René Unternährer looking to launch eco-skis on the market
Doppleschwand - The ski manufacturer René Unternährer has developed sustainable and fast skis for hard slopes. The eco-skis are made from bamboo in addition to sustainable glues and coatings. Unternährer now hopes to use a crowdfunding platform to finance initial series production.
The ski manufacturer René Unternährer is looking to launch his sustainable fast skis for hard slopes on the market. An environmental evaluation and performance tests have proven that the eco-skis, which are made in Doppleschwand in the Entlebuch region of the canton of Lucerne, combine the pure joy of skiing with sustainability considerations, according to a report in the newspaper «Luzerner Zeitung». Back in 2022, Unternährer received 15,000 francs in funding from Schweizer Berghilfe, the Swiss mountain aid organization, and the Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse, for his concept. The ski manufacturer now has his sights set on initial series production, which is to be financed through crowdfunding.
The unique pieces are made by hand and sold under the Swiss Massiv brand. The sustainable boards are «retro on the outside, but high-tech on the inside», Unternährer is quoted as saying in the article. The impressive performance of the skis is down to their bamboo wood core: «The straight grain makes the skis stable without compromising on elasticity». The fast-growing bamboo wood also contributes to sustainability by binding CO2. In order to further improve the green credentials of his skis, Unternährer is keen to source the bamboo from plantations in Portugal in the future.
The glue also plays a role in terms of sustainability: «We have developed a new resoluble glue that allows us to take the ski apart so that the individual parts can either be disposed of correctly or, in an ideal world, reused», as Unternährer explains. The decks are made from either yew or beech from the Entlebuch region. The ski manufacturer produces around 300 pairs of skis every year at his workshop in Doppleschwand.
