Starting a Ski Company from Scratch w/ Ellis Skis

Kevin Schaefer, founder of Ellis Skis, reveals how he built a new ski brand from scratch—starting with longboard craftsmanship and years of industry experience—while deliberately avoiding the industry's obsession with complex materials and flashy marketing. The key insight? He prioritized simplicity: full poplar wood cores, no carbon fiber in production models, and a focus on intuitive, playful performance over technical specs. What surprised him most was how the 106, designed as a middle-ground ski, ended up being the softest in the lineup—making it unexpectedly versatile for everything from spring slush to backcountry booters. Schaefer’s philosophy centers on solving real gaps in the market, like the lack of skis that balance stability with fun, and he’s pushing for greater transparency—especially around mount point, which he calls 'one of the most important ski numbers not advertised.' His future plans include a reimagined touring ski that’s lightweight but still performs like a real ski, not a hollowed-out feather. The episode also exposes a deeper truth: most skiers don’t know how much their stance is shaped by mount point, and many are stuck in comfort zones, avoiding skis that could actually make them better. Schaefer’s approach—prototyping relentlessly, testing with intermediate skiers, and trusting on-snow feedback over spreadsheets—proves that innovation doesn’t require more tech, just better listening.