The next generation of ski and snowboard designers is already hard at work in the halls of Summit High School.
“They bring that ski to life right here in the shop,” tech teacher Tom Lutke says. “No one student can make their own skis. They kind of run as a small little business.”
Lutke teaches the ski and bike tech programs at Summit High. This past school year, the program was gifted a ski and snowboard press with grant money from the Summit Foundation and others.
“We start out with a little research,” Lutke says of the process. “Researching skis and snowboards they have skied in the past. What is it they like, what is it they don’t like, the shapes and profile of different skis and boards, and then what that product should do.”
The course is offered just one semester every school year, and it is one of the most exclusive on campus – only 30 spots total. Materials are donated by Breckenridge Building Center.
New this year was a marketing and graphic design component with teacher Erin Scott-Williams.
“What kind of ski are you trying to create and what target audience would you be building it for?” Scott-Williams says. “Of course you’re building it for you, but who are you also directing the ski towards? Who will use it?”
This latest batch of gear, completed in December, is the second generation of Summit High’s in-house press, dubbed Summit Skis.
“They’re very, very curious, very excited, constantly asking questions,” Scott-Williams says of the designers-in-training. “We have to beg students to leave class when the bell rings.”
The teachers don’t pick favorites – “There are some wild designs,” Lutke laughs – but they admire their students’ inspirations. One student loves fly fishing, and so he designed the “Fish Sticks” with graphics and a shape modeled after trout.
On Jan. 8, all 28 skis and boards are going public for a showcase at RMU on Main Street Breck. Lutke and Scott-Williams even invited industry pros to pick their favorites with prizes for best design, graphic and marketing.
“Grades are not the motivator in this class whatsoever,” Lutke says. “It has everything to with kids making their dreams a reality.”
You are invited to the ski and snowboard showcase at RMU in Breck on Wednesday, Jan. 8 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Thanks for going IN THE CLASSROOM from Heavenly Times Hot Tubs and Billiards and Boost Oxygen: for big dreamers.