Design Spotlight: Wagner Custom Skis

Skiing and snowboarding is as much about your gear as it is about the mountain you’re riding on, which is exactly why we’ve long been fans of the Telluride-based Wagner Custom Skis, started by Pete Wagner in 2006. After years of designing golf clubs for professional golfers, Wagner decided to take his unique design process to his first passion: skiing. Pete developed a questionnaire that determines an athlete’s “Skier DNA,” a unique profile comprised of a skier’s riding ability, age, height, weight, favorite terrain, past ski purchases, and goals. Wagner then takes this information and uses it to design an athlete’s ultimate ski, setting itself apart from other independent ski manufacturers.

Further differentiating itself from competitors, Wagner doesn’t use preformed molds when creating his skis, which he constructs from a wide range of core and base materials, including carbon-fiber blends he creates in-house to several types of wood. But it isn't only the shape and materials that are customized: You can also choose from a selection of stock graphics in an array of colors and motifs (snowy trees, geometric patterns, illustrations, etc.). And depending on your preferred aesthetic, you can opt for hand-finished wood veneers, monogrammed skis, or you can send in your own artwork or photography for a truly one-of-a-kind design—the possibilities are literally endless. Varied based on the design and the materials used, the entire process typically takes two to four weeks from design consultation to production.

Starting at $1,750, Wagner skis may be the ultimate addition to any quiver.