Crack for its models are of real enthusiasts with buffs

This former professional mountain has built its reputation on the marriage of the antiquated charm of old wooden skis and the performance of new materials.

This is because there is not enough money to buy Benoît Pâris began manufacturing his own surfboards. "In the 1990s, the"freeriders"began to explore new forms of skiing: committed corridors, Rocky bar, large sheets of powder...". This pressure has greatly muscular innovation and doped catalogue of manufacturers with products from the experience of the professionals of the mountain. "I was from rounding their purposes of month proposing prototypes", explains this former Tracker who almost never left the reliefs of the Ubaye, in the Alpes. Now thirty-seven years the only subcontractor of surfs made hand in France, Benoît Pâris made from over 300 pieces for the competition and launched kilometre records, discipline Queen of speed on snow, on designing his first skis. "I have tâtonné five years to develop the necessary machinery." A press and a vacuum pump to assemble the slats at the right temperature.

Last year, tens of pairs are outputs of the workshop: nerve and light boards for wealthy customers able to pay up to 3,000 euros for a tailor-made product. "I combines noble materials and composites aviation industry", explains the craftsman who forged an empirical experience with testing scrupulously noted in a spiral notebook that does not leave. Ebène Makassar, rosewood and other maples speckled cover a unibody construction in carbon and glass fiber circled squares welded by high-performance resins. Each ski is set according to the size, weight and desired maneuverability (flexibility, radius of curve...) settings.

To complete the customization, the spatula is iron plate numbered and ornamented by hand by a Decorator of shotguns of luxury which can be the name of the owner, a floral bouquet, a mountain setting or any other drawing. "Each pair represents up to 70 hours of work," calculates the artisan, who signs his plates as the artists sign their canvases, of a discrete "B Paris" gently pointed out under the spatula.

Customers appreciate. "Until then, the scarcity was limited to small industrial series.". "Today, we can offer unique models", explains the pattern of Courchevel shop that exposes some models for sale and rent.

With a maximum of about 30 pairs produced each year, the artisan maintains the scarcity in chic stations Megève or Val-d'Isère, with its broad look, hairy hair and sweat. Crack for its models are of real enthusiasts, "with buffs." looking for the ultimate in performance measurement

In addition to aesthetics, the design of skis B Paris offers an unsurpassed weight: 1.45 kg the lightest pair, a few grams of better than ski Trab, the reference for ski-mountaineering, the other the artisan market. Surrounded by lovers of sliding like him, he team the most demanding runners: four this year have finished in the Top 10 of the France Championships. "Perhaps with the skis that they brought", rumored environment. Rumours in any case spread mountain as an echo, filling to finish the backlog of Benoît Pâris for the entire season.