Going Local with Meier Quickdraw Skis

I am cutting big wide curves through the fresh track powder at Loveland Ski Area on the Continental Divide in Colorado and feel like I am flying. The ski resort has been getting dumped on this year and the powder is absolutely phenomenal, which is awesome but also slightly terrifying for the depth. Luckily the skis I’m riding have me feeling in complete control, which is exactly what I want to feel when speeding down a mountain of ice and snow; relying on nothing more than my athletic ability, balance and two long wooden slides attached to my rigid boot-clad feet. I am a control freak at home, and on the slopes, I expect no less of myself.

But what is special is this feeling of control mixed with exhilaration as I accelerate down a steep spot and then more carefully negotiate some moguls before slowing down for the green part of the hill near the bottom. It is a sweet spot to be in. After years of skiing on second-hand skis purchased for a bargain at the end of a season or a second-hand shop, I decided it was time to upgrade my ski game. And when it came time to look for a new pair of skis, I decided to check out Colorado manufacturer Meier Skis, which has a shop in downtown Denver, where you can watch skis being pressed while sipping a microbrew from a stool in their house bar.

“We call it a ‘craft skiery'. So the idea here is for people to come in,  have a beer, talk to our ski-tender, learn about the brand, learn about the materials we use and then literally watch from the bars our guys pressing skis and snowboards,” owner Ted Enyon tells me.I liked them because I thought the concept of brews and skis was quirky on its own merit, but I also liked how environmentally friendly there were. In fact, Meier Skis makes operates with a mission to be the world’s most eco-friendly, high-performance ski company. To accomplish this they use locally harvested wood that would otherwise be discarded to make some awesome skis and snowboards.

“We actually make the skis ourselves. We use locally harvested wood. We use Colorado Aspen and beetle kill pine,” Ted says. “It’s very sustainable wood. It’s locally sourced and it makes an amazing ski.” And they also let you totally customize your ski’s top coat, which is awesome because you end up with a one of a kind looking creation without having to pay for a completely custom body. Based on my skiing style — I like to cut curves and be in control at all times, Ted suggested the Quickdraw ski, which is one of 13 different ski styles in their 2019 lineup. The Quickdraw is their award-winning frontside carver ski designed for all-mountain riding conditions and definitely one of their best selling skis for its versatility.

It is also super light ski that is perfect for control freaks like myself by turning the minute my brain tells them to — okay that is also thanks to a wide shovel and narrow waist that lets me maneuver effortlessly from edge to edge while the tips float through the powder. And while the Quickdraw is one of their most popular models, while in the shop Ted also showed me some of their more extreme products. I couldn’t help but fall in love with the Double Barrel skis, which at 132mm underfoot are designed to shred through the most extreme powder terrain. The ski has an aggressive rocker and flat under-foot design that is meant to keep you floating no matter how deep the pow.

It’s a pretty awe-inspiring big gun of a ski that I know my husband TJ would love to ride the men’s version of on an epic powder day. But back to my skis. The ones that I’m watching the guys from Meier press for me right in the shop. For them, Ted adds a custom Catch Carri topcoat, which I love! This combined with the skis all mountain versatility means I won’t ever feel the need to upgrade them. And when it came time to hit the vertical on the Colorado ski slopes, these skis performed exactly as Ted described them, to me: allowing me to control my ride on that epic Loveland powder run while still getting the adrenaline rush that makes skiing so fun.