During the emergence of fat skis and reverse camber in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, when small brands challenged the establishment for shapes and styles that the core audience craved, small ski manufacturers flooded manufacturing scene as well. At the time, the larger ski brands weren’t ready to fully dive into the new era, and it allowed for smaller companies who were willing to explore this new territory and grab market share. Eventually some of those smaller brands fizzled as the rest of the industry caught up, while others grew to become major players, such as Armada and DPS. The independent ski revolution had a basic premise: produce skis that skiers wanted rather than be dictated by what’s selling best at the time (not a very progressive business model, it would seem). This simple mantra lives on now through the custom ski business. Today, there are a few custom ski manufacturers that have gained notoriety. Brands like Wagner, produced by Pete Wagner a mechanical engineer who took his software code for designing golf clubs into personalized ski design. As one might imagine this high tech endeavor that isn’t cheap; Wagner skis cost near $2,000. Other brands such as Igneous, the original gangsters of customs ski designs have been building hard charging skis out of Jackson, Wyoming since the ’90s. Newer brands on the scene such as Parlor out of Boston, MA, run a build class in which customers learn and build their own customized ski with the company through the course of a weekend or evening class.
Folsom Custom Skis Folsom Skis, based out of Denver began in 2008, right when the recession hit. “After years of skiing on mass produced skis and being underwhelmed, we knew that there was a better way to build skis. We were looking at the custom surf and bike industries and decided to come up with a business model similar to those. Building a better product in small volumes direct to the end user, tailored to their needs,” says McCabe. Folsom skis costs a bit less than other customs on the market at $1299, and their retail skis are on average with other larger brand prices. Since then, they have experienced steady growth, noting the last three years their sales have increased 20 percent annually for the traditional custom skis and 30 percent for semi-custom skis which are sold through retailers (such as evo and Backcountry.com). “Things are constantly crazy busy here trying to continue to dial in our processes and maintain great customer service,” says Mike McCabe, owner of Folsom Skis. “New customers are driven to us through various marketing channels and the reoccurring theme that we keep hearing is that they are just unhappy with their current ski in some way.” This sentiment is what sparked many custom ski brands including Folsom to start a ski company focused on providing skiers exactly what they want. Following our chat, McCabe sent me a ski build overview. It highlighted the shape I chose and differences in camber profile, flex, super unique top sheet, etc. Then in two weeks the skis showed up well-packed and freshly tuned. I opted for the 188cm Primary, a 141-110-131 shape with shallow reverse camber—the slickest profile I’ve ever had on a resort ski. It smears pow and arcs turn with no hookiness and is void of having a five-point design – a shape many “all mountain powder skis” have nowadays which makes skiing easy but dumbs down the skis’ arc through variable terrain. The 25m turn radius rails, and when combined with the moderately stiff flex tailored to my height and weight, the poplar, maple and bamboo wood core and fiberglass laminate, it skis like a dream. So should you build a custom ski? One glance at your local ski shop’s wall, or end of season demo event, in which thousands of skis are available may have you thinking otherwise. There has to be a ski that will work for me here? There probably is. But, if you have an idea of what you like and want some ownership in your boards, then a custom ski is for you. It supports the smaller side of the industry that has always spurred broader change and having skis designed specifically around your style and preferences can certainly make skiing more fun—because that is the ultimate goal.
A List of Gear That’ll Elevate Your Next Backcountry Camping Trip
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During the emergence of fat skis and reverse camber in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, when small brands challenged the establishment for shapes and styles that the core audience craved, small ski manufacturers flooded manufacturing scene as well. At the time, the larger ski brands weren’t ready to fully dive into the new era, and it allowed for smaller companies who were willing to explore this new territory and grab market share.
Eventually some of those smaller brands fizzled as the rest of the industry caught up, while others grew to become major players, such as Armada and DPS.
The independent ski revolution had a basic premise: produce skis that skiers wanted rather than be dictated by what’s selling best at the time (not a very progressive business model, it would seem). This simple mantra lives on now through the custom ski business.
Today, there are a few custom ski manufacturers that have gained notoriety. Brands like Wagner, produced by Pete Wagner a mechanical engineer who took his software code for designing golf clubs into personalized ski design. As one might imagine this high tech endeavor that isn’t cheap; Wagner skis cost near $2,000.
Other brands such as Igneous, the original gangsters of customs ski designs have been building hard charging skis out of Jackson, Wyoming since the ’90s. Newer brands on the scene such as Parlor out of Boston, MA, run a build class in which customers learn and build their own customized ski with the company through the course of a weekend or evening class.
Folsom Skis, based out of Denver began in 2008, right when the recession hit. “After years of skiing on mass produced skis and being underwhelmed, we knew that there was a better way to build skis. We were looking at the custom surf and bike industries and decided to come up with a business model similar to those. Building a better product in small volumes direct to the end user, tailored to their needs,” says McCabe.
Folsom skis costs a bit less than other customs on the market at $1299, and their retail skis are on average with other larger brand prices. Since then, they have experienced steady growth, noting the last three years their sales have increased 20 percent annually for the traditional custom skis and 30 percent for semi-custom skis which are sold through retailers (such as evo and Backcountry.com).
“Things are constantly crazy busy here trying to continue to dial in our processes and maintain great customer service,” says Mike McCabe, owner of Folsom Skis. “New customers are driven to us through various marketing channels and the reoccurring theme that we keep hearing is that they are just unhappy with their current ski in some way.” This sentiment is what sparked many custom ski brands including Folsom to start a ski company focused on providing skiers exactly what they want.
Following our chat, McCabe sent me a ski build overview. It highlighted the shape I chose and differences in camber profile, flex, super unique top sheet, etc. Then in two weeks the skis showed up well-packed and freshly tuned.
I opted for the 188cm Primary, a 141-110-131 shape with shallow reverse camber—the slickest profile I’ve ever had on a resort ski. It smears pow and arcs turn with no hookiness and is void of having a five-point design – a shape many “all mountain powder skis” have nowadays which makes skiing easy but dumbs down the skis’ arc through variable terrain. The 25m turn radius rails, and when combined with the moderately stiff flex tailored to my height and weight, the poplar, maple and bamboo wood core and fiberglass laminate, it skis like a dream.
So should you build a custom ski? One glance at your local ski shop’s wall, or end of season demo event, in which thousands of skis are available may have you thinking otherwise. There has to be a ski that will work for me here? There probably is.
But, if you have an idea of what you like and want some ownership in your boards, then a custom ski is for you. It supports the smaller side of the industry that has always spurred broader change and having skis designed specifically around your style and preferences can certainly make skiing more fun—because that is the ultimate goal.
A List of Gear That’ll Elevate Your Next Backcountry Camping Trip
Read article
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
A List of Gear That’ll Elevate Your Next Backcountry Camping Trip
Read article
A List of Gear That’ll Elevate Your Next Backcountry Camping Trip
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