History Dachstein

In 1925, Anton Lintner founded a shoemaker’s workshop in Molln/Austria and named it after the mountainous region Dachstein. After turbulent years of war and the early death of the father, the son having the same name, Anton Lintner, took over the shoemaker’s workshop in 1947, that occupied seven workers up to then. After a few years of growing, the former shoemaker’s workshop became an industrialised production factory for shoes – predominately leather shoes. Shortly after this Anton Lintner specialised in twostitched skiing and climbing boots with the brand Dachstein and reached a production capacity of 2.000 pairs a day in 1958.

After pretty peaceful years, the production of the shoes in Molln was switched over the first time to direct injected outsoles and thus a new era of shoe production was initiated. At this time, 333 workers were occupied in Molln. In 1970, Dachstein began to produce hardshell skiing shoes through injection process and in the following, till 1976, the whole range of skiing shoes was switched over to this new production method. Using this method and by starting to serve the ski racing sport, the way for sporting success was smoothened. As the production range was expanded by cross-country skiing shoes, leisure and jogging shoes in 1979, the serial production increased the first time to more than 1 million shoes a year. Innovations like the PU-insole technology were introduced and in 1982 the foundations for the modern hiking shoes were laid when Dachstein expanded the production range by trekking shoes.

When the head of the company and owner Senior Anton Lintner charged the management to his son Anton Lintner in 1985, the basic attitude of the concern changed and the design aspects became more and more important and additionally a walking programme (precursor of today’s Nordic Walking) was included as a new production line. In this time the brand was absolutely well-known and amounted to over 90% in Austria. The new impulse on the skiing shoe market was the skiing shoe system of the future introduced by Dachstein in 1988: Back entry was the name of the new sporting solution. Triggered off by the increasing difficulties on the skiing and climbing shoe market, Dachstein had economic problems the first time and traded under the name of Kneissl Dachstein sport articles Ltd. after merging with Kneissl. One year later the concern was transformed to the Kneissl Dachstein sport articles plc. Under the new management dampening innovations for climbing boots were developed, that are known as soft step – insole systems worldwide. After a long period of development an new skiing shoe was introduced in 1997, that allowed a Heel trimming for Boots used on Carving Skiers.

In 1998, Raichle Boots AG from Switzerland – that run the same production line as Dachstein – merged with the Kneissl Dachstein group. Since then, all developments of the skiing and climbing shoes had been moved to Kreuzlingen/CH. The new marketing concept of the Kneissl and Friends group, that emerged from the Kneissl Dachstein plc, planned a product alignment with the brands: Kneissl – skiing and skiing shoes, Raichle – climbing and hiking shoes, the new brand DeeLuxe – snowboard boots. This strategy was translated in the year 2000 and in 2001 already sold. Dachstein only played a minor role as a brand name for special models in the hiking shoes segment, that were sold only via mail order business. With this decision for Raichle no further know-how flew to Dachstein shoes and thus the product has remained the same since 1999 and the sale decreased to at least 15,000 pairs of hiking shoes in 2002.

The DeeLuxe Sportartikel Handels GmbH, founded in December 2002, acquired the trademark rights and rights of sale for Dachstein shoes from the rights proprietors of Kneissl/Dachstein plc. in April 2003. A new range could be introduced on the market already in the summer of 2003. Dachstein is to be build up gradually to a famed outdoor shoe supplier under DLG.