Nordic Track is a brand of home fitness equipment sold all around the world. Made popular by infomercials and direct response ads, the Nordic Track name has become synonymous with quality home cardiovascular exercise. Nordic Track has seen many ups and downs since its invention in 1975, but the brand has continued on.
Beginning
In 1975,mechanical engineer Edward Pauls from the University of Wisconsin developed the first Nordic Track. Pauls had been designing ski boots and bindings for a company named Rosemont Inc.; and when the company was sold in 1969, he decided to concentrate on his own inventions. Pauls was an avid cross-country skier and wanted to develop a machine that would allow skiers to train indoors.
Fly-Wheel
The major challenge that Pauls had in creating the Nordic Track was recreating the feel of a wooden ski against the snow. He devised the patented fly-wheel attachment with one-way clutch mechanism to provide gentle resistance and maintain a genuine movement. Pauls began making the skiers in his garage and the business grew.
Sale
In the mid-1980's, a company called CML group offered to buy the business from Pauls for $24 million. Pauls and his wife also stayed on as executives to help the company continue to prosper.
Collapse
The 1990's saw an influx of inexpensive home exercise equipment and Nordic Track noticed the new competition. Sales dropped, and the value of CML stock dropped about 60 percent over the course of the 1995 fiscal year. The 1996 business year was even worse, with the Nordic Track skier being slowly edged out of the picture. Sales fell by 27 percent, with a decline in direct response sales of 50 percent. Nordic Track filed for bankruptcy in November 1998.
Moving On
After the bankruptcy, Nordic Track was acquired by Icon Health and Fitness, who still own it today. The line has expanded to include ellipticals, treadmills exercise bikes, striders and incline trainers.
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