Salomon Carbon Skate Lab boot and ski win ISPO awards
Salomon’s carbon skate boot and ski received awards at ISPO Munich in 2015 for their construction and performance features.
Salomon received two prizes at the 2015 ISPO trade show in Munich: an ISPO Gold Award for the Carbon Skate Lab Boot and an ISPO Award for the Carbon Skate Lab Ski. The awards recognized innovative use of carbon materials to improve energy transfer and stability for cross-country skiers.
“In our early tests and prototype development, we immediately realized that the Carbon Skate Lab range would make skiers faster. As more people began using the products, the results exceeded even our high expectations,” said Alois Vacelet, product manager for Salomon Nordic skis.
Carbon Skate Lab Boot
The Carbon Skate Lab Boot quickly became the first choice for many of Salomon’s leading athletes. The ultralight 430 g boot used a carbon shell shaped around the foot and lower leg. Inside, the patented, 3D-shaped Custom Fit Lab liner molded to the individual skier’s feet for comfort.
The design allowed both the liner and outsole to be replaced when worn, while retaining the shell.
The jury’s statement explained:
“Besides being an extremely light, high-performance skating boot with very good energy transfer and control, the Carbon Skate Lab Boot impressed the jury with its replaceable liner and outsole, a feature that extends its life. Another excellent feature is the moldable liner.”
Carbon Skate Lab Ski
The new ski used a 100% carbon construction based on ThinPly Carbon, an ultrathin carbon layer running along its length. Salomon reported a 20% improvement in torsional rigidity, intended to give greater stability and better glide. The design also aimed to improve energy transfer throughout the push-off, helping skiers get more from their effort. ThinPly Carbon allowed a thinner and therefore lighter ski.
“Carbon Skate Lab has fulfilled our ambition for lower weight and greater torsional rigidity. Our on-snow tests show that using ThinPly Carbon delivers better results,” said Vacelet.
Three-time Vasaloppet winner Daniel Tynell was quickly won over. After just two days of testing, he chose Carbon Skate Lab for the Marcialonga long-distance race.
“I had never raced a classic event on skating skis before, but they glided so well in our tests and felt so good to double-pole on that I chose to race on them,” he said.
