– The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog
  • Avalanches
  • Gear Reviews
    • Ski Reviews
    • Boot Reviews
    • Binding Reviews
    • Snowboard Splitboard
    • Book Reviews
    • Avalanche Beacon Reviews
    • Airbag Backpacks
    • Backcountry Electronics
    • Misc Gear Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Ski Touring Basics
    • Boot Fitting
    • Fitness & Health
    • Gear Mods
  • Trip Reports
    • Fourteeners
    • Huts – Cabins – Lodges
    • Denali McKinley
    • 8,000 Meter Skiing
  • Stories
    • History
    • Humor Backcountry
    • Land Use Issues
    • Evergreen Ski Touring
  • Resources
    • All Posts Listed
    • 100 Recent Comments
    • WildSnow Ski Weight/Surface Comparison Chart — And More
    • Backcountry Skiing & Ski Touring Webcams
    • Archives of WildSnow.com
    • Ski Weight Comparo Charts
    • Ski Touring Bindings
      • Museum – Backcountry Ski Bindings
      • Trab TR2 Index and FAQ
      • Salomon Guardian & Tracker
      • Naxo Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Silvretta Pure Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Marker F10-12 Duke Baron
      • G3 Onyx Ski Binding FAQ
      • G3 ION Ski Touring Binding
      • Fritschi Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Fritschi Diamir Frame Bindings Mount DIY
      • Fritschi Diamir Bindings FAQ
      • Fritschi Tecton FAQ
      • Atomic Salomon Backland MTN
      • Dynafit Tri-Step Binding 2001-2003
      • Naxo randonnee alpine touring AT ski binding FAQ
      • Dynafit Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Dynafit Binding Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Review 1
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Page Two
    • History
      • Trooper Traverse Intro & Index
      • Randonnee Ski Touring “AT” ski gear — What is Hip?
      • Chronology
    • Backcountry Skiing Core Glossary
    • Gear Review Policy & Disclosures

– The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog

Banner
  • Avalanches
  • Gear Reviews
    • Ski Reviews
    • Boot Reviews
    • Binding Reviews
    • Snowboard Splitboard
    • Book Reviews
    • Avalanche Beacon Reviews
    • Airbag Backpacks
    • Backcountry Electronics
    • Misc Gear Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Ski Touring Basics
    • Boot Fitting
    • Fitness & Health
    • Gear Mods
  • Trip Reports
    • Fourteeners
    • Huts – Cabins – Lodges
    • Denali McKinley
    • 8,000 Meter Skiing
  • Stories
    • History
    • Humor Backcountry
    • Land Use Issues
    • Evergreen Ski Touring
  • Resources
    • All Posts Listed
    • 100 Recent Comments
    • WildSnow Ski Weight/Surface Comparison Chart — And More
    • Backcountry Skiing & Ski Touring Webcams
    • Archives of WildSnow.com
    • Ski Weight Comparo Charts
    • Ski Touring Bindings
      • Museum – Backcountry Ski Bindings
      • Trab TR2 Index and FAQ
      • Salomon Guardian & Tracker
      • Naxo Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Silvretta Pure Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Marker F10-12 Duke Baron
      • G3 Onyx Ski Binding FAQ
      • G3 ION Ski Touring Binding
      • Fritschi Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Fritschi Diamir Frame Bindings Mount DIY
      • Fritschi Diamir Bindings FAQ
      • Fritschi Tecton FAQ
      • Atomic Salomon Backland MTN
      • Dynafit Tri-Step Binding 2001-2003
      • Naxo randonnee alpine touring AT ski binding FAQ
      • Dynafit Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Dynafit Binding Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Review 1
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Page Two
    • History
      • Trooper Traverse Intro & Index
      • Randonnee Ski Touring “AT” ski gear — What is Hip?
      • Chronology
    • Backcountry Skiing Core Glossary
    • Gear Review Policy & Disclosures
   

Voile Factory Tour — American Made Ski Touring

by Lou Dawson May 23, 2017
written by Lou Dawson May 23, 2017

Voile makes all their skis in Salt Lake City, Utah. They’ve got a quick, flexible and economical process resulting in excellent planks that honor current trends in ski touring. For example, their V6 model is all time super with what in our opinion is just the right amount of rocker and width for “Western North American” ski touring. Fun to visit their factory. Check it out.

Let's lead off with an art shot of the famed V6 mold, magic.

Let’s lead off with an art shot of the famed V6 mold, magic. Reminds me of a Pharaoh’s sarcophagus.

They've got a small retail operation fronting the factory in Utah.

Voile factory retail operation fronts their plant in Utah. A modest understatement.

They make quite a few skis in this well organized shop.

They make quite a few skis in this well organized shop.

Cores are milled from various wood types, including aspen. They're thinking of using some lighter weight cores to stay with current trends, but doing so ups cost significantly so they're being careful not to upset their industry leading cost-performance ratio.

Cores are milled from various wood types, including aspen. They’re thinking of using some lighter weight cores to stay with current trends, but doing so ups cost significantly so they’re being careful not to upset their industry leading cost-performance ratio.

Another use for gloves, protect cores.

It’s said that a good skier might feel their skis as an extension of their feet. Another use for gloves, protect cores. Or, could this be a new tip and tail shape design?

Fibers for the build.

Checking out fiber for the build.

Fiberglas with black carbon woven into the mix. Nice stuff.

Fiberglas with black carbon woven into the mix. Nice stuff.

Working with the steel edges is a major part of ski building. Hand bending the curves is one way, or build customized small-scale machinery.

Working with the steel edges is a major part of ski building. Hand bending the curves is one way, or build customized small-scale machinery.

Edge processor.

Edge processor.

The bend.

The bend.

Getting ready to assemble.

Getting ready to assemble.

The layup in lower part of mold, with the edges and other components inserted, resin being troweled in.

The layup in lower part of mold, with the edges and other components inserted, resin being troweled in.

Small scale industrial chemistry.

Small scale industrial chemistry, resembles our kitchen when we’re making Christmas eggnog.

Prepping the edges.

Prepping the edges.

Did we say that getting the edges right is a big deal?

Did we say that getting the edges right is a big deal? They’re carefully hand fitted into the mold.

Final part of layup.

Final part of layup.

Into the press.

Into the sarcophagus, heat and pressure. Takes much less than 2,000 years for the process to complete, thanks to modern technology.

Here is what comes out.

Here is what comes out.

They have quite a bit of work to do, separating the skis and cleaning off the flash, then tuning so they're retail ready.

They have quite a bit of work to do, separating the skis and cleaning off the flash, then tuning so they’re retail ready.

Finishing is done on grinders and belt sanders of the type you'll find in many ski shops.

Finishing is done on grinders and belt sanders of the type you’ll find in many ski shops.

Shovels are made here as well, stamped on this press.

Shovels are made here as well, stamped on this tyrannosaurus scale press.

Shovel blades.

Shovel blades save lives.

Shovel shafts.

Shovel shafts.

And, remember those famous Voile straps? Buckles.

And, remember those famous Voile straps? Buckles.

Telemark, still alive and well at Voile!

Telemark, which existed since the days of the Pharaohs, is still alive and well at Voile! These classic three-pin clasps are made right there in Salt Lake.

23 comments
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
previous post
Saying Goodbye to Colorado — Five Favorite Ski Mountaineering Lines
next post
Spring — Below Timberline Skiing — Colorado

23 comments

See May 23, 2017 - 9:57 am

Very cool. What are the molds made of? They look like metal but appear to be essentially flat during lay up before they are placed in the press. Do you know how the eggnog maker achieves the right resin/hardener mix?

Reply
Matt Kinney May 23, 2017 - 10:20 am

Not sure about that telemark binding, but Voile makes another that works good called the Switchback that seems to sell and is well built. They’ve been around since Obama.

Always interesting to see how skis are made. Thanks…

Reply
Bill B May 23, 2017 - 12:53 pm

I very much admire Voile.
Their contributions to back country skiing has been enormous.
Great products from great ideas.
I am also thankful of a state such as Utah that allows
them to do their magic.

Reply
Doug May 23, 2017 - 9:05 pm

Superchargers are one of the all time great skis, quiver of one.

Reply
Bard May 23, 2017 - 9:34 pm

Cool to see inside the factory, thanks Lou! I still ski on a pair of 2011 or so Chargers that I love. Voile has been rather innovative, from 3 pin bindings to shovels to splitboards. And of course the ubiquitous Voile straps:) Also, their skis are like half the price of DPS.

Reply
Nate Porter May 24, 2017 - 7:06 am

Thanks for the factory tour. Voile products are a great combo of quality, value, and they work well. Great company!

Reply
Jim Milstein May 24, 2017 - 7:20 am

Okay, interesting report, but questions remain: How do they pronounce Voile? And why are you guys all bundled up indoors in May?

Reply
Nate C May 24, 2017 - 10:14 am

Jim,

VO-lay. “So what’s up with our Eurotrash, pseudo-Franco-phile name? We’re not even sure ourselves, but what we do know is that for 35 years the name Voilé (vò-lay) has been synonymous with backcountry winter adventure. Rather than the Alps, we are located minutes away from the best snow on earth: the Wasatch Mountains of Utah.”

Reply
Jim Milstein May 24, 2017 - 10:25 am

So, Nate, why not spell it Volay? Spelling it Voile and pronouncing it volay doesn’t make sense in any language that I know of and certainly not in French or even faux-French –– pseudo-French to you.

You are almost right about your snow, except that Wolf Creek Pass is obviously better. I’m located minutes away, and that reminds me . . . .

Reply
Charlie Hagedorn May 24, 2017 - 11:29 am

Jim, as I understand it, Voile’s founder’s name is Wally. Voile was a way to make the name sound exotic and alpine, as much of the innovation in touring gear was European at the time of the company’s founding.

Nate C. was copy-pasting from:
http://www.voile.com/about-voile.html

Reply
Blair May 24, 2017 - 1:25 pm

I love it. Wally decides to call the skiis Voile, sounds like an insider’s riff on Euro style and saucy marketing to me . For the twenty first century, may I suggest a transformative set of boards the would be called…Voile Wallys.

Reply
Lou Dawson 2 May 24, 2017 - 1:54 pm

Indeed, those of you who don’t understand the name Voile, receive the deeper knowledge. Voile is actually a pun on the Francophile leanings of many early ski mountaineers and indeed has roots in “Wally” — or something along those lines, anyway. The story is buried in one of our blog posts, I’ll try to dig it up.

France? Austria is actually where it’s at. Wally and his friends pulled off one of the greater jokes in the history of ski industry branding. Not sure what it would have ended up in if they’d chosen German as the base language, would have been equally as interesting.

http://www.voile.com/about-voile.html

Lou

Reply
Jim Milstein May 24, 2017 - 4:37 pm

Well, if it was meant to be a joke, that helps. Too bad I wasn’t there to counsel Wally (I was busy at the time). He could have done better.

Latin is pretty much irrelevant to skiing, which is too bad in this case since “Vale”, pronounced wallay (stress on the 1st syllable), means “be strong” or “hello” or “goodbye”. It also resembles the name of an overpriced ski resort. Any suggestions from German or Norwegian or Finnish or some obscure Altaic tongue like Kazakh?

We can do this.

Reply
Patrick May 24, 2017 - 4:51 pm

Going back to the Reagan era. Voile: great innovations, construction, quality control, and customer service.
My first Voile product was the plastic plate that you put under a tele-toe binding. Voile plates ensured that my heel would always land on the centre of the skinny ski. Long a lift skier, the plates made it possible for me to morph into back-country tele with my soft Alpha trail boots. At the time, it seemed that linking smooth BC tele turns was about 90% technique and 10% gear technology.

Reply
Lou Dawson 2 May 24, 2017 - 5:10 pm

I broke out Google translate and couldn’t come up with anything Germanic, which is my inclination (smile). Lou

Reply
Jim Milstein May 24, 2017 - 5:20 pm

Voilé means, I think, veiled in French. Hmmm, another veiled reference to Vail. Nobody knew this would be so deep!

Reply
See May 24, 2017 - 11:36 pm

Veil is also a kind of cloth used in composite material construction, although it doesn’t look like Voile is using it in their skis. And (reminiscing), I used Voile tele release plates back in the day, and their Carbon Surf skis. Those were actually pretty innovative products, and they both served me well.

Reply
Jim Milstein May 25, 2017 - 7:24 am

I too used the Voilé telemark release plates long ago, and I thought they were horrible because dense snow under the forefoot could cause them to release upward at the toe when bringing a heel down –– most disconcerting! And, of course, dangerous.

Reply
See May 25, 2017 - 9:08 am

I eventually moved on to Rottefella TRP’s, and then 7TM’s. But I don’t remember having any problems with the Voile’s (I was using the model that was just the release mechanism to which you screwed whatever binding you chose). I had way more prerelease issues when I switched over to tech bindings.

Reply
Bean May 25, 2017 - 1:06 pm

Lou is right with the “Wally,” reference… The story I heard was that Wally was trying to think of a Euro sounding name and while out on a tour one day, his partner, likely Charlie Butler, was yelling “Waaaaallllllaaaaaayyyy” from a good distance and Wally heard “Voile.” Boom Boom!

Reply
Eric steig May 26, 2017 - 7:22 pm

Don’t y’all know that Voile is French for “made in America”?

Reply
Lou Dawson 2 May 27, 2017 - 4:54 am

Eric, thanks, Google Translate is clearly flawed. Lou

Reply
Eric B May 30, 2017 - 3:59 am

Sort of like “Häagen-Dazs” being founded in New Jersey. Though these skis are sweeter than ice cream 🙂

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Anti-Spam Quiz:

Gear Reviews

  • WildSnow Women’s Boot Roundup 2019-20

    November 21, 2019
  • Fritschi (Black Diamond) Xenic 10 Binding Technical Review

    November 11, 2019
  • FutureLight vs. Gore-tex — Ultimate Sweat Test

    October 17, 2019

Recent Comments

  • RobS on Field Treatment for Climbing Skin Failure
  • rob on Field Treatment for Climbing Skin Failure
  • rob on Field Treatment for Climbing Skin Failure
  • Jonathan Gal on Blizzard Zero G 85 & 95 Side-by-Side Comparo
  • Lou Dawson 2 on Book Review — Atlas of the National Parks

Trip Reports

  • Denali 2019 — What Worked, What Didn’t Part I

    November 4, 2019
  • Early Season Turns and Mid Season Instability

    November 1, 2019
  • Trip Report — Mt. Olympus Ski Slog

    October 11, 2019

Totally Deep Podcast

  • Blake Gordon Comes Down From the Himal — TDP 69

    November 20, 2019
  • Angus Morrison Splitboard Car Talk – TDP 68

    October 30, 2019
  • Skiing the Lhotse Couloir — TDP 51 & Short Film

    October 23, 2019

Tips & Tricks

  • Travel Tips for Your Next Ski Trip

    December 2, 2019
  • Ski Crampons — When To, When Not To and How

    November 26, 2019
  • Denali 2019 — What Worked, What Didn’t Part II

    November 12, 2019

Ski Touring Stories

  • Confessions of Snowman

    November 23, 2019
  • A Grand Traverse Gone Awry

    November 15, 2019
  • Who Should Own ‘Backcountry’?

    November 2, 2019

Newsletter Sign-Up

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • About Lou Dawson
  • Authors Page
  • About
  • Contact
  • Copyright & Legal
  • Website Security

@2019 - All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by WildsSnow


Back To Top

Read alsox

Taking a Ski Mountaineering Course…Online

November 29, 2019

A Few Favorite Avy Shovels —...

November 7, 2019

Ski Review — Black Crows Navis...

September 30, 2019