Originally Posted by splat
I feel damn lucky to know TeleRob. Just gotta say it. We go back about 15 years now and he's simply one of the most rock-solid friends I've ever had. When we first decided to make skis, Rob showed up and said "If you're going to make skis, I'm here to make sure you make a good ski." He went to Argentina to test them with me and then made endless trips to Hood with me to correct the mistakes of the nitwits at Slouch Snowboards who screwed up the cores. And then he shows up to rewire my garage and help me get the press running so we can get to making skis a couple days after I get out of the hospital, where I ended up after a wicked stomach infection. Aside from being one of the best tele skiers in the world - The Dude ROCKS. :fm: :yourock: :fm:
Even if he totally kicked my weak ass trying to keep up with him while operating on one cylinder and a ton of oxy.
But it's not like we just start making skis. There's a shitload of prep still to be done on materials still to be obtained. The camber block in the press was designed for 15mm of camber. We have since lowered it to 5mm. We have one minor adjustment of no consequence to make on the top block and it's a go. We're a hair away from getting some additional financing to move into a bigger place, but until then, we'll crank out skis in the PM Gear World Headquarters garage. The fact that I've been in ski-building school for the last two years makes this effort easy and makes having spent the last winter in Northern Quebec totally worth it. Being able to step into a real ski factory and crank out skis was a definite feather in my cap of continuing edjucashun. ;) Now it's time to take control of our destiny and I couldn't be happier. Even after eating it financially with two shitbag manufacturers lying to us and cheating us at every juncture, we perservered, and we will now do what we were always destined to do: make our own skis.
The concept of PM Gear from the beginning was to create a maggot company that would offer those involved a way out of less than desirable jobs and places where they live to be a part of the sport we love and eventually move production and housing close to the snow. That is our dream and we are one step closer. Thanks to everyone here.
We will strive to make you proud of what our little online community can do with all the good energy that resides here.
Again, thanks to all of you.
:yourock:
