Skis

When I first opened the Zai web site I was greeted by a poem written by Leo Tour "In the beginning was the mountain". I was sure that I was going to learn about a new bottled water from the purist of mountain springs or possibly even a zen retreat. I was in fact entering a kind of temple, a secular one, where the worshipers follow not a god, but snow and a the sport of skiing.

The word Zai means "tough" in the little know dialect of Sursilvan which is spoken in the mountains of Switzerland and specifically in the town of Disentis where the Zai skis are crafted. As seems fitting, the town lies below an ancient Benedictine monastery. The personal dream of Simon Jacomet, who insists that his skis be made by people who have skiing and the mountains in their heart and soul, the company produces some of the finest and most technologically innovative ski equipment on the slopes. The skis are produced in a small and tightly controlled production plant using state of the art machinery and assembled by hand.

All of the Spada skis are limited editions, only 111 pairs of each model are made. The newest innovation just out for this winter season is a special ski that uses a carbon-stone-technology with a rubber exterior. Zai was the first manufacturer in the world to use a stone core in their skis and is still trendsetting in their product development being the first to use a natural rubber surfacing. It is not just rhetoric that the skis are "of the mountain" as each pair has Grisons granite in the core of the ski. As with all carefully thought out designs the skis themselves are beautiful too, they will definitely not get lost in the pile on the ski racks outside the lodge at lunch.

Available in the United States exclusively at the high end winter sports retailer Gorsuch whose stores in all the nicest ski areas of Colorado, such as Beaver Creek, Vail and Aspen, sell the Zai Spada skis for $5,900.00 a pair.

Britain's Prince Andrew may be out a big vacation deposit. The London Times reports that ski chalet rental company Descent International has gone into liquidation meaning that guests may lose their deposits for winter vacations. A total of nearly £500,000 including a deposit made by the Duke of York might not be returned. The chalet company offered the most exclusive winter chalets in the Alps at resorts like Courchevel, Verbier, Zermatt and St Moritz.

Earlier this year, Prince William and some friends rented luxurious villas at Klosters from Descent. Prince Andrew also stayed at Descent's Chalet Eugenia in Klosters last January during the time of the World Economic Forum in Davos and hosted a small party. He had booked the same villa for next year to coincide with the Davos conference. A total of 42 groups have already paid deposits for an amount of around £450,000. Looks like we can blame the recession for this one too, the reduction in luxury travel is being cited as a reason for the company's failure.

The latest offering from timeless men's London luxury outfitters Dunhill is a super-stylish set of skis specially commissioned from racing experts Speciale. The Dunhill Skis (above) are available in either teak (bottom) or carbon fiber (top) finishes with tough titanium bases. Available in two sizes, the $2,100 skis feature Vist bindings, handmade in Italy, which "fuse innovation with security." The speed lock can be adjusted with the use of a simple lever "moving the center of gravity of the skier depending on his skill or angle of slope." The Dunhill and Speciale logos are engraved on each ski, and owners can also have their names, initials or even their favorite resort - no doubt Aspen or Gstaad - engraved there as well.

For those with the money to make it to the most exclusive ski resorts, you need a luxury travel trunk. The Courchevel Exclusive is a limited edition of just ten trunks which each hold a pair of 'Courchevel Exclusive' skis, Lacroix Smartrack bindings, full carbon ski poles, leather ski gloves, ski goggles and two leather pouches. The trunk was custom made by Pinel & Pinel of Paris (whose luxury cases we've swooned over before). It has sleek details of carbon fiber and steel with full-grain leather upholstery inside and outside, with a drawer and corner-mounted wheels. The trunk also comes with a full one-year 3 Vallées ski pass, maintenance service, storage and delivery. It sells for 50,000 euros.

[via Classic Driver]