There are so many ski companies out there at the moment that choosing one for its values and not one for its product is a tough choice. Choosing one for its values and its product is an even harder choice! As a general rule of thumb, you won’t know much about a company’s morals unless they shout about it. Sometimes you’ll find it arrogant sometimes you’ll find it heartwarming but that feeling will ultimately be decided by your own opinion.

With a new ski season slowly approaching us, I had a look around to see what ski companies were doing things differently and DOWN were doing things very differently. They are a skier-created company and they make skis designed specifically for you – the skier. If they can make a saving on the way they make the skis but keep them within a specific bracket, then the savings aren’t just made by them, you make them as well. It’s an interesting concept so I asked founder and CEO, Gregor Gieras for a little explanation.

At DOWN, we are very similar to you. We eat, sleep, and dream about skiing

This infatuation with skiing and what it brings to the lives of so many is at the core of our little company. That little core pumps in the heart of Switzerland today by designing, creating, and testing unique, original, high quality freeride skis. We started this (ad)venture not only to create and ski unique freeride skis but also to explore what can be done as a small and agile direct-to-skier company. The ski industry continues to be dominated by large conglomerates distributing and marketing skis through antiquated practices and processes. We thought this business model could be changed. This drive for change is part of DOWN’s core beliefs. We are committed to evolve the way skis are procured, distributed, and supported in order to deliver unbelievable value and quality to you.

For 13/14 our mantra is “Get More, Get Smart, Get Down.”

Get More: This is simple. Get more for your money with: High quality materials, unique designs, and direct to owner customer service. Most large ski companies have to put their shareholders livelihood first. At DOWN, we don’t have corporate shareholders. Instead, we put our skiers first and strive to deliver them the best value.

Get Smart: Recently, some of the direct-to-skier companies have had poor quality track records or simply poor business management. Knowing this, we work with our skiers and new customers to change this misconception and share our knowledge from the inside of the industry. All our skis are made in the EU and even share the same factory with larger companies that charge much more for their skis. Most of the materials are almost identical between our skis and competition (Ex. Full Ash/Poplar wood cores, carbon and fiberglass layers, ISOsport topsheets and bases, etc,). We have leveled the playing field by eliminating non-essential costs. If it does not deliver value to our skiers we don’t do it. The money we save goes directly to reducing prices on our skis.

Get Down: We are DOWN with you. We are a customer driven company. We listen, learn, review and then revisit. We are nothing without our skiers who continue to give us feedback. Each customer is a part of the evolution of DOWN and we want you to be a part of what a future ski company can look like.

For 13/14 we will start our pre-sale on August 1st for 1 month. This excellent offer only happens once a year. You will not see a pair of 13/14 DOWN skis for a cheaper price. This year, we will only have a limited quantity in the pre-sale so get in early as many models will sell out. Visit downskis.com for more information or as always contact me directly at [email protected]

-G
Founder, Down Free Sarl (CH)”

Interesting huh? Check out their website if you fancy taking a look around but it’s certainly a refreshing business model and who knows, maybe they’ll be even bigger next year as the company begins to grow.