What do Switzerland, bespoke skis and a Benedictine monastery have in common? In one Rhaeto-Romanic word: zai. Meaning “tough” in the original Sursilvan language of the Swiss mountain village of Disentis, zai is a boutique ski manufacturer founded by local man Simon Jacomet. After years spent designing skis for major global brands, Jacomet returned home in 2003 to set up an artisanal ski workshop, determined to “transcend mass-produced designs in quality, materials and handling.”
With a starting price of £3,000 per pair of handmade and individually numbered skis, Jacomet’s babies certainly transcend the cost of most skis. But his determination has paid off: at just over a decade old, zai is recognised by those in the know as one of the world’s finest artisanal ski makers. Jacomet’s extensive (and expensive) materials list now stretches to include items like Swiss green granite, patented carbon fibre and natural rubber. His list of design and business partners includes major luxury players like Hublot, Bentley and Loro Piana. However, he does largely remain true to his mantra: “A zai ski consists of everything a good ski needs – and nothing more.”
To incentivise people to join the 5,000-strong club of loyal zai ski owners, Jacomet and his band of merry workmen offer free tours of their workshop in Disentis. Wedged into the Rhine Valley at the point where the Oberalp and Lukmanier mountain passes meet, Disentis is a sleepy town that counts its locals at just over 2,000. While most are rather elderly, there’s a small gang of young, freeriding Swedes among them, who have set up a couple of hotels and bars (Lodge SAX and Nangijala) over the past few years. As those familiar with off-piste ski havens like Engelberg and Andermatt will know, the presence of Swedes is a pretty failsafe indicator of epic freeriding and, sure enough, Disentis is an off-piste gem, making it the perfect testing ground for ski buyers.
The shopping trips generally start with a helicopter ride over from St Moritz, or somewhere equally glamorous, and land in the (less glamorous) cow field opposite zai HQ. Prospective buyers spend a day on Disentis’ slopes testing the zai range to select their favourite model before Jacomet walks them through the finer details at the workshop: bonded cedar wood stave or carbon fibre wrapped granite core? And what colour vulcanised natural rubber top surface? (One customer had zai create a green to match his Bentley.)
Then it all gets a bit transcendental. Jacomet, who employs the old dears from Disentis’ retirement home to knit zai’s £80 woolly hats, has known the monks of the town’s Benedictine Abbey (Switzerland’s largest) all his life and offers clients the unique opportunity to enjoy supper with them in the Abbey before spending the night in a monastic cell. Relieved of your phone for total “reduction to the essential”, you can meditate on whether you’ve got a spare £4,000 or so for a cassacca ski suit, carbon helmet and goggles to complete the zai package.
Words: Gabby Le Breton