Hybrid Core 2.0
Next Generation Performance Eco-Conscious Design
The mountains that inspire our passions and occupy our leisure time suffer directly from global warming. The IPCC experts are categorical; we must act right now and well into the future. There is no future for skiing unless we take action.
With Hybrid Core 2.0, a door is opening onto the world of eco-design. It’s not perfect; we still have a long way to go and many hurdles to overcome. But our teams will not give up, and we will continue working to make our products more sustainable.
Dynastar family
The next generation of unique on-snow feeling
Four years ago, we launched Hybrid Core technology, blending the performance of wood with the lightness and smooth snow feel of PU. This construction now provides unique skiability, which has become a Dynastar promise. At the launch of the Hybrid Core, there was talk of future development with a dual objective:
- design skis with a reduced environmental impact
- Continuing to improve our unique skiability
The environmental impact of a traditional ski
Our entire initiative is based on life cycle analysis.
The life cycle analysis is the most accurate tool for comprehensive and multi-criteria assessment of environmental impacts. This assessment identifies and quantifies the physical flows of matter and energy associated with human activities (source: ADEME)
The first step in a life cycle analysis (LCA) is to understand where the environmental impact of a traditional pair of skis comes from.
LCAs have shown that the extraction of energy and non-energy raw materials necessary for the manufacture of skis constitute 58.4% of the leading environmental contribution of a pair of traditional skis.
RAW MATERIALS – MANUFACTURING – DISTRIBUTION – USE – END OF LIFE
In other words, the incoming materials have the most significant impact, so the challenge was to find an industrial solution to reduce the proportion of certain components without compromising the performance and skiability of Dynastar skis.
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58,4% : Component and materials
37% : Manufacturing
2,5% : Distribution
2,2% : End of life
A new industrial process
Three directional wood layers
■ Longitudinal : Dynamic & reactive flex | ■ Vertical : torsion control | ■ Transversal : Power & Strength
Traditionally, a wood core contains wood threads in the longitudinal direction of the ski. Dynastar focused on developing a new industrial process to reduce the presence of harmful materials. Hybrid Cre 2.0 features three directional wood layers instead of one. This formation allows for less glued fiberglass while also maintaining high-performance skiability.
A responsible use of wood
Wood is a natural resource that is widely used in skiing and can emit harmful emissions if it is not worked with responsibly. In our Hybrid Core 2.0, the wood is rectangular in shape and surrounded by polyurethane: this does not require machining along the length compared to traditional cores. In this way, we waste far less wood and avoid grinding, which impacts the environment and human health.
LESS WOOD WASTE
A PROMISING RESULT PROVEN BY LIFE CYCLE ANALYSES
The second step in a life cycle analysis is to compare a new product to an equivalent older one to measure the changes in its impact on the environment through environmental criteria.
The criteria are divided into two parts:
Incoming flows: use of resources for the creation of the product
Outgoing flows: encompass everything that comes out in terms of pollution.
Here are the results of our life cycle analysis on a pair of all-mountain skis equipped with Hybrid Core 2.0 technology vs. all-mountain skis without the technology:
Incoming flows
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-20%Resource use, fossils | -59%Resource use, mineral and metals |
Outgoing flows
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-30%Particulate matter | -30%Acidification | -24%Greenhouses gaz emissions | -38%Eutrophication freshwater |
The result?
A significant reduction in all environmental indicators.
The Hybrid Core 2.0 solution allows us to build more responsible skis in all criteria. It is not perfect yet, far from it, but it is a starting point, a door that opens the world of eco-design and shows us that we can and must think about our products more responsibly.
What's next?
Eco-design at the heart of Dynastar brand strategy
Our goal is to integrate Hybrid core 2.0 in the development of every new ski. By 2025-2026 45% of Dynastar’s annual volumes will feature eco-design.
| 23 - 24 | 24 - 25 | 25 - 26 | |
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| Quantities | 13% | 23% | 45% |
All our eco-designed skis are produced at our factory in Sallanches, France.
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Stay tuned and discover the new Hybrid Core 2.0 ranges
For winter 2023-2024, Hybrid Core 2.0 technology will be integrated into the new All Mountain range and some new touring skis... Stay tuned and get a preview of the new Dynastar eco-designed skis