THE MANUAL SHAPER

Paul Chevallot occupies the exact point where an idea becomes reality. The shapers design; he builds. He takes the technical specifications, programs the machining of the parts, selects the type of wood, adjusts the core profile, layers the fibers, and holds an object in his hands where once there was only a sketch. His work begins where the design ends. It ends when the ski touches the snow. In between, everything happens in his hands.

He comes from elsewhere. First, aeronautics—a world where every curve is the result of a calculation, where a trajectory is verified down to the millimeter, where there is no room for error. He was studying there when skiing caught up with him. So he set aside the equations and set a new course, toward the only brand in France to keep its prototyping workshop under its own roof. The precision remained. It simply changed slopes. The same taste for the perfect line guides him, except that today the line is carved into the powder.

Three freeride prototypes are in development. 95, 105, 110 millimeters at the waist. Three widths, three ways to tackle the mountain, three hypotheses he’s crafting one by one. Paul is the youngest on the team, the newest addition, and yet he’s already the one entrusted with the material. The task of bringing the ski from the drawing board to the snow falls to him.

P.C — The role of a prototyper is to turn a digital concept into a physical prototype to test whether it works. And, on the research and development side, it involves overseeing the entire ski manufacturing process, from the initial stage through to market launch. This includes design, production, and quality control.

P.C. — A prototype allows us to test ideas we’ve put down on paper. It’s an initial model that will show whether the idea we have in mind works. In practice, we decide to develop that hypothesis and make adjustments. Sometimes, we change direction.

P.C. — Based on the technical drawing provided by Julien and Bastien, I program the machining of the various parts. This is when we head to the workshop to determine the type of wood, the presence of inserts, the core profile, the thickness of the tip, and the type of fibers that will make up the ski.

P.C. — It’s a collaborative effort with Julien and Bastien, who design the ski’s shape together and share their ideas with me so I can bring them to life. Using their technical specifications, I program the machine to start production of the prototype.

P.C. — Zag is a unique company, a small team. It’s the only brand with a prototyping workshop in France. That’s very rare, and that’s what made me want to work there. I was studying aeronautics, but I dropped out to pursue my dream of making skis.

P.C. — We’re working on three new freeride models. Specifically, my work begins with machining the wooden profiles—the molds that will define the ski’s geometry. Next, I lay up the layers, stacking different fibers with resin. Then comes the cutting, finishing, and preparation phase to give the ski its final shape.

P.C. — The next step is field testing. We see if it works, and then we iterate. The workshop is at the foot of the Grands Montets. We can hit the slopes in the morning and make adjustments to a new prototype in the afternoon. That’s the strength of the ZAG Lab.