Touring skis

1. What is a touring ski?
2. What makes touring skis so special?
3. Why shouldn't you use normal skis for touring?
4. How exactly do touring skis work?
5. Ski behaviour depends on the ski and snow conditions
6. Ski touring packing list
7. Development and selection of our touring skis
8. Sustainable materials for environmentally friendly ski touring

1. What is a touring ski?

A touring ski is a special ski that is used for ski touring (skiing up and down the mountain using muscle power). It is usually wider, softer and significantly lighter than a normal ski.

2. What makes touring skis so special?

Touring skis are lighter skis that have been developed for walking uphill. They are usually made with foamed cores, are wider than normal skis and have a special ski binding.
The advantage over other skis is that they generate more surface area and therefore more lift in deep snow. The binding is also set back slightly. This allows the skier to manoeuvre through the deep snow with less physical effort and ski better. At the same time, the lighter touring ski helps with the ascent because you don't have to carry as much weight.

They can be used wherever there are no lifts and mountain peaks still need to be reached in winter. Ski touring, freeriding, piste tours and deep snow descents.

3. Why shouldn't you use normal skis for touring?

Attention! Normal skis, also known as alpine skis, are not suitable for ski touring for the following reasons:

  • Normal skis are significantly heavier than touring skis.
  • As a rule, normal skis do not have a binding with a walking function that allows the leg to bend.
  • Normal skis usually have a narrow ski centre and also a narrow tip and therefore little lift.

4. How exactly do touring skis work?

What components does a modern all-round touring ski consist of?


1. protective layer made of scratch-resistant plastic (polyamide). Can also be printed and thus contributes to the design of the ski.
2. upper belt made of glass fibres, carbon fibres, natural fibres or mixtures thereof. As a unidirectional fibre, oriented in one direction only. Generally absorbs the tensile forces during deflection or as a biaxial fibre, either as a scrim or fabric oriented in two axes with +/-45°, absorbs the torsional forces when the edge is loaded.
3. titanal is an aluminium alloy that is partially used as a thin sheet above and below the ski core and makes the ski smoother and stiffer.
4. sidewalls are positioned to the side of the core and thus protect it from moisture. They are made of plastic, usually ABS or phenolic resin.
5. core is usually made of wood, such as ash, poplar-beech combination or paulownia. This should have a high resilience. This means that the core bends and then returns to its original shape
6. the bottom belt is installed in the same way as the upper belt, but mirrored.
7. steel edges with a mushroom-shaped structure are glued into the composite.
8. damping elements such as rubber bands are located above the steel edge and are intended to prevent it from breaking out in the event of impacts or bumps.

What waist widths are there?


Touring skis are wider at the tip and tail than in the centre of the ski. The tip is always a few millimetres wider than the tail. If the edge is fully loaded, e.g. when carving, the ski travels exactly along this radius. A radius of less than 15 metres is rather small and is often used for slalom skis. A radius of more than 21 metres is rather large and is usually used for big mountain skis or downhill skis. You can see this by looking at the ski from above.

What pretensions are there?


If both skis are together, e.g. when travelling in the gondola, you can see the camber of the skis.
Rocker or full rocker: The skis lie together at the binding and are wide apart at the front and back. The effective edge length that grips under load in the snow is very short. However, the skis are very manoeuvrable in deep snow.
Tip rocker: They lie together at the end of the ski and curve in front of the tip. There is a gap under the centre of the ski. The shovel area is longer and the skis are bent upwards here.
Tip and tail rocker: The skis lie together just before the end of the ski and just before the tip. Behind this, the skis are bent upwards. Tip and tail rocker are available with camber in the centre of the ski as well as flat, i.e. without camber in the centre of the ski.
Camber:
The skis lie together at the tip and tail and have a gap between them in the binding area. If the ski is canted or loaded, a longer effective edge length grips the snow and ensures stability, especially in hard snow conditions.

5. Ski behaviour depends on the ski and snow conditions

As you don't usually have the same conditions from the summit to the valley on ski tours, there are usually several situations in one day.

The following combinations are great fun:


Ascent:
Ascent track available: narrow skis, as these fit into the track
Someone with a splitboard or powder skis: wide or narrow skis
Many hairpin bends: rather shorter skis, max. body length up to -10cm
Long ascent or long carrying passages: light skis
Descent:
Little fresh snow on firm ground: all skis
Lots of fresh snow: wide skis; full rocker, tip-tail rocker, tip rocker; long skis, body length up to +15cm
Hard surface: camber skis
Wet snow/slush: wide skis, full rocker, tip-tail rocker, tip rocker

The following combinations are no fun:

Ascent:
Ascent track available: wide skis, as these do not fit into the track
Long ascent or long carrying passages: light skis, small skis
Lots of fresh snow: narrow skis, short skis, as you sink in deeply with every step
Harsh or icy sections: you don't have any crampons or crampons with you

Downhill:
Broken snow: as soon as you break through, neither wide nor narrow skis
Hard, frozen surface: full rocker skis, blunt edges, soft skis
Lots of fresh snow: narrow skis without rocker; short skis

6. Ski touring packing list

Equipment:


-touring skis
-touring boots
-skins
-telescopic poles

Optional:
-Ski crampons
-Boot crampons

Avalanche equipment:


-shovel
-probe
-Avalanche transceiver
-bivy sack
-first aid kit

Optional:
-Airbag rucksack
-Helmet
-Snow saw for snow profiles
-Magnifying glass for snow analysis
-lighter + candles

Tool list:


-Screwdriver with bit holder
-various bits
-pocket knife or Leatherman
-Headlamp

Spare parts:


-Batteries for avalanche transceiver or headlamp
-Wire/cable ties
-Ski strap
-Gaffa tape
-adhesive patch for skins
-Piece of wax
-Repaircandle for ski base

Health:


-Sunglasses
-contact lenses
-Sun cream and lip protection
-blister plasters

As well as clothing and a change of clothes ...

7. Development and selection of our touring skis

History and evolution of touring skis


The history and evolution of touring skis goes back a long way in the history of skiing. Originally, touring skis were made of wood and were simple, straight boards that were mainly used in Nordic countries for travelling in the snow. Sticks and animal skins were tied to the underside of the skis for travelling uphill. But sticky coatings, such as pine tar, also helped to prevent the skis from sliding backwards. Nowadays, hybrid skins (a mixture of natural and synthetic fibres) or purely synthetic skins are used. These are attached to the underside of the ski with adhesive. Over time, touring skis have evolved and modern materials such as fibreglass and carbon have been introduced, making skis lighter and more robust. However, these skis are unfortunately not recyclable. Today, touring skis are technologically innovative and sustainable, as they are made from biodegradable materials. They combine the tradition of classic skiing with the requirements of modern winter sports equipment and enable ski tourers to explore the most remote and unspoilt snowy landscapes safely and efficiently.

Our development process


We, Johannes, Tim and Maxi, started in 2016 by attending a ski building workshop. We didn't think it was that difficult and started offering DIY workshops ourselves at the Baumbaron workshop on Lake Tegernsee. We quickly realised that the production of skis causes a lot of waste and the skis themselves are unfortunately also hazardous waste in the end. In 2019, Tim went travelling around the world for a while and we cancelled the course project. We have been developing sustainable skis since autumn 2021. Niklas also joined us here. We realised that wood works as a running surface in deep snow, but not on hard, icy slopes. We had to find another solution. We tried all sorts of things. Really, really everything! But even bioplastics are simply not abrasion-resistant enough. That's why we are now developing our own biodegradable plastic together with Fraunhofer. Here we immediately encountered the next problem, how to glue the plastic to the rest of the ski, because conventional adhesives unfortunately don't hold. However, we have now found a suitable adhesive. Normally, the steel edges are glued in, but this makes recycling extremely difficult again, so we decided not to use it. We have had special steel skates developed that can be screwed on and off from the side. Fortunately, we didn't have to develop the ski wax and ski bindings separately, but instead used existing sustainable products.
We will be developing splitboards and snowboards in the future!

8. Sustainable materials for environmentally friendly ski touring

Selection criteria for materials for high-quality touring skis


Sustainability and environmental friendliness play a decisive role in the selection of materials for high-quality touring skis. It is particularly important that the materials used are biodegradable, similar to wood, even if they do not fulfil the strict criteria of DIN 13432. Materials such as flax and ash wood offer high strength and flexibility and are also environmentally friendly as they can be broken down in a natural cycle. These materials not only ensure excellent riding characteristics, but also help to minimise the ecological footprint. By using such sustainable raw materials, we are sending out a clear signal in favour of environmental protection and responsibility towards future generations.

Environmentally friendly production methods

Environmentally friendly production methods play a central role in the manufacture of sustainable touring skis. Manufacturers rely on energy-efficient processes and the use of renewable energies to minimise CO2 emissions. The use of environmentally friendly adhesives, oils and paints that are free from harmful chemicals also helps to reduce the environmental impact. Care is also taken to ensure that waste and production residues are recycled or reused in order to optimise the use of resources. These environmentally conscious manufacturing processes ensure that the touring skis leave the smallest possible ecological footprint not only during their use, but also during their production.

Advantages of sustainable touring skis


Sustainable touring skis offer a number of advantages that go beyond their environmentally friendly production. They are made from materials that are biodegradable or come from recycled sources, which makes their disposal much more environmentally friendly. These skis are often more durable as they are made from high-quality, robust materials that can withstand the rigours of skiing. They also help to reduce the ecological footprint by avoiding harmful chemicals and environmentally damaging production processes. For the environmentally conscious skier, sustainable touring skis offer not only a responsible choice, but also high-performance and reliable equipment for unforgettable adventures in the snow.