Skis are typically made with a core of wood and layers of carbon fiber or fiberglass. However, in the Bioskiboard project, RISE, in collaboration with Åre ski factory and others, has explored the possibility of replacing petroleum-based composites with biocomposites sourced from renewable materials. The objective is to reduce the environmental footprint without jeopardizing the performance of the product.
Behind the new, popular ski brand 1000 skis are some of Sweden’s most skilled freeriders with connections to the ski collective The Bunch ― all with a clear vision of creating skis they want themselves while having sustainability in mind. The design of the skis is, therefore, minimalistic red with just a simple logo.
“Sustainability is seldom considered in the design process, but for us, those two go hand in hand. We created a timeless design to avoid the skis going out of fashion and being replaced every season,” says Magnus Granér, one of the founders of 1000 skis.
Skis are almost always made of carbon fibre or fibreglass with a core of wood. 1000 skis have three different wood cores in their fibreglass skis: poplar, beech tree with poplar, and bamboo with poplar. As their skis are primarily adapted for freeriding, they are not as hard as classic downhill skis.
Professional skiers choose Åre ski factory
“We want to work for a better ski industry, says Magnus Granér. That is why we chose to manufacture our skis in the Åre ski factory, as they have one of the world’s most advanced ski manufacturing facilities and meet our high manufacturing requirements; their production is, for example, powered by renewable energy. At the same time, we can develop new prototypes that quickly can be tested on snow within just a few days of an idea emerging,” he says.
Åre ski factory has invested a lot in energy efficiency. All production is made of 100% renewable energy from local hydropower plants, all plastic waste from the factory is recycled, and wood residues from the factory are used for Åre’s district heating. Magnus Granér says that they are constantly in discussions with the factory how they can continue to improve and create skis with a lower environmental impact. Furthermore, in such a conversation, the Åre ski factory suggested RISE and the Bioskiboard project.
” I called RISE immediately, and that is how we got the chance to be a part of this unique and exciting project,” he says.
Reduced environmental impact with bio fibres
The Bioskiboard project was then in the start-up phase, where the ideas began to take shape together with RISE, Åre Skidfabrik and Tur Snowboards ― which is also a new emerging brand developed by professional skiers.
Tur Snowboard has tested their boards on Åreskutan, but as their production is in Asia, 1000 skis were indeed welcome in the project, as it meant it was possible to immediately start testing different materials in the production line of the Åre ski factory.
“The project hypothesis is that there are natural fibres and bio-based resins based on Swedish or European raw materials which have the potential to be processed and used as alternative materials to the traditional fibre reinforced composites in a ski or snowboard. Thus, reducing the environmental impact during production without jeopardizing the product performance”, says Thomas Bru, researcher at RISE.
At the beginning of the project, there were hopes of using flax fiber composite prepreg material manufactured in Sweden, but when that failed, the group chose the material from another country in Europe. After conducting several lab tests based on different parameters on different types of biofibres and two weeks of production with the selected material, a pair of prototype skis with the new surface material was ready. Then it was finally time for a tryout by the skiers from 1000 skis. Since they are all freeriders, the skis were tested under extreme stress from various jumps and tricks.
“We have now produced the first prototype skis in biocomposite. We are very grateful to receive direct feedback from professional skiers regarding the product’s performance in its proper environment, says Thomas Bru.
We have learnt so much from the researchers at RISE, from lectures on biocomposites to life cycle analysis methods.
Life cycle analysis for sustainable development
In addition to material selection, design, prototypes, and testing, the Bioskiboard Project also includes life cycle analyses (LCA). In these, one studies the expected life of the skis and evaluates the existing materials that 1000 skis currently have in the skis to see how their lifespan can be extended. Then, the various steps in the production process are studied for reducing the environmental impact. After that, it is possible to calculate the emissions throughout the life of the skis.
“It has been fantastic to be part of this project as a start-up. We have learnt so much from the researchers at RISE, from lectures on biocomposites to life cycle analysis methods. We will be able to take all this into our company. Immediately, we will start with to model the life cycle analysis to see where we are today, what we should focus on and where we should put our energy. Moreover, we will, of course, look at how we can proceed further with biofiber.”
The purpose of the entire project is to investigate the feasibility and marketing potential of skis and snowboards manufactured in biocomposites from renewable raw materials instead of traditional petroleum-based composites.
