Ski with us and make yourself at home in Colorado
Snowbound | Bringing Adventure Home
Colorado skiing – Where Community, Home, and Adventure Meet 🏔️
Join us on a journey where the Colorado community spirit blends seamlessly with the allure of outdoor living. At West + Main Boulder, we are more than just real estate; we are the heart and soul of Colorado’s love for the great outdoors and stoked to bring you the Snowbound Giveaway.
Imagine living in a home that’s not just in Colorado; it’s “of Colorado.” Our partnership with Meier Skis adds a unique layer of authenticity to your mountain lifestyle. Meier Skis, handmade from Colorado trees, symbolizes our commitment to preserving the beauty that surrounds us. Each ski, a testament to our reverence for the environment, is a piece of the Colorado landscape you can glide on.
We value Meier Skis’ mission: to be the world’s most eco-friendly high-performance skis. This commitment resonates with our community, where sustainability isn’t just a word but a way of life. With Meier Skis, you aren’t just buying a product; you’re investing in a legacy of eco-conscious craftsmanship.
Every Meier ski is proudly made in the Meier Craft Skiery in Colorado, USA. This isn’t just where they work; it’s where they create memories, forge connections, and build future adventures. It’s a testament to their dedication to Colorado’s spirit, a spirit that flows through every corner of the Craft Skiery.
Embrace a life where community, home, adventure, and eco-consciousness converge. Snowbound: Your gateway to an enriched Colorado lifestyle where every step you take, whether in your new home or on your Meier Skis, is a testament to your love for this remarkable state.
Craig: Hey Ted, we’re jazzed to have you as a partner for the 2023 Snowbound Giveaway.
What would you be doing if you weren’t building skis?
Ted: Skiing when there is snow, and hiking/mountain biking/camping when there isn’t. I also appreciate some live music as well.
Craig: What’s behind the Meier brand or rather, what’s under the hood that makes it run? What makes it special and unique?
Ted: Great question! I think we have evolved into an authentic ski brand that manufactures our own skis and snowboards (most brands do not), and this allows us to do things differently. Our distinctive look leverages clear top sheet material which allows the wood core to show through while simultaneously showing off the colors of the wood grains and the craftsmanship. Manufacturing ourselves also allows us to offer different graphics so our customers can choose from standard graphics from a given model to semi-custom (hundreds of different artwork to choose from) to a full custom where our client works directly with one of our graphic designers. This way, you get the right model, length, and the graphic you love! We have also focused very intentionally on making ski manufacturing more eco-friendly. Making skis is inherently not very environmentally friendly, but we incorporate improved sustainability in terms of the materials we use. One big innovation was to remove the typical shrink-wrap packaging. By replacing the plastic with two small adhesive bands, we are able to save 12 feet of single-use plastic per pair of skis and snowboard. We also give back so trees can be planted in areas of Colorado ravaged by forest fires, and we have an exciting new piece to our eco-friendly mission that we’ll be announcing prior to the start of ski season. I think we provide the most unique ski buying experience anywhere in the world where people get a truly immersive brand experience at our Craft Skiery. I describe it as a collision of ski and snowboard manufacturing and apres ski where snow enthusiasts can come together to enjoy a beer or glass of wine from our bar while watching skis being made. In addition, we do daily happy hour tours and private events so people can learn all about the ski and snowboard manufacturing process. Our Craft Skiery is the only place in the world with all of this under one roof. Lastly, we provide an industry-leading 3-year warranty. Performance-wise, I would put our skis up against any brand in the world.
Craig: You’ve chosen to be both an eco-friendly company, plus make a product that requires a high level of labor. Why are these two things so important to your brand?
Ted: I think it’s the right approach to ski building, and it stays true to our made-in-America approach to manufacturing in a responsible way where we are intentional in our decisions to build a more sustainable ski and snowboard brand.
Craig: There are a lot of factors influencing the sport of skiing right now – weather, cost, travel -How do you see the sport/lifestyle of skiing change in the next 5-10 years?
Ted: I’m not so sure my crystal ball knows what lies ahead in the next year, never mind 5-10 years from now, but I’ll take a crack at it. I think the mega passes such as Ikon and Epic will continue to acquire or partner with more ski areas to broaden their portfolios worldwide. I could see 1 or 2 new players jumping in should the well-established passes continue to show that the model works. While these passes have created long lift lines, they’ve also made skiing much more affordable and approachable to newcomers. I think we’ll also see more people wanting to purchase ski brands that they can relate to and identify with. I also think it’s likely that more and more people will be purchasing their skis directly from brands. About 12 or so years ago almost nobody purchased skis over the internet, but today it’s very commonplace. That said, there needs to be something that connects and resonates with skiers and that’s why we have headed down the path of building our Craft Skiery approach.
Craig: You’re also doing a lot of work in the community to support skiing-focused organizations. How does this help shape your business in the future?
Ted: We are a local company where your neighbors, family, and friends might be working at Meier or partnering with our business so we love to do what we can to support both the local and skiing communities. Besides it being the right thing to do, we feel it helps keep our business feeling local and relatable as we grow.
Craig: What’s your favorite resort in CO? Favorite resort in the World?
Ted: We are truly blessed with so many great options in Colorado it’s difficult to pick just one. I truly don’t have a favorite, but I’m always on the hunt for the best snow and the fewest people so that usually means a weekday where the forecast is calling for fresh pow.
That’s a tough one, but skiing in Switzerland is pretty magical and tough to beat if the snow is good. I love the deep history and tradition of skiing there and the views are magnificent. Basing out of Interlaken provides access to some incredible terrain where it can take half a day to get down to a base area. You literally ski through small villages such as Wengen, Grindelwald, and Kleine Scheidegg and have the massive Schilthorn towering above and almost always in view.
Craig: Lastly, you’ll design a custom ski for customers – custom graphics that is! What’s the best way to help make people aware of this?
Ted: Ensuring that Meier is doing a great job for our customers so that they love the experience and tell others about what we do, and what truly makes Meier different. When it’s all said and done, skiing is about the fun, and we do our best to extend this to the ski-buying and on-snow experience.
Learn more about our Meier partnership & become a part of the Snowbound community HERE! Link: Meier History + Philosophy
