Romp Skis Introduces Comp-M For Freestyle Groms.

Romp Skis, Crested Butte, Co. Custom ski manufacturer, Romp, are pleased to launch a limited run ski for up and coming young freestyle mogul skiers. This new competition level mogul ski is the product of a three-way collaboration between the Crested Butte based custom ski maker, Romp, Canadian freestyle coach, Freddy Mooney, and SEND Strategy, a mountain-based brand consultancy.

The Romp Comp-M is available for pre-order now through Romp Skis website, rompskis.com. Comp-M will be offered in three sizes: 133cm, 140cm, and 147cm. Due to Romp’s custom ski production schedule, this ski will only be available for sale from September through mid- October 2020. The Comp-M ski pre-orders will be produced in October/November 2020 and shipped to competitors in November.

The Comp-M ski was born from a parent’s need. SEND Strategy owner, Matt Pacocha ran into kid ski woes during the 2019/20 season when his, then, nine-year-old son and aspiring mogul skier, Max, broke four pairs of kid’s skis in three months; one of which was a mogul specific model from a niche manufacturer.

“Luckily, one pair was warrantied... twice,” said Pacocha. “Regardless, even with the warranty we were forced to buy a pair at the high point of the season—December—and then that pair broke and required professional repair. Between buying new skis, replacement skis, warranty, and repair costs we were right at that $700 number, which is the current benchmark cost of the top (only) kid’s mogul ski. Of course, this piles on top of competition program fees, travel and event costs. I got to the point where I thought, ‘how can we ease the burden a little bit for the parents of these freestyle rippers, including myself?!”

Romp’s kid’s skis, including this special Comp-M, are made using the same methods and materials that ROMP uses to build their adult skis.

“We started making kids skis for our kids and then for their friends and it grew on its own from that point,” says Caleb Weinberg, co-owner of Romp Skis. “We don’t make any money making them but, it’s too much fun to see a little ripper excelling on a pair of real skis. Our kids’ skis our made with the same quality and craftsmanship as our full-size models.”

While Romp has been making skis for over 10 years—including individual custom skis and a custom model produced for the military under a US Government contract. Before Comp-M they had not developed a freestyle mogul ski before the Comp-M.

To pull this off, SEND brought in Canadian World Cup Freestyle team coach, Freddy Mooney, to dial in the mogul specific design. His 10-year-old daughter, Bella, served as chief prototype tester. Bella tested the first Comp-M iteration during a summer session on the Mount Hood glacier this past August. Comp-M got a thumbs up from both Bella and Freddy after putting all of these ideas to snow.

“I am excited about the opportunity to be involved with this project,” said Mooney. “I’ve dabbled in ski design in the past, where I previously worked with Fortitude Skis to design a couple of mogul and big mountain skis. When Matt approached me to be a part of this, I was interested professionally as a coach, personally as a ski parent, and intellectually as a science nerd and lifelong ski enthusiast. After watching my daughter ski on the prototype on Mt Hood, I came away thinking Romp hit it out of the park with these skis. They have the perfect combo of sidecut and flex for young skiers to be able to progress and have fun.”

Depending on the demand for Comp-M during the 20/21 season, Romp, SEND, and Mooney plan to continue to evolve the Comp-M project. The hope is to grow the success of Comp-M and the groms’ sending on it for seasons to come.

Founded in Crested Butte, Colorado in 2010 by brothers, Morgan and Caleb Weinberg, Romp Skis offers handcrafted custom skis tailored to each customer’s skills and needs. Using the latest technologies and materials in ski manufacturing, Romp carefully selects the wood mix, flex, and shape for each ski depending on the individual's ski ability, terrain preference, and style. Romp Skis are beautifully sculpted by hand and are some of the highest quality custom products in their space. Romp Skis are meticulously designed and crafted with one goal in mind, to make skiing more fun.