Pan American Games champion · Dominican Republic · Founder

I'm Robert Pigozzi. Dominican Republic. Pan American Games champion. Founder of PIGOSKI.

I used to break a glove every week. That's not an exaggeration — at the level I was skiing, slalom gloves would fail in 5 to 7 days. The top strap would pop, the palm stitching would split, the cuff would stretch out. I was sponsored by one of the biggest names in the sport, and at some point the conversation became: “We can't keep sending you gloves this fast.” So I said fine, you don't sponsor me, I'll make my own.

That's where the testing started. I bought every tournament glove on the market. Apex-tier. Mid-tier. Bargain. Took them apart. Compared the materials side by side. Same Kevlar. Same Alcantara. Same Amara. Same factories. The only thing that changed was the logo and the price.

So I built the gloves I wanted. No top strap — the only thing a top strap does is fail. Mold-Lock cuff instead, a closure that locks the palm into the handle without the failure point. Spider-Web palm stitch, our own pattern that holds grip without the bulk. Kevlar shell on the Apex, infused with Alcantara. Amara on the Ultra Grip and the GMS. Same construction as the gloves you've been paying retail for. Quarter the price.

I could price PIGOSKI above the most expensive gloves on the market. The materials say I can. The athletes who run them say I can. But this is a declining sport and it doesn't need another wall. Boats are expensive. Skis are expensive. Tournament fees are expensive. The least I can do is take one line item off the list.

The gear our athletes ski is the gear that ships to your door. The mark of the maker. Not the markup.

— Robert Pigozzi, Founder