Sneva skis a blend of quality craftsmanship, personal care
In his 2008 book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell coined his famous “10,000 Hour Rule.” He claimed the key to developing world-class skill is 10,000 hours of practice. T.J. Sneva figures he has made about 30,000 skis. According to Gladwell, you should expect a mighty fine product made by Sneva Mfg.
Actually, all you have to do is ask someone wearing Sneva’s boards what he or she thinks of them. These people are getting easier to spot on the hill as more skiers discover the benefits of riding an affordable, custom-made, hand crafted ski produced by a Spokane-based company.
“People who understand how much work goes into this usually say they’re too cheap,” Sneva said. “But I’m trying to be fair. We don’t live in a Vail or Utah kind of area.”
If his name sounds familiar, being the nephew of Spokane’s 1983 Indy 500 winner Tom Sneva is the likely reason. His dad Jerry also raced at Indy. True to his heritage, T.J. Sneva drives a 750 horsepower, 1,200-pound sprint car on the northwest racing circuit.
“Just about everybody who demos a pair ends up buying them from us,” Sneva said. “A lot of people still haven’t heard of us, so we just need to get out there and let people try them.”
After visiting Sneva in his South Hill shop last week, I might suggest that he be careful what he wishes for. He was up to his eyeballs in new orders. We talked while he meticulously spread epoxy and laid down layers of fiberglass for a fresh pair of Snevas.
I was there to place an order for my own personal Christmas gift. There are probably too many customers ahead of me right now to celebrate the holiday riding them. But based on my experience with Sneva’s user-friendly, playful skis, the first run will be worth the wait. Let’s hope it won’t be long.
“Generally I ask you what you ski on now, your ability level and the style of skier you are,” he said. “Are you a fast, big-turn skier, or do you tend to go a little slower. What kind of terrain and snow do you like? We’re also going to talk about your weight. All those things are going to affect the manufacture.”
Sneva said his goal is to build a ski that helps me be a better skier. I’m all for that. He said the right ski for me depends on the core it’s made with. Over the years, he’s experimented with different combinations and thicknesses of wood to create custom cores that match the ski’s flex with the skier’s weight and intensity.
After building roughly 30,000 skis, Sneva said he stays consistent with quality by constantly refining his manufacturing techniques.
“With stuff I hadn’t quite figured out last year, I’m finding better ways to do this year,” he said. “By investing back in the process, the skis come out better than before and it also speeds up the process.”
After years of refining what you don’t see under the top sheet, Sneva is also paying more attention now to aesthetics.
“That wasn’t what I was about when I started,” he said. “Just make good skis and who cares what they look like? But I’ve found out people do care. My graphics and sublimation process has really come together. The colors are getting brighter and crisper. And now we can do full color bases, which is pretty awesome.”
Sneva’s business has grown steadily since 1994 largely through people riding his skis and telling their friends about them. He said his production volume has become overwhelming – but he wants to keep growing. He also wants to spend more time on the hill and less in his shop.
“The goal is to use this winter to ski and get sales for next summer,” he said. “Do more demos across Washington, Idaho and Montana and start building the bulk of my skis in the summer. Next summer the plan is to build four or five hundred pair.”
Sneva offers the full line up of his products at snevamfg.com. He recommends trying his skis before a personal consultation to discuss crafting a bespoke pair. Look for Sneva Mfg. at demo days on local hills this season. To ride them anytime, a variety of his shapes are always available in the rental shop at Schweitzer.
“I tell people to go out and take two or three runs, then come back and try something different,” he said. “If there’s one you don’t quite like, just grab another one. You’re going to find something you like because we have so many models now.”