uneva wrote:...ski sidewalls make contact with the snow and assist in glide. ...
Most of the boards I've owned over the past 15 years had sintered sidewalls and I had a habit of treating them as a base (never had them stone ground, though).
Did waxing the sidewalls help? I can't be sure, but when 6 (boardercross) riders are entering Turn 1 at terminal velocity, any possible advantage for self preservation is worth having.
Richuk wrote:...IPE is Brazil walnut. I can't think of a good reason to use such a fragile natural resource. If someone is ripping up their decking, sure, put it to good use, but virgin wood in skis ...
I debated with this myself and chose replenishable/biodegradable IPE over a synthetic material which essentially, once created, lasts forever. Which is worse for the environment, i do not know.
As a substitute for IPE, I'd like to try the Ironwood sidewalls that Sandwich Tech sells on their site:
http://sandwichtechskis.com/technology/ ... uction.htm
(EDIT: Upon further investigation, it appears as though IPE falls into the category of an Ironwood.)
Reasons I chose wood over UHMW for my first dozen builds:
- I enjoy the exciting/nervousness feel of wood sidewalls. Keeps the adrenaline flowing.
- Availability. I wanted to be able to purchase as much material as possible on a whim.
- Easier to bond. IPE may not bond as easily as other woods, but still sounds like less hassle than synthetics.
- Easy to repair. Sawdust has been stockpiled.
- I enjoy woodworking.
- Appearance. The beauty of wood grain is hard to beat.
- The Sound. As an audio engineer of 12 years, I gotta say, wood resonates with me.
Wood vs UHMW seems like it comes down to personal preference. Excellent results can obviously be achieved with either. What I do know is that ABS has a hard time surviving more than a season or two here in Wisconsin; bitter cold conditions and man-made snow so hard that edge chatter can shake your teeth loose.
I'll inevitably do a few builds this summer with synthetic sidewalls, and was thinking about trying the Phenolic sidewalls offered by Blank Slate Skis.
http://www.blankslateskis.com/phenolic- ... x-1746-mm/
I only saw a few posts about that substance in the past. Has anyone experimented with it recently?