JACKSON, Wyo. —Mike Parris’ custom ski shop, Igneous Skis, was warm and inviting. Finished skis and boards lined the entrance, there were woodworking tools and racks full of both exotic and domestic woods taking up most of the shop. An employee was at a workbench sanding the excess glue off a topsheet.
Parris and his dog Yoshi welcomed me with an encouraging smile and bark. I was curious to know his perspective on being an entrepreneur in the town of Jackson. “It’s constantly evolving,” said Parris.
Parris has adapted his skis for the Tetons. He and his friends were breaking skis in the mountains. They decided to “make something that was a little more durable than what was commercially available.” Parris felt the common companies didn’t have many choices because the designs were all similar. “I felt like they were stagnant in their designs… I thought we could improve on it, do something different. ”
Igneous skis are definitely different, and they’ve adapted over time. Parris said that all the companies were making skis that were similar. He thought, “we should make them a little shorter, a little fatter.” Parris also uses mostly wood in his design. “There’s something about wood that’s just got a lot of energy in it, having more liveliness and rebound energy than traditional plastic and fiberglass skis,” said parris.
His design process is always adapting. Parris said when he first started he considered designing skis with an engineering perspective. His method changed from sitting at a desk and designing the ski digitally to a trial and error method. “I…realised somewhere along the way that it’s more fun to actually make it and ride it and see how it works.” Parris has been developing his design over the years. “The first five years we were learning how to make something that’s really durable. The next five years were about the shapes of the skis. And then more recently we’ve been changing the types of camber profiles.”
Finally, Parris is adapting to different customers. He originally made skis for expert skiers only. More recently he started making snowboards. He has learned to create equipment for all customers “making snowboards for ten year olds and powder skis for seventy year olds.” He has also changed to be a better communicator. This skill improved as a wider range of customers arose. “I can make skis for a wider range of people,” he said when commenting on how he has changed over the years.
Parris believes everyone deserves to have skis made and adapted for them.
Koven Patridge wrote this article as part of a writing workshop with Teton Tutors. He loves being outside and heading out on adventures with his family, in his spare time you will find him building creative Lego creations or reading books like he is running out of time.
