I wanted to make a good spring/bumps ski. The last few skis I built were too soft for my liking and didn’t provide enough pop and acceleration out of turns. To make the skis feel more powerful I made the tail 2.2-2.3mm thick and added a layer of carbon to the top of the ski. Not only does unidirectional carbon add some resiliency to the ski but it also looks pretty rad.
The ski itself is 182cm with a 22.5m turning radius. The dimensions are 97-65-86 and the core is 2mm-12.5mm-2.3mm. I have been using SnoCAD-X do design my skis. I have seen several threads about having printing problems but I haven't experienced any.
The layup is straight forward.
Red ptex
VDS rubber
22oz. Triaxial glass with mat
Pine core
22oz. Triaxial glass with mat
Unidirectonal carbon fiber
Clear LDPE topsheet
I bought the carbon, topsheet, and fiberglass from tap plastics. They have a website but it only has a fraction of the stuff they carry in their stores.
To make the topsheet I used clear ldpe that came in a 2’x4’ sheet. One side was smooth and the other textured. I butted two pieces together in the middle of the ski where the binding would cover the line. The stuff was thinner, about .5mm and cheaper (only 3.50 for enough for two skis) and when wetted out was much more translucent than the stuff I got from snowboardmaterials.com.
I have ridden them several times and let me tell you, going back to skinny skis was a shock. I've been exclusivly on fat boards for the last 7 years and dropping 4cm from the waist makes for a totally different ride. When I stepped in for the first time it felt like I was wearing a pair of ice skates. A couple of runs later I booted out pretty hard and sent myself cartwheeling.
I didn't specificly have a park ski in mind when I built these but the twin tip and weight made them really fun and also quick in the bumps.
A view of the sidewall
...and on of the tips
the bindings and tail
Enough for now. I'll post more pictures when I have them. Skiing is more fun than the interweb.
