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Using Sustainable Materials in the Production of Skis
from: By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tom_Beaton]Tom BeatonIndustry in general is not overly eco friendly. Ski production typically uses hard woods such as poplar. These trees take a long time to grow and are not being replanted at the rate they need to be in order to be sustainable. Wood has amazing properties which add a lot of performance to skis, and it is hard to replicate using synthetic materials. Wood is also a great material to work with. It bonds well to other materials - an issue which can be very tricky to resolve but is imperative in making a long lasting ski.
A sustainable wood which has started being used more and more in ski production is bamboo. Bamboo is not just a marketing gimmick. The two key reasons for choosing bamboo are performance and sustainability. Bamboo cores provide more pop and energy return than traditional skis. This together with a lower camber provides faster turn initiation. Bamboo is fast growing and needs harvesting regularly and by using it instead of more common core woods such as poplar, impact on old-growth forests is reduced.
So far Colorado based Liberty Skis are the only company to fully embrace bamboo and use it throughout their range. They are also leading the way in other areas of sustainability, such as committing to being carbon neutral and using wind power.
At this point there has been very little mention in the industry of the need to be sustainable. It has not reached the level of importance and public exposure that other more flashy industries have perhaps. However as the continuing financial crunch continues, anything that can set your company apart from the competition is a bonus. The fact we are getting to the point where the World needs us to be more careful and give back is also to be considered.
Tom Beaton works for Maxtrack, the UK distribution partner for Liberty Skis. Find out more about Liberty skis and their use of bamboo. Look at the [http://libertyskis.co.uk/skis/]2009/2010 Liberty Skisrange which includes the [http://libertyskis.co.uk/skis/0910-lte/]LTE park ski and many more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Beaton http://EzineArticles.com/?Using-Sustainable-Materials-in-the-Production-of-Skis&id=3102376
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