Construction
Sandwich Construction
All Folsom Customs are made using a modified sandwich construction method. We believe our method produces the most durable ski possible. Sandwich construction means the materials are laid in horizontal layers from bottom to top with epoxy resin bonding each layer. This process normally produces a lot of excess material, called flash, that has to be trimmed off after curing. We, however, use a molding technique that reduces this waste by half. We are able to do this through the use of in-house CNC machining of all our materials to exact specifications.
Topsheet and Graphics
We use a special polyamide topsheet material that is softer and more stable in cold temperatures and thus resists chipping. Graphics are sublimated into the topsheet. Using special inks, the graphic is printed onto a transfer sheet and then this sheet is placed on the topsheet material. It is put into a flatbed press and heated to more than 300 degrees for a short time. The ink in the transfer paper turns to gas and penetrates into the topsheet. The graphic is now part of the topsheet material. This process yields unlimited graphic options and is low-toxic. Silk screen inks, on the other hand, are very toxic.
Epoxy Resin
The epoxy resin we use is extremely durable and expensive. It is manufactured specifically for use in our ski production. It has very low VOCs and is also 99% non-toxic.
Wood Core
Folsom’s cores are constructed of hand-selected poplar and bamboo. This means we do not buy large lots of wood. We go directly to the supplier and hand select boards for their grain orientation. We then vertically laminate each board in-house into large core blocks. Next we slice off core blanks from these blocks and individually number each blank so that each ski core is made from the same consecutive slices. This is called bookmatching. It means that each pair of skis will have exactly the same grain pattern. Finally, each core blank is precision milled on our CNC machine to a tolerance of .004 of an inch.
Fiberglass
The fiberglass we employ is specially manufactured for ski production. Furthermore, our lay-up process insures that each layer of fiberglass is completely saturated with resin. It is time consuming (we spend twice as much time on lay-up than most manufacturers), but it’s worth it. We use many different types of knitted fiberglass in the construction of a pair of Folsoms. The most common are tri-axial and biaxial knits. Every Folsom ski will have a unique fiberglass lay-up that is dialed in for the performance each skier needs.
Carbon Fiber
In addition to fiberglass we use several different modulus of aerospace carbon fiber in our skis. Carbon has incredible tensile strength (twice that of fiberglass) and is used accordingly. Carbon is a difficult material to work with, but, when its power is harnessed, you can feel it.
Rubber Dampening
Rubber foil is used in specific locations in the ski to reduce vibrations and to increase adhesion between the metal edges and the fiberglass. Our custom lay-up of this material creates an incredibly damp ski. This means no matter what the terrain, the skis will hug to it. You get a calm and stable ride.
Base
We use a custom-made sintered base material from Durasurf. We have found it to be the best combination of durability and speed. In fact, it is four times more abrasion resistant that steel. All Folsoms come with a black base and a white die-cut Folsom logo.
Sidewall
We only use UHMW sidewall material from Durasurf. This is the toughest sidewall material available. UHMW outperforms all other sidewall materials out there. It will not crack or break and handles impact better than ABS. Don’t let anyone tell you ABS sidewalls are better. ABS is only better for the manufacturer, not in the field.
Edge
Our edge material is hardened to a Rockwell hardness of 48 and is 2.1mm thick. This edge material is wrapped completely around each ski. It’s nice to have a big steel bumper.