REC M ATT NEU M AN/ U LLR S K IS
CUSTOM CUTTING Design-them-yourself skis ANDREW MENTZER With the advent and evolution of camber and shape technologies over the last decade, skis resemble their predecessors less and less each year. Manufacturers are constantly jockeying for the “next big thing” in ski design, enabling both novices and mad rippers to ski where they want, how they want. Top riders are now schussing through terrain that wasn’t thought accessible just a few years ago. A pair of perfectly good Salomon GS skis from the 1990s are now as obsolete as a homing pigeon. Contrary to several corporate market trends, a handful of custom, handmade ski All you need is some design ideas—and your own pair of coveralls— and you can help Ullr owner Matt Neuman create your perfect skis. builders—or boutique builders—have, in many ways, trumped the big manufacturers come with particularly fancy graphics or a Neuman got into building his own skis by fusing some old-school techniques with matching wardrobe but that’s kind of the after many years of tuning skis new-school technologies. They point. Boutique skis are meant to appeal to professionally and a six-week have found a manufacturing purists who just want the right ski for what apprenticeship with 333 Skis in balance that isn’t likely to get they do. Mammoth Lakes, Calif. too big or complex—after all, On the other hand, custom skis aren’t for According to Neuman, both many of these guys operate out Ullr and 333 share the common everyone. Former U.S. Ski Team freestyle of a garage or small warehouse. mogul guru Holt Haga says that custom goal “to promote open-source They’re happy to create buildhandmade skis “are generally for the 10 manufacturing in the ski industo-order skis, but they also percent or so of skiers who know exactly try.” Neuman hopes to start offer their customers a design what they want out of a ski and will test the his own apprentice program template and the opportunity full capabilities of that ski ... Most people soon and he always encourages to participate in the creation of who purchase a pair of high-end Rossignols customers to participate in the their customized skis. Customers or Dynastars from a retailer do so strictly construction of their skis. can be involved in every design based on what the manufacturer claims and “If people want to drive up element—shape, tip-to-tail stiff[the] trends in skiing at the time. to McCall and get their hands ness, etc.—to help make the skis “If a ski is both cool and functional, it will dirty, we’re into that,” says of their dreams. generally do well in this market,” Haga says. Neuman. One factor in building bouAnd the market itself seems to be doing While Ullr Skis uses the tique skis is using traditional well—Ullr and 333 are not alone. Bluesame design technologies that or old-school wood materials, house skis in Salt Lake City also makes large manufacturers do, they including core and top-sheet affordable limited-production skis at the also enjoy the flexibility of options. These give the skis a implementing virtually any new local level. Not necessarily dedicated to vintage look and feel. The newwood technology, Bluehouse focuses more design trend in real time—no school elements include utilizing on rider feedback in their production line more waiting around for next the most advanced designs availfrom year to year. Igneous Skis in Jackson, year’s highly anticipated ski able from the most reputable Wyo., makes a similar product to Ullr, with widget. Customers design what ski makers in the world. With a they want, and Ullr builds it for extensive emphasis on wood core and wood chainsaw, router, sander, some top-sheet designs. them. And if they don’t know hand tools, and core, base, edge Whatever your poison on the slopes— what they want, Neuman and and veneer materials, these park, big mountain, groomers—the bouhis crew will help them identify boutique manufacturers have tique custom ski industry has taken aim at the type, style and size of ski created a market that is both the standard for how people ski and even that will work best for them. flexible and cost conscious. how they get their skis. Ullr uses the same base, core Named after the Norse ski They may not be for everybody, but and edge materials as top manugod, Ullr Skis out of McCall facturers, like Kevlar, fiberglass, it may not be long before an old class of is pushing the aforementioned weekend warriors joins forces with these VDS foil and bamboo, which trend and finding regional success mom-and-pop ski builders to create that Neuman says give Ullr’s skis doing it. Ullr Skis owner Matt illusive “next big thing.” They have introcomparable durability to anyNeuman says his garage-based thing from a large manufacturer. duced information and technology to a marbusiness is focused on “buildket that will directly react to community The surprise is in the price. ing a community of skismiths,” feedback. It roughly translates to having an Ullr’s custom handmade skis most of whom live in the McCall ULLR SKIS McCall infinite number of ski designers working on start at around $350—half as area, with a handful of custom 208-315-1709 your behalf from Thanksgiving to late April much as a pair of comparable orders coming in from California, ullrskis.com every single year. name-brand skis. Ullr skis don’t Canada and Washington.
26 | DECEMBER 15–21, 2010 | BOISEweekly
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