7even Skis - aka. Seven Skis

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In Short, 7even Skis started in 2009 building custom skis in a small garage in Salt Lake City. We moved into a larger warehouse 1 year later. People started to demo the skis, and with good reviews 7even Skis expanded into a new shop in July of 2013.  Our beloved Border Collie ‘Seven’ who skied regularly with me past away before the shop opened, so I decided that the brand should be named after her.  This past spring, we adopted ‘Sonic’ who you will definitely see at the shop.  She loves people, so you’ll probably be greeted from behind the newly installed gates to the back shop. 

 

Below is a  more lengthy story about my venture into the ski business. 

 

Many independent ski companies share a very similar history to 7even.  All skis originally started as small / boutique / independent brands, and the better ones rose to the top.  Some fell off, and others combined forces to maintain control of the market as we have known it for most of the past 20 years.  Recently, small builders have been rising to the top.  DPS, ON3P, and Moment to name a few you have probably heard of.  Some of these new players started in a garage, worked the business as a hobby, and graduated to being part of todays ski industry.  Quality and innovation is the reason small brands are now a viable option.

 

The evolution of technology and information has allowed us to have small scale factories or shops where we can build with the same quality as any of the major brands.  Today we have the best materials (in some instances better than the majors due to their cost cutting).  Small builders now have CNC routers, ski presses, grinding equipment, and woodworking tools that were previously only available to those with massive amounts of capital to work with. 

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When I started building skis, I had a vast knowledge about skis, their evolution, and the mechanics of skiing.  I started working in a ski shop at the age of 13 in 1984, and continued while I ski raced until my mid 20’s over a decade later.  I’m also a self proclaimed ‘ski geek’.  I first thought about the idea of building skis in the early 90’s when a friend introduced me to a guy who was manufacturing snowboards in a small 1000 sq ft warehouse in Colorado.  At that time I put the idea on the back burner since I had no resources to even think about building skis.  Fast forward almost 20 years later, and I decided it was time to get back in the ski business and start loving what I do for work again. 

 

By chance, I had developed a group of friends who happened to be engineers, composites experts, custom furniture builders,  cnc machinists, and ski industry veterans who were able to assist with the initial process of building a pair of skis.  It took years of fine tuning and testing the design and process before I started to get things right.  I was building skis, taking them up on the hill, figuring out what needed fixing, and tossing them aside to make improvements for the next  pair.   The 2017 line of 7evens are the best skis that I have ever skied, and I will continue to look for ways to innovate.  With that being said, the current models are so much fun to ski; that I’m sure they’ll be around for a long time.

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Our tuning shop is the heart of the business.  I’ve tuned 1000’s of skis since before stone grinders and Ptex guns were in every shop. I’ve studied waxing, structures, and edge bevels for more than 3 decades.   I take the tuning business very seriously, and I work on every pair that comes through the shop. 

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For 2017, we are also very excited to expand our reach with the retail gear that I use personally.  It’s either one of the best in the industry, or it’s the best value for super high quality gear.  We can outfit you with everything you need (except boots).  Proudly featuring: Swix, Knee Binding, Hotronic, Uvex, CEP, Wintersteiger, H20, Atlas46 and more. 

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This is a project that I would work on even if I didn’t need to earn a living.  I hope to see you all in the shop this season, and a big thank you to everyone who has helped to get 7even Skis off the ground.

 

Todd