Romp Skis, a cult-favorite brand in the Gunnison Valley, passed its keys to a new owner last month. The team believes the sale will take the local company to new heights.
Every day, many drive past the unassuming Romp warehouse tucked onto the south-side of Belleview Avenue in Crested Butte. However, on a boisterous powder day, when skiers stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the Silver Queen line, Romp skis appear everywhere.
Since its inception in a Crested Butte garage in 2010, the company has become a locals-only relic of the ski bum lifestyle. In February, Romp sold to Texas-based real estate developer Chase Gardaphe. The sale enables founder Morgan Weinberg to return to his original passion: designing Romp skis and maintaining a connection with the Gunnison Valley.
“Chase really believes in this company,” Weinberg said. “He’s super enthusiastic, and wants to increase community outreach, and work with local nonprofits and organizations. I’m excited to get back in the workshop, create new designs and improve what we do.”
On a late February afternoon, just days after the purchase, the small team of craftsmen were busy sanding down new skis. Weinberg worked alongside 10-year ski builder Andy Shabo, using a router to cut out the freshly pressed sticks. Music played over the workshop speakers, and the hum of a sander filled the warehouse with noise.
Product manager Eligh Purvis, who graduated from Western Colorado University in 2021, looked over printed artwork on his workshop table. The art, designed by local artist Sophia Mace, was a pink scene of leaves on a blue background, formatted in the shape of a ski topsheet. Skis in all different stages, some freshly sanded, others rough around the edges, rested on wooden racks.
Romp has been operating in tiny workshops its entire life. The company began near Buckhorn Ranch in Crested Butte. Inspired by the hand-shaped surfboard shops along the California coast, construction workers Morgan and Caleb Weinberg hopped on the amateur ski building trend in 2010. The brothers churned out eight sets of skis that winter and handed them out to friends. Fourteen years later, GearJunkie named Romp as a top ski brand in 2024.
In 2020, Morgan’s partner-in-crime, Caleb, stepped away from the company and moved across the mountains to Aspen. Left with a heightened responsibility and his hands full with ski manufacturing, marketing and finance, Morgan began exploring options to sell the company.
Gardaphe, who balances his time between the Gunnison Valley and the Lone Star state, was deemed a perfect fit. Before attending Texas A&M University, he worked as a ski rental technician at the Crested Butte Flatiron Sports in 2008, and has been surfing powder on Romp skis for the last six seasons. After purchasing the company in mid-February, he will charge back into the ski industry.
“It’s hard to explain the passion I have for this town, and the desire to do good by Crested Butte and Gunnison,” Gardaphe said. "This place sticks with you, and Romp will never lose its Crested Butte flavor.”
Armed with financial resources and business experience, Gardaphe will work to expand Romp into a regionally-recognized brand. Marketing operations began in February, when Romp made its first appearance at the 2024 Blister Summit — a consumer-focused gear testing event at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The multi-day festival hosted top mountain athletes from across the country and showcased the largest ski brands.
“Under Chase, we’re getting someone with experience in marketing and sales, but also the connection and history with Romp,” Purvis said. “Now we’re working to develop a new strategy to grow the company strong, instead of fat. We’d like to reach small, independent shops throughout the West that reflect our, ‘ski-bum, do what you love,’ vision.”
Alongside the desire to expand out of the Gunnison Valley, Gardaphe is seeking opportunities to stay rooted in Crested Butte. Romp is now featuring local artists on the topsheets of skis. The company also plans to work with Western engineering students to experiment with new materials and designs.
A retail shop is also scheduled to open next to the factory on Belleview Avenue.
“We’ve already been able to show how far this company has grown, operating out of a local factory with local employees,” Gardaphe said. “As long as we’re able to improve our product, and put out the best that we’re capable of, we’ll turn some heads. If it can be skied in Crested Butte, it can be skied anywhere.”
(Alex McCrindle can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@gunnisontimes.com.)
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