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Ski workshop | DIY freeride skis part II

Preparation, basics

by Bernhard Scholz • 10/21/2011

The ski dealer has closed his store, there's nothing decent on eBay any more and you can only buy really low quality ready-made skis anyway. Only the old models are being repainted anyway, the innovation engine is the small companies with their unaffordable special pieces, which will probably go bankrupt the day after tomorrow. The only thing left to do is build it yourself. Skis are no witchcraft at all, and are even quite simple to build.

Basics and rough planning

The most important thing is planning - thinking about what the new box should bring. In addition, an honest self-assessment of your own abilities and wishes and, of course, the preparation itself is the most important thing. There are a few important basic rules that you should follow if you want to lift skis out of the garage cradle at home. Let's start with the future ski itself; the structure of a ski looks like this:

- Topsheet (or wood veneer)
- Design layer (topsheet printed from below or design intermediate layer)
- Fiberglass mat/n
- Wood core
- Fiberglass mat/n
- Base & edges

A ski also consists of different areas and you vary the variables to get the appropriate result. This can actually become relatively complex, depending on what exactly you want. As this would be very, very extensive in detail, here are just the most important factors:Radius: Also known as the waist. The tighter the radius, the smaller the carvable curve, the more maneuverable, but also the more nervous a ski is. Slalom skis have a very small radius, downhill skis a very large one. In deep snow and when landing in the park, skis with small radii tend to "cut". A ski with a "poorly" adjusted radius in relation to the other parameters gives the impression that it always "plucks" in one direction or the other and skis unbalanced. However, this behavior of the ski can also be due to the skier's lack of skiing ability compared to his ski. Skis with two or three different radii are also possible.

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Ski length: Specialist ski retailers like to quote some "rules" about how long a ski should be in relation to body size. As they know nothing about the skiing ability of the potential buyer and usually don't really know the skis either, this is often a shot in the dark. The better and/or faster someone skis (or wants to ski), the longer they will choose their skis. Length runs: brings stability and smoothness, but also makes you more sluggish and more difficult to initiate turns. So someone who skis very well but doesn't always ski at full speed and prefers turns is more likely to choose a shorter ski. However, if you are not such a good skier but enjoy high speeds, a longer ski can be a lot of fun. The reserves in the thighs are of course also important.

Ski width: With waisted skis, the width of the skis in the middle (narrowest point), front (first point of contact with the snow) and rear (last point of contact of the base with the snow) is taken into account. The wider the ski, the better it floats in deep snow. A wide shovel provides lift, but also a wide center. A relatively narrow end sinks in: this allows you to ski more aggressively. Piste or park skis are not particularly wide so that you can turn quickly. Here, the width in the middle is decisive, the dimensions of the tip and tail width result from the selected radius (unless you want to build something exotic with multiple radii).

Ski hardness: A distinction must be made between two hardnesses or stiffnesses: The stiffness of the ski itself from front to back and the torsional stiffness. This is determined by the length of the ski. If a ski is very stiff at the front, it flattens out bumps and literally craves speed, but it doesn't float very well in powder snow (unless you incorporate a few tricks, but more on that later). If it is very stiff at the back, you have a ski that rides rigorously on its radius and can hardly be upset. If you deliberately (or accidentally) put weight on the tail, the ski suddenly accelerates. The price for the calmness and the accelerator pedal is a certain moment of inertia at the start of the turn and more attention, but this also depends heavily on the radius and the width of the tail. In addition, you can land better on stiff tails, especially jumps off rocks.Weight: A heavy ski can accelerate, but unfortunately is usually not very lively and you have to have strength and be a good skier. A light ski darts around corners quickly and is forgiving. But you can't usually call such noodles tempo-proof.

Damping: Depending on the material used, it is possible to build skis that are heavily damped (for example with aramid inserts, rubber or certain types of wood), or those that transmit every crumb to the skier (for example with hard wood and little fiber insert). Damped skis are easier to ski than those with a very direct design. The latter require more skill and attention

Camber: If you lay a ski flat on the ground, it protrudes from the ground below the binding area. The gap corresponds to the camber of the ski. A lot of camber provides good edge grip and feels rather hard, and such a ski usually has a lot of "pop", i.e. energy reserves. The disadvantage is that camber is a hindrance in powder snow, as the ski does not sink homogeneously under the binding. Very hard skis with a lot of camber become real submarines. Little, no or even negative tension is ultimately only an advantage in soft snow - but there it is a clear advantage! Skis without camber are therefore very forgiving and playful to ski. Negative camber takes this to the extreme, the ski almost turns on the spot.

Rocker (and all similar designations): The so-called rocker can be installed on the shovel and/or the tail. Basically, a rocker construction shortens the perceived ski length, but the effective edge length is retained and rockered skis are also easier to ski.

Well, you already have a minimal overview with these parameters. The trick is to harmonize all of these with your individual skiing ability and the desired area of use. Either you develop a good feel for this or it's a case of trial and error.

Fine planning

Once you have an idea of what you want to build, it's time for the detailed planning. The SnoCAD program from Graf Snowboards has proven to be ideal for ski tuning novices. It is free of charge, cross-platform and can be downloaded here. This program also makes it relatively easy to print 1:1 stencils on paper (note: when printing, print the registration marks so that you can get the thing put together straight or work with a roll printer).

Preparations for construction

Once the desired ski has been planned and printed on a paper stencil, it's time to prepare for construction. During the planning phase, you have already thought about which materials you want to use to build your ski. There are now several suppliers on the internet who sell even the smallest quantities of materials for skis. With the help of a Google search, you can quickly find several suppliers.

At least the following are required for one ski:

- One fiberglass mat above and one below the wood core.
- Two wood cores per pair of skis (either purchased or self-made).
- Base.
- Edges (4 pieces for 2 skis).
- Possibly topsheet or wood veneer. Topsheet or wood veneer.
- Epoxy resin & hardener.
- Mold (build from wood).
- Vacuum pump + hose.
- Vacuum bag (in which the ski mold fits).
- Sealing material for the bag.
- Tear-off hole foil + absorbent fleece + venting mesh fabric.

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You should only build your first ski with this for now, there is still plenty of scope for experimentation with the upcoming models. However, before even one ski can be built, the preparation must of course first be completed. To do this, you need a mold in which the good piece is physically pressed into its intended purpose. There are two possibilities: You can either use a hydraulic press or a vacuum press. Both methods work, the vacuum method is particularly suitable for ski makers who do not want to build a large number of skis. A hydraulic press requires a lot of money and work.

A practical test of a self-build by ski builder Baschi Bender

Both types of press are described very well on skibuilders.com or on many other websites. In particular, a mold must be built. For hobby ski builders, it is advisable to build this from wood so that the amount of work and financing is not too high. Basically, you need a mold on which the ski is built during the laminating process. With a hydraulic press, a counter mold is then required from above; the vacuum press simply uses the weight of the atmosphere for this.

The negative shape of the ski is crucial. There are numerous ways to build the mold for a ski, whether it is self-planed, boards cut and glued using templates, molded from foam, concrete or other materials or other wild constructions, something will work. Precise and exact work is crucial for a functioning mold. Every mistake in the mold will be reflected in the ski. Small dents, uneven or uneven surfaces, everything is important. But with a little attention, dexterity, a spirit level, a square and sandpaper, you can get to grips with this.
We now complete the preparation phase and place the following ticks on the "to-do list for making your own skis":

- Ski construction is printed on a template.
- The negative mold for pressing is ready.
- The required material is available.
- The material is prepared, i.e. cut to length and width for processing.

Outlook

After the basics have been understood and the preparations completed, the actual construction phase is presented in Part III of the ski building seminar.

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

Show original (German)

DIY freeride skis – construction phase

Bernhard Scholz • 11/04/2011

In the third part of the ski building series, we finally get to the ski building itself. The actual construction phase, the laminating itself, is short and relatively uncomplicated. It is more important that all the parts fit together, as there is no time to make adjustments during lamination.
Homemade freeride skis – Rudi's homegrown skis

Bernhard Scholz • 10/11/2011

Rudi Depowski had once again smashed his skis, shot irretrievably into the afterlife. A shark suddenly emerging head-on from the wonderful powder has split his best pole in two. New skis are not in sight, especially now that the biggest northerly jam since 1999 is looming within a week. What to do? Crystal clear: we have to build our own skis!