Viktor Devečka

A skier body and soul

• Viktor skis 50 days a year and spends the summer making skis
• Using eco materials and limiting waste are important to him
• He started designing skis after breaking his own

Viktor Devečka comes from the most popular skiing region in Slovakia and worked as a ski instructor from the age of 16. He is passionate about skiing through and through. But as he puts it: “Skiing is only the icing on the cake.” Aside from the sport, it is his passion for design and product development that have driven him towards his craft. He started designing skis and making his first technical drawings at 18, and by 22 he had made his first pair of custom skis. What spurred him to open his own workshop in 2013 was an accident in which he broke his freeride skis. Viktor worked to rebuild and redesign them, and managed to meet 95% of the design standards set for the following season. These skis became the PERUN model as we know it today.

Interview

©Zuzana Caprnkova

©Brona Brtanova

How did you decide to make this craft your profession?

When I was skiing on my first prototype I found out that everything worked exactly according to plan, based on my analysis and mathematical calculations. I knew then that I could build skis without producing unnecessary prototypes and waste.

How do you go about creating your skis?

We use precise mathematical models for both shape and strength-elasticity to prevent a trial-and-error approach. We place a lot of emphasis on materials like ecological resins and composite materials not commonly used in ski making. This is our signature and know-how.

How are your customers part of the production process?

Customers can choose from wooden, linen, or full-colour graphics to hand-painted surfaces and softer, harder or lighter constructions. We adjust the tails which affect the riding characteristics to suit them. Together we look for perfection in terms of both quality and technical comfort.

Do you find innovation and tradition to be a double-edged sword?

My main inspiration stems from wanting to find the product missing on the market, and saving skiing for future generations by combining old crafts with the latest composite technologies and materials.

Viktor Devečka is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2012

Works

©Petra_Jureckova

©Zuzana Čaprnková

©Peter_Pavlicek_Norway

©Lukáš Horváth

Where