It's been almost eight years since the very first Kingswood prototype was cracked from the mould. We've come a long way in that time, but some things haven't changed a bit. We still choose only the best materials for our hand made skis. We still champion simple, solid construction. And we still love watching each pair take shape and be passed into the hands of their new owners.

Kingswood Skis is different because we make each pair to order. We like to find out a bit about who you are and how you ski before we decide how stiff or soft your ski should be. We think that's why we get such good feedback from our customers, many of whom come back again and again. Kingswood is a bit of an enigma but if you get it, you love it. Our tribe now includes skiers from Afganistan to Invercargill but there's always room for more.

The Kingswood Story

After 14 back-to-back winters roving from Canada to Europe to Australia, Alex Herbert discovered New Zealand. He fell in love with the Canterbury club ski fields and made Lyttelton, New Zealand his home in 1997.

In 1999, he started a repair workshop, the Ski & Board Surgery, in central Christchurch and it quickly became the city’s busiest workshop.

When fat skis appeared in the late 1990s, Alex wanted them bad, but they were scarce.

Eventually, he took matters into his own hands. Taking his knowledge from 14 years at the ski tuning bench, Alex set to work.The first step was to take his favourite (and only) pair of skis and cut them into 86 pieces. Now he was committed.

The first press was made from two pieces of rolled steel sandwiched together with car jacks. Though the start was rough, the aim has always been to make the best skis possible. Alex was convinced skis could be simpler, stronger, more durable. And so he experimented until he got it right. The first ski was good, ski-able and strong. The hard part wasn’t making a ski… it was making a great ski. That took three more years.

Kingswood Skis hit the market in June 2005 but the search for perfection continues. New shapes are constantly added and old ones tweaked. The process is continually improved. Most recently, a rocker profile ski has been added to the range and a range of kids skis launched.

Alex runs the company with his wife Kris. Alex hangs out in his big ski factory, rides his skateboard from one end to the other and makes all the skis. Kris's territory is the office. Kris and Alex have a wild toddler named Obi and an ageing huntaway dog called Duff.