This past year has seen blinged-out shoes, smartphones, tablet computers, and cookware. Now, the fad for sprucing up utilitarian objects with precious metals and gemstones – including diamonds – has hit the ski slopes.

Ski manufacturers are happily responding to demands from upmarket clients – often wealthy Russians – for bejeweled haute couture ski equipment. Boheme, a boutique manufacturer, offers skis crafted from African ebony that customers can have embellished to their own taste. The group produces only about 600 pairs of skis a year for its clients, who want "perfection," as marketing director Arnaud Benoist explains. Benoist hastened to add that while his clientele had money to spend and was looking to distinguish itself, they were above all "passionate about skiing."

Lacroix, known for flashy couture fashion design, has also ventured into the outdoor market. Lacroix makes the Ultime brand gold and diamond skis, which sell for $46,000. Lacroix Group Director Bertrand Roy said that the Ultime ski brand has been founded to establish the group's luxury image and that even though "bling-bling," as he put it, might not be the height of fashion the company had already sold a number of pairs.

As upscale skiers bundle up against the cold, Lacroix sees a chance to bundle its products, offering in addition to the skis themselves a $20,000 leather trunk designed to carry skis, poles, and goggles. It comes with free maintenance and a season pass to France's exclusive Courchevel ski  resort.

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