Style_ April 01, 2021

Style | Feature 19
“It was off-piste, no groomers. I tested them out by
going skiing with my mates – it wasn’t a clinical test.
And then I could see why the US team was blitzing
us – the skis really made a difference. I was like, ‘No
wonder they had the upper hand!’”
Alex’s mates asked for a pair and word spread. So
much so, Alex’s wife Kris suggested it might be time he
started charging for them.
Things evolved from there. Along with his ski repair
shop, Ski & Snowboard Surgery, Alex now crafts
custom fat skis under his Kingswood Skis brand. It
takes between 10 to 12 hours for him to create a pair
of skis.
“It is quite a meticulous job and can be quite boring,
but I get a real buzz when I peel off the protective
layer – as long as I still get that buzz, I’ll keep doing it.”
With success, it would be easy to get caught up, as
some do, in that need to go “bigger”. But Alex wants
to keep his business in a model that is authentic to him.
“I‘ve seen businesses where they start out with a few
guys and got bigger and bigger and they said the best days
were actually the early days, when they had spare time to
do their own thing. I’m acutely aware of that,” he says.
So, he wants to keep it just him because that is
what brings him the joy – though he feels a “bit
guilty” for not employing anyone and “giving back to
the community”. But he does in a way, because he
outsources the screen-printing and shaping of the cores
to local businesses.
Alex spends his days working away in the factory, on
the lower storey of his family home, which used to be
the Lyttelton Rugby Club’s rooms, creating bespoke
skis for people like him who love to look up at the
mountains and see them blanketed in snow.
And with that, it’s time for him to finish chatting
because his coffee is finished and he has a factory full
of materials waiting patiently to be crafted into skis.
The slopes are beckoning.
Greg and lyn marshall
Good old fashion service from a
owner/operated local business.
• Full mechanical repairs • Vehicle servicing
• woF repairs
• Tyres
• wheel alignments • Puncture repairs
stockists of all brands of tyres
walk ins welcome. Greg and Lyn Marshall and their
experienced team look forward to welcoming you.
496 Wairakei Road, Christchurch | Ph: 03 359 4114 A/h: 0274 356 484
office@marshallautoandtyres.co.nz www.marshallautoandtyres.co.nz
Fresh BluFF Oyster
seasOn has Opened
These are absolutely delicious
and a treat to the palette.
Enjoy au naturel,
crumbed or battered.
Don’t miss out as always
a limited season.
39 Norwich Quay, Lyttelton
Wednesday - Sunday 12pm – 8pm
Phone: 03 328 7530
fishermanswharf.nz