$333 skis

check out the tgr link, hes had some back n forth with the guy. 

pumped to see iggy supporting this homie!

I talked about it in the tgr thread a bit.

I think his execution is awesome and seeing him make it work out of such a small space is very cool.  Going to be interesting to see how things shape up now that he has switched to a more production-oriented side of things.

He has a ton of experience and some cool ideas, so I bet he will make it work no problem.

Do I think the skis will be of the same quality that I am putting out with ON3P, or the moment guys, or Pat at PMgear, etc?  No, to be honest I don't.  But do I think he can deliver some ripping, fun custom sticks at very affordable cost to people?  Definitely.  Obviously his pricing is very affordable.  I can tell you that knowing the work, materials, and everything else that goes into our skis, I feel that our retail pricing, which is going to start $499-649 is IMO very very reasonable, and our presale pricing is steal.

I know with us, his material pricing is way, way, way cheaper than ours, and it is cool that he has been able to source materials that cheaply.  They plywood cores are very affordable, and he seems to find that they work very well, so that drops his cost down a lot.  ON3P decision to use bamboo is definitely a costly one and I can assure you bamboo is damn expensive, but the riding qualities are what I feel make our skis unique.  If you ask most people who have tried our skis, they often have a hard time describing them because the characteristics are very damp but very poppy, a weird combo, and it is something that I want in our skis that we find we don't find using other core materials.

Then you have added cost by improved topsheet material, thicker race base material and thicker edges, base graphics, topsheet graphics (which he is now offering for extra cash), rubber in the tip and tail, UMHW sidewalls (he is just doing a cap so no sidewalls), mounting mat, 3" carbon stringers (and damn carbon is expensive), etc, it adds up materials wise.

So, I guess my opinion is that this is just a different take on skibuilding, and it is very cool to see.  I mean how badass is it to actually have a ski factory in a trailer?  I think when you look at his start up costs (I think he said the whole trailer cost him only $4,500!!  We will have tools that, by themselves, cost 4 times that) and material costs, and what he is offering, that it is great and hopefully it gives some people the chance to get a custom ski who would otherwise have never been able to afford it. 

From what I gather, he has already received a lot of orders and is basically setting up a sizeable production run coming up here, so reviews, or at least inital impressions, of his skis will likely be coming out pretty soon.

From the man himself posting on TGR...

"In the http://333skis.com/faqs.php I lay out my costs. You may have followed the crowd and failed on the build side, to bad, sounds like you really wanted to succeed. I make mistakes all the day long but what was your nut at the first of each month. Rent, electrical bill, employees, heating, phone. I've got one bill, car insurance, well make it two, my cell phone. Yes warranty claims can be an issue. I'd better be good."

"I'm not sure I claim I can do "anything that is desirable". As for a full sheet of carbon, I'd tell the client to go and buy the best skis made, I think they are called Goody, and there made in China. Flat sheet carbon sucks in compression, fractures and then what. Back to them awesome Chinese Goodies skis. Ever work with carbon tubes, hollow, and strong in compression, inlayed over the rail, stiffening the ski along the length axis. They are $4 per rod and its take 3 per set of skis."

"If you build skis, then why would you use a vertical laminated core? Think about it, horizontal is much more rigid along the cross axis lending torsional strength to a ski. Oh, yeh, thats what they told you to buy so you paid the $10 plus per core. The core I've been using is void free, birch, compressed in a 22 ton press, and is strong as shit, it cost $2 per core."


"If you give a regular guy a sushi knife and ask him to prepare for the Emperor, he might say, fuck this knife is sharp, cut my finger. Hell if your spotty on your "flame treating by hand," give the job to somebody who can handle a MAPP torch."


"3 hours in a production shop is a long number. If you said, I am going to follow the crowd, build a slow shop, then yes 3 hours would seem a hard measure. What if you said, "I'll build a shop that can build in less then 3 hours." Is it possible? Not if your stupid. I'm just above stupid, hell I used trash to build the box my factory is in."

"Yes, heating the edge to bend it to anchor does blow the Rockwell 52 hardness, but that part of the edge is 4 cm of the snow and if you manage to wack the edge on that spot and some how blow the steel apart, I'll warranty the ski. The rockwell 52 is meant for maintaining a sharp edge and take the abuse of rock hits that usually happen in the effective edge, base section of the ski. Hey, rail slide, back country, stairs might get it to blow up though. Anyway, it very common in large factories, on full wrap edges to be electrically arced red hot to form the curves."

"3 hours to build a set of skis." This is a problem on the site. What I meant to say is it take me 3 hours labor. When skis are in the press stack under ambient heat, I did not factor in this time for the labor. This is because I am not standing around waiting for the skis to cure, I am working on the next ski. This I am sorry about. My misunderstanding of how this 3 hour mark would be interpreted is unfortunate, I have corrected the Web site. My heat is actually created from a propane flame in an ambient air environment. The primary press rack is on top of the roof of the trailer where a solar box kicks down some serious heat. There is an 8 rack up top. I believe in a full cure. Again, the 3 hour statement I've made did apply to real labor on my part. I do not set skis to snow in three hours, they do need to full cure for the integrity of the camber and or rocker. Again, I am sorry for my mistake on the 3 hour statement."

"Maybe you do sloppy work, I do not. Show me the picture of the rail package you built. The router is standard fair."

"The picture of the anchor is sloppy, I agree. So maybe sometimes I do get sloppy. But the truth is, that was my first shot at the idea. Now the edge "pocket" is void free and clean. I'll post pictures soon."

"And fuck yes, it is ply wood, imported, void free, less then 2% fill, and it is as good as a vertically laminated core which cost 5 times as much. Tell me one reason why you would build with a vertical laminated core. I'm all ears."

"No, I do not use soy epoxies, if you know about them, let me know, I've been looking for them. The carbon footprint is referring to the shop the skis are built in."

"As for American Pride, fuck that. I got no pride, so lets go buy them China built skis. I just hope you aint got children who are going to grow up owned. And if you do have children, I hope you are willing to work hard for this country, the only one I got."


"Test skis are held to the same standard but are built to be broken, tested. So the warranty is to insure I'll back up your tests for a season."

"I do not build or sell high gloss skinned skis. The material adds weight, adds cost, and does nothing for performance, but they sure make your skis look pretty. Interpret this any way you want."

"Any way, I do sound like a fuck here, had a lot of coffee. I really mean no harm but the truth is I work a hard day to make a great ski. I built the shop, the tooling, did the math, put it all at risk on a single axel (because its all I had) and sweat bullets wondering if I can make it all work for my customers and family."

I apologize if I have offended.

Michael Lish




Guy sounds a bit unprofessional, but no doubt knows what he's doing.
Already submitted my order, missed his call, but I'll call him back soon, and let you know what's in store.

thats sooo fucking cool! this guy is the man!!

If you want something that looks like a moment ski, he said he could make squared tips and tail.

O and can anyone make a design for me??? ++++karma

Sweet. What dimensions did you order?

I just sent mine in. Zero camber, early rise tips/tails, symetrical with the 130-118-130 dimensions, but I might change my waist to 110

wow thats legit thank u

so just a follow up.  i filled out the form and submitted it.  and the next day, he personally called me to talk about the ski.  Since i just put that i would design and maybe buy later, we talked just a bit about the shape and dimensions a bit.  but if you were serious about buying, im quite sure he knows his shit and could make that ski exactly to your liking.  i think its a great concept and obviously great customer service.  Someone order a park ski!

Okay so got back to calling the guy today, and this guy is DEFINITELY knowledgeable.

Mine is park based but capable of hitting groomers and pow.

Length-180cm
125-100-118
Medium flex, pretty poppy, but with a softer nose and tail for butters.

Camber underfoot, and a rocker at the tip and tail. 10cm long rocker. Low profile tips.

SOOO stoked on this.

Sounds like a Seth Vicious to me.

i really want to know how these skis will hold up in the park.  if they are about as durable as most other skis, im definitely down for a pair

i just watched point break

Anyone heard anything about the edges he uses? has he got any fat edges?

why does everyone thing cap is not quality. it seems to me that any joker can lay thin layers of wood on top of each other and make a ski but cap construction is difficult to do and waaay better. sidewalls chip like a mof. my juvys looked brand new the day i sold em after 3 yerars cuz of the cap. but my pe.s looked like shit after a year. capped is way better and its nice to see somebody doing cap out of a trailer.

I wanna try this out

dude, ROCKER!, shit yeah, ill take some $333 rockered boards

RIGHT ON.
My chronics from a few years are barely torn up at all.
My bluehouse MRs from this year?
The edges of the sidewall are soo shot.

I was planning on getting a pair of bents for next season, then i found this and i am thinking wow what a great deal.  But im not sure on quality and skiing characteristics (sp?) and so i really hope some one gets some and lets us now how they ski and what not, cuz this is a pretty sick deal.

they seem legit, but to be honest id rather pay iggy ~$$550 and get a ski i know for sure is gonna blow my head off, then pay $333 for a ski i say 'meh' when i take it out, and eventually buying a on3p ski anyways.

He didn't say cap wasn't quality. And for you to say that cap construction is better because it doesn't chip is ridiculous. They're topsheets for pete's sake, get over it.

Back to the OP, I haven't checked it out but it seems pretty cool.

I think I will be picking up a pair. He sounds like a really sick guy.

holey tits.. thats amazing

for $222 i designed a Kung Fuja/Rossi S5/Volkl Bridge mash up. Michael called me the next day to discuss it all, super personal, great guy, really knowledgeable. I might buy, it all depends on the wallet at this point

I set up a 128/96/118 ski with 18cm tip and tail rocker. hopefully this will be awesome for an east coast All mountain (i mean EVERYTHING, like 1 ski quiver to handle anything thrown at it) ski.

I'll try to do a review ASAP if i buy

i have been talking to him for that last few days and he is a really nice guy.

i think it would be better to get a powder ski from him because i dont know if a park ski would hold up as well as other compainies and you cant get a powder skis for this cheap with rocker/camber. as for park skis there are a lot out there in the same price range

Just posting what I spec'd:

I am buying a pair soon, when they get here, I will post an initial review, ride them all season, and tell you guys what I think. I am probably going to get a pair of 100 ish waisted skis with flat underfoot and early rise tip and tail. But I am getting the 222 dollar test skis. I will let you guys know.

if anyone gets some post pics!

Cool Idea

Make your dream ski for 333 bucks, this is too good to be true.

Does anyone have a pair of these yet?

bump

I just filled out an order form for a pair of test skis and i'm waiting for a call.

this is soo sick, create your dream skis for $222 and for an extra 100 make them look however u want,  i think im gonna come up with something like a center mounted rockered line elizabeth, but maybe make it symmetrical and definitely longer than 172cm

He personally called me up today and gave me the rundown. I'm definately gonna be ordering a pair. Mine were 124/90/124. Pretty Stiff with moderate camber. Pretty stoked.