How Your Skis Are Made
Step 3: Technology Meets Craftsmanship
After we determine the shape, flex and materials to be used, the CNC milling machine is programmed to carve a cured hardwood core, of the appropriate density, to the correct profile. The ski's flex depends on the thickness profile of this core — at any given point along the ski, thicker means stiffer. The shape of the core also determines the ski's shape — its width, steering angles and sidecut arcs.
The same CNC machine is used to cut the P—tex base to an accurate shape, along with with sidewalls and any aluminum layers that may be required. On a separate set of machines, the tempered carbon steel edges are cut to length and bent to shape.
Fiberglass layers and thin rubber bonding foil strips are also cut to shape. Then the components, including tip and tail protectors, are carefully cleaned, painted with high-strength, slow—curing epoxy resin, and then assembled in a mold.
The resin is squeegeed by hand to eliminate bubbles (which can weaken a ski) and wrinkles (which interrupt the fluidity of the ski's flex).
Skis are "cooked" in a press at a temperature calculated not to change the chemical properties of the P–tex base. After the finished ski has cooled and stabilized, it's cleaned up and gets a World Cup-quality base grind and hand tune. Because we start with stable, fully-cured wood, we can guarantee a flat base even though the complete manufacturing process takes only a couple of days.
Only the finest materials are used to build you the perfect set of skis or the perfect custom snowboard.
