Wagner Custom Skis
WagnerSkis.com is interactive and guides you right into the design and create process prompting you to "map your Skier DNA."
Not only did I map my Skier DNA, but I had the opportunity to ski some Wagner Demo skis at the Deer Valley Surefoot store. Then I reached out to owner, founder, and passionate ski builder Peter Wagner to get an in-depth feel of what you can expect if you want to look into skis made especially for you.
Skier DNA
Wagner.com walks you through the Skier DNA process asking you to input you name, address etc. then your personal facts relative to buying a typical ski - i.e. age, weight, height, skill level, type of terrain you ski and how often.
Then the process gets a little more subjective, asking your binding type, and the brand of model of your current skis and how you feel about them. Seth Morrison helped design the K2 ObSETHed - I'll never ski like Seth Morrison, but I have a pair of K2 ObSETHed. I like the rocker design in that ski's tip, but not so much the tail rocker, and not sp much the twin tip.
I'm not a ski tester, but now I see that I can be picky about the little details of what I liked or disliked. Those likes and dislikes can be integrated into the concept of what would be a custom ski for me.
Then comes the insightful and very useful question "What are you looking for?" Think about that - 'What are you looking for?' That's really the essence of why you want a custom made ski. What can you put your finger on that really want to improve, or reach up to in your skiing life. Whatever that goal is a custom made ski can help you achieve it, or bring you as close to it as you are physically able to reach.
For example you might aspire to skin and ski all day without tiring, a custom ski made to ypur geometry and specifications will bring you close to this goal but the limits of your endurance still play a big part.
Wagner Demo Skis
I asked Pete Wagner how they make a 'demo' 'custom' ski when the ski is custom made for the customer. The answer is "We designed the skis at the Deer Valley Surefoot optimized for Deer Valley's terrain and snow conditions."
So, I went to the Deer Valley Surefoot store on a very windy day about a week after the last significant snow storm - i.e. snow conditions that day were packed powder, groomed runs with and crud both off the trail and on lightly skied black diamond runs.
I skied a 168cm (125-83-110) and a 175cm (130-95-117) around several blue, and one black diamond moguled run on Flagstaff Mountain. Honestly, I'm not a ski tester, I am like most of us, an adaptor - buy what you research to be the best and adapt to it. However, I found there was no adapting necessary for either the 168 or the 175 I demoed.
It seems awkward when referring to the Wagner demo skis not naming a specific model, but, if you think about it, a custom personal ski would have no model name, but your own i.e. John Smith.
Both pair of Wagner demos skied exceptionally well right from clicking in, edge to edge, sliding, no grab at all. The 168 with 83mm underfoot was bang, bang responsive on the groomer, on the cold snow in the shadows and especially on the moguls. The 95 skied like an all mountain ski that wanted more challenging terrain than was not available because of limited lifts due to the wind, but I didn't run that ski down the hard bumps.
I told Pete Wagner I thought that either of the skis I skied on could be mass produced and be a big seller. They skied so well I wondered how they could be personalized more to an individual beyond maybe adjusting the binding placement. The answer is in the customized building process.
Designing the Wagner Custom Ski to Be Your Ski
Once you submit the Skier DNA you will be contacted by a Wagner engineer and that's when the serious business of integrating "you" into a ski really begins. For example, from feedback provided from the Wagner skis demoed and/or from the feedback you provide regarding your own skis, the Skier DNA info and personally talking to you about your goals, the engineers can tell what there is, technically, in a ski you like - even if you or I don't understand.
Wagner has complied mechanical property data on almost every ski made in the last 10 years so they can tell from how you relate to the ski, what's in the ski that's best for you. Benchmarks are determined for you based on length, width, sidecut, tip/tail shapes, camber/rocker, materials, flex pattern, stiffness, and then the crème de la crème - your graphics.
At the factory in Telluride, Colorado, the numbers and nuances are tweaked, with you being involved throughout the process. Then the data is calibrated with the Wagner design system and your optimal ski design is conceived.
Making Your Wagner Custom Ski
To make your personal Wagner Custom skis a reality, ingredients of a rock-hard ash and maple wood core and high-alloy, heat-treated aircraft aluminum set to determined specifications personal for your formula are tooled with state of the art computer controlled manufacturing equipment and the highest craftsmanship. Your skis are engineered and cut like fine diamonds. There are no molds in this process.
Your personally chosen top sheet is made and applied and bindings are selected and precisely set to your determined dimensions.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Pete Wagner told me he guarantees your skis meet all specifications and his team is there for you after manufacturing to ensure everything skis well.
A pair of Wagner Custom skis varies in cost - in an estimated range of $1700 to $2500. Is that a lot for a pair of skis? Look at it the way you look at buying a car - any new car will run well, but if you want more quality you pay more money.
From just skiing the Wagner Custom demo skis, learning about the manufacturing materials and process, knowing they have a history of satisfied skiers I can see it makes sense if you can afford it. Also, you won't worry about next year's model being better or prettier.
Visit Wagner Custom Skis to learn more about building your personal skis.
