Avant brings home high-performance skis

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December 9, 2010

KIM SMITH DEDAM Press-Republican The Press Republican Thu Dec 09, 2010, 03:49 PM EST

TUPPER LAKE — A few very special skis are coming to Big Tupper.

Only 20 pairs of a new twin-tip model have been designed by Avant, a company formed by two young men from Tupper Lake.

And they've embedded Big Tupper Ski Area passes in the tips, proclaiming a bold view of the future.

CHILDHOOD DREAMS

Ben Callahan is a graphic designer who established Avant with childhood friend Joel Nashett, a mechanical engineer.

Their dream of building high-performance skis and marketing them worldwide was something they talked about as children, tinkering in garages on Upper Saranac Lake while inventing different machines and charging potato guns with bike pumps.

"We'd always talked about starting a ski company when we were kids skiing at Big Tupper," Callahan said. "It started as kind of as a dream."

But it was a dream to reckon with.

"Then Joel said, 'Well, I'll go be an engineer,' and I said, 'Well, I'll be a designer.' And that is what we did. He went to the University of Buffalo and got an master's in business administration in mechanical engineering."

The first ski that Avant built was part of Callahan's senior project at Alfred University, where he studied graphic design.

THEIR OWN BRAND

"We started about five or six years ago," Callahan told the Press-Republican on Thursday.

"It was a year-long project that included an entire business plan. We really developed the whole brand and pressed the first couple of skis and tested them at Whiteface.

"From there, we have been continuing the project in all of our free time."

Both Callahan and Nashett moved to Connecticut after college for jobs.

And they kept tinkering, building skis, making their dream real.

Their web page — www.avantskis.com — proclaims, it's "because we can."

SPECIAL DESIGN

Avant's Aviator series puts three high-performance designs on the market, and the equipment is generating ski-industry interest.

"They are modern-profile, all-mountain twin tips. They're just practical when you think about it, even for when you need to pull backward in the lift line."

Avant uses a carbon-fiber composite material, which is really unique, Callahan explained.

"They are built from a solid wood core — we use poplar — vertically laminated. Most high-quality skis are made with some type of vertically laminated wood.

"It's still one of the best materials for the core because of its light weight and flexibility," Callahan said.

"But we want to push the boundaries between aesthetics and performance.

"We're really happy with the way this line has turned out. We've been skiing on them for years. This is really our first year really getting out on the global market."

Callahan's graphics incorporate mirrors and reflective inlays, kind of like road-sign material.

HELPING BIG TUPPER

When Big Tupper reopened last year, Avant began talking collaboration with leaders of the Adirondack Residents Intent on Saving Their Economy.

The end result puts 20 skis out to bid in a fundraising auction to be announced on Saturday.

"There are two models; both are Big Tupper Commemorative skis we designed," Callahan said.

"With both models, we decided to merge our technical modern style with our classic Adirondack upbringing."

One pair is a one-of-a kind premium classic wooden ski to be auctioned off on eBay starting Monday.

"This ski features a carbon composite construction and wood veneer inlays. The contrast between the wood and the carbon fiber is stunning and very unique," Callahan said.

And 19 pairs are classic design, twin-tip skis.

"With this design, the beauty of the wood core is allowed to shine through the top sheet," Callahan said.

"The tips of both ski models are embellished with a custom wood burned brand of the Big Tupper logo. We really enjoyed designing these, and we hope that people will cherish these skis and what they stand for."

They stand for — or race toward — the future.

SEE THEM SATURDAY

Jim LaValley, spokesman for ARISE, said the auction is looking to raise funds for the grass-roots resurgence under way at Big Tupper Ski Area.

"The first 19 are a white base with wood design, with a five-year ski pass embedded in the ski.

"The other one-of-a-kind is a dark

ski with a map of Big Tupper trails running across both skis. This pair has a lifetime pass embedded in the back of the skis."

Callahan and Nashett will be in Tupper Lake on Saturday to reveal the commemorative-edition skis.

And the auction will run on eBay for 10 days, LaValley said.

"We wrestled with how to do it, and this seemed like the best way. We have a lot of summer residents scattered across the country, and this would give them an opportunity to bid on these unique skis."

Callahan and Nashett will be at the Train Depot in Tupper Lake Saturday starting at 11 a.m. with the skis.

EYING LOCAL SITE

Focused on the future, Callahan said Avant would love to locate its company in Tupper Lake some day.

"We've started throwing around some ideas of having a collaborative relationship with Big Tupper, possibly being able to locate on the mountain itself.

"A lot of it really does rely on the Adirondack Club and Resort project going through," Callahan said, and the planned redevelopment of Big Tupper.

"That's what we'd like to do — create a brand that is competitive in the world market based on what we learned at Big Tupper."

E-mail Kim Smith Dedam at: kdedam@pressrepublican.com