ARAPAHOE BASIN 鈥� The snow crunched and squeaked in the subzero morning mountain shadows at this Summit County ski area as Thomas Lutke and his students clicked into their bindings and headed to the chairlift to take their first run of the day together. High school senior, Autumn Alcock, was about to load the lift when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
鈥淭hose skis are sick,鈥� the lift operator said. 鈥淲ho makes them?鈥�
鈥淚 did,鈥� Alcock responded, glancing down at her one-of-kind skis.
鈥淣o, you didn鈥檛.鈥� The lift operator was clearly unconvinced.
鈥淵es, I actually did,鈥� Alcock said, before the lift carried her up the mountain.
The ski day was a celebration of a semester鈥檚 work. Alcock was one of two girls and 30 students in Summit High School鈥檚 Ski Business and Manufacturing class 鈥� one of the only classes of its kind in the nation 鈥� in which , and market their products to their intended demographic.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e building more than a ski,鈥� Lutke said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e building a business.鈥�
The class is the newest addition to the school鈥檚 ski and bike tech program, under the Career and Technical Education program, originally designed to give students the skills and experience to work in the resort community鈥檚 many ski and bike shops.
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