Anja Paerson and the Moelgg siblings guests of Carrera

Anja Paerson, Manfred Molegg and his sister, Manuela, were Carrera's guests yesterday at the exclusive Hotel Diana Majestic in Milan. In the presence of the press, Massimiliano Tabacchi, Managing Director of the Safilo Group, presented a special award to the Carrera Ski Racing Team athletes for their brilliant victories at the World Skiing Championships at Ǻre in Sweden. A pair of Carrera gold-plated and silver-plated goggles were given to Anja Paerson and Manfred Moelgg, respectively, in recognition of their exceptional placings.

The entire 2006/2007 season was studded with splendid performances by the athletes, who always wore Carrera helmets and goggles, the essential equipment for guaranteeing excellent performance and maximum safety during the competitions.

The outstanding results achieved by Anja Paerson have made her a skiing legend as she is the very first athlete to win the world title in all five Alpine skiing disciplines. Satisfaction also for the Italian team, thanks to Manfred Moelgg who was confirmed as being one of the world's best slalom racers when he came second at Ǻre in addition to winning three bronze medals at the World Cup. His sister Manuela also did well and achieved a remarkable fourth place in the finals of the Giant Slalom in Switzerland: a promising Italian team for the next skiing season!

'I would like to thank Anja Paerson, Manfred and Manuela Moelgg for being here today', Massimiliano Tabacchi said, 'and I would also like to thank them on behalf of the whole company for their results. They are not just our testimonials, they are our friends. Their contribution and technical skills are vital for our research and the continual improvement of our sports products. Thanks to them, we are able to combine our design with leading-edge technical quality to guarantee excellent performance at all times. We can only hope that we will continue along this path together and that they achieve further noteworthy results in the future'.

Apart from Carrera, the Safilo Group has another important sports brand, Smith, the leader of the goggles and helmets segment in the United States. In 2006 billings from sports products - which account for 6% of the Safilo Group's billings as a whole - were 66.1 million euros, 8% higher than the previous year.

Anja, Manfred and Manuela will be among the leading members of the Carrera Ski Racing Team also in 2007/2008. More information about the new team will be announced at the start of the new season.

Carrera has said that important new initiatives and new products are upcoming.

During the 2007/2008 winter season, Carrera will again be the official supplier of ski helmets and goggles for the Federations of Austria, Finland, Italy, Sweden, Swtizerland and USA, countries which are among the strongest on the 'White Circle'.

As a member of Pool Sci Italia, the historical ski brand will take part in the Freestyle Trials Tour 2007 with new helmet and goggles models to be tried out by almost 5000 participants. They will also involve the athletes in Italy's ski team who will animate the various days on the snow at the main Italian skiing locations.

For Carrera, this sport also means continual commitment to research and innovation to gurantee maximum safety on the slopes. This is why the new 2007/2008 collection will include products that feature a special non-allergic React Foam which is soft and strong and was used for the very first time in ski helmets and goggles. The material molds itself to the shape of the head and face and completely absorbs impact while also ensuring maximum comfort.

The next winter season will also see many new products: available in stores from October is the Fireball Replica helmet, with graphics that recall the colors and details of the helmets worn by the great athletes Hermann Maier, Michael Walchhofer and Anja Paerson during their astounding performance on the slopes. In addition to its original, high-impact graphics, the Fireball 2.7 version has React Foam on the pressure points inside the helmet. The same material is also used for the Kimerik React goggles which have a special paint coated frame in TPU, a thermoplastic, non-allergic and durable material that offers perfect strength. The active ventilation system in the inner frame allows air to enter and exit and eliminates the annoying problem of fogging, which is already guaranteed by a specific lens treatment.

Another top product for next season is Air Matic, the new freeride helmet with innovative technology that comes in two versions: 'Air Matic Audio', which can be connected to an I-pod, and 'Air Matic Bluetooth', fitted with special technology for wireless connection to cell phones and I-pods; so you can listen to music as well as communicate on the slopes.

The perfect companions for this helmet are the Chiodo goggles with a painted TPU frame. Thanks to 'Seal-Ring' technology, the double lenses are perfectly parallel and create an efficient thermal barrier that eliminates annoying fogging and any field of vision distortion. In addition, the special elastic-band hook system gives greater freedom of movement and better helmet position. The goggles come in numerous colors with attractive graphics.