Why Verispellis?

Verispellis is a play on versipellis, the Latin word for shape shifter and werewolf. Given the variable stiffness nature of our skis, we think this word captures the essence of our idea and our company. Our kids particularly liked the werewolf meaning of the word, which pretty much sealed the deal for us. We made the slight modification in the spelling to make it easier to pronounce for English speakers and to make the word ours. Verispellis rolls off the tongue much better than versipellis. Don’t you think so?

The concept of werewolf or werewulf (old English) or lycanthrope (Greek) has a long history in European folklore mythology, where a man can shift into a wolf either willingly or under duress, either in the form of a spell or affliction (bite or scratch from another werewolf). If you’d like to learn more about this fascinating history, you can start by clicking here.

Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that one could cure a werewolf by the power of exhaustion. They thought that subjecting the victim to long periods of physical activity would cure his/her affliction. We think they might have been on to something. If you feel like your inner werewolf is about to take over, get to the mountain immediately; get on your skis or board and ski/ride till you’re exhausted. Then meet up with your friends and family like your normal (or otherwise baseline abnormal) self.