Every year, Atomic brings together athletes, media representatives and partners for Media Day. This year, in Altenmarkt im Pongau, Austria, we spotted a car with an unusual design: Atomic Ski Fans.
Out stepped Bogdan Giurgiu, the founder of this remarkable fan community, ready for his annual mission: connecting Atomic fans from around the world, preparing giveaways for the upcoming season, sharing the latest news and, of course, having some fun along the way.
Join us as we discover its story.ns.
Atomic Ski Fans: From a Small Idea to an International Ski Community
The story of Atomic Ski Fans began in February 2020, around the time the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to disrupt everyday life. For Bogdan Giurgiu, a lifelong skier from Brașov, Romania, the unusual circumstances of that year sparked an idea: to create a space where fans of skiing and the Atomic brand could come together. What started as a small Facebook group quickly grew into a vibrant international community.
Bogdan explains how it all began:
“The first thought was to create my own playground. But not just mine, for a whole ‘gang’ of virtual friends who would enjoy the beauty of skiing.”
He adds that his second motivation was even deeper:
“I wanted to give back to skiing what it gave me — unforgettable experiences, lifelong friends, hard but beautiful training camps, competitions, joys and disappointments, then greater joys. The only way to give back is to promote skiing and young skiers.”
Why Atomic? A Personal Connection Dating to 1987
The choice of brand was deeply personal. Bogdan recalls receiving a pair of Atomic Arc Pro skis from his aunt in the winter of 1987-88. On those red skis, he won three county championships in a row and earned national podium finishes.
He says he has skied on Atomic equipment since 1992. The skis’ performance matters to him, but so does their color:
“I just love the color red.”
He also remembers trying other skis during his racing years, including Romanian models, but “nothing could compare to Atomic.”
Building the Atomic Ski Fans Community
The fan club officially started on Feb. 24, 2020. Bogdan was looking for a dedicated online space for skiing and Atomic enthusiasts.
“I was meeting online with a group of friends for a beer, but it wasn’t enough. I needed my own environment, dedicated exclusively to skiing and my favorite brand. The other ski groups didn’t offer what I was looking for … and so the idea came about.”
The early days weren’t easy. Bogdan expected only a few hundred members in the first year. Yet in just a few months, enthusiasts began joining from all over the world — Romania, Austria, Italy, Spain, the United States, Canada, Germany, Slovenia and Croatia.
He recalls:
“It was fantastic! Everyone liked the idea of this group … By the end of 2020, we had about 2,600 members.”
Meeting Alpine Skiing Stars
For Bogdan, being invited to Atomic Media Day is always a special experience. As a guest of the brand, he has the opportunity to meet some of the biggest names in alpine skiing, including Mikaela Shiffrin, Manuel Feller, Marco Schwarz, Zrinka Ljutić, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and many others. These personal encounters are among the most valuable moments of his journey with Atomic Ski Fans.
He still remembers one particularly unforgettable moment with Zrinka Ljutić:
“I told her who I was, and she said, ‘But I know who you are and I know about your group! I’m following you!’ It was just … WOW!”
There have also been funny moments, especially during his first Atomic Media Day. Bogdan recalls meeting Lucas Pinheiro Braathen for the first time:
“Something blocked my brain and tongue, and all I could say was ‘Can we take a picture together?’ As you can see in the photo, I looked completely overwhelmed and starstruck.”
Members of Braathen’s fan club would simply smile and say that Bogdan had been hit by the “Pinheiro effect” — apparently, a very common phenomenon.
Beyond Facebook: Bringing Ski Fans Together
Today, Atomic Ski Fans is much more than an online group. Members organize ski trips and attend Alpine Ski World Cup races across Europe — Sölden, Schladming, Bansko, Kitzbühel, Val Gardena, Alta Badia and more.
Bogdan dreams of one day organizing a large gathering at the Atomic factory in Altenmarkt im Pongau.
“It’s one of the dreams of many of our members — to visit the factory and see where it all begins.”
He also emphasizes the importance of combining online and real-life experiences:
“Our members organize themselves in smaller or larger groups and go to races together, combining it with a skiing holiday. At the same time, we focus on online content, using YouTube, Instagram and TikTok to promote skiing visually.”
Collaboration With Atomic: More Than a Fan Club
Atomic has officially recognized the group, granting permission to use its name, logo and tagline, #weareskiing.
The collaboration allows the fan club to organize giveaways featuring skis, helmets, signed posters and other prizes for members worldwide.
Bogdan recalls:
“They are the coolest people in the world! Every season we organize 4–5 raffles with prizes like ski equipment, signed posters, and promotional materials. For the US and Canada, I even work directly with Atomic there — it’s super cool!”
The Philosophy Behind Atomic Ski Fans
For Bogdan, the fan club is about more than just the Atomic brand or favorite athletes — it’s about the sport itself.
He explains:
“Although we all have our favorite athletes, for us the sport matters first and foremost. We cheer for any athlete who wins because we love the sport.”
Looking ahead, Bogdan hopes to unite even more fans, continue promoting skiing and pass on his passion to future generations.
He concludes with a simple message to ski enthusiasts:
“It’s not the brand that matters, it’s the sport. Ski as much as possible, promote this beautiful sport, and if you do it in red — even better. At the end of the day, #wearefans.”
Atomic’s Perspective: Beyond the Brand
For Atomic, having a fan club dedicated to the brand rather than an individual athlete reflects a special connection with the skiing community.
James Fairbank, Atomic’s vice president of marketing, believes this relationship goes far beyond racing results and equipment.
“I understood very quickly when I arrived here just what this brand means beyond the racing, beyond the results, beyond the product,” he explains.
According to Fairbank, fan communities help bridge the gap between the brand, athletes and supporters. Their greatest strength lies in their independence and authenticity.
“If a brand tries to control this, then it doesn’t feel authentic. It’s kind of supporting a passion which comes from an individual.”
Atomic therefore supports Bogdan’s initiative while allowing the community to develop independently.
For Fairbank, the emotional connection with skiing is particularly important. People remember their first skis, family trips to the mountains and experiences that stay with them for a lifetime.
This passion also inspires one of Bogdan’s dreams: establishing a small Atomic ski museum in Romania. Fairbank welcomes the idea, noting that collectors and ski museums already play an important role in preserving the brand’s history.
From Fans to Future Champions
Bogdan’s passion also extends to the next generation. His community regularly promotes young skiers, particularly those racing on Atomic Redster equipment.
This connects naturally with Atomic’s Juniors to Champions program, led by Jürgen Graller.
Launched four years ago, the initiative has grown from online courses into an international program offering training camps and development opportunities. Already active in several European countries, it is looking to expand further, potentially including Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia and Croatia. A camp has also been held in China.
The program supports young athletes from around age 12 through their junior careers, with the ultimate ambition of helping them reach the World Cup.
At Atomic Media Day, young racers had the opportunity to meet stars such as Mikaela Shiffrin and Lucas Pinheiro Braathen.
“They can talk to Mikaela, they can talk to Lucas,” Graller says.
While welcoming the promotion of junior skiing, he also emphasizes the importance of protecting young athletes from excessive attention and pressure.
Graller says deciding when to draw attention to young athletes is important because “it’s always dangerous” to hype them too early.
Bogdan has expressed his willingness to support the program by sharing content with his international fan community, while respecting the young athletes’ development.
More Than a Fan Club
From his first red Atomic skis in Romania to building an international community, Bogdan Giurgiu’s story is about more than loyalty to a brand.
It’s about friendships, shared experiences and passing the love of skiing to future generations.
And perhaps that’s what makes Atomic Ski Fans special. Behind the red skis and the famous logo is a community built on genuine passion.
#weareskiing. #wearefans.
About the Author: Darka Sefcik Starnova
