Zai of Switzerland – downhill all the way

Lovers of winter sports are always looking for some piece of equipment that will provide a faster time, a bigger thrill.

Fortunately there is a company that specialises in creating skis guaranteed to enhance the adrenaline rush. Zai of Switzerland designs and produces equipment that takes the whole downhill experience to another level.

Zai is the Romansh word for tough or resilient, an appropriate name for a company specialising in equipment that takes advantage of both the best and the worst snow conditions.

Formed in 2003 by former art and architecture student, Simon Jacomet, a Zai ski would look as good on the wall of an art gallery as it feels on the most demanding piste. The ultimate marriage of form and function is clearly high on Jacomet’s agenda, as a carefully selected group of craftsmen spend their days in the Zai workshop in Dinentis, Switzerland, producing skis for a demanding international market.

The Zai philosophy of innovation and technology means that there are several ranges of skis from which to choose.

The most popular classic model is vieneu, Romansh for to and fro. This name was chosen to reflect this superior ski’s outstanding performance on both the straight and the slalom. Fashioned from a combination of ash wood and titanium-aluminium they look as good as they feel – almost!

The tila ski (Romansh for move), available in three different models, is also aptly named since it allows for maximum speed on prepared runs.

One of the most versatile specialist skis is the laisa (or furrow). Like the tila, it is available in three models and its cedarwood core enables it to grip on icy snow and packed powder.

The futuristic spada makes use of a new material – CFS or Carbon Fibre Stone is both amazingly tough and elastic, qualities attractive to serious downhill racers.

Finally the Hublot All Black takes the humble ski to an entirely new level: this space-age ski is the first with a stone core. Hublot combines gold and rubber to create a ski for the future. It is so exclusive that it is available only through Hublot flagship stores in Moscow, Paris, Geneva, Warsaw, Budapest, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur, selected Zai dealerships or directly from the Zai workshop.

Zai website.

New post on at Thursday, 3 December, 2009, 6:55 am and is archived in Lifestyle, Luxury, Sport. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.