:: View topic - Race Ski Design

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

Hey pete, have you started your design yet?

The ski i am getting ready to press on Thursday is a race ski design.

165.

116-63-101

R12

I will post some pics when the ski is pressed. We have used a wood core with metal and composites.

Good luck

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....

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

the material information looks interesting...and promising. give it a try.

here's an idea: how about putting micro-channels running lengthwise down the ski as a means of forced-air convection? i have no clue how to do it, but...

how do they cool turbine blades? same concept isn't it. hmmm...?

Kelvin.... Great looking skis. Looking forward to seeing the dimensions & the intended use/improvement description!

these skis are amazing. they skied great:

http://www.skibuilders.com/gallery/bangers.shtml

Not made in China.

Made by chinese.

Broke in on China Mtn.

I love it !

I'd be interested to hear you comments on a couple of things.....

Can you appreciate any performance improvement from the addition of carbon fiber? Was it a bi-axial mat?

I noticed that you didn't bother with ABS side walls. My assumption is that since ski dimensions and construction techniques are a work in progress and the skis aren't getting enough skier days to warrant the extra time and expense of the ABS or UHMW sidewall. Will you be using the plastic sidewalls in the future?

We've made a bunch of skis with wood (maple and poplar) sidewalls and they hold up really well. I tend to ski with my feet too close together and the insides of my skis get beat up as a result. The wood sidewalls have taken a beating and they don't look much worse than the skis with abs sides. If you want them to last years and years, I would varnish/seal them every so often and make sure you dry them after use. Bottom line: They are much quicker to make and seem to be durable.

-kelvin

hose-man.

we used the CF to stiffen the ski. the core thickness was 10.5mm underfoot. some of our other skis of the same shape had slightly thicker cores, between 11-12.5mm. by adding the CF, we were able to reduce the wood core thickness slightly. to be honest for the Bangers, a core thickness of 10mm would have been more ideal, but they are amazingly fun to ski. the 25m radius sidecut makes then very versatile.

the CF fibers were only in one direction...along the length of the ski.

In your opinion do you prefer the carbon fiber or titinal for extra snap/reinforcement. What are the advantages of each? Maybe I missed this earlier, but did you use carbon fiber tape (i.e. 2 inch width) or did you trim a larger roll of carbon fiber to your dimensions.

By the way I love the solid color graphics.

Titanal doesn't really add pop, it works more in dampening or smoothing out the ride. I use it on my highest end boards & results have been great. You have to be careful how much you use though or you'll have a really smooth ride with no pop. I use carbon to add pop, but for the big mtn/hard charging ride I go without the carbon

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