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Ski builds in process?

Who else is marking the calendar, lining up season pass, and remembering they meant to build a new set of skis before snow flies & fun starts for the year? :)

No, seriously, any builds in progress?
Boards included, of course.
Past builds to share?

I have ideas for my next set, but so many projects cooking right now I'll probably start the season on my paleolithic era 1969 Dynamics again. (Hey, i keep boots & poles updated, at least) :)

smt
 
Season pass? What is this phenomenon?

;-)

I am re doing my climbing skin glue and p-texing my previous boo boos on the G3 Seekrs bases…. Must earn ones turns!

L7
 
Who else is marking the calendar, lining up season pass, and remembering they meant to build a new set of skis before snow flies & fun starts for the year? :)

No, seriously, any builds in progress?
Boards included, of course.
Past builds to share?

I have ideas for my next set, but so many projects cooking right now I'll probably start the season on my paleolithic era 1969 Dynamics again. (Hey, i keep boots & poles updated, at least) :)

smt

As a retired ski bum and living in the bottoms... err, any jobs at a northern Colorado hill area you know of?
 
I never got good enough, nor could spend enough time on the slopes to join a ski patrol. But tried to keep at it over the years despite no one else in family including son ever interested. Dropped out maybe 10 years ago. Then similar age friend in EAA, similar experiences who never stopped, but was finally having a blast taking the G-klds. He inspired me to dust off the old boards, buy a new pair of boots, and start up again last winter. We skied a lot together, for me locally wherever senior rates applied for the day. :)

A couple years after buying the Dynamics in HS, I ripped an edge out on a rock, trying to get one more day before the slope closed in MD for the year. I was able to build up the missing wood, patch in fiber glass with epoxy in a tube, and straighten and re-attach the steel edging for about a foot along the damaged area. Fortunately right under the binding area, so not as critical as it could have been. That successful repair, and the history of those skis which were still essentially hand made at the time, kind of stuck in the back of my mind. The repair has held up to my sporadic use over 50 years but the edges are filed thin and the base is starting to look like rodents are chewing around it, where it is too thin to hold P-tex anymore.

Last year, perusing ski sites like Ski-Talk, i noticed other people were actually building hot skis and ones with interesting graphics.

As it turns out, there are some 137 USA niche/custom ski builders, almost 500 internationally, and probably hundreds of individuals building skis and boards for themselves. ExoticSkis.com Home Page

Of course there are also builder forums, Skibuilders seems to be the most active:
Ski Builders Forum - Index page

On vacation in NH a couple weeks ago, i stopped in to visit a wonderful couple who are building up a pretty comprehensive supply business. Sandwich Tech | Ski & Snowboard Building Materials
Both engineers, and really down to earth. They make building skis seem quite accessible.

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Matt talked about building the wooden cores.

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Then Kate explained how she bends and attachs the steel edges to the base material, prior to laying up and pressing the skis.
They keep several options/weaves for 'glass and carbon fiber reinforcement, at least a couple base options, and all the other supplies.

DSC_0029 - Copy.JPG

They are just finishing up interior construction for their store/Office/shop space, probably obvious from the photos and drywall :) Doing it all themselves -it's coming together nicely!

I do plan to build a pair - once our house is buttoned up for winter, and some other projects finished to clear out the shop. :)

smt
 
Like you Stephen I would love to try making a pair one day but it will likely be a few years. I suspect first few pairs will leave a lot to be desired.

Last year was a write off for skiing with covid as there were travel restrictions into Quebec and Ski areas were not allowed to open most of the winter here in Ontario and of course Border was closed for Elicottville. Looking forward to lots of skiing in Quebec this winter, oops meant to say visiting daughter in Ottawa.

Lucky 7 how many runs a day can you get in skinning up? Must be doing lots of hiking this time of year to stay in shape. I never seem to be in good enough shape for the winter even just going downhill. Unfortunately not really any places to earn my turns in Southern Ontario.
 
Pattnmaker, I’m in my mid 50’s so not doing the huge days anymore. Somewhere in the 1600-2000 meter range a day is usual now, depending on how much breaking trail is my share that day and how deep it is. Weather also limits me now- don’t care for long days below -30 or, paradoxically, long days in sunny spring where you just can’t drink enough to avoid dehydration.

If I’m lucky enough to have a young cardiac freak of nature in front- all is well ;-)

Anyways, looking forward to a good year in the Selkirks and Monashees, and apologies to smt for going ot on his post…

L7
 
Hardly OT - you can build those kind, too. We're a big tent.

My "kid" brother (He's only 65 or 66) does that kind of slogging all winter in MN. Not sure he's completely quit tobacco, either.
An even younger bro, the one that used to look like comic book Thor & still works full time in his construction co, went out and said he sure can't keep up.
Might be something to it.
But why take the risk. :)

smt
 
I thought building ski's involved various plastic foams, fiberglass and expoxies.....:D

Or "Italian Chrome"....:D
 
Doug -

Most high end and custom skis have always been wood core.
Dynamic pioneered the torsion box 'glass wrap. They had a "dynamometer" to measure the stiffness of each ski after it was fully cured, then stamped a number on the bottom tip, and matched them up in pairs. It will be amusing to the present generation, but Dynamic also pioneered "radical" "deep" side cut all the way back in 1967-ish. Laughable today, as that "deep" sidecut is something like 7mm & the skis look dead straight compared to a modern cut.

Wood cores are built up with various glass, carbon fiber, and metallic screen reinforcements depending on the designers theories for performance, and for intended application (style and terrain)

There have been exceptions.
Head did a range of interesting skis starting with metal (sheet aluminum sandwiches)
When they decided to get into fiberglass, they developed a process to blow hollow channel skis with no cores. I've got a pair of those, never drilled.

Some foam core skis have had a following, but most were done for cost. Wood never quite disappears, and usually comes back around to be favored again about the season after it seems to be gone.

Niche performance skis tend to have built up wood cores. Including some bamboo (OK, I know that is actually grass)
Apparently mostly poplar these days, with maple used in places for screw retention, and hard "semi-exotics" on custom skis for the sides. Many customs use semi-exotics and highly figure wood for topsheets for appearance. But many topsheets are indeed plastics over the wood & fiber laminations. I've been familiar with ski construction in a general way. Now have to study the specifics.

smt
 
At last count, I have no less than 14 sets of skis that I can clip into and ski at a moments notice. That is, they all have bindings adjusted to fit my boots (of which I have now fewer than 6 pairs. (But recognize, I get paid to be on skis to perform during the winter months)

I would be distressed to put so much effort into making a set of skis for myself and then subjecting them to the torment of "marginal conditions" that is the daily reality of skiing in the east.

I would admire and respect anyone who might craft their own boards, but to me,, they are "consumables".

Heck, I get an equipment allowance each year just to purchase "another set of skis" ;-)

If you need skis in the 180cm range, let me know, I can likely send you a pair that I will never use again. Lots of Vokls;-)
 
Pattnmaker, I’m in my mid 50’s so not doing the huge days anymore. Somewhere in the 1600-2000 meter range a day is usual now, depending on how much breaking trail is my share that day and how deep it is. Weather also limits me now- don’t care for long days below -30 or, paradoxically, long days in sunny spring where you just can’t drink enough to avoid dehydration.

If I’m lucky enough to have a young cardiac freak of nature in front- all is well ;-)

Anyways, looking forward to a good year in the Selkirks and Monashees, and apologies to smt for going ot on his post…

L7

That's still probably more than lots of people do in a day riding a lift.
 








 
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