MISCELLANEOUS:
weight: n/a
epoxy: West System
tipspacer:  white ABS plastic
inserts:  stainless steel M6, 7mm for G3 Targa binding pattern
damping elements:   rubber strips placed above metal edges
 

GRAPHICS:
The black ABS topsheet makes the skis look sleek.  To improve bonding of the topsheet, we abraded the ABS, but I don't think we abraded enough.  I won't be surprised if they delam soon.  The "K" logo was made by cutting the shape of the "K" in the topsheet and patching the hole with red flannel that had been soaked in epoxy.  It looks pretty nice.

BUILDER:  Kam K. Leang, Kelvin Wu

MANUFACTURED DATE:  March 8, 2005

COMMENTS:
Inspired by the Ahma ski, we wanted to design something similar with an asymmetric sidecut, but lighter in weight for the backcountry.  We decided to use a mix of maple and poplar to reduce the weight and also to leave out the flannel.  Since poplar is a bit softer than maple, we compensated for the reduced stiffness by making the thickness of the tip and tail about 0.5mm more than the original Ahmas.  Again, this ski has an asymmetric sidecut, where the outside edges are quicker (21m radius) and the inside is a bit slower at 24m.  The shape of the tip and tail is suppose to help reduce scraping caused by the inside edge rubbing up against the ski.  We're not sure if it will work, but it looks pretty cool. 
 

THE RIDE:
March 12, 2005:  The Birthday Tour, N. Cascades, WA by Kam K. Leang  The first test ride was in the backcountry in the north cascades. I skied them on my birthday, on The Birthday Tour to be exact. Below is a photo of the skis near Early Winter Spires at Washington Pass. Notice the shape of the tips, but they are actually skied with the right ski in the photo on the left side, and the left ski in the photo on the right side.

Snow conditions ranged from soft corn (on sun-direct aspects) to bullet-proof refrozen corn  (on shaded and north, northeast aspects). When I was making the first set of turns, I immediately noticed the difference in sidecut between the inside and outside edge. The skis were very quick edge-to-edge; they were very responsive and held a great edge (probably because I had them tuned). They felt lighter compared to our original Ahmas, and this made somewhat of a difference, both during the ascent and while I was trying to whip them around on the descent. Overall, the skis performed really well on an icy pitch that we had to ski to get back to the car. The only thing that I did notice is they seem to resonate a bit. It's not a big deal, but I think the skis need more damping elements to make them feel more quiet.