Mt Rushmore of Ski Designers

[skibrain]

Seeing a Camille and Denny photo today got me thinking - what’s the short list of most influential names in the sport?  I know there is a thread on defunct ski companies, but who are the movers and shakers? The legends? (And yes, there are also some other shapers and engineering minds behind these guys… that’s maybe a different thread)

Herb O’Brien 

Pat Connelly

Denny Kidder

Dave Goode

Roger Teeter

Bob Maher

….

[Horton]

@skibrain I am conflicted about Bob Maher on this list. Seems the all-wood guys and the composite guys should be on separate lists. Yes, Maha made some glass skis but their success paled in comparison to the wood skis. 

Your list is as much or more the Titians of the water ski industry as it is the most successful designers. There is a lot of overlap.

There is a LONG list from the 1970s - 2000s of guys no one has heard of who worked in the background on ski R&D at O'Brien, Connelly, Jobe, HO, EP, & Kidder.

You likely need to add KLP and BLP. For my money, the Sixam was Mapple's masterpiece and for that one ski, he belongs on any list.

Then we get to the modern era... that is another list I am sure.

[skibrain]

Yeah. Titans probably the better word for my thought.  

[Cooper_Trelawney]

The family trees of Herb Obrien, Pat Connelly and Denny Kidder would show numerous brands each of them created and I'd venture to guess numerous future ski makers who worked for each of them too.

For fun, I'll bring up Jeff Jobe.  Perhaps not a titan, but his brand was very well known from the 70s-90s.

[Cooleo15]

Bob and Kris LaPoint have to be on this list.

[thager]

Dave Saucier

[Andre]

It's been 14 years since the Radar Strada.Add all the Vapor versions and Rossi has make his place on the modern side of ski designer IMO.

[Horton]

@Andre

Yeah for sure. The current list is mostly different from the Titans list.

• Rossi 
• Parsons 
• Asher 
• Bush
• Cord/Caldwell 
• KLP
• BLP

 

[DW]

The list couldn’t be complete without … Eric 😁😂

[Mateo_Vargas]

Yes, maybe a little statue of Eric on the way to the big monument

[BKistler]

Ricky McCormick. His contributions to ski design are largely forgotten. He pulled Cypress Gardens out of the Stone Age. 

[The_MS]

@eleeski

[Deanoski]

Mike mckelheer. The first full concave  ski the Obrien competitor

 

[gmut]

Bill Chisnell the godfather of the carbon fiber waterski.

[Horton]

@gmut who?

 

[kc]

2 hours ago, Horton said:

@gmut who?

 

Bill Chisnell was an open men’s slalom skier from Michigan who made “The Chisnell” ski, used by several high level skiers, primarily from Michigan. Bill then worked with fellow Michigander, Dave Goode on Dave’s early skis. 

[BraceMaker]

@Horton

 

Composite ski

 

Abstract

An improved composite ski structure comprising a core with a successful layering of at least two alternately diagonally offset composite layers, covered by two outer longitudinal layers. Both the top and bottom surfaces of the core are layered in this fashion, and the composite layers are preferably applied as a multi-layered outer laminate wrapped fully around the core. In a preferred form, a multi-functional epoxy is applied to bond the inner surface of the composite laminate to the core. In a further form of the invention at least the tip, and preferably also the tail of the core are formed from composite inserts, and at least the tip section of the outer laminate is cut in a herringbone pattern to be wrapped around a curved/angled tip without stress cracking. The invention also comprises a method for making a ski structure as described.

 

Images (3)

  

 

Classifications

 A63C5/12 Making thereof; Selection of particular materials

View 7 more classifications

 

Landscapes

Laminated Bodies

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US5759664A

United States

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Inventor

William R. Chisnell

David P. Goode

Current Assignee 

Goode Ski Technologies