Spinnova fibre is making its debut in composites in the new skis of Finnish manufacturer Pusu.

In Pusu x Spinnova alpine skis, carbon and glass fibres are replaced with Spinnova as the reinforcement material. Consumers can sign up for pre-sales at Pusu’s webshop, and deliveries of the first skis are expected to take place in early 2022.

Composites is a new application area for Spinnova, since the company’s fibre has until now been demonstrated in apparel and interior design applications.

Spinnova’s technology makes textile fibre out of wood pulp or waste mechanically, with no harmful chemicals, minimal water usage and CO2 emissions and the 100% circular fibre does not shed any microplastics to the environment. The first commercial factory producing Spinnova fibre is expected to begin production by the end of 2022.

The key features of the new Pusu x skis are high performance, sustainability and functional design. Spinnova material is laminated to the ski woodcore to replace carbon and glass fibres. Based on vigorous testing, initial results show that Spinnova-reinforced skis improve skiing experience and provide long-lasting performance and durability. Moreover, Spinnova materials are safer to process than conventional composite materials. 

“It’s been clear to us since the beginning that our fibre can be used in multiple ways,” said Spinnova’s CTO and co-founder Juha Salmela. “This is a great example of how Spinnova fibres can be used in composites, and there are plenty of other exciting opportunities in the area in the future. We’re happy that Pusu saw the potential as well. We expect to create sustainable skis without compromising performance.”

Pusu has been making skis and snowboards from sustainably sourced wood since 2016, and its philosophy is to maximise the use of natural materials. Ski manufacturing has traditionally relied on non-renewable materials like plastic, glass fibre, carbon fibre and costly metal blends. Winter-loving alpine skiers are now, however, increasingly keen on alternatives that contribute to climate change as little as possible.

“We strongly believe that focusing on quality and natural materials creates the best and the most sustainable products for the environment and the user,” said Pusu founder and CEO Jani Ahvenainen. “Working with the Spinnova fibre seems to prove we’re right – we have received outstanding feedback from professional test skiers.”

There are some 135 million alpine skiers in the world, served by a $1.3 billion equipment market that has not seen much in the way of sustainable innovation yet.

www.spinnovagroup.com

www.pusu.ski