January 30, 2011
January 28, 2011
January 27, 2011
January 26, 2011
Grace Kylie 196 core prototype
Big day for Grace Skis. We have our first core prototyped and ready for machining out of actual bamboo and poplar. This "blank" came to within .oo7" or .1778MM. With those levels of perfection we will have a very nicely crafted ski! We are working on dedicated tooling for the core and base material (4001 UHMWPE Dura surf) so we can produce copies with exactness and efficiency moving forward. The crew at Denver Woodworking are executing the CNC work on a machine that is top of the line in the industry. Thank you Denver Woodworking!
January 20, 2011
Thought of the Day
RISK more than others think is safe,CARE more than others think is wise,DREAM more than others think is practical,EXPECT more than others think this is possible.
- Cadet Maxim
Thanks Amy...
- Cadet Maxim
Thanks Amy...
January 19, 2011
Optic Nerve Antero Erupter
After a weekend in Little Cottonwood Canyon looking through the Optic Nerve Antero Erupter goggles, I have to ask myself one question. Why did I ever spend twice as much for a pair of goggles? The Antero did everything one would expect from a pair of goggles. They even fogged up. That is right they fogged up just a little above the eyes. Lets put some perspective on that "downfall". If you skied Snowbird this past weekend you would have been in the 36 degree rain, snow, sleet, rain again snow again conditions. Take those conditions with dense fog , high humidity, high body temps and a 20 minute boot pack with a FLY LOW puffy jacket on. Do the math! Any goggle would have fogged up and from my experience some would fog more. So, I am giving the goggles complete slack on this issue as the fog cleared relatively quickly as i started skiing! The one issue is field of vision, granted these are medium size and they have bigger frames. Even for a medium the pinch in the middle seemed a little tight for my liking. The positives still outweigh the negatives as there really are no negatives. Lens was perfect, no fogging unless under EXTREME conditions, comfortable (although the foam could be wider to add comfort and facial contact. The design is solid and not too over the top with graphics. I wiped the lens every run with a simple napkin, not advised but I didn't have the cloth carrying case. The lenses handled that without a scratch. Durability is still under question as two days cant answer that...
Bottom line: When you stand in the retail store or look on screen, don't pass them up. For the price you can get two pair and eventually treat yourself to that NEW GOGGLE day sometime in March!!
Bottom line: When you stand in the retail store or look on screen, don't pass them up. For the price you can get two pair and eventually treat yourself to that NEW GOGGLE day sometime in March!!
January 13, 2011
Optic Nerve Antero Erupter Goggles
The crew over at Optic Nerve sent us some goggles to run through the mill. We are headed to Utah for a little Snowbird and Alta snow so the timing couldn't be more perfect. Optic Nerve is a Colorado based company and has been around for 25 years. Check them out Right out of the box the Optic nerves feel just like any high end goggle, Being a devote Smith sun glass and goggle guy it is tough to jump ship. Two things about "nerve" make me think change. Company core beliefs and price point. Check out the charity work, programs and events they sponsor. Good chance you took advantage of one of those events or believe in one of the charities or environmental philosophies. Price point, these Antero goggles are 69$ MSRP. beat that with a comparable goggle, you cant. So off to Utah to "see" if these babies do us right. Field of view, durability, lens function, comfort. Thanks Optic Nerve and keep it up
January 11, 2011
FWT Winning run
Check out he winning run at Revelstoke Canadian Freeskiing Championships. the boy wears Fly Low...
Revelstoke 2011: Final Day Top Three Mens from Subaru Freeskiing World Tour on Vimeo.
Free Skiing World Tour
LEAH EVANS & LARS CHICKERING-AYERS WIN THE SUBARU CANADIAN FREESKIING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Competitors Square Off on Mac FaceThe finals of the Subaru Canadian Freeskiing Championships went off in grand fashion today at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Twenty men and seven women were flown to the top of Mac Face in a Bell 105 provided by Selikirk Tangiers Heli Skiing. Mac Face, which is right at the edge of the resort boundary is a steep technical face that proved challenging for the finals competitors as well as Revelstoke’s Professional Ski Patrol.While the day one competition was happening in North Bowl on Sunday, the Patrollers were busy heli bombing Mac Face, with little results. Today the patrollers were the first ones dropped at the top of the run and while doing ski cuts to test the snow pack they triggered several significant slides. Due to this the helicopter was sent to pick up explosives so the patrol could throw hand charges into the venue to ensure its safety for the competition. This pushed the competition back an hour but safety is always the first thing in the minds of event organizers and the ski patrol. “A short delay is a small price to pay to ensure our competitors safety” remarked Event Director Bryan Barlow. Once the venue was cleared by the ski patrol, the women were the first to get their shot at Mac Face.The women’s champion was Leah Evans with a run score of 32.83 and combined score of 66.16. Tatum Monod fought her way from the qualifier to finish in 2nd with a combined score of 46.90. Rounding out the podium finishers for the women was Nicole Derksen with a combined run score of 42.10.On the men’s side, the competition was intense as the champion was not decided until the last run. Lars Chickering-Ayers came out on top with a run score of 42.07 giving him a combined score of 79.37. Chickering-Ayers earned his score by skiing a line that included lots of exposure and ended with high speed turns through the sluff debris at the bottom of the venue. Skiing directly after Chickering-Ayers was Drew Tabke, who came into the day in first place by a small margin of 1.23 points. Needing a score of 40.84 to retain his lead, Tabke fell short with a run score of 33.8 putting him in second place with a combined score of 72.33. The final podium finisher for the men was Spencer Brinson with a combined score of 71.67.The tops 3 men and women were presented with their Howitzer Trophies in downtown Revelstoke. The howitzer trophy, fashioned from Howitzer shells used for avalanche control work, will be presented to the top three men and women at all of the remaining stops on the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour. The tour next heads to Jackson Hole, WY for the tour qualifier as athletes who have yet to pre qualify for the tour vie for the coveted remaining pre-qualified spots for the remainder of the season.
Words by Chris Jennings
Competitors Square Off on Mac FaceThe finals of the Subaru Canadian Freeskiing Championships went off in grand fashion today at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Twenty men and seven women were flown to the top of Mac Face in a Bell 105 provided by Selikirk Tangiers Heli Skiing. Mac Face, which is right at the edge of the resort boundary is a steep technical face that proved challenging for the finals competitors as well as Revelstoke’s Professional Ski Patrol.While the day one competition was happening in North Bowl on Sunday, the Patrollers were busy heli bombing Mac Face, with little results. Today the patrollers were the first ones dropped at the top of the run and while doing ski cuts to test the snow pack they triggered several significant slides. Due to this the helicopter was sent to pick up explosives so the patrol could throw hand charges into the venue to ensure its safety for the competition. This pushed the competition back an hour but safety is always the first thing in the minds of event organizers and the ski patrol. “A short delay is a small price to pay to ensure our competitors safety” remarked Event Director Bryan Barlow. Once the venue was cleared by the ski patrol, the women were the first to get their shot at Mac Face.The women’s champion was Leah Evans with a run score of 32.83 and combined score of 66.16. Tatum Monod fought her way from the qualifier to finish in 2nd with a combined score of 46.90. Rounding out the podium finishers for the women was Nicole Derksen with a combined run score of 42.10.On the men’s side, the competition was intense as the champion was not decided until the last run. Lars Chickering-Ayers came out on top with a run score of 42.07 giving him a combined score of 79.37. Chickering-Ayers earned his score by skiing a line that included lots of exposure and ended with high speed turns through the sluff debris at the bottom of the venue. Skiing directly after Chickering-Ayers was Drew Tabke, who came into the day in first place by a small margin of 1.23 points. Needing a score of 40.84 to retain his lead, Tabke fell short with a run score of 33.8 putting him in second place with a combined score of 72.33. The final podium finisher for the men was Spencer Brinson with a combined score of 71.67.The tops 3 men and women were presented with their Howitzer Trophies in downtown Revelstoke. The howitzer trophy, fashioned from Howitzer shells used for avalanche control work, will be presented to the top three men and women at all of the remaining stops on the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour. The tour next heads to Jackson Hole, WY for the tour qualifier as athletes who have yet to pre qualify for the tour vie for the coveted remaining pre-qualified spots for the remainder of the season.
Words by Chris Jennings
January 9, 2011
Freeskiing World Tour
The FWT is kicking up in Revelstoke, Canada. They where delayed a day due to weather but got up and running today. the finals will be tomorrow. You can check the live feed at 10 am PST on their website.
These kids go off...
LIVE RESULTS - CURRENT STANDINGS
Women
1 - Leah Evans
2 - Jacqui Edgerly
3 - Tatum Monod
4 - Crystal Wright
5 - Nicole Derksen
6 - Sara Mancuso
7 - Louise Lintilhac
8 - M. Manning
9 - Martha Burley
10 - Clare Burns
Men
1 - Drew Tabke
2 - L. Chickering-Ayers
3 - Mat Jackson
4 - spencer Brinson
5 - Griffin Post
6 - Aaron Schmidt
7 - Carter McMillan
8 - North Parker
9 - Caleb Brown
10 - Sam Cohen
These kids go off...
LIVE RESULTS - CURRENT STANDINGS
Women
1 - Leah Evans
2 - Jacqui Edgerly
3 - Tatum Monod
4 - Crystal Wright
5 - Nicole Derksen
6 - Sara Mancuso
7 - Louise Lintilhac
8 - M. Manning
9 - Martha Burley
10 - Clare Burns
Men
1 - Drew Tabke
2 - L. Chickering-Ayers
3 - Mat Jackson
4 - spencer Brinson
5 - Griffin Post
6 - Aaron Schmidt
7 - Carter McMillan
8 - North Parker
9 - Caleb Brown
10 - Sam Cohen
January 6, 2011
New Videos
I dug up the old footage of our boys Scott and Glen in Chamonix. After having been there and looking down that Couloir, this is even more impressive. Check the Video above..it will be in the blog for awhile as I dig it.
January 5, 2011
Massive update
Here is the massive update from time spent away with family and friends. We are now back in the turn. See what I did there?
here is the printer we picked up today. This is the Epson 7900. Representing Epson's next generation, the Epson Stylus Pro 7900 incorporates Epson's achievements in photographic inkjet technology. By combining the precision of Epson's MicroPiezo TFP print head with the extraordinary performance of Epson UltraChrome HDR inks, the Epson Stylus Pro printer continues to represent a level of technology unprecedented in Epson's history. (Cut and paste is so nice) We managed to find a used one that works with DYE Sublimation ink. This printer will print our topsheet graphics then we will press the image into the topsheets. If anyone would liek to swing over I could use a hand getting out of the truck!
The next items are simply material we ordered before the holiday. it was so nice to come home to. We received 19OZ tri axial fiberglass. We have 20OZ but thought we might be able to lighten the weave. Prototypes will tell that story.
We also received base and topsheet material from Crown Plastic and Dura Surf. As well as some VDS rubber strips from our friends at SkiBuilder. After a few hard days on the hill the thought of some rubber was pounding in our heads. So why not try it out. We have had thoughts of a park/East coast ski as well so the rubber will be needed.
Tomorrow is heat Blankets and a big order for them...soon we will be pressing some sticks
here is the printer we picked up today. This is the Epson 7900. Representing Epson's next generation, the Epson Stylus Pro 7900 incorporates Epson's achievements in photographic inkjet technology. By combining the precision of Epson's MicroPiezo TFP print head with the extraordinary performance of Epson UltraChrome HDR inks, the Epson Stylus Pro printer continues to represent a level of technology unprecedented in Epson's history. (Cut and paste is so nice) We managed to find a used one that works with DYE Sublimation ink. This printer will print our topsheet graphics then we will press the image into the topsheets. If anyone would liek to swing over I could use a hand getting out of the truck!
The next items are simply material we ordered before the holiday. it was so nice to come home to. We received 19OZ tri axial fiberglass. We have 20OZ but thought we might be able to lighten the weave. Prototypes will tell that story.
We also received base and topsheet material from Crown Plastic and Dura Surf. As well as some VDS rubber strips from our friends at SkiBuilder. After a few hard days on the hill the thought of some rubber was pounding in our heads. So why not try it out. We have had thoughts of a park/East coast ski as well so the rubber will be needed.
Tomorrow is heat Blankets and a big order for them...soon we will be pressing some sticks
Free Sticker
If you are one of the first 10 to read this and comment with your address we will send you a sweet "Grace blue" logo sticker.
January 4, 2011
Back from the mid west (CLEVELAND)
MID WEST SUPPORT: This kid is in high school and wrote this after we had one conversation about topsheets...what were you doing at 17? After all the technical insite he is cool enough to worry about social media..quality.
Ben Marconi (bigbenslax@hotmail.com)
Mr Liechty, I have been looking at dye sublimation printing, especially in regards to the press needed to transfer the image printed (using the special Epson printer and inks) onto the ski, or at least onto a sheet that could be used in the ski. Already having the printer, the only step needed is the heat transfer, which by looking at presses for t-shirt sublimation seems to work at around 400 degrees (Fahrenheit I'm assuming) for approximately 1 minute. I understand that these presses are far too small to cover an entire ski graphic (especially with larger all mountain powder skis) and I do not know if the graphic could be transfered in sections. The press used to transfer images to shirts, mouse pads, hats etc... is essentially just a large iron exerting sometimes hundreds of pounds of pressure for relatively short periods of time (you may know all of this already). As far as I can see, there are multiple possible solutions. For the first pair of skis you may just want to use an iron, yet this is obviously a pain and not practical for large scale production (hopefully soon). I suppose a press could be built at the length needed with an electric based heating element just like in an iron, yet this may honestly be more of a pain than just buying the machine. So, I figured that the process may actually be possible within the press in your kitchen. Depending on the minimum temperature required to initiate a phase change of the dye (solid to gas), it may be possible to use the heat blankets you are purchasing (or have purchased). By this I mean that the layers of the ski are stacked (p-tex, epoxy, fiberglass, epoxy, etc...) including the printed image for the ski graphic. (a negative cannot be used for this idea unlike when pressing t-shirts) Thus, the paper or fabric you printed the Grace graphic onto would be placed either face down onto the topsheet (negative must be used ) or put underneath the topsheet (not a negative) in which the paper would remain in the ski. Depending on the heat output of the heat blankets, this may on not work, as a minimum temperature may be needed to make the dyes change states. Because the press must be used for about 7-8 minutes to cure the epoxy, the lack of high end temperature may be made up in the increased time being heated (as shirts are only heated for around 1min). As stated earlier, a large press could be created if the heat blankets dont get hot enough, yet this may be expensive and time consuming-gotta get those skis outta the kitchen at low cost. I hope this actually is of some assistance to you, let me know if I can help you out in any way. I appreciate you meeting with we at The Winking Lizard a few days ago, and your offer about this summer. I'm trying to get at least 1-2 fans a day to like the Ski Grace Facebook page. Keep tightening your din-
Ben Marconi (bigbenslax@hotmail.com)
Mr Liechty, I have been looking at dye sublimation printing, especially in regards to the press needed to transfer the image printed (using the special Epson printer and inks) onto the ski, or at least onto a sheet that could be used in the ski. Already having the printer, the only step needed is the heat transfer, which by looking at presses for t-shirt sublimation seems to work at around 400 degrees (Fahrenheit I'm assuming) for approximately 1 minute. I understand that these presses are far too small to cover an entire ski graphic (especially with larger all mountain powder skis) and I do not know if the graphic could be transfered in sections. The press used to transfer images to shirts, mouse pads, hats etc... is essentially just a large iron exerting sometimes hundreds of pounds of pressure for relatively short periods of time (you may know all of this already). As far as I can see, there are multiple possible solutions. For the first pair of skis you may just want to use an iron, yet this is obviously a pain and not practical for large scale production (hopefully soon). I suppose a press could be built at the length needed with an electric based heating element just like in an iron, yet this may honestly be more of a pain than just buying the machine. So, I figured that the process may actually be possible within the press in your kitchen. Depending on the minimum temperature required to initiate a phase change of the dye (solid to gas), it may be possible to use the heat blankets you are purchasing (or have purchased). By this I mean that the layers of the ski are stacked (p-tex, epoxy, fiberglass, epoxy, etc...) including the printed image for the ski graphic. (a negative cannot be used for this idea unlike when pressing t-shirts) Thus, the paper or fabric you printed the Grace graphic onto would be placed either face down onto the topsheet (negative must be used ) or put underneath the topsheet (not a negative) in which the paper would remain in the ski. Depending on the heat output of the heat blankets, this may on not work, as a minimum temperature may be needed to make the dyes change states. Because the press must be used for about 7-8 minutes to cure the epoxy, the lack of high end temperature may be made up in the increased time being heated (as shirts are only heated for around 1min). As stated earlier, a large press could be created if the heat blankets dont get hot enough, yet this may be expensive and time consuming-gotta get those skis outta the kitchen at low cost. I hope this actually is of some assistance to you, let me know if I can help you out in any way. I appreciate you meeting with we at The Winking Lizard a few days ago, and your offer about this summer. I'm trying to get at least 1-2 fans a day to like the Ski Grace Facebook page. Keep tightening your din-
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