is HEAD's innovation hub. We're excited to see what innovations will emerge there in the future. We're sure there will be quite a few. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEAD! And of course, to celebrate the anniversary, HEAD is 12 unique prizes , including a Gravity Racket signed by Sascha Zverev.
In 1947, Howard Head developed the first metal ski with a sandwich construction. Three years later, he founded the HEAD Ski Company in Maryland, USA. With this metal ski, HEAD set a new standard for the entire ski industry. To celebrate the company's 75th anniversary in 2025, HEAD is commemorating this unique innovation with a new premium line featuring timeless aesthetics. The "Standard" collection embodies what has distinguished HEAD for 75 years: innovative design, first-class engineering, and a passion for the sport – the foundation for numerous successes, triumphs, and records!
Only the very best materials, technologies, and innovations were used for the new "Standard" collection, featuring the metal sandwich construction developed by Howard Head. Performance and luxury are perfectly balanced in every aspect of this collection. The color scheme was inspired by the deep blue of the Alpine sky.
Other highlights of the anniversary year: The completely redesigned KORE TI line delivers KORE's signature freeride and all-mountain performance with superior ride quality, reaching entirely new levels of fun and versatility. And with the new ATTACK HYBRID binding from TYROLIA, this fun is doubled – it's the ultimate all-around freeride binding, for both the ascent and the descent. For kids, HEAD offers the new Unicorn series. These models, as well as all skis in the same lengths from 67 to 97 cm, feature an increased turning radius to make skiing even easier for beginners. HEAD also offers the KALIBER, a completely redesigned ski boot specifically adapted to the BOA Fit System. This intuitive BOA Fit System takes precision to a whole new level, allowing for a wide range of personalized adjustments to both the shell and cuff.
In 1947, Howard Head launched his "Honeycomb" ski project – a honeycomb ski made of two layers of aluminum bonded with plywood sidewalls, enclosing a core of honeycomb-shaped plastic. The engineer drew inspiration from the metal sandwich construction used in the aircraft industry, developed during World War II when chemists created flexible, waterproof adhesives to bond aluminum and plywood.
In 1968, Head established a tennis division within the company and, a year later, introduced the first metal tennis racket at the US Open. In 1969, Howard Head sold his company to AMF and retired shortly thereafter.
In 1969, Head signed Olympic ski champion Jean-Claude Killy as the face of a new metal and fiberglass ski, the Killy 800. Subsequently, Head developed an entire line of Killy skis. Also in 1969, Head began ski production in Kennelbach, Vorarlberg, and in 1971, Head acquired Tyrolia and Mares.
In 1992, Austrian Patrick Ortlieb won HEAD's first Olympic gold medal in the downhill at Albertville. Ortlieb also became HEAD's first world champion in the same discipline in 1996.
In 1995, Johan Eliasch, an avid skier with extensive knowledge of the HEAD brand, acquired the HTM Group and became Chairman and CEO. Eliasch acted swiftly to continue HTM's success story. By sharpening the focus of the product lines, he directed the company's attention to three areas: winter sports, tennis, and diving. A fourth area, licensing, was added later
. Under Johan Eliasch's leadership, HEAD experienced a resurgence, becoming a global brand in skiing and tennis. The first carving ski was produced in 1996, followed by the first titanium tennis racket in 1998. The Ti. S6 remains the most innovative and best-selling tennis racket to this day. Also in 1998, HEAD launched its first ski boots.
The years 1999 to 2009 were marked by numerous sporting successes. Hannes Trinkl from Austria won downhill gold at the 2001 World Championships in St. Anton, Goran Ivanišević from Croatia won Wimbledon in 2001, Jon Olsson from Sweden won the first X Games gold in the superpipe in 2002, and Christophe Schmidt from Germany won the first Olympic gold in snowboarding in 2006. In 2008, American ski racer Bode Miller secured
HEAD's first overall World Cup title.
In 2011, HEAD won the FIS Alpine Brand Ranking for the first time and has retained this number one position ever since. 2016 was the highlight year for HEAD Tennis. Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrated his Career Grand Slam, marking the first for HEAD. Only eight players have ever won all four major tennis tournaments.
In 2022, HEAD won 15 of the 30 alpine medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing, and in 2024, Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami secured the overall World Cup title as well as the small crystal globes in Super-G and Giant Slalom.
75 years of HEAD – that's a story full of innovations, triumphs and records , which will continue to be written year after year from today onwards.
An anniversary calls for a celebration, and what better way than with HEAD's loyal fans? Until April 30th, HEAD is giving away 12 unique prizes from the worlds of skiing, snowboarding, sportswear, padel, and of course, tennis! Among them is a gravity racket signed by Sascha Zverev. So it's definitely worth entering!
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