The "how and
why" we do things at Snowshark. There's an old saying, " You
can't make chicken soup out of chicken feathers". In other words,
if you don't start with quality design, materials and processes, you will
not end up with a quality product. That is a universal law of manufacturing!
Our skis stack up
something like this:
Design- We design,
test, refine, re-test etc. etc. and then we evaluate our skis. Number
one is edge control. No edge control, we scrap it. Our skis are capped
construction. More expensive to tool for a new model but far superior
to the old ABS side wall and a hell of a lot more efficient to produce
will far fewer breakage problems.
Our stiffness and
flex characteristics are engineered through the use of glass & carbon
fiber and formulated resin systems. That way, we are consistent.
Materials- The heart of the monoski! We do a lot of R&D work in commercial
aviation and transportation. That gives us big opportunities to see what
is new in the world of composites. Many of our materials have been designed
and engineered by us over the years and are proprietary to Snowshark.
Base materials- Sintered
Iso-Sport, manufactured in Austria, expensive and, in our opinion, the
best. Very tough!
Steel Edge- One piece!!
Wraps around the ski starting at the machined aluminum tail piece and
back to the tail. Takes a fork lift to handle the coils but well worth
the extra effort.
Cores- Always clear
edge grain poplar and no finger joints or end joints of any kind allowed!
You will only find this material at a large and reputable specialty lumber
distributor. Expensive?? You bet, but worth every penny. Hand selected,
straight grain, laminated and shaped to perfection with a composite binding
plate to hold those binding screws in place.
Graphics- On the
inside of the top sheet or base and printed with UV resistant inks.
Fiber Glass/Carbon-
Now this is where it gets to be fun!! Remember that R&D work?? Well
we engineered a quadraxial (four directions) fiberglass/carbon fiber hybrid
material specifically for use in and proprietary to Snowshark. Ever hear
of tri-axial materials that other manufacturers talk about?? Forget it!
It's obsolete, and we're already working on the next generation of engineered
fiber reinforcements.
Epoxy Resins- Most
epoxies on the market that are for composites use are simple two part
laminating resins that must be blended with other ingredients to give
the desired result for a quality product. This again is the fun part of
composite engineering and R&D. Get it wrong and you can go from a
consistency of glass to cottage cheese or something that will never cure
to one that cures so fast that it will burn. Exciting stuff with new developments
every day! Don't believe for one minute that all fast curing epoxies are
inferior. It's all in the chemistry and infinitely "tweekable"!!
So, that's a little
bit of the technical aspects of a Snowshark Monoski. It's interesting,
fun and never ending. If any of you are composite "techies"
drop us an e-mail. We always enjoy a good chat about one of our favorite
topics and maybe we can swap a few ideas.
John Carpenter
President
Snowshark Monoskis
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