Roberta Melesi Begins New Chapter with Salomon After Two Decades on Dynastar and Rossignol

Italian alpine skier Roberta Melesi has officially joined Salomon, closing the book on a partnership with Dynastar and the wider Rossignol group that stretched back more than twenty years — to when she first clipped into skis at the age of six.

The 29-year-old from Ballabio, near Lecco, has spent her entire competitive career racing on Dynastar equipment, a relationship that began long before her World Cup debut in December 2017 and carried her through nine seasons on the circuit. Her switch to the French manufacturer marks one of the more notable equipment changes among the current generation of Italian speed skiers.

A relationship that began in childhood

Melesi's ties to her former sponsor date back to her earliest days on snow in Valmalenco, long before she was racing at national level. In a farewell message shared on social media, Melesi thanked the Rossignol group for supporting her from her first skis at age six through the Trofeo Fila and up to the present day, describing the years as ones in which she grew alongside the brand and shared unforgettable moments with what she called a great family always by her side.

That two-decade relationship makes the move to Salomon a genuine turning point rather than a routine equipment swap — the first time in her career she will race on anything other than Dynastar skis.

Coming off her best season yet

The timing is notable, arriving on the back of Melesi's strongest World Cup campaign to date. In the speed disciplines, the versatile racer from Lecco improved considerably this past season, posting her best-ever downhill result with 15th place in the first run at Passo San Pellegrino, and coming close to her first World Cup podium with a fourth-place finish in the super-G at Crans-Montana. That result leaves her dreaming of a first World Cup podium on the same Swiss slopes, even with fierce competition for places on the Italian speed team — competition strong enough that she served as reserve for the Olympic super-G in Cortina.

New materials, new goals

Melesi will now build her preparation around Salomon's equipment ahead of the coming season, with her new skis and boots expected to be revealed in the coming weeks. For an athlete who has never known any manufacturer other than Dynastar, adapting to new materials — different flex characteristics, different ski behaviour underfoot — will be as much a part of pre-season training as physical conditioning.

The move comes at a pivotal moment in Melesi's career. With her best World Cup results arriving in the final months on her old skis, expectations will be high that the switch to Salomon can help carry that momentum into a season where a first World Cup podium finally looks within reach.