A racer working in high-living retail real estate, Robert Siegel noticed a divide between the worlds of skiing and fine products. In his eyes, there were no ski brands that truly balanced luxury and performance. Looking to fill that gap, Siegel got together with fellow enthusiasts and founded Bomber in order to create “the best skis that can be made.”
Bomber is based in Manhattan, but the skis are handmade in an Italian race lab. The brand currently offers All-Mountain, Twin-tips, Powder, Mogul, and Race Skis. Each ski is handcrafted for its intended use and bolstered with sandwich construction, an ABS sidewall, a tail-to-tip wood core, and a traditional camber. The Race skis in particular are made for the World Cup circuit, and Bomber is a supplier to both the national ski teams in the U.S.A. and Canada. Additionally, five-time WC champion Marc Girardelli endorses the skis as Bomber’s brand ambassador.
Designing for elite skiers and luxury-loving amateurs, Siegel explains that “Cost is not a consideration” for Bomber. The company uses top-quality steel and up to three varieties of wood instead of a typical composite such as fiberglass. Because of their construction, Bomber’s products are both stronger and more flexible than other skis on the market, allowing for greater versatility and precision. Specifically, Bomber Skis provide great responsiveness or “Pop” while transitioning from one turn to the next.
While Bomber’s main objective is producing quality skis, they do not cut corners on aesthetics. Each of their products is an object of beauty, whether featuring minimalist graphics designed in-house or bold prints such as limited production runs of selected artwork imagery from Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. For their Artist Series, Bomberski releases three Basquiat and Haring designs every year. Previous seasons included Dino, Luna Luna, Black Crown, and Red Snake designs, and the 2014 crop just launched. Available in adult and also, for the first time, in junior sizes, the luxury skis are now sold alongside Bomber bindings and carbon fiber poles, gear that is just as finely crafted and designed as the skis themselves.
Siegel says that one of Bomber’s goals is to go beyond the sports brand mentality of treating skis “like a commodity.” Customers won’t find Bomber Skis stacked in a bin. Rather, the designs are displayed. Taking a cue from the MOMA, Bomber invests in the presentation of individual skis, which seem to float in a minimalist frame and are lit like pieces of art in Bomber’s Madison Avenue Ski gallery.
At the same time, Bomber knows that skiers want to touch and test their designs. They allow customers to feel the quality of the material and flex the skis by pulling the products out of hidden compartments in the display. For interested shoppers who really want to get a sense of what it’s like riding the skis, Bomber now offers demos, so a client can rent a pair for a few days right from the Madison Avenue flagship. The skis and gear are currently available for sale on location at Bomber’s 538 Madison Avenue, NY flagship store, online, and at their new Americana Manhasset, NY pop-up store, which is open in collaboration with BOGNER. Be sure to check them out before venturing to the Best 5 Ski Resorts in Europe this winter.
