Founding of the Company - Henri I
In 1887, Henri Nidecker I founded the company in the small town of Etoy, Switzerland on the shore of “Lac Léman” (Lake Geneva). Trained as a carpenter, Henri I mastered the art of bending wood and obtained the region’s first electric motor in 1897. With this powerful new electric tool he produced the most sought after ladders, chairs, furniture, carts and wheelbarrows.
The first skis - Henri II & III
At the turn of the century, the Nidecker workshop moved to Rolle, Switzerland, another small town on Lac Léman. Employing woodworking techniques learned from his father, Henri II produced his first skis in 1912 using ash wood. By 1946, Henri II had taught his son Henri III the trade, and soon after Henri III built upon the inventive Nidecker legacy by creating the first composite skis made from ash and hickory woods.