European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 25, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Mark Clinton checks out an italian made $ 1,000 Atala Mountain Bike. Price is Ibi rec upright serious shoppers head for slovenian factory  Northern Italy Bureau there is one reason and Only one reason to go to the town of be Gunge in Northwestern Slovenia and that s to visit the Elan factory outlet. Elan currently the world s third largest manufacturer of skis topped by Only France s Market leading Rossignol and Austria s atomic turns out 300,000 pairs of laminated skis yearly at its main factory in be Gunge. Another Elan factory in Austria turns out More than 200,000 pairs of lesser Quality skis. Be Gunge a Mere speck of a farming Community about 10 minutes away from the Lake bled resort area barely rates signposting but Large signs pointing to the Elan factory Pepper the surrounding Countryside. On a recent Holiday morning a Convoy of cars carrying some three dozen members of the Aviano ski club pulled into the Elan outlet s parking lot. Nearly every car was topped by an empty ski rack because the folks from Aviano a about a two hour drive away in Northern Italy had come to do some serious ski shopping. A preseason pilgrimage to the Elan outlet is something of a tradition for the Aviano ski clubbers. They Are lured there by unbeatable prices on downhill and Cross country ski equipment. The outlet Sells two kinds of skis Fia fess and factory seconds. All the skis come with Elan s Standard one year guarantee against structural flaws. The flaws on the factory seconds Are strictly cosmetic tiny imperfections in the paint said sly Bericic the ski club s president and Leader of the tour to Elan. I be bought two pairs of factory seconds in the past and i Haven t been Able to spot the  the outlet has rack after rack of skis All coded As to their relative Quality. Flawless skis have no markings. Slightly flawed skis Are coded by Orange dots and Silver dots Mark those More seriously flawed. A items for Sale in the outlet Are priced in slovenian Tolar the currency of the newly Independent Republic once a province of the former Yugoslavia. One us. Dollar is Worth approximately 122 Tolar. The outlet accepts Tolar various Western currencies and All major credit cards. We bought Complete Cross country packages Here last year including skis boots bindings and poles for about $120 per package said Mike Poth another Aviano ski Clubber. This year we Are looking for a pair of downhill skis for my wife  some of the Aviano gang had brought along copies of american ski magazines to look up ski evaluations and to compare the outlet s prices with retail prices in the United states. One of Elan s top of the line skis the mbx-14, retails for $500 in the states and Here it is priced at $267, and that s before you get a 16 percent tax rebate said Norbert Cunningham shopping with his wife Kornelia. The Way the tax rebate system works according to Bericic is that the factory charges customers the full amount Karen Poth mates her selection while her husband Mike looks on. S4s  including a 16 percent tax but supplies customers with accompanying paperwork to be shown to customs officials when leaving Slovenia with purchases. Customers May turn right around and drive Back to the Elan factory about a 30 minute trip from the nearest Border crossing to receive a full rebate of the tax. Or they May return to the outlet or Send a Friend with the paperwork to claim their rebate at anytime within a year. Getting the rebate brings the Price of a Good ski say one that s suitable for an intermediate level skier Down to under $80. I m buying two pairs of Cross country skis. These Are about $38 a pair before the rebate said Bruce Burnham another Aviano shopper. Mark and Judy Eichin also part of the Aviano group reckon they saved Well Over $600 on their purchases. I Only planned to buy skis for my daughter and husband but the prices Are too Good to pass up. So i bought skis too Judy Eichin said. Besides ski equipment the outlet Sells a Complete Range of sporting goods and clothing everything from sleds to Mountain bikes from Canoe paddles to exercise machines but savings if any appeared negligible on most of those items especially clothing. Elan employs 800 workers at its be Gunge factory with the bulk of them churning out skis. Elan also makes sailing yachts and gliders at the sprawling be Gunge Complex although Tours of the factory normally Are not offered the Aviano ski clubbers got to see How Elan puts its skis yachts an gliders together. Unfortunately there were no factory seconds available on yachts the biggest being a 43-footer Selling for $180,000 or gliders the most costly being a $100,000 motorized two seater How to get there from Northern Italy take the toll Road to Tarcisio and Cross just East of there into Slovenia following the 1a Highway through Jesenick. Look for signs to Elan South of a Ironica. Coming Down from Germany through Austria the main crossing into Slovenia is at Villacha. Follow the Highway toward Ljubljana and begin looking for signs to Elan around the bled area. When to go the Elan outlet is open monday through Friday from 8 . To 6 p.m., on saturday until noon and is close sundays. 16 Stripe Magazine november 25, 1993