Business Notes SPORTING GOODS

The ski business is doing anything but schussing these days. Equipment sales have been logy, in part because of last year's snow drought in Europe. A company would need a lot of nerve to launch a pricey new board right now, but France's Salomon is plunging ahead with a ski that the trade magazine Snow Country called the "most talked-about product to hit the ski market since the plastic boot." A leading manufacturer of ski boots and bindings, Salomon spent six years and $40 million developing its first ski ever. The result is the S9000 Equipe, a superfast, lightweight model that is winning raves from the ski press.

The ski's breakthrough feature is the "monocoque," or single-shell construction, which allows the skier to transmit force directly to the edges more easily than with the multilayer sandwich construction of other skis. The S9000 costs $600 a pair, but may become a hot property among racers and aggressive recreational skiers. Salomon (1989 sales: $613 million) aims to become the leading maker of top-flight skis within the next five years. But the climb will be no cakewalk against the industry leaders, France's Rossignol and America's K2, which have carved out loyal followings.