Waxing Lyrical – new ski technology set to revolutionise world of winter sports

Professor Peter Styring and fellow experts in 'smart lubricants' at the University of Sheffield have developed an ingenious self-waxing system for skis, which looks set to revolutionise the world of winter sports.

Following extensive testing – first at Sheffield Ski Village on plastic slopes, then at the indoor snow hall SNO!zone in Castleford, and finally on the pistes of Austria – skis fitted with the new system were found to be around 50 per cent faster than traditional models on artificial slopes and two per cent quicker on real snow. Says Peter Styring: "A one to two per cent increase in speed in an Olympic or World Cup downhill event represents the difference between finishing 15th and winning a gold medal".

Professor Styring, of the University of Sheffield's Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, conceived of the idea when he took his daughter to a dry ski slope race in 2003: "Seeing the trails the kids were leaving behind them made me realise we needed a system that would constantly replenish removed wax". The resulting device, known as the 'Wildfire system', continuously applies fresh, liquid wax to the bottom of the ski. The device works by turning the rise plate – the hollow structure below the boot binding – into a sealed fluid reservoir. The liquid wax passes from here to the base of the ski via tiny holes. After extensive testing of a number of liquids, the team selected a wax formulation that is biodegradable with a thickness that can be varied, meaning that it can operate between temperatures of -20C and 4C. Not only does the technology improve downhill and slalom speeds, it also protects the base of the skis as well as the surface of the slopes.

The device is currently being retro-fitted to regular skis, but experts at the University of Sheffield are negotiating with ski manufacturers, and ultimately aim to see their technology used at the Winter Olympics in 2010.

"A major breakthrough has been to see the technology go from prototype in the lab to fully functioning race ski, to see it used by top skiers in tests" says Peter Styring. Becky Hammond, a tester of the new system and one of Britain´s leading women freestyle skiers, commented: "I immediately noticed the difference in the skis. I was going twice as fast".

The Wildfire system has featured in an exhibition at the Science Museum in London, and project leader Peter Styring was awarded the 2007 Hanson Medal from the Institute of Chemical Engineers for an article he wrote entitled 'Engineering Winter Olympic Gold'.

Having secured a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the work was supported by their Polymer Centre, as well as by Sheffield University Enterprises Limited (SUEL). Through the involvement of SUEL, the research has spawned a spin-off company, Wildfire Snowsports Ltd., which aims to conduct further research into superhydrophobic bases (water-repelling technology), as well as pursuing a collaboration with the Sheffield Steelers ice hockey team, led by mechanical engineer Mathew Carre, looking into measuring the stress placed on ice hockey sticks. The team also plan to transfer the technology across to snowboards and the 'freestyle' ski market.





For further information, please contact Professor Peter Styring at:

tel : 0114 222 7571

email : P.Styring@sheffield.ac.uk

Notes: This research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), one of the UK Government's 7 Research Councils.