314: Chamonix Stories #1 | Zag Skis

I'm very excited to be here in Chamonix, in Argentière.

Currently, I'm sitting with Alain Lemossant, head of marketing at ZAG Skis, and Bastien Sayar, shaper and head of R&D at ZAG Skis.

Hi, guys.

Hi.

Thank you so much for showing me around your workshop.

I mean, it was so interesting.

As someone who uses skis, you kind of know that they are layered, but you have no appreciation for everything that goes into them, and it is really interesting.

And I thought maybe it might be good to start off by asking you, uh, Bastien, about that creation process.

And really, I guess the key question is, like, why are you making skis here when you could be making them in a factory somewhere else?

Yeah.

Um, to develop a good skis, uh, I think it's really important to ski the skis a lot, in various condition, various condition of snow and terrain, and it's a really s- a sport of suscen- susces- sensations, so you need to, uh, to really understand and feel what is going on with the skis in, uh, crusty snow or icy snow, powder.

It's kind of logical to have, like, a place like this, just, uh, 200 meters of the Grands Montets to be able to try the skis and modify the shape, the construction in a really few days and try a different version when you develop a, a pair of ski.

Yeah.

I mean, you said we're about 200 meters from the Grands Montets, uh, lift just here, but you were explaining to me earlier that the prototypes that you use here, you give to a key team of testers, and they're taking them on the mountain.

I think it might say on the website somewhere that every ZAG model is smashed, thrashed, and put through the wringer [laughs]

[laughs]

... to make sure they perform.

But you work with these guys closely.

They test the skis and give you their feedback immediately.

Yeah.

It's, it's really important to well, uh, understand the feedback of the testers, so we are discussing a lot together.

There is, like, maybe five, six, seven testers, no more at, for, for the first stage of the development.

You need to know the people, how they ski, how they feel, because, um, the sensation you have on the skis after you need to translate in front of the computer, in front of, uh, the 3D design to make the next prototype more accurate.

So this is something that really easy to, uh, to say, "Okay, we felt, we felt this on the skis, and, uh, to correct it, we need to change this parameter and not this one."

Yeah.

I'm very excited to be here in Chamonix, in Argentière.

Currently, I'm sitting with Alain Lemossant, head of marketing at ZAG Skis, and Bastien Sayar, shaper and head of R&D at ZAG Skis.

Hi, guys.

Hi.

Thank you so much for showing me around your workshop.

I mean, it was so interesting.

As someone who uses skis, you kind of know that they are layered, but you have no appreciation for everything that goes into them, and it is really interesting.

And I thought maybe it might be good to start off by asking you, uh, Bastien, about that creation process.

And really, I guess the key question is, like, why are you making skis here when you could be making them in a factory somewhere else?

Yeah.

Um, to develop a good skis, uh, I think it's really important to ski the skis a lot, in various condition, various condition of snow and terrain, and it's a really s- a sport of suscen- susces- sensations, so you need to, uh, to really understand and feel what is going on with the skis in, uh, crusty snow or icy snow, powder.

It's kind of logical to have, like, a place like this, just, uh, 200 meters of the Grands Montets to be able to try the skis and modify the shape, the construction in a really few days and try a different version when you develop a, a pair of ski.

Yeah.

I mean, you said we're about 200 meters from the Grands Montets, uh, lift just here, but you were explaining to me earlier that the prototypes that you use here, you give to a key team of testers, and they're taking them on the mountain.

I think it might say on the website somewhere that every ZAG model is smashed, thrashed, and put through the wringer [laughs]

[laughs]

... to make sure they perform.

But you work with these guys closely.

They test the skis and give you their feedback immediately.

Yeah.

It's, it's really important to well, uh, understand the feedback of the testers, so we are discussing a lot together.

There is, like, maybe five, six, seven testers, no more at, for, for the first stage of the development.

You need to know the people, how they ski, how they feel, because, um, the sensation you have on the skis after you need to translate in front of the computer, in front of, uh, the 3D design to make the next prototype more accurate.

So this is something that really easy to, uh, to say, "Okay, we felt, we felt this on the skis, and, uh, to correct it, we need to change this parameter and not this one."

Yeah.