Ski Builders Forum

I've searched the forum for this but couldn't find anything relevant, so...

Back in the 90s I had a pair of 213 cm Wolf SGs (the bright yellow ones with fairly deep sidecut), which were great all-mountain skis for their day if you drove them hard enough. They were unusual for SGs in that they were very thick and didn't have any metal layers. The weight was relatively low, suggesting a low-density core material, and yet they were reasonably damp and solid underfoot. They weren't as solid as the Atomic 212 SGs that replaced them or the Head 210 i.SGs that I have now, but they were substantial enough that people raced masters-level SG/DH on them (though with beefy plates like the old Derbyflex).

I had a couple discussions at the time with the designer, Mike Brunetto, and he stated that the ski was built around an Okoume core (Okoume is also known as Gaboon wood). He argued that Okoume has near-ideal properties as a ski core and was "the key" to the Wolf SG's design.

My question is: Has anybody here built skis with the stuff? If so, how were your results?

It would be interesting to know more about why he took this view. In reality, wood is a somewhat im-perfect core material, so it's a bit of a surprise. I think the igneous skis put is best ... but I can't remember what they said.

IMHO ... the interface between the core material and the matrix is something to focus on with respect to the choice of core material. Next is the choice of fibre and how it responds to fatigue cycles. If you have the time, you might find it worth reading about windturbine construction and the early testing they did into the issue of fatigue.

Richuk wrote:It would be interesting to know more about why he took this view. In reality, wood is a somewhat im-perfect core material, so it's a bit of a surprise. I think the igneous skis put is best ... but I can't remember what they said.

IMHO ... the interface between the core material and the matrix is something to focus on with respect to the choice of core material. Next is the choice of fibre and how it responds to fatigue cycles. If you have the time, you might find it worth reading about windturbine construction and the early testing they did into the issue of fatigue.

He didn't volunteer details, and I didn't know the right questions to ask at that point.

For those who don't know the background, Wolf was a small ski manufacturer in Sun Valley. The founder and designer, Mike Brunetto, previously founded Research Dynamics (RD) and worked as a designer at Head, K2, and The Ski (70s incarnation), among others. He was/is very much an "insider" and therefore somewhat secretive. I'm still kicking myself for not exploiting the chance to pick his brain when I had it...

As an engineer I'm aware of the imperfections of wood. It seems to be one of those cases where it's the worst option except for all of the economical alternatives (borrowing from Winston Churchill's infamous comment about democracy). I wouldn't mind experimenting with Rohacell some day, though.