Miller Sports founders Ted Davenport and Bill Miller dish on how to pick out the ultimate pair of skis.
With locations in Aspen and Vail, Miller Sports is known as one of the premier luxury ski shops in the world. Bill Miller and Ted Davenport combined their decades of experience in the ski industry as both athletes and retailers opening Miller Sports and introducing Miller Skis—a premium ski brand for the skier who demands only the best, wants to have fun and will look great while doing it.
Premium raw materials and utmost attention to details make Miller Skis precise, nimble and effortless.
You launched Miller Sports together in 2013 and quickly became known as one of the premier luxury ski shops in the world. What’s your secret to success?
TD: Bill and I from the beginning wanted to offer a true luxury ski experience with warm and friendly customer service, making visitors both local and from afar feel like family.
You’ve also launched a premium ski brand called Miller Skis. How did it come together and how does the design process work?
BM: In 2018 we launched Miller Skis, a premium ski brand that would complement our incredible skiwear offering. We were fortunate to partner with one of the most respected ski designers in Europe, and together we designed a lineup of ski models that the majority of our clientele would love.
What should someone look for when purchasing a new pair of skis?
TD: The most important question and the first one we ask is what kind of skier are you and where do you like to go on the mountain. Not getting a solid sense of what the client is looking for in a ski is a recipe for failure. Understanding the client’s ski needs and tailoring the options to those needs will make for a happy client.
Tell us about the technology behind your designs.
BM: Our ski brand begins with a digital manufacturing process, integrating CAD technology to start the process with precision detail. From there our skis come to life utilizing the most advanced race-room standards, sandwich technology construction with layers of ash or poplar wood, carbon, glass fiber and titanal. Product testing our prototypes lets us achieve that perfection we demand in all our brands.
What is it that you love about Aspen and this community?
TD: Aspen is the perfect place to raise a family and run a ski business such as ours. I feel incredibly grateful to have spent half my life in a town as special as Aspen. It’s where I met my wife, started a family and began this awesome adventure with Bill that is Miller Sports.
What is your go-to Miller Skis model for the ultimate day on the slopes?
BM: It’s all about the SR99. The Miller SR99 is truly the best all-around ski I’ve ever ridden. To be able to carve GS turns on groomers, ski powder and crud with ease, and hit cliffs and jumps with confidence, checks all the boxes for what I look for in a ski.
What’s on the horizon for Miller Sports?
TD: Bill and I are always aspiring to make the best possible experience for our customers, whether expanding our ski brand, finding the next great skiwear collection or, most importantly, continuing our reputation as the most friendly purveyor of luxury ski products in the world.
Photography by: PHOTO COURTESY OF MILLER SPORTS
