Meier skis.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: COLORADO COOL STUFF

After making his first pair of skis in 2009, Matt Cudmore today is "trying to keep up with orders--it's a good problem." Word of mouth pushed production to about 300 pairs for 2012, a tenfold increase over 2011. The secret is in the materials, including wood from Colorado, says Cudmore, some of it beetlekill pine.

"It's super light," he explains. "It makes a very poppy and super responsive ski." It also makes for a good-looking one: "We don't cover anything up, so you can see the wood. Every piece of wood has its own grain pattern. It's like a...