We’ll be the first to tell you that COVID brought the North American ski season to a screeching halt. With the necessary policies going into place for the good of the public health, Folsom closed the doors on the Aspen shop, and sales across the board just about flat lined. With the exception of some early Summer Sale builds rolling in, and a handful of uphill touring skis, we were uncharacteristically and painfully slow for most of March and April.
As we watched the need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) dramatically increase, we knew the right thing to do was to put our machinery to work to assist in slowing the spread of the COVID pandemic. Most importantly, there was no time to waste.
With hospitals running well over their patient capacity, Colorado’s frontline workers and healthcare professionals were the first to be addressed. Our friends at Parlor Skis helped us get on the right track with material sourcing and general manufacturing of protective face shields. Our machinery and production staff were able to manufacture thousands of face shields that were distributed to hospitals and primary care providers across the state. Shields were purchased by their end users directly, and also on a donation basis from Folsom’s clientele to healthcare professionals in need.
After an overwhelming response from primary care providers outside of the hospitals (think dentists, optometrists, etc.), we saw a demand for face shields that accommodated loupes. (Loupes are the magnifying glasses that surgeons, dentists, and other medical professional wear.) Again with assistance from our fellow ski builders at Shaggy’s Skis, we were able to provide the Colorado market with protective shields that kept the users safe at an affordable price.
The face shields were certainly a success in our eyes, but as custom ski manufacturers, deep down we desired a PPE product that required a bit more engineering and complexity. When one of our favorite restaurants just down the road from Folsom Headquarters reached out to us for a custom cashier’s partition build out, we immediately felt our creative spark become reignited. PPE partitions (or cashier’s shields as the product page is titled) began to sell extremely quickly for buyers across all industries. Dentists, hospitals, sporting goods stores, restaurants, and many other buyers were all very enthusiastic to buy an affordable partition that was built in the US at a lightning fast turnaround time. Our prices were lower than Amazon’s, and we could have partitions shipped out same day for orders landing before 3p. No one else was providing a service like this.
With the success of the standardized partitions, Folsom began taking on larger custom installations as well. Notable buildouts were designed and executed for larger retail stores, hospitals, and even universities, primarily in the greater Denver area…
While custom ski building is where out hearts lie, it does feel good to be manufacturing PPE to keep this crazy world in as safe of a state as we can. If you or anyone you know is interested in a custom installation for your business, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are committed to continuing PPE orders in addition to ski building as long as there is a demand for it.
Custom Ski Summer Sale Inquiry