Pete Wagner/Wagner custom skis.

• Author: Ryckman, Lisa
• Position: TRENDSETTERS

When it comes to making skis, Pete Wagner breaks the mold.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Literally and figuratively.

Most custom skis come out of a pre-cast form, but Wagner blends technology and craftmanship to create something altogether different.

"We're not trying to be everything to everyone," Wagner says. "We have a specific focus, which is helping people ski at their absolute highest athletic potential."

A Midwesterner with a mechanical engineering degree and a deep love of the slopes, Wagner came to Telluride in 1998 and began making his custom skis eight years later--after he earned an MBA from CU and completed a thesis that served as his business plan.

About 1,000 pairs of skis and snowboards come out of Wagner Custom Skis' ultra-modern, solar and wind-powered shop each year, made to exacting specifications by computerized diagnostic and design tools and carrying a price tag of 81,750 to $2,700.

"We work with people all over the world--we just shipped a pair to Norway and one to Japan," Wagner says. "As a small company focusing on a certain niche, the Internet has enabled us to reach a large audience of skiers interested in the products that we...