Slovak ski brand Simini Skis produces skis made from wood.
“Wood has better sliding characteristics than plastic. Plastic is dead, wood is a live material,” said Michal Falat, speaking on behalf of the brand, as quoted by Fičí.
From hobby to brand
Falat, explaining the idea behind the business, explained that he has worked with wood his own life and his hobby is skiing, wrote Fičí.
“With my colleagues, we like to make everything that is not available in good quality in today’s consumer era. Due to disappointing skis from the factory, one day we started to make our own skis,” he said, as cited by Fičí.
Team Simini Skis consists of two other people and dozens of external co-workers. They are not a big company, which is an advantage, according to Falat, because they can take their time working on one ski, Fičí reported.
They only take materials from abroad that are not available in Slovakia. The company uses the technique of intarsia, carving out varied shapes, sizes, and species of wood to fit together like puzzle, Fičí wrote.
Tested by professionals
Testing starts in the workroom and later on ski slopes all around the world when the company checks materials, construction, rotation, hardness and many others factors, Fičí reported.
“Professional skiers give us feedback and test skis. They feel every detail the best,” Falat said for Fičí.
The ski design is tailor-made for each set of skis.
“Every pair is original when it comes to the design side. Two of the same pair do not exist,” summed up Falat, as cited by Fičí.
