Write up in Utah Adventure Journal
Last month Utah Adventure Journal’s Paul Oelerich came down to the shop and interviewed Todd about his passion for skis. Here’s the full article. You can also pick up a hard copy at one of your favorite outdoor stores.
Building It By Hand- For The Love Of Snow
BY PAUL OELERICH | 03/13/15
A few blocks away from Pala ce is a nondescript shop on West Temple, right next to the Trax line that leads eventually to Sugarhouse. I step inside and am greeted warmly by Todd Herilla, I am however very distracted by the skis he has lined up on the wall in his attractive storefront, beautiful sandwich construction and cambered skis that I can’t help but envision flying down the mountain on. These are Todd’s handmade marvels- 7even Skis. “Yeah- I like to get down in the pow” says Todd. I’m holding a pair of his handmade DPow skis with a 105 mm waist. “ I like to make skis for how I like to ski” he continues “this ski has a slightly bigger nose, and not too much flotation to keep you on the surface, it lets you get down in it.”
“I’ve been building 7even skis for about 6 years now. These are my third generation models.” Next to the Dpow sits the A-1 carving ski, a heat-seeking missile that shows Herilla’s racing roots, and his most popular model, the C-4. “I’ve been playing around with construction for years, and am now utilizing a great system I call ‘pulse inhibiting technology’ which is a vibration control. I can also build full custom skis and take into account anything for the customer, any specs to adjust flex, radius, width, whatever.” A full custom ski will run about $1200, and my mind is spinning at the thought that for a pair of these beauties, it’s well worth the price. He’ll also do my own custom graphics if I want! Todd says he’ll build maybe 30-40 pairs of boards this year, and to support his passion, he also has a full tuning shop in back which provides a high quality tune that you might not be able to find anywhere else along the Wasatch Front. He built his ski press himself, and uses the skills of friends who have engineering and CNC experience. Otherwise, it’s a one-man show on the manufacturing end.
When the inevitable gets asked- why? Todd’s response is straightforward and no-nonsense. “I grew up skiing, and it’s been my passion my whole life. I grew up in Pennsylvania, and moved to Colorado to ski. I worked in boot shops, ski shops, whatever I had to do to ski. I spent my time in racing programs, and have always wanted to be on the snow. Of course I got to thinking about how I could build my own skis and it’s just been a natural progression for me to do. I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.” It’s motivating indeed, but I’m still only partly listening as in my mind I’m still conspiring on how to get a pair in my quiver.
A full demo program is also available.7evenskis.com
