Foam vs. Wood

[SkiDog]

Originally Posted by tree_skier

It just points out that alot of people are more into image then performance.

I cant believe that is still the case today....again ive only been readin rave reviews about some/most of the foam cores out there, and if the last time you skied foam were the 4's i'm sure its come quite a ways...again I am a wood core skier, but am thinking of making a switch, so trying to gather all information....

These "personal" level type reviews I am recieving arent coming from 5 day a year skiers, most are actully coming from people who are using them mostly for AT..

Im just soo cornfused....


M

[billski]

Wood has resiliency and much longer longevity than foam. Foam is super responsive at first, but poops out after a few dozen days. My one and only pair of foamies started changing response after only about 20 days of skiing. I suppose if money is no object, just buy a new pair every 6 months, you're all set

[riverc0il]

wood core as an AT ski is not an issue. if you are a rando racer or extreme light weight setup, then a light weight ski may be in order. but any AT skier looking for ski performance should not be put off by a slightly heavier ski. binding and boot weight are more important issues, but you need the ski to perform on the downhill.

[billski]

Originally Posted by riverc0il

wood core as an AT ski is not an issue. if you are a rando racer or extreme light weight setup, then a light weight ski may be in order. but any AT skier looking for ski performance should not be put off by a slightly heavier ski. binding and boot weight are more important issues, but you need the ski to perform on the downhill.

The skis I have today are the shortest, yet heaviest skis I have ever owned. The only time weight is an issue is lugging them back to the car. The rest of the time they are flat on the snow, where they belong. I don't notice the weight difference at all when skiing. In fact, I call them my "snow magnets", the way they just stay flat, but continue to accellerate.

[SkiDog]

Originally Posted by billski

The skis I have today are the shortest, yet heaviest skis I have ever owned. The only time weight is an issue is lugging them back to the car. The rest of the time they are flat on the snow, where they belong. I don't notice the weight difference at all when skiing. In fact, I call them my "snow magnets", the way they just stay flat, but continue to accellerate.

Foam or wood core?

M

[billski]

Originally Posted by SkiDog

Foam or wood core?

M

Wood. Arf Arf.

[SkiDog]

Originally Posted by billski

Wood. Arf Arf.

DRAT i need one of you to be on the side im leaning towards....GRRRRRR

M

[billski]

Originally Posted by SkiDog

DRAT i need one of you to be on the side im leaning towards....GRRRRRR



M

Mr. Statistics sez....
TWO does NOT constitute a trend or pattern....
not enuf data to make a good decision..
p.s., didn't someone say DEMO???

[GrizzlyFD]

Three words...foam is CHEAP.

This is why it is used. Foam is typically a polymeric species (the same material that makes up a ski base, water bottles, etc...) that is held together by the cohesiveness of the individual molecules. This cohesiveness breaks down very quickly when put under flexing stress. Conversely, wood fibers are very tightly held together and have an excellent cohesiveness.

One of the bigest concerns over wood-core skis is the unstable quality of the wood used for the skis. If you have ever been to the building materials at home depot, you can see the incredible variation in quality of the wood. Foam is supposed to provide a uniform material that will always perform the same. Some manufacturers have addressed this concern with their wood-core skis.

Volkl has its own "forest" of poplar trees so that the material they use is always very consistent and high quality. That is one of the reason why volkl is $$, but last a long time.

[riverc0il]

regarding the money issue, there are a lot of foam skis that are quite expensive when compared to their wood counterparts.

that said, what happened to all you rossi folks? we had a "what ski do you use" thread not to long ago and rossi had a lot of committed users. wonder where they all went?

the wood vs. foam issue will become less and less meaningful as more and more ski companies are using hybrid core components mixing in metal elements and so on. i still love a solid wood core to build around though.