Ski Design and Fabrication

Few things are as exhilarating as carving down a snowy slope on a pair of skis built with your own hands. In this studio course we will review the history of skis as early utilitarian tools of Northern Europe (c 5000 BCE) through increasingly technical modern sporting goods. We will explore contemporary ski design, materials, and fabrication methods. Students will design and build a pair of alpine (downhill) skis, using woodworking and metalworking equipment, including a CNC router, vacuum press, and various hand tools. The course will culminate in a testing day at Middlebury Snowbowl.



Kurt Gross is a product designer based in Middlebury, VT. His work has ranged from medical devices, consumer electronics, robotics, telecommunications, clean energy technologies, and advanced manufacturing at Google, Verily, X, Medtronic, NASA, and more./