'My handmade wooden skis celebrate the rugged Scottish terrain'

Renowned for its ancient woodlands, rugged mountains and heather-clad moorlands, Scotland is a country devoted to celebrating its traditions and protecting its cultural and natural heritage.

- Jamie Kunka, ski maker

Many Scots are passionate about keeping artisanal skills alive and adapting them for contemporary demands. Some are committed to achieving this using primarily Scottish-sourced materials. One such man is Jamie Kunka, founder of Lonely Mountain Skis in Perthshire, a micro ski manufacturer.

Jamie became fascinated by the idea of creating something sleek and functional from natural, local materials after watching a television programme featuring woodsman Ray Mears, in which a Swedish ski maker crafted skis from dead standing pine. When studying product design at the University of Dundee, he began experimenting. Working on these inaugural designs made him realise that, with some tweaking and mechanical refinement, he could be on to something. After completing a final, far more accomplished design for his university honours project, he was met with a wave of interest from Scottish ski enthusiasts and quickly discovered a market for high-quality, Scottish-made skis.

It's a combination of solid construction, high-tech and natural materials and a thorough testing on Caledonian slopes that makes a ski truly 'Scottish', Jamie says. 'In the past few years, I've had many commissions incorporating local Scottish timbers and, sometimes, solely made of them,' he notes. 'Because of the amount of local timber being felled and milled, it's easy to choose from a host of lovely hardwoods.'