When he was 19, Eric Gricus spent 100 days a year skiing at Crested Butte in Colorado. Now 34 years old and an adviser to startup businesses in Boulder, Colorado, he’s lucky to get on the snow 30 times a year. Like many people who have to squeeze big passions into tight schedules, Gricus wants to get the most out of every experience, skiing as long as he can—and at his peak ability—on every trip.

But Gricus’ skis, a pair of Volkl Gotamas that retailed for about $700, were not living up to his ambitions. He started each day skiing great, but by the afternoon his legs would be tired and he’d be feeling a little sloppy, he says. Since he’d had his boots custom fit with great results, he thought that he might get the same benefits from a pair of custom-made skis.

One thousand dollars and two weeks later, Gricus was getting in an additional three or four long powder runs a day at Vail. “I can’t believe the difference,” Gricus says. “They just explode out of the turn.”

Just about anything can be custom-made or custom-modified, from shoes to computers—and, increasingly, it is. Though the Bode Millers of the world have long had skis built just for them, until relatively recently, the rest of us, no matter how deep our pockets, had to make do with off-the-rack gear. The good news is that custom skis do improve performance—not to mention that they provide a lift-line conversation piece—at quite reasonable prices.

Gricus’ new skis came from Wagner Custom in Telluride, Colorado, which started selling skis just last year and is one of a half-dozen small U.S. companies now turning out individually crafted equipment. The owners of these tiny outfits talk extensively with each customer, sometimes even skiing with them, to make sure they translate client needs into the right ski shape, flex, stiffness, and length—the key elements that determine how a ski turns and responds to the skier and the terrain.

The growth of custom-ski makers is a throwback to an industry that was pioneered by passionate skiers, but which has become dominated by large corporations—some having little relation to the sport. For example, K2, the largest American ski manufacturer, and Volkl, a German company long recognized for high-quality skis, are both owned by Rye, New York-based Jarden Corporation, which also owns Mr. Coffee and Seal-a-Meal.

The industry leaders are hardly asleep at the wheel. They have adapted to consumer demand with skis tailored to different types of terrain and styles of skiing. K2, for example, offers 32 different models—everything from wide skis designed for deep powder to ­slalom-racing skis and skis designed specifically for women. But with hundreds of skis to choose from, even experienced customers can get overwhelmed. “There are so many models of skis, it’s almost getting ridiculous,” says Scott Jaeger, senior retail analyst with the Boulder-based Leisure Trends Group. “The end user has no clue.”