a passion for Per
The Exculsive Magazine For
Lansdown Place
Perfection is, broadly, a state of completeness and flawlessness. Zai produces a range of top-tier ski products to complement its revolutionary ski range. They follow no trend, no tradition and having worked with both Hubolt and Bentley they’re clearly on the right track. If the Bugatti Veyron is the pinnacle of automotive engineering, then we might have just found our eureka moment for the ski industry. Laura Hodd and Peter Robinson report.
The Romansh word “zai” is a term used in the mountainous region of canton Graubünden in southeastern Switzerland, meaning tough or resistant. Zai was founded in 2004 by former Saloman designer Simon Jacomet, who now works in collaboration with entrepreneurs Benedikt Germanier and Patrick Markus Aisher. When I met Benedikt and first saw the Testa, Nezza and Laisa skis I could have been forgiven for thinking they had been designedfor a Manhattan art gallery. Carbon fibres, bonded cedarwood slats, Dyneema®, Nano high-speed racing surfacing, HRC38 steel edges. I’m a fan of cutting edge engineering as much as the next man but the team at zai is going for platinum. There is evidently no compromise at zai when it comes to material and design. Zai was the first manufacturer to employ a stone core in production, a revolution in itself. Wrapped in carbon fibre to allow it to flex without breaking, the stone produces an impressive
24 TRAVEL 2011
dampening effect and opens up a whole new dimension in effortless smoothness and agility. Where does a company go from here? Well, team up with the leaders in the automotive luxury field, que Dr. Paefgen, CEO of Bentley. Having visited the zai manufacturing plant, a partnership was born. Zaiìra®, the novel composite material used in the skis, was originally created for use in the latest generation of aircraft. It contains carbon fibres that are used on the skis’ top layer, in combination with natural rubber in the central part, as well as a carbon fabric in composition with chrome steel in the torsion part and long carbon fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites (LFRTP). This combination of technology and performance give maximum performance with minimum weight as well as the ability to lie firmly and reliably in the snow, whatever its condition. As one of the least experienced skiers of the team I begrudgingly asked one of the more skilled team members if they would mind trialing the zai ‘Testa’ skis. Over to Laura Hodd. >>