INSIGHTS II
Besides taking stunning photos Philipp Knöpfel edited a video as well. Check out how we build skis in moving pictures:
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INSIGHTS
Philipp Knöpfel studies photography. He approached PLYWOOD.CH as he was given the task of carrying out a photo reportage as integral part of his studies. Needless to say I was more than happy to “help him out”. So I had the pleasure to spend intense and fun days shooting with Philipp, showing him the whole skibuilding process.
Many thanks to Philipp for this opportunity – and check out his final photos, which are pretty stunning:
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LOST AND FOUND
Last year – on February 2nd, to be precise – one of our friends got caught in a small avalanche. no harm was caused, but both skis were stripped off and lost. The loss was only temporary as a ski search mission beginning of May lead to the lucky rediscovery of both skis. 3 months of constant exposure to snow, rain, wet ground slides carrying rocks and all sorts of abuse the skis didn`t look too good. But let me tell you this: wood is an amazing material. After some grinding and sanding and waxing and oiling these boards are back on the hill, as one can see in the photo on the left!
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SKIBUILDING II
It`s about time to fire up the production line!
To start the season we helped Robin build the ski of his dreams – this was his final project to obtain a vocational qualification.
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Season 14/15 is right at our doorstep! There are exciting news to follow – first of all: our website is up and running again. New stuff will be reveiled soon.
CHLÄBDÄCHER
Chläbdächer is a ridge line close to our local touring area. It translates to “sticky roofs” due to its appearance of layered, rocky ledges on the south an east face. We ventured out to ski the north face and found perfect conditions far away from the crowds. Early March was a good month for touring!
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WOOD IN THE WOODS
With low visibility the woods always provide good riding grounds. The snow was so deep, it almost justified skiing in an overall. This time we were accompanied by Neil, a fellow skibuilder. Skiing pow on the downhill and talking tech stuff on the lift back up – could it get any better?!
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BEESWAX FINISH
All PLYWOOD topsheets come with a polished beeswax finish to protect the wood from moisture and keep it all durable. Beeswax is a great natural and sustainable product. Its melting point lies between 62-64°C, which means that at roomtemperature it is solid. Now the challenge is to transform the wax into a state where it can be applied to the skis and absorbed by the wood. This is how we do it: we melt solid sheets of beeswax, apply our secret ingredience, stir it all up and mix it properly while letting it cool afterwards. Temperature and heating cycles are crucial, as well as a careful cooling. The result is a creamy paste of natural beeswax, which gives a unique semi-gloss finish to the veneer.
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NOVASPORT CLIMBING SKINS
We`re always interested in how stuff is made. Lately we had the opportunity to visit Nova Sport Swiss AG, our supplier of climbing skins, and received a tour through their factory.
Novasport started back in 2005 and produces conventional skins as well as highly advanced silicone skins. The latter being their evotec skins we so deeply fell in love with. While conventional skins use some sort of adhesive glues to stay on your skis, the silicone ones are coated with a special, sticky silicone, that is much more durable, less troublesome in varying snowconditions and easier to use. The production process is similar for both type of skins: There is a basic nylon layer – the fleece of the skin – that gets coated with glue or silicone on the backside.
At the beginning of the process the textile part of the skins get cut to shape. The conventional skins then receive a printing on their backside. The printing is followed by the coating process, where 2 layers of different glue get applied. After cooldown a worker mounts the end hooks and tip buckles. All that`s left then is packaging and shipping.
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AFTERNOON SKI TOUR OPENING
Season 2013/14 has finally made it to our doorstep. Time to celebrate the solid base of 30cm with a first ski tour in the afternoon. Start: 14:00, Summit: 16:00 – nearing dusk on the downhill. Beautiful light.
Perfect setup for such afternoon ambushes: Okano with Evotec Skins and Tech Binding.
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