1001 handmade skis

You wouldn't think it possible how incredibly large the number of small ski manufacturers is in the face of a constantly shrinking ski market. In spite of the crisis, so to speak, countless ski creations are being brought to market by micro-companies around the globe in very small series or as one-offs. With their entrepreneurial courage, they are inspiring and many of the skis clearly stand for uniqueness. Here are a few examples from the world of ski builders.

by Rolf Fleckenstein

If you go to the great Dr. Google and search for special skis under "handmade skis", you won't be done clicking and browsing through the countless ski manufacturers that can be found in New Zealand, America, Sweden, Norway, France or Austria. Even in Switzerland you can find more small manufacturers than you think. But what do you get out of the special slats?

Anyone who has been observing the ski market for a few years, as I have, will notice that on the one hand there are 12 major brands that do not want to stop despite increasing price and cut-throat competition. On the other hand, there are numerous smaller manufacturers who are looking for their place or have already found it and are asserting their place in the ski market with their niche products.

The pros & cons
Many small companies come up with unique ideas, but from the consumer's point of view, there's always a question mark when you think about the lifespan of the company. Will the brand still exist in two, three, five or ten years? Time and again, you can see new ski brands emerge from a certain euphoria, but they don't last long because they start out as a garage business and end up as such when they realize that they can't get out of this situation as easily as they initially thought, because selling skis today is a real art in the face of steadily declining demand. Technologically, too, smaller ski manufacturers often can't keep up, because they don't have the financial resources and engineering of large manufacturers. What small manufacturers can't beat, however, is their uniqueness and the rarity of the brand. Small manufacturers stand for exceptional ski concepts and unique designs. Customers can often have their very own skis designed (custom skis). The small ski manufacturers enrich the ski market with their imagination and creativity.

In our report we briefly introduce 20 ski brands including Zai from Disentis, Radical from Zurich, the new Swiss Five Star Ski, Skilogik from Colorado, Bomber Ski from New York, Extreme from Sweden, Duret from France and many more.

If you would like to read the full article, simply order the magazine by emailing us at [email protected].