Romansch skis. Tough and handcrafted.

When his friend Simon Jacomet founded the company zai in 2003, Duri gave up his career as an architect and switched to ski manufacturing – a move that took him away from his desk where he had to think a lot towards creative, artistic handcraftsmanship. A move he has never regretted. On the contrary. Ever since, he has dedicated his working life to his great passion: skiing.

The ambience in the ski manufacturing plant is unique: The walls are painted a warm burgundy colour and the large windows offer views of the unique natural surroundings. Duri values this calm and inviting atmosphere.

With the exception of one person, the entire team comes from Surselva where the primary language spoken is Romansch. The word zai – which means tough – comes from the local language. A characteristic that Duri internalises like almost no other.

For as long as he can remember, Duri has spent every spare moment on skis – his favourite slopes are in Sedrun: «I'm very excited about the merger with Andermatt. It means that there are now even more kilometres of pistes to ski in my ski region!» 

Although he is like a young god on skis, Duri still feels as though his technique is in need of improvement: «My dream is to be able to ski as well as Mark Knopfler plays guitar.» Good honest rock songs are just as important to him as black coffee – these two ingredients are essential in his life.

If Duri's services are called on during his forthcoming retirement, he'll be happy to help out at zai. It is a matter of honour to him. But first of all he wants to wind down the slopes whistling Dire Straits or spend time working in his garden. He might even buy himself a couple of sheep and some chickens.

The skis are handcrafted using extremely high-quality materials such as wood, natural stone and patented carbon composites. The tension of a zai ski diminishes by just 5% after 100 days of use, while mass-produced skis lose 25% after just 30 days of use.