Make:

Kurt made his own skis, he writes -

This was my first pair of homebuilt skis. Big Kam and his Klown Whackers inspired my design. I am a terrible skier, recovering from an ACL injury, and know very little about what makes a good ski or a bad ski. However, I know how to use all the tools required and I just like the idea of telling people "look at what I made". So, I took advantage of 24-hour access to a woodshop (and a cabinetry genius named Mike) at the museum where I worked and hunkered down.

To make up for my lack of skipertise, I hounded SkiBuilders.com throughout the design and manufacturing process. Since I am not a telemark skier, my design parameters were for a versatile randonnée set-up that would accommodate my skinny legs and developing skill level. Since I already own a pair of Atomic MX:7 skis (103/70/95), I wanted my homebuilt pair to be fatter. Without the time or money to goof through clever prototypes like the Kananas or Birds I hoped to start with a sure thing. SkiBuilders suggested the Klown Whackers as a template.