Folsom Skis

[ExoticSkis]

Some are simply using "old fashioned" non-computer-controlled milling machines...using physical templates and patterns in milling machines instead of CAD drawings to control the creation of shapes....of course there are still a very few hard-core all-wood ski builders hand-shaping their skis and cores..but that's a different kettle of fish......I will bet CNC is the norm these days...as people invest in fancy milling hardware to stay competitive and reduce waste of materials and time...I'm no expert by any means...but talking to lots of ski builders helps a little...

[iggyskier]

You telling me there are manufacturers not using cnc's?
They hand carving-their cores and bases?

I doubt there are many doing it really by hand, but I have definitely seen video of Option snowboards doing their cores just using a router table and cnc'ed templates, Hell if I remember correctly from the Igneous skis video on "The snaz" or whatever they were cutting their base material by hand with a razor....

It seems most mfg have their own cnc stuff or get their stuff cnc'ed, though.

[PNW Skier]

Check it out. they got featured in powmag

[ex-powderbroker]

I just got an ad for Boone Skis at the top of my gmail. It's kind of an interesting small business model to achieve economy of scale. Very MBA. They're only making two skis, with three different top sheets, for a total of 3000 skis/yr. I'm not sure if that's 3000 in each size, but they're only offering 170 or 180s.

There should be some reviews over at NSers because they are cheap / $449 and have TEH SICKSET GARPHICS.

[PowTron]

There should be some reviews over at NSers because they are cheap / $449 and have TEH SICKSET GARPHICS.

Dude's who ski in VT, and live in NYC should really dig these...your radness would be untouchable.

I have never skied them, but the lineup for sure has longer then 180's. A pretty tasty looking ski called the Gambit caught my eye just now.

[ex-powderbroker]

The only thing all the skis in my bedroom do for me is raise the eyebrows of the gf. But I don't think that is a particularly unique event to NYC, right?

[adrenalated]

Just checked Folsom's site, looks like they have a few new shapes this year. Some of y'all who like long skis might be interested in the Penitentiary - 138-111-126 and comes in 190 and 200cm. The Gambit also looks interesting at 148-118-126 in 185 and 195cm with tapered tips and tails.

[schindlerpiste]

Bump for the 2012-2013 season. I am stoked about this company's foresight and product.

[pappag]

ANOTHER ski company?

Attention: Please see "Snowboarding 1996" to see what is going to happen to skiing soon...

PMGear, Moment, DPS...fine, but no more

HA! Four years later and none of those companies are slowing down with more added since then that are also going strong. Nostradamus you are not.

[PowTron]

HA! Four years later and none of those companies are slowing down with more added since then that are also going strong. Nostradamus you are not.

I stand severely corrected...it is awesome though digging up four year old posts and rubbing them in my face like a dog. I should find some of your old ones, haha

[Sessiøn]

I stand severely corrected...it is awesome though digging up four year old posts and rubbing them in my face like a dog. I should find some of your old ones, haha

You don't have to go quite 4 years back.

[PowTron]

You don't have to go quite 4 years back.

Yes, 4 hours may suffice.

[eskido]

What’s the consensus from Folsom owners these days? Not a lot here other than some sale threads (yes, I did a thoroughly quick, short, and shitty search). Look like solid sticks, Blister seems to dig em. Maybe a little bougie, but pricing really isn’t far off from a small craft semi custom co. What say the masses on quality, durability, and rock n roll? These cats go full throttle? Would you rock em? Why or why not?

[Quandary]

I have been to the shop. Quality operation, quality product. Mike the owner is a good guy. I think when talking with them to design your ski they tend to skew soft, keep that in mind. Had a pair of powder skis made by them a couple of years ago, very nice quality. They are on the expensive side and their sales don't give you much of a break like Praxis. Overall I prefer Praxis. However they do change up they're shapes and have a bigger variety for core options. It seems like they are catering to more of the Aspen type crowd, they have a store front in Aspen. Their satisfaction guarantee is solid. All in all they can design and build you a good pair of skis.

[doebedoe]

Generally agree with Quandary. Their shop is about 2mi from my house...bought a few random bindings and parts from them and toured around with Mike. High-quality builds, know what they are doing and certainly make good-looking sticks. I haven't been on them because pricing just ain't as attractive as Praxis summer sales.

[adrenalated]

That's a good summary. They're good skis, well made, and they can build skis that fuckin' rally if you want them to. They've figured out that the market for skis in their price range tends to skew to the Aspen crowd so they market that way, but they definitely know how to build chargers too.

I've considered them more than once over the years, but never bought a pair because I've always been able to get the ski I wanted from ON3P or Praxis at a lower price.

It's superficial, but their graphics game is killer. On a $1500 ski I think that matters.

[eskido]

Great input, thanks guys! Pretty on par with my thoughts but wanted some real world beta. Seem like good folks and high quality stuff for sure. Super keen to try out their SRC on the Primary 110 but at even at summer sale pricing it’s pretty much a pipe dream I think. Dig the core layup as well, hammer profile could be FN money. Did get to chat in lift line with some cats on em that were highly stoked

Totally agree about the graphics

[doebedoe]

If you're ever going through Denver, they are super accomodating with hooking up demos. Their shop isn't far off I70 and they are easy to work with. I keep meaning to do that but having skis in a locker at the hill makes me lazy AF.

[PNWcement]

I've been able to find little used Folsom's in-expensive on the used market (here and elsewhere) to help conserve cash so I can still have a quiver, but keep my ever growing kids in gear so they can ski with me - so have a 186 98mm underfoot that has been good on low-tide or hard snow days, grabbed a 196 Rapture craigslist find for a big pow day quiver ski that fit my BSL perfectly (been fun but only skied them less than 1/2 doz times) and grabbed some 190 Primary's in late winter this year as a chase the kids around type of ski that I could relax on a bit more. All had long before they went the way of a shop in Aspen....

I had Praxis Freerides that I liked but sold earlier this year and have Quixote's for reference as well.

Also extensively used ON3P 108 Woodsman's last season for FWIW and that will likely be my daily again this year..

They are well made, look good, and will last - just need to find the shape/style that fits your skiing but there are other quality choices in ON3P/Praxis for better price points with equal construction/materials.

[Ørion]

Unsurprising that a custom ski manufacturer doesn't have an extremely active thread here, but thought I'd add to it as I ran across a pair of used Folsom Blister Pros for the right price recently and the history behind the skis intrigued me so I snagged them.

The Folsom Blister Pro was created in partnership with Blister Reviews in an attempt, effectively, to make Jonathan Ellsworth's ideal variable condition all-mountain ski. Limited edition and only available in 186cm, but still available as a "custom" Primary 104 for an eye-watering $1450. You can read their thoughts on the ski here.

With the caveat that breadth of my ski experience is extremely limited: the majority of my ski experience has been on 17/18 QST 106 181cm skis, with some time on Armada ARV 96s, random too-short rentals, and, during deep days (new this season), 18/19 ON3P Billy Goat 114 in 186cm.

My first day out with them was an absolute disaster. Visibility was like the inside of a ping-pong ball, it was snaining, snow had the glide of sandpaper... you know, standard Snoqualmie conditions. The skis about destroyed me and I was seriously considering doing a catch-and-release by the end of it. They were absolutely punishing, the tails felt like they were in a different zip-code when I tried turning, Quads had given up and were rocking back and forth crying in the corner, I'd randomly hook an edge and have a leg exit stage-door left, and I had felt more flex with a Home Depot 2x4.

My second time though! Bluebird day at Crystal with a small refresh the night before. Pretty much ideal conditions and the ski just clicked with me. I think the more forgiving tails of my daily driving QSTs had given me some bad habits which the Blister Pros didn't tolerate. They reward good technique multiple times over and I instantly felt like a better and more confident skier once I got a handle on them.

Since that day and almost a dozen since, these things have been absolutely amazing. They're terrifyingly stable at speed and the stiff flex returns significant energy in the carve and provides comfortable suspension when everything is chopped up or when catching little airs.

The 186cm Blister Pro is admittedly just imperceptibly longer than my 184cm Billy Goats, but the effective edge is ~10cm longer than my QSTs, which is noticeable but not unwelcomed. I'm actually a bit surprised at how maneuverable they still feel in relation to my old daily drivers. I'm not a tight-tree skier (yet) but I haven't found myself wishing for shorter skis as I played in the trees off the (Crystal, WA) Green Valley lift or picking through bumps.

I haven't had the chance to take them out on a deeper day yet (the siren call of the Billy Goats is just too much to overcome) but I am tempted. They've performed admirably in 6" of tracked out Cascade concrete though.

Would I pay retail for Primary 104? I'm an avowed used-ski buyer so I'm not the one to ask but I suspect that the value proposition isn't there over similar mass-manufactured skis. Would I recommend snagging a pair if you see them used? Definitely, they're the first ski I reach for now and I don't see that changing until the inevitable curiosity of the grass being greener on the other side gets to me.

My biggest complaint is that the top sheets seem especially fragile (but then again I'm comparing them to the hyper durable ON3P).

Oh, and the forward pressure of a properly adjusted Marker Jester bindings is garbage to step into. First experience with them and they're now a negative mark when weighing any future used quiver purchases.