Customised wooden skis, handmade in France
Skiability
Can you really ski on wooden skis ?
Yes, a wood core is truly a mark of quality in skis. That’s why both handcrafted skis and high-end industrial skis all feature a wood core. Ash is ideal, as it offers excellent mechanical strength and flexes without breaking. It is the perfect species for ski cores.
At Amon Davà, we use ash for alpine ski cores and spruce (to reduce weight) for touring ski cores.
And what about performance ?
Ski quality is non-negotiable. Our skis are aesthetic, but above all, they are high-performing.
Each ski model is designed for a specific use and delivers a unique snow feel.
Developing a model requires prototypes, hours of testing, customer feedback, and fine-tuning, in order to achieve exactly what we aim for and offer you high-end skis that are both beautiful and high-performing.
Is it durable ?
The wood core (ash or spruce), combined with technical fibers (fiberglass, flax, carbon) and a slow epoxy curing process, ensures exceptional durability.
Choose your design carefully — you’ll be keeping your skis for a long time! There’s no question of performance fading after just a few seasons; these skis are built to last.
The marquetry top sheet is protected with fiber, sealed with epoxy, and then varnished. This process guarantees long-lasting durability for your ski design.
If the scratches that naturally come with skiing worry you, don’t panic! Let the skis develop their patina over a few seasons, then bring them back to the workshop for a full refurbishment.
fabrication
How is a ski made ?
Amon Davà handcrafted skis are made by hand in the Saint Clair de la Tour workshop and are therefore 100% made in France.
They are built using a "sandwich construction", meaning a superposition of layers, each playing a specific role. The whole assembly is bonded with epoxy resin under pressure.
The different layers include: the wood core, reinforcing fibers, the base, the steel edges, and the top sheet — which is customized for each client and crafted in wood marquetry.
Technical performance and durability are ensured above all by the quality of every material used.
The precise and time-tested Amon Davà artisanal process gives the skis a unique snow feel.
Marquetry
This is the visible — and therefore the beautiful — part of the ski.
Marquetry is a bit like assembling a puzzle using thin wood veneers just 0.6 mm thick, carefully cut so that each piece fits perfectly together to create the final design. The result is stunning, thanks to the natural beauty of wood.
Countless wood species can be used to enhance and bring depth to the design.
The veneers are obtained from our supplier simply by slicing sections from tree trunks.
Once the design is completed, it is protected with an invisible fiber layer that ensures the durability of the artwork over time.
The wood core
This is the centerpiece of the ski. It determines the ski’s flex and, ultimately, its ride and feel on snow.
To make a ski core, you first need wood — a true mark of quality in terms of elasticity and durability.
I use ash wood sourced from regional forests. These trees have grown naturally and therefore possess excellent mechanical properties, giving the skis a unique snow feel.
I purchase the ash as rough-sawn planks. The boards are then air-dried in the Chartreuse mountains for several years before being planed and cut in the workshop.
I then create a vertical laminate construction to improve torsional stiffness and prevent warping of the cores. Finally, the core is profiled to achieve the exact flex desired for the ski.
The base
The base used to manufacture your skis is a high-end, sintered base that is highly impact-resistant.
It has excellent wax absorption capacity, ensuring outstanding glide.
There is no question of reducing the base thickness to save a few grams on touring skis, as some industrial manufacturers do. The base I use offers strong resistance to mineral impacts and allows your skis to be serviced throughout their lifetime without issue — whether alpine or touring.
The edges
The steel edges allow the ski to grip on snow. They also reinforce the ski’s perimeter and add structural rigidity.
All Amon Davà skis feature full-wrap steel edges around the entire ski — a guarantee of quality and durability. This comes at a cost: hours of meticulous edge bending and fitting.
Skis and ecology
It would be misleading to claim these are fully ecological skis, mainly because of the resin used.
Current technologies do not yet allow for high-quality skis to be produced using only ecological materials.
The bonding of the different layers also makes the skis non-recyclable.
However, some efforts are made to minimize environmental impact:
- The wood is locally sourced and air-dried.
- French flax fiber (a plant-based fiber) is used.
- Waste is minimized and recycled whenever possible.
- Most suppliers are French; the others are based in Germany or Austria.
Amon Davà skis are robust and high-quality, designed to last for many years.
This longevity is where they are truly eco-responsible — the rest is up to you.
Let’s call them “reasonable skis”.
When you no longer wish to ski with them, consider giving them a second life — turn them into benches, small cabins, or even display them on your wall.
Contact me for a full refurbishment before showcasing them.