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The past 12 months have been a whirlwind. The uncertainty that COVID initially brought to the ski world was unparalleled, and left many small businesses wondering how much longer they’d be around for. Thankfully the ’20-21 ski season drew thousands of new skiers to the ski areas across the globe, and there was no shortage in demand for high quality and locally built ski gear. It’s been a little while since we’ve given you a season update, here’s what we’ve been up to…
We’ll be the first ones to say that here at Folsom, we’ve got a lot of shape options. Part of how we align our customers with the perfect shape is by having so many molds and geometries to choose from. So we figured the least we could do would be to organize all of these shapes in a more clear and concise manner.
Moving forward, Folsom shapes will be categorized into shape families. These families correspond to specific types of snow conditions, and the skier types that will benefit most from using them.
The Spar Family balances hardpack precision and frontside carving with all-mountain performance. It generally features narrower waist widths and shorter turn shapes. The Completo Family utilizes tapered tips and tails to create a user-friendly and intuitive ski, making it a great candidate for a one-ski-quiver. The more aggressive Cash Family balances a tapered tip with full length sidecut through the tails of the skis for added power. At 106 and 117 mm underfoot, the Cash can be a daily driver or big mountain machine. The Primary Family does not utilize any taper, and features tip-to-tail sidecut for superior stability and control at higher speeds. Another all mountain, one-ski-quiver choice for demanding skiers, particularly in the wider widths. Lastly, Folsom’s Reserves are fan favorite specialty shapes that don’t fall into a specific family. Don’t worry, we’re still building them with all of our signature build options.
We gave you guys a teaser on the aerospace-grade Functionalized Graphene Oxide, and we are excited to be using it in select touring constructions moving forward. For just an extra $50 MITO’s Functionalized Graphene Oxide additive can be used in your touring ski’s build to significantly amplify the skis’ energy and reactiveness, with next to no additional weight added. The ’21-22 season will dictate the applications of MITO Functionalized Graphene Oxide in alpine / resort skis, so stay tuned on the R&D efforts in that realm.
Additionally, a new base branding design has been implemented that gives our base material better durability and longevity. Rather than the older Punch and Die method, we’ve moved to a seamed in section of dye sublimated material in the tip. This allows for (1) a longer lasting bond with less inconsistencies, and (2) more room for creativity in the base design process. Standard custom builds will receive the classic blue background with mountain-inspired topo lines, complete with white Folsom branding.
The uptick in demand for outdoor consumer goods has put serious strain on the industry. Manufacturers who outsource their production are dealing with nightmare supply chain scenarios… shipping containers lost off-shore with thousands of skis or bikes on them, significant delays on production in overseas facilities, etc. Fortunately, as a US-based brand that manufactures their skis in-house, Folsom has been able to steer clear of these issues. With the exception of a few raw material delays (i.e. the only materials we can’t source domestically), our production has been running flawlessly and is able to meet the growing consumer demand.
But while we may be able to source materials, we are quickly growing out of our current manufacturing space in Denver. With production staff working practically shoulder to shoulder at Folsom HQ, it became clear we needed more space.
Over the course of the summer and fall of 2021, Folsom has negotiated terms to take up another 2000 sqft. of office and manufacturing space at our Denver, CO headquarters. The additional front of house space will be leveraged to give us a proper showroom at HQ which is long overdue. For sale at the Denver showroom will be a large spread of new softgoods options, along with bindings, and a select line of Folsom Signature Series stock skis (similar to what is for sale on the retail side in Aspen). Stay tuned for more announcements as the space gets built out over the next few weeks.
On the production side, another ~1500 ft. of manufacturing space will be added to accommodate more finish machinery, a proper staging room for our increased weekly shipping volume, significantly greater storage for raw materials and finished skis, and ultimately a 2nd CNC machine (likely next spring / summer).
To compliment our Denver Headquarters, we are thrilled to be back in Aspen for our 3rd season operating out of the Hub of Aspen at 616 E Hyman Ave. Customers can demo a variety of alpine and touring skis, purchase stock skis, or go through Folsom’s custom fit consultation with a ski design expert at Folsom’s Aspen location. Also for sale is a robust selection of uphill touring skis, bindings (alpine and touring), climbing skins, and other ski accessories. Additionally, we’ve added a large inventory of softgoods for you to represent your favorite custom ski builders around town.
Folsom Custom Skis Aspen is targeting around November 19th for a formal opening.
If you’ve made it this far, you deserve some credit. How about free shipping on any softgoods order through 11/30? Use code THANKYOU to apply at checkout…