TR - PM Gear BRO Model Factory 12/15/04
I had the pleasure of meeting my first Maggot in person last night (Splat!) for a quick tour of the PM Gear BRO model maufacturing facility in north Reno, along with a chance to interview Splat and his partner about their goals as ski manufacturers. The full version of the story/interview will come out as a feature in the Low Down Magazine up here in Tahoe in January.
I met Splat at the 7-11, and followed him to the shop, where he introduced me to his manufacturing team as they were slaving away in their 12th hour of work trying to get the BRO models out to the Maggots as fast as they can.
Having visited the Igneous Skis shop back in the day to pick up my sticks and talk with Adam about the trials and tribulations of a small ski manufacturer, I had a somewhat elementary knowledge of the "boutique" ski manufacturing process (and particularly how hard it is to make skis on-time and under-budget). I was glad to see that the PM gear folks have managed to use their ingenuity and experience in making snowboards to overcome some of the hiccups and limitations that Igneous faced in Jackson.
So for those of you eagerly awaiting your skis - have patience, the parts are there, and these guys are literally working around the clock to get them made and more importantly, to make them right. They are so hell-bent on getting the skis made as fast as possible, their VP of sales and marketing (who I used to work with at a hotel in Squaw, and who is also a ripping snowboarder and a skilled machinist/manufacturer) was even in there at 10PM last night prepping sets of BROS for the presses.
I can speak personally to the frustration of shelling out what to most of us is a substantial chunk of cash for a killer set of boards and having to wait and wait and wait for them as the snow starts to fly. Trust me - the wait is worth it, and cutting Splat and crew a little slack is more than deserved. They are solid, good people who are busting their asses to get these skis out as fast as they humanly can.
That is all.
