 Mar 1 2024 - Mar 31 2025

 Begunje na Gorenjskem

An exhibition at the Alpine ski museum at Elan, the Slovenian sports goods manufacturer, in Begunje na Gorenjskem focuses on the Swedish skiing legend Ingmar Stenmark and his service man.

The exhibition Skier and His Service Man draws on the collection of Elan's technician Jurij Vogelnik, who accompanied Stenmark as a service man throughout his successful career.

The greatest slalom and giant slalom specialist of all time, Stenmark raced exclusively on Elan skis his entire career and won 86 World Cup races.

It has been 50 years since Elan received news of a talented young Swede getting good results competing on Elan skis. The company equipped Vogelnik with a new pair of Elan Impuls skis and sent him to Slovakia with the mission to get to know the young skier and invite him to join the Elan team.

The next season Stenmark was officially racing on Elan skis with Vogelnik always by his side.

In 1974, Stenmark won his first gold medal at the World Championships in Madonna di Campiglio, making a name not only for himself but also for Elan, changing Vogelnik's life in the process.

During their 15-year career together, Stenmark and Vogelnik visited 16 countries. Apart from being his driver and technician, Vogelnik also acted as a friend and supporter to Stenmark.

Vogelnik put up a small private collection in 2020 to preserve and present his memories of Stenmark's competitive life between 1974 and 1989.

Elan, which was founded in 1945, was the first commercial ski manufacturer to launch its own museum almost six years ago. It focuses on the brand's contribution to the development of alpine skiing.

Elan also manufactures sailing vessels, aeroplanes, gym equipment and blades for wind power stations.