WHO ARE WE
AND HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Making new tracks, going fast, being first. There’s nothing like it; whether it’s being fastest on the hill, dropping into first descent, or finishing to the roar of the crowd, every competitor craves the feeling. What gets you there? Dedication, a willingness to take risks, harnessing resources to achieve your goals. For two decades– since Day One – we’ve dedicated ourselves to developing leading-edge wax technology.
We’ve spent our time making it easier for the wax user to succeed and, in doing so, we have succeeded. The DOMINATOR wax company, founded in 1993 with research and production facilities in the Northeastern US and a distribution center in Utah, is amongst the most highly respected and frequently-used wax lines in snow sports.
DOMINATOR has made new tracks from its inception, pursuing erformance, ease- of-use, and low cost through innovation. We have used complex scientific principles and developed new materials to make it simpler and more economical for our user to succeed. We are the only wax company manufacturing, rather than buying, its own wax additives. We were first to propose a comprehensive program in waxroom safety to safeguard the health of wax technicians. We were first to introduce thermoactive, broad-range waxes enabling excellent performance while requiring little information about snow conditions. We were first to design no-iron, patented competition-grade waxes. We were first to publish easy to understand articles on the science of wax and its application.
Today, DOMINATOR offers products designed for every level from World Cup/ Olympics, to team competition, to recreational use. Our unique formulations and proprietary technologies make DOMINATOR competitive across all snow sports disciplines, geographies and venues.
DOMINATOR has always maintained close relationships with World Cup and Olympic athletes in skiing and snowboarding. With their invaluable help, their testing data and feedback, our products are continuously refined to help our customers accomplish their goals.
So who are we? Some wax lines have a changing rep and a faceless company. That’s not DOMINATOR. We are the people in the snow -- on the hill, on the course, at the pipe. We’ve been the same people since our inception; everyone with DOMINATOR today has been there since The Day:
a Ph.D. chemist with more than 50 international patents and publications, including those patents key to DOMINATOR’s proprietary formulas. Thanos, an avid skier and snowboarder, is one of the pioneers in fluorinated wax development. In 1993 he left the chemical industry and founded the DOMINATOR Wax Company to pursue his passion for snow. Thanos has been a frequent guest serviceman of World Cup and Olympic teams since 1994. His expertise in ski and board preparation, in combination with his chemical background gives him a perspective unique in the industry, as he directs product development from initial formulation in the lab, into testing in the field, and through to competition performance. When he is not developing new waxes Thanos is still going for speed, competing as an amateur rally car driver.
A speed skier and member of Japan’s 1992 Olympic Ski Team, Naga is central to our company’s operations. He is our exclusive distributor for North America and liaison to Lotus International, the distributor of DOMINATOR in Japan. Naga’s extensive speed skiing experience gives him invaluable insight into the testing of DOMINATOR products, helping us in the never-ending search for the fastest wax. He has gone faster on skis than most people have gone in a car, clocking 150.5 mph and taking third place at the 1997 World Championships. Naga has a well -rounded insight into racing; in addition to being a former world-class athlete, he is a ski academy coach, and parent to college racer Kazui and SMS racer Hanako. He has developed and presented numerous waxing and equipment preparation seminars, hosted camps internationally, and coaches at Stratton Mountain School in Vermont.
is the president and CEO of Lotus International, Inc., the exclusive distributor for DOMINATOR in Japan. Kuni, an avid skier, has been a respected member of Japan’s ski racing industry for well over 20 years, having held many executive positions in the industry and being the man who brought Tyrolia bindings to Japan. In 1999 he founded Lotus International, Inc., to import and distribute DOMINATOR wax and GIRO helmets. Kuni’s solid reputation opened many doors during DOMINATOR’s early days in Japan, the product did not disappoint, and they have not looked back since. In keeping with DOMINATOR’s focus on educating the user, Kuni has tirelessly organized multiday seminars and on- snow events for retailers, competitors and journalists. When not on snow, Kuni is a scratch golfer and enjoys fast cars.
is marketing director of Lotus International, Inc. Monpe, an alpine ski racer in high school, was the director of marketing for the prestigious Inawashiro ski resort before joining Lotus International in 2000 to promote Dominator Wax in Japan. He manages the GIRO/DOMINATOR multi-discipline team and the day-to-day wax operations. Monpe travels to most competitions in Japan, providing hands-on training and start service to DOMINATOR users, constantly communicating to Naga the specific needs of the Japanese market. Monpe also provided the data that helped Thanos develop “Crystal Ball Waxing”, a program that predicts the most likely monthly snow conditions, and consequently wax of choice, for the major Japanese ski resorts. When he is not gliding on snow, Monpe, a proud father of two, still enjoys going fast on his power boat, but slows down for bass fishing.
WHERE WE’RE GOING:
THE DOMINATOR MISSION
A lot has changed since our Day One, both for us and for our industry: Equipment and preparation techniques have changed; training routines have intensified; skiing and snowboarding events have evolved; new wax technologies have been developed; and on-snow speeds that were record-breaking years ago are now the norm. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to making it easy for the DOMINATOR user to succeed. And while we have always been successful at the highest levels of competition, our main focus is to assist the vast majority of our users (the recreational racers, the junior and master competitors, and the weekend warriors) in their quest for success. We will continue to pursue the development of easier to use, faster, and more economical formulas while minimizing their environmental impact.
KEEPING IT CLEAN
While we are making first tracks, we are careful about the tracks we leave. Thanos’ chemical industry background has him in-tune with the environmental impact of product components and on the forefront of new “green” technologies and their application to waxes. DOMINATOR products are formulated from top-grade waxes, including only the highest-grade FDA-approved paraffins. Our custom-designed, patented fluorinated additives have undergone stringent testing, and the EPA has cleared them as safe for the user and the environment, when used as directed.
DOMINATOR uses minimal packaging, including hard plastic, recyclable materials to protect your wax investment and minimize waste.
THIS IS WHAT
SOME OF OUR USERS SAY
Peter Dodge
Head Men's Alpine Coach
Dartmouth Ski Team, National Alpine champions
Mike De Santis, former World Cup Speed Tech for Hillary Lindh, Volkl Race Director, Volkl Product Development Director.
Owner of SkiMD, a shop that can bring any race equipment to World Cup status.
Alan Smarse
Head coach, Holderness snow sports academy
Bob Olsen, former US Ski team technician
Owner, Mt Hood Alpine Racing Center
Alan Lauba
Head coach, Crystal Mountain ski team
Randy Graves, former Rossignol World Cup technician