Family tradition of wooden ski production

The family tradition includes three generations of carpenters who, among other things, have been engaged in the production of wooden skis called "jasanky"(ashski) since the very beginning. Whether it was skis for foresters, gamekeepers and other inhabitants of the Eagle Mountains who had to get to work in the mountains during the harsh winters, or for ordinary sport pastime and hobby, there was always someone from the Fryml family joining their the art of making skis. They learned how and where to find the right tree, how to cut it properly and how long to let the wood dry.

They also inherit the woodworking tools in their workshop and give their skis a distinctive look that makes them always different from the others.

The biggest charm, however, is the end of production and that is alchemy in the form of steaming and bending skis! It remains to be seen whether the carpenter has not yet made a mistake and has correctly selected and processed the ski. Only after the skis have been pulled out of the mold will we find out whether we have been working with the skis or the firewood all the time.

Finally, it is the icing on the cake, the skis get a finish, here and there some frills and the sign of the master carpenter is branded as a finished ski. So let's go up the slope.

Historic ski manufacturer: "It was clear that it wouldn't be possible without ash ski"

article from Rychnovský Deník 21.1.2019

The village of Dobré - The smell of wood is already on the stairs and it spreads throughout the workshop of Zdeněk Fryml from Dobré.

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From the workshop of Zdeněk Fryml in Dobré. | Photo: Diary / Jana Kotalová
He had inherited them from his grandfather on the long shelf above the windows, and not only there had dozens, maybe hundreds of pieces of aged carpentry, evened out there. As well as the love of wood and the enthusiasm for making historical skis, so-called ashski.
"I am already the third generation in our family that produces them. I started it about twenty years ago," says Zdeněk Fryml.
He did not experience his grandfather, he died already in 1952, but the old "machines" on which he worked and are still functional and his skis have inspired him.
"I broke all the skis left by my grandfather in the attic. When they arrived, I started to do mine. It was clear that without the cucumbers it would not be possible anymore," he recalls.
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What a piece, the original

Before wood matures to produce historic skis, it may be enough for two years when the summer is hot and dry. Each pair is then an original. The so-called "carvings" are not a fiction of the present, as evidenced by several historical pieces, similar manufacturers made around 1920, even though they were not so cut.

In the workshop in Dobré, skis are created according to the customer's requirements and they are "tuned" separately for each.

Ash boards fluttered down the slope

"It depends on whether they are for cross-country skiing or on the ski slope, for powder or if they want an expedition variant. Now I am making a historical replica of Finnish skis for filmmakers. They differ in shape, binding, material. props to be designed for a Scandinavian historical-fantasy film, in Scandinavia they made either birch or pine skis, probably because of their weight, otherwise the ash is the most suitable for skis. Interest is great, I do not manage to do it, "says Zdeněk Fryml.

On ash skis there is even a small hill hellish

And what makes caves so attractive to skiers? Riding on them is quite adrenaline.
"The biggest advantage of historical skis is that they are substituting for the hills. There are only mole hills around here. Then when you stand on the ski slopes on Deštné, the hill is also hellish," adds a smiling producer.

From the workshop of Zdeněk Fryml in Dobré. | Photo: Diary / Jana Kotalová

Source: https://rychnovsky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/vyrobce-historickych-lyzi-bylo-jasne-ze-bez-jasanek-uz-to-nepujde-20190121.html