Japanese Manufacturer Produces Custom Wooden Ski

[RossiSkier]

Nagano, Japan (Saturday, September 18, 2004) - Ogasaka Ski released added new Long Cruise model to its 2004/2005 product lineup announced earlier this month. Long Cruise is a maple wood-core ski with Ogasaka's original shell top construction.

The designer of Long Cruise, Mr. Osada, described the ski's wooden construction and appearance. "Long Cruise has a unique look," Osada said. "We used a cherry tree and a maple for top sheets."

Long Cruise will be fully custom made with each owner's name on the skis. "This ski is beautiful and too much to put it away in summer time," Osada continued. "Long Cruise should be kept in their room as a decoration. We have used stainless steel for the edge. Edges are not going to rust during summer time. Long Cruise, as name represent, is designed to cruise big mountain. We have used all our technologies to make Long Cruise the best skis, and we guarantee its quality."

The price of Long Cruise is a hefty $1,950.00. Customers will have to place an order three months in advance. Last year, Ogasaka Ski for the first time branched out beyond its domestic market by opening a U.S. and Canadian distribution facility in Salem, Mass. All Ogasaka skis, however, are manufactured in the company's own facility in Nagano. The company's 2003 sales totalled $24 million, making it one of Japan's largest ski manufacturers.


http://www.ogasakaski.com/pgeLC05.asp?UID=
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Man, wouldn't it be nice to be rich. Never mind yachts and sports cars. I'd get a pair of these.

 

[ctenidae]

Reviews Ive seen of the Ogasaka's, though few and far between, have been pretty positive. With distribution from Salem, it may be possible to get in on a demo day or something. Keep your eyes out- may be the "Next Big Thing"

 

[beswift]

Wooden Skiis

As I have posted before, I have skied on my Dad's Wooden downhill skiis after I modified them for a step-in binding. It was my return to downhill skiing after about a decade of attempting cross-country in my twenties. I went up to Sunapee for a few sessions that year and had a ball. This ski isn't a true wooden ski IMHO. All you are looking at would be a wood core ski with a wooden top sheet. It isn't worth the additional cost for the top sheet, is it? My Dad's ski was a solid piece of wood, hickory I believe. The edges were steel and screwed into the base. I still have my Mother's skiis (along with my Mother) which were American Flyers and made out of a laminate. Both skiis still retain their camber after 50 or more years!!! My mom's skiis delaminated a bit, but after I repaired them, I believe they are still skiable. Wooden bases can be waxed and they hold wax better than any synthetic. I shellaced both pairs top to bottom in order to preserve the wood. Now that I am thinking about skiing on them again, I figure I could run them over a belt sander, take the rust off the edges and then pine-tar the bottoms. When I worked for Ski Town (now defunct), we had a tent sale in August. The new owners took a bundle of old x/c wooden skiis out of their attic and used them for their promotion. The advertised new skiis for $3. I grabbed a pair and skied them a lot that winter. I was told that since they had been sitting in a hot attic for a number of years, they would be too brittle for skiing. That was not true. My point would be that you can keep your eye out for old wooden skiis and pick a pair up for very little. They won't be shaped skiis, but with some work you can ski them and be as big hit on the slopes as the turkey's that buy these skiis.

 

[RossiSkier]

Wooden Skis

Are there other wooden skis available on the market that are available?