Inside the Factory

November 6, 2016
Making the Perfect Skis – How is it done? Simply put: No compromises. Precision and keen attention to detail is..

Making the Perfect Skis – How is it done?

Simply put: No compromises. Precision and keen attention to detail is the defining factor in our production. But let us show you – take a tour with us inside the factory!

From a foam core to the smartest skis in the world
All of Madshus top racing skis are manufactures in Biri, in the heart of Norway and only a hop and a skip from the Birkebeiner course and Sjusjøen, which is one of our most valuable testing labs. However, the production takes place behind closed door at the Biri factory.

Here is how we turn a foam core into the fastest, smartest skis in the world; pre-ground and race-ready out of the box.

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Materials
Madshus buys most of the materials in bulk rolls or sheets. This allows us to cut the materials just right and according to our molds, and we waste less of the materials, which is good both for the planet and the bottom line.

“There are three things that separate the different lines of race skis: the core, the base and the graphics,” says Bjørn-Ivar Austrem, who is the director of skis and engineering at Madshus.

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Madshus produces 1200 to 1500 pairs of skis per week, and all skis start with a sheet of foam. The sheet is trimmed to ski cores, shaped as much as possible like the final geometry of the ski.

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Then the other construction materials are added in layers: carbon fibers and fiberglass adds rigidity and stability. More carbon makes for a lighter ski, while fiberglass is heavier. Carbon is expensive; fiberglass costs less.

Finally, we pull a knitted “stocking” around the core and the fibers, and the skis move on.

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The skis are cast in molds where 20 skis can be cast next to each other. The machines are developed right here at Madshus.

When the molds are shut, we add heat for 15 minutes, which allows the excess epoxy to exit the molds. The overflow is collected in trays adjacent to the molds. Then we add cold water to the molds, cooling the epoxy in the skis and setting the shape of the skis just right. The skis are measured, and if there are any discrepancies, we adjust this with tension screws.

“This is both efficient and clean, and very flexible. We have observed many different industries and models, but never found anything that rivals our own,” Austrem says.

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Digital print shop in-house
At Madshus, we also have our own, all-digital print shop right in the factory, where we set the graphic right onto the cap of the ski. We buy the cap materials in big rolls from the manufacturer, set the machine to the correct ski length and cut the material accordingly.

“This process makes us less dependent on the cap material manufacturer,” Austrem says.

All graphics are printed on the inside of the top layer, and we use epoxy-based print from the same epoxy that we use in the ski construction. This creates a very solid fixation, and also helps protect the surface of the skis from scratches and cuts.

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Once the skis are out of the casting, with all their layers, base and graphics in place, the tips and tails are trimmed. Then the skis are ground and fine-tuned with a laser.

After trimming and tuning, the skis are headed to the base grinders. In total, the skis are run through eighth different grinding stones and three machines, making sure the skis are race-ready out of the box, whether it’s a factory structure or a specialty grind is ordered.

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Finally, we add the NIS binding plate, and the skis are ready to be shipped to the retailers.

The details that make each ski unique
Our compuflex-machine measures all pressure curves, flexes and camber heights. These are the properties that determine what the skis’ ideal use and conditions are.

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Everything is measured
Skis with short pressure zones and higher camber are better in wet and warm conditions. In such conditions you want less of the glide zones on the snow to reduce the suctioning effect of the water, and a higher camber allows room for thicker, softer kick waxes.

For cold conditions, the opposite applies: you want longer pressure zones in order to create a thin film of water to increase the glide on the sharp, cold snow crystals. The camber height can be lower, as the kick wax is harder and applied thinner.

“A cold conditions ski will generally have a camber height of 1 to 1.1mm, while a klister/warm condition ski will have about 1.4mm,” Austrem explains.

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Perfect control: Chip
Retailers have their own versions of our Compuflex machine. But with the Madshus SMART skis, we have made it even easier: all the information about the skis’ properties – every detail about flex, camber height and wax zones – is accessible with a quick scan, without having to test each ski individually.