ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION OF AT SKIS

There is a lot of creative marketing in the ski industry, but when it comes to the weight of touring skis, some take the creative BS to the next level. So, here a few facts about building light skis: At the end of the day, building a light ski is all about mechanics and physics. Which is also to say: There's no magic in it. Lighter, as most companies do it, means simply lighter materials, but most importantly less material. Two simple examples, and also how we engineer differently. 

1. Edge and base dimensions: A huge part of a skis weight is in the steel edges and bases. Trim that down, means lighter. But does that really make sense for a ski you primarily ski backcountry, and the eventual rock, grass or root contact WILL happen? We believe -> NOT. Standard alpine and freeride skis feature 1,3 - 1,5mm thick bases; and 1,7 - 1,9 wide edges. Most light AT skis go down to 1,0mm bases, and 1,6mm wide edges. Our LD skis have 1,5mm thick bases, and 1,85mm wide edges. That upper end of the spectrum gives you more beef underfoot, and more longevity of your ski.
2. Core height vs. fiber content: Make a wood core thick, and your ski will be stiffer. Put in a the right amount of fiber, and your ski will behave well. The thing though is: wood is a lot lighter, and A HOLE LOT cheaper than fibers. So, to have a somewhat stable superlight ski, you make a fairly thick wood core, and reduce the amount of fibers. Most light AT skis on the market have a a fiber content of around 800-1200 gramm per square meter. The thing though - you reduce the skiability to what we just described: stiff, but not a lot of any desired behaviour. Our LOWDOWN skis are thinner in profile, but have an extraordinary amount of carbon and glassfiber: 2010 gramm of fiber per square meter, to be precise (or double of what the market standard is); 1240 of which is triaxial glassfiber, and 770 of which is triaxial carbon. This is serious stuff, for serious skiers.