Pierre Gerondal, who designs and manufactures high-end wooden skis, works in his workshop in Malmedy, eastern Belgium, on February 6, 2023 (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
In a country without mountains and almost without snow, Pierre Gerondal is almost an anomaly. The only one in Belgium to design and manufacture skis. Made of wood, high-end and durable.
His workshop in Malmedy, in the east of the flat country, breathes these fragrances specific to the essences of the Ardennes: Douglas fir, ash, poplar…
“Most skis have a wooden core, but the big brands wrap them in plastic. With us, anything that can stay in wood stays in wood”, explains Pierre Gerondal, one of the few in Europe to work according to this approach.
“The goal is to find in the eight species that we use, the greatest geographical proximity so that we can go and see the wood when it is still standing. We choose the trees to have the quality of wood the more perfect for the realization of our skis”, explains the forty-year-old who gets his supplies in the Belgian Ardennes, in French Lorraine and in the German Eifel.
“For skis, you need the heart of the tree, otherwise the slats don’t offer enough resistance,” he explains.
Wooden skis made by Pierre Gerondal in Malmedy, eastern Belgium, on February 6, 2023 (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
The Gerondal ski adventure began barely four years ago. Pierre Gerondal, first active in advertising before converting to yacht design, used his expertise in this luxury cabinetmaking to drift towards his passion: gliding. On the water and, above all, on the snow.
– High-tech craftsman –
A handyman with an environmental streak, this passionate skier since his first snow lessons started by making his own skis, impressing his friends to the point of launching his small business.
Slowed down by two “covid” winters marked by the closure of the resorts, the development of the company located a few hectometers from the Spa-Francorchamps racing circuit is going crescendo. From a hundred pairs of skis produced over the past twelve months, production should increase to 300 pairs a year.
Knowing that each pair requires thirty hours of work.
Pierre Gerondal and his two assistants call themselves “high-tech craftsmen”.
“That’s really what we like to say. We’re artists, because if the aspect wasn’t aesthetic, if there wasn’t a visual that attracted people to us, we wouldn’t have done it. But also high technology, because if the ski wasn’t at least as skiable as what you can find on the market, I would never have done it”.
Pierre Gerondal manufactures high-end wooden skis in Malmedy, eastern Belgium, on February 6, 2023 (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
Pierre Gerondal, also assisted by his partner Justine Corman trained in design and graphics, collaborates with the best Belgian alpine skier, Armand Marchant and with the snowboarder Seppe Smits, former slopestyle world champion. Together they built a “splitboard”, a snowboard that can split into two touring skis, which snowboarders use for off-piste skiing.
– “Each wood is skied differently” –
Manufacture of wooden skis in Malmedy, eastern Belgium, on February 6, 2023 (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)
Whether for them or for a lambda skier, each piece is unique.
“Of course before producing a ski, we measure and weigh the user, but we also try to find out their style and tastes”.
“And knowledge of wood is a crucial factor in the manufacture of skis because each type of wood is + skied + differently”, says the craftsman. “Some customers have weak knees; others want to go hiking in the mountains above all else; others prefer ultra-responsive skis.”
It takes 2,300 euros for a pair of the existing range, up to 3,800 euros for the most personalized.
“A ski is like a suit, it needs to be adjusted. We provide customers with a creation to test: they try it on and come back with feedback that will allow us to produce the ski that suits them best”, explains Pierre Gerondal.
The life expectancy of a well-maintained pair is ten years. “And there is no waste, because I ask each buyer never to throw away their skis. Either they end up on a wall as a decorative item, or they come back to Gerondal to be recycled”.
© 2023 AFP
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