Doppleschwand LU – The ski manufacturer Swiss Massiv produces skis made of wood, bamboo and aluminum laminate that are 80 percent recyclable. The flexible bamboo on the edges of the wood core should benefit their ride. Swiss Massiv won the Mountain Aid Innovation Award for this.
René Unternährer builds 200 to 300 pairs of skis a year in his manufactory called Swiss Massiv in lower Entlebuch, which take advantage of natural fibers and are 80 percent recyclable. Each pair of skis is unique and is geared to the individual wishes and abilities of the skier.
Unternährer developed this ski over the course of two years together with Mateusz Wielopolski, an expert in sustainable materials. The elastic bamboo on the edges of the wooden core is said to have a positive effect on the driving characteristics. “Bamboo is flexible but stable,” Wielopolski explains. “There’s energy in there that transfers to the ski’s performance.” In order to improve the eco-balance of the bamboo previously sourced from China, a supplier from Southern Europe is now being sought. The two are currently working on a ski that is completely recyclable.
For this development, Swiss Mountain Aid and the InnovationsTransfer Zentralschweiz(ITZ) association awarded Swiss Massiv the 2022 Innovation Prize worth 15,000 Swiss francs in November. Kurt Zgraggen, managing director of Swiss Mountain Aid, considers this to be a report of the ITZ, in which this year’s winners are presented, for “a great idea that completely captures the spirit of the times. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years the best male and female skiers in the world are racing their competitors with René and Mateusz’s bamboo technology.”
Unternährer says in an article in the “Luzerner Zeitung” of January 23 that this prize is “a great recognition of our pioneering work”. He “proves that other people believe in the technology, too.” mm
