The staff of The Compass was saddened by news of the untimely death of Christian Hager, sales director of the Austrian pole manufacturer Komperdell. Christian lost his life in an avalanche. Our thoughts are with his family and his employer. He was the fourth person we know of in the outdoor industry who did not return alive from the mountains in the past year. Other casualties were executives from Vaude, Kühme (a specialty discount retail chain with outlets in Germany, Austria and Slovenia) and a consumer magazine, Skipress. Christian’s functions included representing Komperdell at the European Outdoor Group. This role has been taken over by the company’s chief executive, Thomas Roiser.
