An Appenzell ski manufacturer with skis of the highest quality and durability for the ski slopes of the world.

The brand name already reveals what the handmade quality skis by Dano Waldburger and Andreas Dobler are all about: Timbaer is a combination of "timber", the English word for woodwork, and "baer" based on the Appenzell heraldic animal. The result has much more than souvenir character.

Timbaer was founded in 2016 with the vision of building a ski that impresses with its sportiness, design and sustainability. Andreas laid the foundation for this with his thesis in his carpentry apprenticeship, in which he developed the bamboo core, which is now patented. As former ski racers, Andreas and Dano have contributed all their knowledge from racing and their craftsmanship as carpenters. Her aim was to build skis from natural materials that could be driven with as little effort as possible without losing sportiness.

Thanks to eight different ski models, Timbaer covers all the needs of skiers, regardless of their ability.

In recent years, other manufacturers and sports brands have also become aware of the innovative ski manufacture in Appenzell. Timbaer produces for brands that have special requirements in terms of design and materials, such as the anniversary skis from Bogner or the skis with a stone surface from Zai.

In order to keep customers enjoying their skis for as long as possible, Timbaer also offers a comprehensive service.

With a team of six employees, around 400 pairs of skis will be produced in 2022.

The origin story

You can almost hear his heart beating as Andreas Dobler stands in front of the ski lift of his childhood and talks in the broadest Appenzell dialect about where his passion for snow sports originated. "I rode up and down this slope next to my great-grandfather's hut for days," says Andreas. Later he made the entire Ebenalp-Horn area unsafe as a racer for the local ski club and dreamed of a career as a professional athlete. Something different happened. As the final work of his carpentry apprenticeship, Andreas built a ski according to his own ideas. He didn't become a professional skier, but he still fulfilled his dream of skiing. Together with Dano Waldburger, he now produces and sells around 100 pairs of skis a year. He met his business partner at vocational school. They not only shared their passion for skiing, but both harbored the desire to become self-employed. Said and done. Immediately after completing their apprenticeship, they invested all their savings in the development of further prototypes and the construction of their own ski press. Their aim was to build a ski from natural materials that could be driven with as little effort as possible without losing its sportiness.

A patented construction

The two young entrepreneurs soon developed a bamboo core construction that had the flexibility and strength they were looking for. Every week they brought their skis to the Horn valley station and offered them for testing and then for sale. One of their first buyers was the director of the Appenzeller Kantonalbank, Ueli Manser: "It was the best ski I've ever ridden. I was immediately convinced that Andreas and Dano would be successful with Timbaer. And that's how we became a banking partner right from the start». With the patenting of the ski wood core, the Timbaer company started the next phase and expanded its range to three different models: two slalom skis and a race carver, each available with two different cover sheets made of natural materials.

The ski producer for the highest demands

Other manufacturers soon became aware of the innovative ski manufacture in Appenzell and were interested in working together.

Dano Waldburger and Andreas Dobler began to use the knowledge they had acquired to develop and build skis from other brands. On the one hand, these collaborations enable them to deepen their know-how and expand their network. On the other hand, the additional order volume helps to make new investments. After moving to the new workshop in early 2021, the two were able to purchase a CNC machine and a service robot that are unique in Switzerland.

All skis are built in a unique production process with presses developed in-house. This ensures that all skis from the Timbaer manufactory have a much longer service life.

Through the unique combination of carpentry know-how, modern machinery and knowledge from ski racing, Timbaer develops and produces skis for brands with the highest demands on design and materials. This resulted in ski models with a bamboo core and different surfaces made of wood, paper and stone .

Timbaer – At a glance

An Appenzell ski manufacturer with skis of the highest quality and sustainability for the ski slopes of the world.

Even the brand name reveals what the handmade quality skis by Dano Waldburger and Andreas Dobler are all about: Timbaer is a combination of "timber", the English word for woodwork, and "baer" in reference to the Appenzell heraldic animal. The result has far more than souvenir character.
Timbaer was founded in 2016 with the vision of building a ski that impresses with its sportiness, design and sustainability. Andreas laid the foundation for this with his final project during his carpentry apprenticeship, in which he developed the now patented bamboo core. As former ski racers, Andreas and Dano brought in all their knowledge from racing and their craftsmanship as carpenters. Their ambition was to build skis from natural materials that could be skied with as little effort as possible without losing sportiness.
With meanwhile 8 different ski models, Timbaer covers all needs for skiers of different abilities.

In the meantime, other manufacturers have also become aware of the innovative ski manufacturer in Appenzell. Timbaer produces for brands that have special requirements in terms of design and materials, such as the anniversary ski from Bogner or the skis with stone surfaces from Zai.

Timbaer also offers a comprehensive service to ensure that customers can enjoy their skis for as long as possible.

With a team of 6 employees, approx. 400 pairs of skis will be produced in 2022.

Timbaer - The history of origins

You can almost hear his heart beating as Andreas Dobler stands in front of the ski lift of his childhood and tells in the broadest Appenzell dialect where his passion for snow sports was founded. "I skied up and down this slope next to my great-grandfather's hut for days," says Dobler. Later, as a racer for the local ski club, he made the whole Ebenalp-Horn area unsafe and dreamed of a career as a professional athlete. Things turned out a little differently. As a final project of his carpentry apprenticeship, Dobler built a ski according to his own ideas. He did not become a professional skier, but he still fulfilled his dream of making a living from skiing. Together with Dano Waldburger, he now produces and sells around 100 pairs of skis a year. He met his business partner at vocational school. Not only did they share a passion for skiing, but they both had the desire to start their own business. No sooner said than done. Immediately after completing their apprenticeship, they invested all their savings in developing further prototypes and building their own ski press. Their ambition was to build a ski from natural materials that could be skied with as little effort as possible without losing its sportiness.

A patented construction that caused a sensation

The two young entrepreneurs had soon developed a construction with a bamboo core that had the flexibility yet strength they were looking for. Every week, they took their skis to the valley station of the Horn and offered them for testing and eventually for sale. One of their first buyers was the director of the Appenzeller Kantonalbank, Ueli Manser: "It was the best ski I have ever skied on. I was immediately convinced that Andreas and Dano would be successful with Timbaer. And so we became the bank partner of the first hour". With the patenting of the ski wood core, the Timbaer company entered the next phase and expanded its range to include three different models: two slalom skis and a race carver, all available with two different top sheets made of natural materials.

Timbaer - The ski manufacturer for the highest demands

Soon other manufacturers became aware of the innovative ski manufacturer in Appenzell and showed interest in working together.

Dano Waldburger and Andreas Dobler began to use their acquired knowledge to develop and build skis for other brands as well. On the one hand, these collaborations allow them to deepen their know-how and expand their network. On the other hand, the additional order volume helps them to make new investments. After moving into the new workshop at the beginning of 2021, they were able to purchase a CNC machine and a service robot that are unique in Switzerland.

All skis are built in a unique production process with presses developed in-house. This ensures that all skis from Timbaer Manufacture have a much longer lifespan.

Through the unique combination of carpentry know-how, a modern machine park and the knowledge of ski racing, Timbaer develops and produces skis for brands with the highest demands on design and materialization. In the process, ski models have been created with the use of different woods, such as bamboo and oak or surfaces made of slate and marble.