Part Serr
Designing Skis That Changed Freestyling Forever
The designer of Ride Doctor Pro Twin skis lives in Serre Chevalier, France. His first name is Eric, but everybody calls him Bob, which is short for his surname Bobrowicz. After 15 years designing skis for Rossignol, Bob has created his own ski line that is for sale and rent in his ‘Ride-Doctor.com’ shop in Villeneuve. Bob is a ski and snowboard designer and is responsible for the development of the first twin tipped skis to hit the market, a ski that would change freestyling forever. That was in the late 1990s when Bob worked for Rossignol and the skis were called the ‘Scratch’.
In the winter of 2006 Bob decided to set up his own business in Serre Chevalier. He has opened his own shop, called Ride-Doctor.com, and developed a new, independent ski line. Originally he came to Serre Chevalier in 1983 through his kayak instructor’s job. But after achieving an engineering diploma at Grenoble University he worked at Lacroix ski and snow board for a few years. He moved to Rossignol in 1989, where he was appreciated for his talent and dedication to winter sports. He was promoted to manager of the snow board development team, a position he then kept for over 15 years. He is known by most professional riders and has created many bespoke boards.
The freestyle ski developers at Rossignol wanted to conceive a new type of skis. They needed to be fun, large, twin-tipped and appeal to both skiers and snowboarders. Bob was asked to work on the project. The ‘Scratch’ skis were the result. “After that, my team and I did freeride skis for pro riders like Hugo Harrison and Manu Gaidet. They were high-performance, very wide skis that we then adapted to fit into our commercial range,” Bob explains. He is highly skilled and has designed more than ten different skis and snow boards. At 42 he decided to develop something for himself, and Serre Chevalier was his obvious choice for a base. “I have lived here for twenty years, while working in or around Grenoble”.
Bob continues, “I have commuted nearly daily, and after crossing the Col du Lautaret 1,200 times, I know the road like the back of my hand. I’ve never thought of leaving Serre Chevalier, it is here that I feel at home. We benefit from a southern climate, living is easy and I can do all the sports I enjoy: skiing, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, climbing… ” Bob has called his new skis ‘Pro Twin’. They have a wooden core, and although they are freestyle skis, they are all-round enough to carve on the piste and do some backcountry skiing with as well. They are available in three sizes (179, 173 and 167) and have been manufactured in a limited edition.
They are available for sale or hire at Ride-Doctor.com, Bob’s very own shop. The competitive price, their simple, modern design and the fact that it is an all-round, light and easy ski should mean that the ski will more than satisfy customers. “I wanted to create a ski that opened many different possibilities. The market today is very segmented, which means it is difficult to choose what skis to buy. I wanted to make a simple ski, yet one that could be enjoyed in different situations,” Bob says.
In the winter you can go to the ‘Doctor’ to buy or rent any freeride or freestyle skis, and in the summer, you can enjoy the range of freeride and downhill mountain bike equipment. It is the first shop in Serre Chevalier to market its own skis.
Serre Chevalier is a popular ski resort in the Southern French Alps, which is easily accessed by flights to Grenoble Airport in France or Turin Airport in Italy.
If you need a Serre Chevalier transfer to get you from the airport to the resort, The Alpine Transfer Company is at hand to get you there.
About the Author
Jane is based in Santa Monica, California, USA, but travels extensively throughout Europe. She enjoys, travel, history, skiing and snowboarding. She tries to combine the things she likes with her work, so I write articles about things I find interesting that I discover in my life.
G1588 GERBER BIG ROCK CAMP KNIFE PART SERR
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