ENGINEERING | SUSTAINABILITY
Engineering Skier Aims to Change the Industry General engineering student and ski club president building eco-friendly skis for a new business launch
by Emily Slater Photos courtesy of Matthew Morin
G
eneral engineering student Matthew Morin has loved skiing and nature for as long as he can remember. He learned to ski as a 3-year-old in Seattle, where he spent his childhood connecting with extended family on mountain vacations and his teen years hitting the slopes with friends for night skiing every Friday. Morin also grew up in a household that was devoted to caring for the environment he so loved. It seemed only natural, then, that during his senior year at a STEM-based high school, he handcrafted his own skis in his garage using sustainable materials. He has yet to test the pair, but they serve as an important symbol. “Those skis now hang on my wall as a reminder of where I started and where I’m heading,” said Morin, president of Central Pacific Ski Club, one of the largest student clubs at Cal Poly. His destination? A ski company born out of his senior project at Cal Poly rooted in sustainability and sound engineering.
‘Nothing More Inspiring’ Morin’s journey through Cal Poly has taken twists and turns 32 SPRING 2023 CENG.CALPOLY.EDU
Matthew Morin celebrates an emphasis on composite design and New Year’s Day at his home ski entrepreneurship. resort, Crystal Mountain near He started as a mechanical engiMt. Rainier, in Washington. neering major to gain skills for a future he hoped would include a ski-related pursuit, but he struggled with applying the course material. Distance learning due to COVID compounded the situation. “I was losing my drive,” Morin said. At the same time, his passion for skiing was only growing. His first day in the dorms, Morin joined the ski club — “I didn’t know anyone, and I knew I needed to make friends” — and soon rose through the ranks, serving as secretary, then vice president and president. Through the club, he has skied across California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and in Montana for the group’s latest adventure. Euphoria is the feeling Morin attaches to flying down the mountain as he connects to nature and finds freedom: “There’s nothing like skiing a good line,” he said. Morin ultimately decided to change direction his junior year, shifting to general engineering so he could build a foundation to launch a company specializing in sustainably made skis.