Ben Sidor stopped by Pyramid Mountain Lumber this fall to show them the skis he is making using their spruce as the wood core. He can digitally print onto the wood veneer top sheet. While the goat is the standard design, customers can provide the artwork to be printed on the skis. Pictured (L-R): Sidor with Pyramid employees Mary Ann Morin and Mike McGrew.
SEELEY LAKE – When Great Falls resident Ben Sidor expanded his business Coop Ski Works into Montana, he had trouble finding a local wood supplier for spruce. His search ended at Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Inc. in Seeley Lake. There he found the spruce lumber needed for the wood core to make his backcountry skis the lightest, strongest backcountry skis on the market.
Sidor started building skis out of Wenatchee, Wash. with three friends in September 2014. Their first shop was a chicken coop so as a joke they named themselves Coop Ski Works. The Internet was their teacher as they spent hours researching the tools and equipment needed as well as how to use them.
The original intent was to build skis for themselves since they were all avid backcountry skiers.
"We wanted to create a ski that performed well on the downhill but was also lighter than anything that was offered on the market," said Sidor. "They are downhill skis but the primary idea behind the design was going uphill with them."
In the beginning, the group did a lot of testing. Sidor said there are many different materials to work with, from the steel edges and the plastic base to the wood core.
Part of the ski design by Coop Ski Works is making the wood cores out of spruce.
"At the heart of every ski is the wood core," said Sidor. "The type of wood you use, how it is hooked together really affects how the ski performs."
Sidor said one of the partners is a pilot. He suggested spruce because it is used in aircraft.
"For strength to weight, it's well beyond anything out there," said Sidor.
Sidor said instead of using fiberglass, which is traditionally used around the core, Coop Skis used carbon fiber.
"Between the carbon fiber and spruce core, we are getting skis that are as light as anything that is offered on the market right now," said Sidor.
What started as a hobby turned into an official business. Coop Skis started selling their backcountry skis and now averages 10-15 pairs per year.
"It is a side business at best," said Sidor. "We all have full time jobs and it is something we do for fun because we all love doing it. It is still an evolving system. Every pair is a learning experience."
Sidor returned to his hometown of Great Falls in July 2015. He decided to continue the operation on his own, while his friends still kept the shop going in Washington. He officially opened his shop in Montana, March 2016.
Sidor started looking for a local wood supplier in Montana that had high-grade spruce. He called several wood suppliers but they either did not have the product or were not familiar enough with what he was looking for to be helpful.
When he was driving to his cabin on Swan Lake, Sidor decided to stop in at Pyramid and see if they had spruce available. They were more than happy to help. Sidor said he left with a truckload of handpicked, high grade, one-inch thick Engelmann spruce boards.
"Pyramid has [the spruce] whenever I need it," said Sidor. "They have been fantastic to work with. It is always fun to visit and everyone is always really helpful."
For more information about Coop Ski Works, contact Sidor by email at ben@coopskis.com.
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