STEPHAN DRAKE - Carbon pioneer speaks about the shakeup and breakup of DrakeBoinay

The carbon revolution brewed beneath skiing’s established norms much like fat skis started sneaking onto hills ten or more years ago. A mention here, a prototype there, mumblings and hearsay building the excitement as reviews and anticipation trickled amongst insiders and the media. Many heralded carbon boards as ski technology’s greatest change since metal edges. As leading instigators of the carbon coup d’e tat, Stephan Drake and Swiss counterpart Cyrille Boinay were poised to change what skiers ride to govern the slopes. And, most importantly, the way skis would be made. Brainstorming on endless winter journeys around the world, these guys concocted a design for an all-carbon ski and built some serious brand.

The hype was tremendous. Reviews by those who rode DB skis were virtually unanimous raves. Hundreds of preorders were taken, with promises for fall ’04 deliveries. But production difficulties caused only 50-60 pair to get made during the season, as design tweaks, technical glitches, and communications issues raised the concerns of buyers and voyeurs alike. Last month a split in DB was announced. The Swiss partners decided to sever the existing business partnership and have the skis made in Europe. Stephan Drake will remain in partnership with Dave Goode of Goode Skis. Although DB might be gone, the carbon revolution lives on.

Stephan Drake tells us the story, airs the laundry, gives us a little history, and provides a glimpse into what’s happening as he perfects his carbon ski for delivery this season.

How did the idea to produce a carbon ski come up?

Stephan Drake: We wanted to build big powder skis, but we felt traditional construction was too heavy. I’d been skiing on big powder skis for a number of years, all these 100 plus millimeter under foot, and they were super heavy. Coming in a with a new ski, we wanted something unique. It’d be a small company, so we wanted to come in with something rooted in new technology, something that was lightweight and powerful. Looking at other sports industries, we saw the impact of composites on other sports equipment. I like to use the analogy of the tennis racket. They went to composites in the 80’s, but in skiing we’re still using wood and fiberglass.

How did you end up in business with Boinay?

Stephan Drake: We both were ski bumming in Las Lenas in the late 90’s and knew each other from there. We were both in a period where we were looking for something new to do with ourselves. A lot of this was born with our discontent with the way skiing was going, or not going. Cyrille’s background included a marketing and brand MBA. He was working in the wine industry before we went into the ski business. I was writing a bit and had been working on b/c touring bindings and guiding, doing private heliski charters in Chile, and teaching avalanche classes in CO. I was into the idea of designing products and Cyrille was into marketing. We were sitting in the bar one night and we just decided to do this.

How many years has it been since you decided to actually go forward with this idea?

Stephan Drake: That was like three years ago. We had all these ideas on what we wanted to build from a shaping and performance standpoint. And we had a question of whether we wanted our own facility or to partner with an existing manufacturer to realize those ideas. We approached Dave Goode just as he starting to transition the technology he had in water skis over to snow skis. We partnered with him and got in at the ground floor of the carbon ski project.

So what in the world would make Dave Goode want to partner up with a couple yahoo ski bums with a brainfart on how to build skis?

Stephan Drake: Perfect. He saw the passion we had and we came to him with a vision. There was a mutual understanding of the vision for what skis would be become. We partnered. We would work with Dave to develop the ski and technology, design it, and he’d manufacture it.

Isn’t that like the most rare of opportunities – to go to a ski manufacturer and have him take you in as a partner based on a freakin’ vision?

Stephan Drake: Yeah, I’d say it's pretty rare. But look at the other alternative: to approach a big established manufacturer. That would require a tremendous amount of capital. And ultimately, you would get a ski that is pretty much what they’re already building. So, in that’s sense, it was a real godsend to get in on this nascent technology.

That’s like the ultimate score.

Stephan Drake: That’s the way I saw it. I think that’s the difference in opinion between me and the European partners, I saw it as a really cool opportunity to get in at the ground floor of new technology. But I feel they saw it as a business deal that hasn’t borne fruit. It’s been a nightmare for the last two years for every one involved from a business perspective. It’s unfortunate, but on the other hand when you’re starting with something that’s groundbreaking technology, you can’t expect success overnight. It’s a big mountain to climb.