Peak Performance

MADE SLOWLY TO GO FAST: Each pair of skis from Bohême takes 37 hours to craft by hand and comes with a choice of 11 wood claddings

Fresh snow has fallen on the alps, lending Europe's ski season a crisp sense of possibility. If it's time for a similar renewal of your ski gear, here are some options.

Artisanal manufacturer Bohême in Lubin, France www.boheme.fr — until now something of a connoisseur's secret — is taking its handsome, handcrafted skis global. Each pair (around $2,000) requires an average of 37 hours to construct: space-age materials are sandwiched to a beech and poplar core, then finished with a thin layer of one of 11 different wooden claddings, including walnut, ebony and rosewood. Thick...

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