Karhu-branded cross-country skis and boots are to return to the North American market in the second half of this year. For this purpose, Karhu has hired Geoff Hurwitch, formerly at Rossignol, as Karhu Nordic product manager in North America. This comes a few months after Karhu Holding, the firm that holds nearly all rights to the Karhu brand, appointed Startex in Finland as its licensee for cross-country skis, boots and poles, with distribution rights mostly covering Europe. Huub Valkenburg, the man behind Karhu Holding, has his own distribution business in North America. For the new range, which includes products for both classic and skate skiers, Karhu has switched from the Rottefella binding platform to Salomon's SNS system.

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