More Background on the Hybrids – dpsskisstore
accessibility mode: off

More Background on the Hybrids

Contributing to a thread talking about the new Hybrid line over on the TGR Boards, Stephan added the following regarding the thinking and a bit more facts on the new Hybrid Construction. 

We designed the Hybrid line for 2 reasons:

 

1. because the Prepreg Carbon+Pure nano construction was getting apples to oranges comparisons with generic constructions. For example a Pontoon and a Lotus 138 in a Pure construction are physically very different animals. In terms of strength to weight ratio, torsional stiffness, power, precision of resin distribution, flex life,  base material, price and complexity to build etc- it's like a Taurus and a Porsche. So, the Hybrids are our "conventional" construction option- the more direct comparison to the Pontoon. Hybrids employ the same basic construction technologies used to make 99% of skis today as their foundation- wetlayup fiberglass. 

 

2.  We felt as though there were a lot of people who wanted to be riding DPS shapes, but the price of the Pure construction was a barrier. So, enter the Hybrids- they are to be compared directly to fiberglass highend skis made by 99% of the ski makers in the world. The Pure construction is the only thing of its type made in the world, and has taken a bunch of years to perfect, is ridiculously expensive to build, and is the super exotic deal for the ultimate blend of light weight and superior physical properties. Again its very expensive to build and develop- so it's relatively expensive, but still a great value for what you are getting in the ski- infinite flex life, the super power and reactivity and quickness in deep snow, etc.

 

+ The Hybrid Line shares the basic construction attributes you see today by the best boutique and major manufactures, but with some nice bells and whistles. Just because it's priced  differently than the Pure doesn't mean its low-end ski construction-wise- if fact, it's premium.

 

+ Hybrids, like the Pure line, have the fastest, hardest, highest graphite content World Cup race bases money can buy- we also use this base on our Pure Line.   Ask your manufacturer what kind of bases they use and where it comes from- there is really shitty extruded stuff out there, some good sintered bases, and then trick Austrian race stuff. Hybrids use the later, alongside the best Polyamide Nylon ISO tops- no expense is spared on both the top and bottom side of the Hybrids. Again, ask your ski builder what they are putting into your skis. 

 

+Hybrids have a bamboo core, not sidewalls. Sidewalls are tough, tried and tested UHMW. For a fiberglass ski, core material is very important to how the skis feels because the modulus of glass is so similar to most woods. Bamboo has superior physical properties, and supercharges your standard glass ski.  With the Pure line, Prepreg carbon and Nano laminates are so physically dominant over the core material, that wood choice is not as critical, and we go for weight. 

 

+Hybrids have solid, woven unidirectional 30mm carbon on both top and bottom laminates. Combined with the bamboo core, again- giving life and pop to the ski. 

 

+ Hybrid Longitudinal flex profiles are designed within 5-7% of Pure flex 2 values, but torsional stiffness is less for obvious reasons, and weight is typically about 20% more. A 190cm Lotus 120 in Pure: Carbon+ Nano construction weighs 1770g (compare that to any other 120mm class ski). The same ski in a Hybrid construction (again relative industry standards), is within 5.5% of longitudinal stiffness but weighs 2300g.

 

We are within about a day of soft launching the new site... it will continue to evolve over the next couple of weeks.