Pure Carbon

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arbon is Better: The advantage of using pure carbon over traditional fiberglass ski designs is usually measured in pounds saved on each ski. But it should not be limited to just weight savings. There has been a huge surge of carbon fiber usage across industries from automotive to medical due to the far superior properties of this material – In terms of ski properties carbon fibre skis will keep more flex through their anticipated life cycle; effectively the ski lasts longer. This type of ski weight much less compared to a conventional skis making them also ideal for for back-country usage where any extra weight may be a difference between a great experience and a disaster. Carbon skis have not overtaken the market as the material cost of carbon can still be quite high. And the cost of investing into building pure carbon skis can also be very daunting. A typical pure carbon ski can cost over 50% more than a conventional version and so it seems that carbon has a niche market in the world of skis.

The first company to bring carbon skis to market was GOODE Skis. First focusing on water skis in 1988, snow ski poles in 1989 then in 1991 they produced the first carbon snow skis. Back in those days the resins used were poorer in quality and the relative costs were astronomical so we tip our hats to them and Dave Goode for pioneering that field. Since then resins have greatly improved and the cost of raw materials has dropped significantly. No longer does a Pure Carbon ski need to stay exclusive and dictate an incredibly high price tag. New technology has also been developed making pure carbon skis far more reliable since the first prototypes. We have noticed that once you ride carbon skis you don’t want to go back to fiberglass, these skis tend to be built for the more demanding riders. Skiers that prefer charging skis currently have virtually no alternative but to use carbon skis at this moment. This is where our story begins – we want to bring Pure Carbon charging skis at a fraction of the cost to the masses. Bellow is a figure of Carbon fibre properties compared to other common materials.

carbon properties

The carbon atoms are bonded together in microscopic crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of a polyacrylonitrile precursor fiber about 0.005-0.010 mm in diameter. The oxygen deprived heated precusor fibre allows for the carbonization of the fibre. Much of this process is riddled with trade secrets of each carbon fibre manufacturer but in the end result the carbon crystal alignment makes the fiber incredibly strong for its size. A number of these fibers are twisted into a yarn and then woven into a fabric. The strongest carbon fiber can be up to 10 times stronger than steel while being about 5 times lighter. – great for aeronautical applications or various sport applications where high performance and ow weight is needed. But what is also captivating is that carbon fiber has higher fatigue resistance than any know metallic materials and this translates to a longer lifespan for a ski.