Bamboozled 180

These twigs had a killer go everywhere shape at 135-110-125. This was the third pair of the same shape and size. I was experimenting with both glass schedule and core wood. The core at the heart controls much of the ski feel on the snow and I was trying to find a more 'bomber' crud crushing chop blaster kind of ski. So I found some dope bamboo composite slab and started crafting... The sidewalls looked sick!!! Bamboo is essentially an easily renewable wood of sorts (not actually wood) and as it's made into planks it really is composite glues pressed with bamboo fibers resulting in a waterproof, impact resistant, super tough wood. Best part is bamboo loads up energy and is super springy went bent. 

The characteristics all stacked up on paper to be a great core material... there is a downsize however. Weight. I skied one day on these up at Mt. Baker and couldn't take it anymore. They're just too heavy. 

Conclusion: Bamboo could be a good material in sections of the ski (underfoot up to the rocker points possibly) but when used in my tip to tip edge to edge solid stick core method... just too heavy to really fall in love with on the snow. And it's the on the snow feel that I'm chasing. 

So for now the bamboo planks are headed to the storage racks. I'm headed back to the hemlock section of the wood store. Seems to offer the best all around performance.