Great site, I was so surprised to see that anyone had actually managed this... and now i want to do it.
I'd be interested in trying to design a slalom race ski, so ~11m radius, 165cm etc. Also, I tend to like torsionally very stiff skis (and quite stiff generally as well) what would be the best construction for this? Can better results be acheived using a fibre material core, layered to give stiffness in the required directions?
Another problem I have is that (skiing on dry slopes a lot as I do), skis tend to over heat in the summer, causing the base to melt and loose texture, and often pull away from the edges (i.e. you get a hole along the length of the edge under the binding). Is there a version of base material that would be resistant to this type of damage?
Cheers
Pete
Race Ski Design
Moderators: Head Monkey, kelvin, bigKam, skidesmond, chrismp
Pete and SCHUSS: wow. i like your idea of designing and building race skis. very cool. i'd be interested in seeing your results, and if you race on them, give us a comparison.
the overheating issue is quite interesting and i'm intrigued by it. i don't have an answer, but perhaps start by using materials that have high conductivity. maybe place those materials closest to the base material to help remove and dissipate the energy? you could try a completely different base material altogether. i'm not sure if Dupont or others have an advanced polymer that is designed to be heat resistance. what about the materials they use for fire-fighting suits? Hose-man, any ideas? the trick is will it give the same glide results as standard p-tex. i don't know. i'll think about it some more....
the overheating issue is quite interesting and i'm intrigued by it. i don't have an answer, but perhaps start by using materials that have high conductivity. maybe place those materials closest to the base material to help remove and dissipate the energy? you could try a completely different base material altogether. i'm not sure if Dupont or others have an advanced polymer that is designed to be heat resistance. what about the materials they use for fire-fighting suits? Hose-man, any ideas? the trick is will it give the same glide results as standard p-tex. i don't know. i'll think about it some more....
one of the properties of normal P-tex is that it absorbs wax really well. so if you wanted to use these skis on the snow aswell.. your new material would have to have good absorbtion maybe??
I was reading about Lexan, or Polycarbonate.
you can get this stuff online in 1,1.5,2mm sheets at almost any length.
It flexes more than acrylic or perspex.
i know its more exspensive than p-tex for sure but looking at its technical stats it could have good thermal properties?
not to mention extremly durable!
Here are the technical stats in terms of thermal. Maybe someone knows what it all means?
Deflection Temperature at 0.46 MPa (66 psi) 138 °C 280 °F 0
Deflection Temperature at 1.8 MPa (264 psi) 127 °C 260 °F
Vicat Softening Point 143 °C 290 °F
UL RTI, Electrical 130 °C 266 °F
UL RTI, Mechanical with Impact 120 °C 248 °F
UL RTI, Mechanical without Impact 130 °C 266 °F
I was also thinking about making a ski out of Perspex, acrylic, lexan..??
Who says we have to stick to traditional methods??
any way hope i am not just rambling on about meaningless things!
goodluck
I was reading about Lexan, or Polycarbonate.
you can get this stuff online in 1,1.5,2mm sheets at almost any length.
It flexes more than acrylic or perspex.
i know its more exspensive than p-tex for sure but looking at its technical stats it could have good thermal properties?
not to mention extremly durable!
Here are the technical stats in terms of thermal. Maybe someone knows what it all means?
Deflection Temperature at 0.46 MPa (66 psi) 138 °C 280 °F 0
Deflection Temperature at 1.8 MPa (264 psi) 127 °C 260 °F
Vicat Softening Point 143 °C 290 °F
UL RTI, Electrical 130 °C 266 °F
UL RTI, Mechanical with Impact 120 °C 248 °F
UL RTI, Mechanical without Impact 130 °C 266 °F
I was also thinking about making a ski out of Perspex, acrylic, lexan..??
Who says we have to stick to traditional methods??
any way hope i am not just rambling on about meaningless things!
goodluck
SCHÜSS 2011