Scott Andrus – Founder, ON3P Skis (Ep.16)

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So you’re thinking of buying a new ski. You’ve read some reviews, you have a sense of what sort of ski you’re looking for, and then you walk into a shop that has an entire wall of colorful options.

Question: Aside from the graphics, what’s the difference between one ski from the next? How do you tell whether a ski is well-built or poorly-built? What sort of things should you be looking for?

We’ve just returned from our review trip to the PNW, and our very first stop in Portland was at the ON3P Skis factory, where we checked in with ON3P’s founder, Scott Andrus.

Of all the people I know in the ski industry, there is no one I talk to who obsesses more about the minute details of ski building & finishing than Scott.

So I talked to Scott about how to tell the difference between a quality build and a crap build, and we go on to talk about a bunch of other stuff, too, including:

• ON3P’s new ski lineup (and Scott’s personal favorite).
• Why ON3P loves a good bidet. (No joke.)
• The real and perceived differences between “major” ski companies and smaller “indie” companies.
• The role of “teams” at ski companies, plus how — and how not — to get sponsored.
• Why ON3P isn’t in the race to build the lightest skis out there.
• We also ask Scott several questions from Blister readers and listeners, and we talk about the cat farm that Scott is probably going to start if he ever stops building skis…

My advice is to listen closely at the start of this one — you’ll very quickly get the sense that not all skis are created equal, and hopefully, you’ll be able to size up various skis yourself with a more critical eye.

And then after about the first 10 minutes, you can relax a bit and listen to us discuss a bunch of other good stuff – including Scott’s future cat farm.

Show Notes

• Be like the pros at ON3P with a bidet of your own! (Scott recommends this one.)

• Some photos from around the ON3P factory:

ON3P Podcast, Scott Andrus Blister Gear Review

ON3P Podcast, Scott Andrus Blister Gear Review
One of the sweeter ski chairs we’ve seen…
ON3P Podcast, Scott Andrus Blister Gear Review
There are a LOT of steps that go into making a ski. These are the steps it takes just to shrinkwrap a finished ski.

ON3P Podcast, Scott Andrus Blister Gear Review

ON3P Podcast, Scott Andrus Blister Gear Review
The Grizzlycorn, in all its glory.
ON3P Podcast, Scott Andrus Blister Gear Review
One of the walls in the ON3P bathroom. (The bidet is to the left.)
ON3P Podcast, Scott Andrus Blister Gear Review
In case you were unsure, ON3P builds their skis in ‘Murica.

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