In an effort to be transparent with our valued customers, we wanted to offer a place for customers to ask our president questions about RAMP skis, snowboards, and longboards. If you have a question for Mike that you want addressed in his weekly blog, please email [email protected] and include "Ask Mike" in the subject line.

Hello friends of RAMP,

It's been very fall like in Park City for a week or two now, light rain, occasional downpours, a winter pattern. Snow on mountain tops this past weekend. I'm hoping this is a preview of what's in store, LOTS of that great dusty snow.

The factory is really busy, it's great to see all the projects underway and coming together. We are working hard to find a way to upcycle all of our factory scrap. I am resisting as much as is possible to throw the scrap in landfills. This scrap is primarily strips of ski and snowboard material about 5-feet long, the thickness profile of a typical ski or board, and about 3/4 inches wide in the middle, tapering at both ends. The material has the 8210 Nylon material on top, the carbon sintered base on bottom, layers of fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon, and bamboo in between. It also has Super Sap cured resin holding it all together. So it's not toxic, and it is very strong and weather resistant. There is no metal in it. I bet in a landfill it would last hundreds of years. We now have thousands of pieces. Our famous Yeti is made from this material. We can put it in the local landfill for $25 per ton.

I am determined not to but we need your help. And in exchange we are willing to help you win a LOT of RAMP product. We have been working hard to develop other uses for this scrap material and have developed many creative ideas:

Fencing for ranches (put on the top strand of barbed wire so animals see it better)

Snow barrier fencing for the sides of highways (when I drive across Wyoming on a snowy, windy day, I wish these were all

along the highway)

Reinforcement for artificial lumber (ground up it would help make these boards stronger)

Dog park fences

Erosion prevention for backfill projects

Backfill for landscaping projects where something is needed to tie the area together, stronger barriers.

Ski resort fill to prevent erosion on trails

Resort terrain park materials

Artificial reef habitat

Art projects like our Yeti (huge potential here for high schools and colleges, towns with bike paths)

Habitat for Humanity structural materials

Shelter materials

Display materials for creation of booths for shows

Thatch roofing material, much better than straw or hay

Can it be incorporated as a strength additive into other molded products such as simple plastic injected materials that need reinforcing?

Corn Hole games (grind up and use it for the material in bags)

Bean bag chair fill

Furniture fill

I'm just letting my imagination run here, you get the idea.

Whomever comes up with a real use, it gets taken away and used wins any 4 RAMP products. Skis, snowboards, or longboards. This is as much as a $4,000 MSRP value. We are willing to help with shipping-arranging transport. MORE DETAILS HERE

Together, we can create a re-use for this great material. I know if, as a group we think about this, apply the collective intelligence of our community, anything is possible. I am bound and determined to not throw this material away, but time is pressing, we are going to be overwhelmed soon.

RAMP is proud to be making world class skis, snowboards, and longboards in Park City and finding ways to be responsible while doing it.

Thanks for listening. Let me know your thoughts. Comment below or email me questions ([email protected]).

Mike Kilchenstein, CESnow