How Skis Are Made

If you are a skiing enthusiast, you may be interested to learn how skis are made. Up until the 1990’s ski’s were only made from wood. Because technology continues to develop new materials, ski’s are now made from a wide range of materials, including foam, plastics, and cork. Each material is included in layers to form skis. Until the perfect material is found to make the lightest and most durable ski, the constant evolution of how skis are made will continue.

Most commonly, skis are made from wood, as well as foam. Wood is generally used as the primary core of all skis because it is the most durable material. Laminated wood is often used for the core of skis in long stripes because it adds flexibility to the ski while making it light weight.

After the wood or foam core, comes the layers of composite materials. These are placed above and below the ski’s core. Common materials used for these layers are fiberglass, boron, and carbon. Skis are made from these materials to add strength to the ski.

The base of ski’s are made from plastic, as well as the tops and sides of a ski. Extremely light weight plastics are used for this. Although these plastics are light weight, they absorb wax well. Commonly, polyethylene is used. All skis are made with metal. Metal is used on the skis edges. Steel runners, made from aluminum or titanium, are attached to the base of the skis with epoxy. Skis are made with cork and rubber as well. This is the shock absorbing material. Often, these materials are used inside the walls of the skis to add flexibility.

Epoxy is the key component in order for skis to be made. Epoxy holds all the materials together as the bonding material. As epoxy dries, it hardens to strengthen the skis. As technology continues to develop, the compotes to how skis are made will continue to change as well.