Even though the snow in the Rockies is sparse, Colorado ski-makers are still gearing up to sell the latest and greatest. Here’s what four local ski builders are up to. Meier Skis Founder Ted Eynon is focused on his upcoming bar more than building skis these days. The spot inside Meier Skis at 1775 S. Broadway has been in development for nearly three years — a year-and-a-half longer than anticipated. But Eynon, who owns and runs Meier Skis, said his bar, called the Couloir, is nearly ready, pending final approvals from the city. “The idea is to have it feel, as best you can on South Broadway, to feel like you’re mid-mountain,” Eynon said. Still, Meier is – as always – churning out skis. The company has a stable of 25 models. Eynon said the brand’s secret sauce is its top-sheet graphics. Customers can work alongside Meier’s staff throughout the ski-making process. With the semicustom skis, customers pick the model and length and choose from hundreds of graphics that Meier has. Meier makes all its skis at 1775 S. Broadway in Denver. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen) The best-selling model is the $695 all-mountain Quickdraw. Eynon also said the $760 Teton is Meier’s up-and-coming pair. It’s still all-mountain, but a little wider underfoot for more snowy conditions. “I would put our skis up against any brand in the world at this point, even all the big boys, in terms of performance, durability,” Eynon said. Folsom For Folsom Custom Skis in Denver, a lack of snow hasn’t been too bad. “It’s a leg up that we have being a custom manufacturer,” said Mike McCabe, who founded Folsom in 2008. “We can adapt to what’s going on and don’t have to try to predict what’s going to happen.” Instead of having mostly prebuilt factory models, Folsom’s inventory is mostly material, McCabe said. Rather than overinvesting in wider bases, Folsom can pivot when more people request a skinnier underfoot. The brand has around 100 pairs available for its preset Signature Series skis available each season, and McCabe said Folsom does 800 custom sets a year. Skiers pick a shape, their style and top-sheet graphics for $1,500. Folsom also can do full custom builds starting at $4,500. Related Articles ‘Pow to the people.’ Telluride residents take to the streets as ski resort closure divides town. Skier dies at Keystone Resort after found unresponsive at ski area’s Outback zone Colorado weather: Up to a foot of snow possible for Denver area in upcoming storm Telluride faces looming ‘economic crisis’ if ski resort doesn’t fully reopen soon, leaders warn Telluride makes new offer to ski patrollers ahead of planned reopening Because Folsom makes and sources everything from the United States, tariffs haven’t been an issue. “While my pricing increase is in the single percentages, everybody else’s, especially coming into next season, is going to be in the 20% and 30% realm,” he said. Mike McCabe, CEO and co-founder of Folsom Custom Skis, at the company’s manufacturing site in Denver on Oct. 14, 2025. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post) McCabe said Folsom does 2,000 units a year including a deal to make modified landing skis for a firefighting drone company. McCabe started making 80 pairs of skis in his first year in business 18 years ago. The business grew 15% on average year-over-year before the pandemic-induced outdoor recreation boom subsided a couple of years ago. “I don’t really consume the whole marketing shtick that most companies do of like, ‘Here’s all the buzzwords that we’re going to tie to the technology here,’” he said of what differentiates his brand. “We’re just going to build good skis in a fundamental way, and we’re going to do it in an ethical way right here in the USA. “We’re one of only a handful that can actually make the claim that we do everything under one roof.” Wagner Telluride-based custom ski maker Wagner is largely on the same run as Folsom. But Pete Wagner, who started the company 18 years ago, does have one new trick up his sleeve. Two seasons ago, Aspen Mountain opened 150 acres of new terrain. “We worked with their mountain operations people, and we got them to collect some of the best quality Engelmann spruce that they had collected in their glading,” Wagner said. “And now we’re actually making the skis out of that wood.” It’s just one of 2,500 material combinations to choose from at Wagner. The base package costs $2,100 and there are hundreds of dollars’ worth of add-ons, according to the company’s website. Wagner said it takes three weeks to make a ski, and his 14 employees churn out six to 10 pairs a day. That’s been good enough for a 10% to 20% growth clip each year he’s been in business. “It sounds kind of complicated, but we guide you through the process. We figure out what’s going to be your best fit,” Wagner said. Unlike McCabe at Folsom, tariffs did slow sales down in the summertime, when Wagner typically is slinging to heli-ski operations in Canada. “People didn’t know how much stuff it was going to cost, and so I think it made people more cautious,” Wagner said. “But now that we’re into our season, everything’s been really strong.” Icelantic For Denver’s Icelantic, this season is a tweener. While there’s nothing new this season, CEO Annelise Loevlie said that next season will see two new models for the 20-year-old ski-maker. The all-mountain Torrent and Tempest will go on sale in the fall, she said. Icelantic is peddling them at trade shows, and Loevlie noted they’ll be narrower underfoot and lighter than other models. Last year, Icelantic revamped its most popular skis, the Nomad and Maiden. The free-ride skis have been part of Icelantic’s lineup since its second season, Loevlie said. The new shape is lighter, more lively and available in more lengths and widths. The Maiden is the women’s model and Nomad is the men’s. Lovely said the Nomad 100, which means the ski is 100 millimeters wide underfoot, is Icelantic’s best seller. “It’s still an all-mountain, free-ride ski designed for skiing in the Rocky Mountains, really in our home of Colorado,” Loevlie said. About half of Icelantic’s customers come from Colorado, where they can shop at its retail store in Golden. Icelantic manufacturers at Never Summer’s factory in Commerce City, Loevlie said. In 2025, Icelantic sold 6,500 pairs, down from a COVID peak of 8,500. Between the general ski industry headwinds and a down snow season, Loevlie said Icelantic has been focusing on how to boost direct-to-consumer sales. The brand also sells through retailers including REI, Evo and Backcountry, but the direct channel is something the business can control itself. “It’s just a constant game of observation and response,” Loevlie said. “And then another big hit for us definitely was we were completely affected by the wind event right before Christmas that shut down Golden for five days. Our retail store didn’t have any power for five days, so we couldn’t do business.” Read more from our partner, BusinessDen. Get more business news by signing up for our Economy Now newsletter. ...read more read less