Preserve the Heritage; Ski with Wood

NEWS AND INFORMATION

Retail Partnership

Wood N Skis and "Out There Shop" have partnered to offer skis for sale at a retail location. Out There Shop is located in Rice Lake, WI and offers Nordic ski equipment in addition to camping gear.

Applying Pine Tar to Swedish Military Skis

We are now on facebook! Check us out, especially the "Splinter of the Week": snipits, anecdotes, and fun facts about the history of wooden skis.

We are expanding our information and sale of skis to include skis from 1900 to 1950. Information will be updated as time goes on. Click Here for information on early skiing on wooden skis.

2010 Wooden Ski Rendezvous
Columbine, Colorado

Photo from the Tenth Annual Wooden Ski Rendezvous in Colorado

Øverbø Wooden Skis

Paul Terpstra of Terpstra Woodworks is now making laminated wooden skis.
Click here for more information and photos.

City of Lakes Loppet Ski Race
Minneapolis, MN
February 7, 2010

Photo on left: Vintage skier Doug Lais with 1920s era skis and bindings, dressed in hand-made wool top, with genuine birch bark leggings.

Photo on right: L to R - Greg Fangel with Madshus 220cm wooden skis, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak (non-wooden skier) and John Jacobson skiing with 210cm Landsem wooden skis.

39th Annual Marine O'Brien Ski Race

Bjørn Hanson, winner of the 8km wooden ski race with a time of 29:29. Bjørn skied on handmade skis from the North House Folk School

Wooden Ski Forum

We are going to try this out. If there is enough interest, we will keep it going. Tell us about your experiences, desires, waxing, and any other topic which is associated with wooden skis.

Click Here for Wood N Ski Forum

Seeley Classic Wooden Ski Division

Photos by Scott Nesvold, www.skinnyski.com

The 22k Seeley Classic ski race was held on January 16, 2010 with a wooden ski division. Skiers shown in the photos above dressed vintage-style, while skiing on wooden skis.

L to R: Liz Wagner skiing on Madshus Birkebeiners, Bjørn Hanson on hand-made skis from North House Folk School, and Harry Spehar skiing on Bonna 2000s.

Wooden Ski Race
Mazama, WA

Photo by Chad Gregg

The Wooden Ski Race held in Mazama, WA on December 31, 2009 was fun for all.
Click Here for photos of the event.

First Wooden Ski Race of the Season
7th Annual Wooden Ski Classic
Anchorage, AK

Photo by BILL ROTH / Anchorage Daily News

The 7th Annual Wooden Ski Classic was held at Russian Jack Springs Park in Anchorage, Alaska on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009. Competitors were penalized if they didn't have the "proper gear," which included wooden skis, bamboo or wooden poles, three-pin bindings or leather boots.

Click Here for story and more photos

Wooden Ski Construction

11/20/09 - Bjørn and Kristin Hanson putting the finishing touches on their handmade wooden skis at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN. Click here for more photos.

COMMENTS

For me wooden skis for years was the only option. My "Åsnes Veteran" that I bought new in 1982 has served me well since then. Ten years later they got company of my first pair of plastic-skies, my Åsnes Sondre mountain-skis. Moving to the west coast of Norway, cross-country skiing in wet snow was not ideal for my wooden skis. A few years later I returned east, outside Oslo with a drier climate and colder winters. The latest winter has been the best for years, with 1,5 meters of snow and weeks of 15-25 celcius below! Lots of kilometers on my Åsnes Veteran.

Wooden skis are still something people just throw away here. You can get as many as you like of them for a few dollars on a flea-marked. So if you´re visiting Norway, look up a one of these and get you a pair of skis:-)

Funny to read "The Cradle of Skiing" on your web; my wife is from Telemark, our youngest son is named Sondre, and both my wife and I are now preparing for this years Birkebeiner ski race from Lillehammer to Rena, that takes place this weekend.

I received one other email like yours in 2005 asking the same question about
identical skis. There were no answers. I suspect that these skis were from
Lapland in Norway used by the Samis. Latu means "ski track" or "ski trail"
in Finnish. Given that Sweden, Norway, and Finland meet at the top, I think
that the name carried over from Finland to Norway. Looking at the logo at
the tip, it looks like a Sami image. The long, pointed ski tip is also an indicator of Sami skis.

The skis look like they were made in the 1960-70s. I'm also basing my
information on the previous person who had an identical pair of skis to
yours.

1/24/10 - Just wanted to let you know that my daughter received her skis in Halifax and mine arrived same day out here in Alberta. Both sets are great! I had the Asnes Tur-Modell's out today for a quick 10 km. in the mountains west of Calgary and I'm thrilled with how they look and feel! It brings back such fond memories of my first pair of touring skis (Toppen Tur-Lett's, back in the early 80s...)

Thank you so much for finding such wonderful skis for my daughter and me!

Ron in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada

1/19/10 - I thought you might like to know that I skied my Bonna 1800s to an overall Wooden Ski Division win in this past weekends Seeley Classic 22km race. I skied them well enough that I also managed to finish in the top 100 of the race (300+ entrants) overall and top 25% in my 55-59 age group. In other words I had the Bonna's cookin' and competitive. :-)

1/4/10 - We got hit with a two-day mini-northeaster so I gnawed open the package from FedEx, screwed the part onto the ski and zipped across the street to a local park I use when time is of the essence. Again, I thank you so much for your generosity...I will continue to tell others about your website.... You were an unexpected Christmas gift because none of the ski shops in and around Massachusetts could be bothered with my plight. Even places in Vermont couldn't help so you can imagine my immense gratitude. You made my New Year. Thank you many times over.

12/12/009 - Hi Greg, I was just looking online for a refresher on pine tarring my wood skis. I liked the first one I read - and when I reached the end I discovered it was yours! A name I know I can trust.

I was dismayed to read the part about sanding my skis - they've not seen sandpaper in 35 years.... that may be too much for them...

Today was our first time on the boards for the season - we did a few rounds at Cleary Lake, one of my favorite early-season parks. 'Twas a lovely day, sunny and warm. And those wood skis did just fine - the skier was a little rusty though.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!......Julie N., Minneapolis, MN

Editor's Note: Julie was one of the handful of women in the state of Minnesota to race on wooden skis, while in high school in the 1970s.

12/12/09 - Just wanted to know that we received the beautiful skis and are "over the moon". We are so glad that we found you and the amazing skis. A thousand thank yous and have a Merry Christmas!....Tara and Greg, Calgary, AB.

12/4/09 - Hello! First off, thank you for the fantastic website on wooden skis. Its the only one I have been able to find and I have found it wonderfully informative. I am interested in building my own laminate wooden skis, with the assumption of following the graphic you have on the website outlining the use of hickory, beech, ash, and spruce. While the actual construction seems "relatively" straightforward, Im surious as to what an optimal camber would be for a 210cm ski of that design style. I have a set of modern wax less skis, would the camber be similar to those? I would really appreciate your advice/input.

12/2/09 - Great website. I live in Petersburg Alaska on a 10 acre muskeg and am an avid wooden skier and have been for over 40 years. I've about 8 pairs of wooden skis (mostly Bonnas) and am looking for a single 1800 @ 215cm. Got one? I broke it's mate on Angle Peak near Togwotee Pass, Wyoming 15 years ago. BTW, I made the first ski descent of the South Teton on US Army oak 7' skis in 1972 or 3. Thanks......... Doug

http://dougleen.com/ontheroad/2008/02/23/ski-touring-at-totlandlanglaufen-in-totland/

10/10/09 - I am a student at Prescott College in Arizona, and I am a Minnesota native. I am close to finishing school, and in the process of developing a senior project. Skiing is my passion. I am interested in preserving the heritage of the lifestyle. I am wondering if you know about anyone in Minnesota preferably in the Minneapolis region that continues to manufacture wooden skis. I am interested in finding someone to apprentice under, in order to preserve tradition, keep wooden skis alive and pass it to the generations that fallows mine. I would greatly appreciate any information.

Kyle: Northhouse Folk School in Grand Marais makes wooden skis for classes that it offers. They have classes coming up in November for ski making.....Greg

9/23/09 - I learned to XC ski in the mountains of Pennsylvania in the late 1970's and always rented the woodies. Also, I remember the great pine tar smell and how the shop hand waxed the skiis before sending you out on them. When I did buy skis I bought plastic bottomed skis. I now live in Colorado and ski only several times a year and want to get back into it.

And I found some great old 3 pin boots in a used shop that are a bit heavier but fit like a glove. The heavier boots may be good for my novice tele turns, although ill be primarily skiing on groomed trails but you never know. I did get your info./website link from the "White Grass XC Ctr." website in Davis, WV and I skiied with Chip many years ago when I was in college.

9/11/09 - Hi Greg - Just wanted to let you know I've finished making some more wooden skis.

I have just finished a pair out of Ash which turned out really nice. They have a sidecut, traditional style bindings, and a more traditional tip.

I also just came back from a trip to Europe. My wife and I first went to Norway where we visited Ulf Ronning from Treski.no - (I found him through your website) - and I saw his shop and learned about the skis he makes. We also went to Morgedal where there are two guys that make traditional skis and do workshops there through the Ski Museum. (www.morgedal.com is a great link I would suggest for your website) Both visits where very inspiring.

Attached is one photo (of the ash skis) and you can see more at my blog and flickr site.

This might be a slightly strange request but we are looking for a pair of wooden skis for guests to sign at our wedding reception. Can you help ?

We are an English couple and we are both mad Skiers. I used to ski for the British Army in the Land Command Ski Championships and Elizabeth was in the English Schoolgirls Ski Squad. Neither of us went on to do anything further but we look forward to the thrill of skiing on our annual ski holiday. Last year I proposed to Elizabeth on the slopes in Killington on Bear Mountain and this year we are getting married in London in September. As part of the day we wanted to get our guests to sign a pair of skis that we could mount on the wall at home and have as a memory. We have looked at buying a pair on eBay but we are not clear on the quality and more importantly we are not sure of whether the signatures of our guests will really work; what pen do we use to ensure that the ink doesn’t bleed ? Do we varnish the ski’s afterwards or will this darken them and make the signatures indistinguishable ? Will it all look like a black mess at the end ?

We then saw your website and hoped that you might be able to help us. Would it be possible for you to advise or create a pair of “blank” skis for us ? Most of all as you have knowledge working with the materials would you be able to advise on how best to go about preparing them so that we can get the signatures and effect that we want before we mount them on our wall after the wedding as an enduring memory ? Ultimately we would like to be able to put something on the skis to show what the occasion was.

I note that you live in a beautiful part of the world. I work for Thomson Reuters (Thomson bought Reuters last year) and the main Thomson site is in Eagan, MN which I have visited a couple of times, staying in St Paul each time. It’s beautiful country out there !

Editor's Note: 7/26/09 - Through correspondence with Stewart, we were able to sell him a pair of 1930s vintage skis and have them engraved with wedding information. They were recently shipped so that Stewart and Elizabeth can have their guests sign the skis as a momento to the wedding at One Whitehall Place in England. Best wishes Stewart and Elizabeth.

2/22/09 - Back in the days when the 75mm, 3 pin was the state of the art boot/binding system, the holes in the boots which would accept the binding pins would eventually deteriorate. After a while the boot could not be firmly clamped onto the binding. You could attach a thin metal plate called "smiley plate' onto the bottoms of the duckbill portion of the boot. This plate had holes which would line up with the pins and help keep the boot holes from elongating. Do you know where I can find a pair of "Smiley Plates"?.....Fred - fswark@charter.net

Every now and then over the last 20 years I get nostalgic for my old wooden Madshus Birkebeiners and wonder how I could have “lost” them when I moved from Vermont to Seattle. So tonight I googled to see if anyone was selling some and found your website. What a great story you have, and what a wonderful service you are doing preserving old wood skis.

When I switched to fiberglass waxless skis, I was so thrilled that I could go skiing on a moments notice – I lived in Vermont where one day could be purple klister and the next day special green. I tried not to think about the decreased performance, but I’ve never forgotten how wonderful it is to ski on a perfectly waxed wood ski.

I was surprised to read about how popular the Madshus Birkebeiners were, since I never once saw another pair back when I used them 1973-1983. Everyone seemed to have Bonnas, and I was forever explaining that my weird unpainted skis were really quite good. And I was dismayed because it means they will be harder to find now.

Sooooo, if you do ever come across a pair, in the 200cm range, I’d be thrilled to buy them from you. Who knows, maybe they would actually be my old pair – I do hope they aren’t just rotting in some fallen down barn in Vermont. And again, thanks for what you are doing in saving these old skis, and getting the word out about them.

I always figured I wasn't the only one who knew that wood was best for all-around touring. Here's my brief history: My age is 63 next week. Semi-retired. I live in Price, UT. I ski on the top of the Ashleys and the Manti-Lasal.at around 9000 ft. The Ashleys have the best powder in UT...period. I am about an hours drive to either. I have skied a min. of 20 days for the last 32 years. Several seasons were over 40 days. I've had 30 mi. days on a snowmobile track.

Lots of full moon overnighters.I always ski 'haul'in the freight' ie, about a 40 lb. pack...see photo.In my youth I would ski in Oct. on wet rocks or a heavy frost, now if it ain't powder, I go home. I gave up skiing on red wax 25 years ago.Its Toko blue special (or Swix if I can't find Toko) end of list.

I've skied all the new stuff, waxless, metal edges, contacts bindings, etc. All junk. My first ski was a pair of Bonnas, 2400's in 210. No lignastone edges. They came with a pair of Alpha low cut touring boots and bamboo poles. $40. I still use them for new turks who want to learn to ski but have no equipment. I have a bunch of Bonnas in 2000 & 2200 as well as Asnes...most all skinny (what I call track skiis.)

For the last several seasons I have been skiing a pair of ASKEOM's . Its the only pair I have ever seen They're wide bodies (2400) with lignostone edges. I got them with clap trap cable bindings , but put some TROLL 3 pin bindings on . I've bought junk skis just to get the TROLL bindings..I think they are the best, but the Marker & Rotofella are ok.

Does anyone know anything about these skis?? Made in Norway is all I know. Well if anyone gets the urge to kick some good powder over their gators... give me a shout. Today was 10 - 12 in. new powder, virgin trail, skied the storm. Day 15.
Regards, John M....Price, Utah

2/7/09 - Dear Wood n' Skis-
Thank you very much for providing me with the Victor C. Dunder Award. The skis were wonderful to have for a year and my team will be very happy to be able to use them next year. Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Kati H., Willmar, MN

Editor's Note: The Victor C. Dunder award is given, through an application process, to motivated, first-time high school skiers and is sponsored by the Minnesota Nordic Ski Coaches Association. Wood N Skis contributes most of its proceeds to non-profit ski and outdoor related organizations. Click here to see our list of philanthropical recipients.

2/2/09 - Hi there. I love your website! .......I am 25 years old, and have built many things including a kayak, and cutting boards that I sell. But I must say that I feel the one thing I've built that I am most proud of is this pair of skis.....Photo

I am curious if you know of any resources on the advantages and disadvantages of different wood types for skis (both cross country and downhill).

If you know of any books or online resources not listed on your website I would love to know of them.

I found a Finnish manufacturer, check out their website at http://www.suksitehdasylonen.fi/. Unfortunaltely it seems to be only in Finnish at the moment.

1/23/09 - Late last season I found this site. It had been some time since I used my Bonna 2000s and I had a desire to come back to the sport. I was elated to find your site because no other site on outdoor sports had any current knowledge of wooden skis, and most responses to my inquires suggested I save my skis as a decoration and buy the newest equipment. This season I have been in the local woods several times and have used the information you have posted as a refresher course.
Now, if I am successful in losing the last 10 pounds, I will put on my old knickers!
Thank you,
Dom G.........Boston, MA

1/19/09 - Greg--I was lucky enough to marry up and in that process our ski collection grew considerably. My wife is a first gen American of Norwegian/German parents. In our collection we have a lot of woodies all in great shape (Bonnas, Splitkeins, Anses, Skiloms). These are likley all from the 60s and 70s. The top of our collection is my father-in-law's Splitkein Splitkanas. He unfortunately passed away before were were married. We recently moved and I no longer have a good shop to have service done. I want to clean up the skis (all of them) but had some questions.

First, the Splitkanas. The base colors are different from the other skis. The ligno edges, which are in pretty good shape aside from one gouge that needs repair, are lighter brown than the other skis. Also, the bases are near black. I was wondering about the color of the wood bases on those--it seems they have an opposite color arrangement. What else can you tell me about them?

Some time ago, I bought a pair of Asnes Veterans. My wifes loves them and they ski pretty well. But I am looking for another opinion on the tops of them. To protect them, I have used linseed cut with mineral spirits (the same process I use on furniture). But I want a bit more protection. I have Epifanes spar varnish (Wood Finish Matte) that I use on my boat. I spoke with them about the flexibility of the boat and bought based upon their recommendation. Should I apply a varnish to the Veterans? Or continue to use the linseed approach?

Editor's Note: Todd, I use linseed oil thinned with turpentine to refinish clear coat skis such as the Asnes Veterans, Madshus Birkebeiners, and Normark VIs.....Greg

I love your website! I am actually in the process of making wooden cross country skis. They are nearly complete. I am 25 years old, and have built many things including a kayak, and cutting boards that I sell. But I must say that I feel the one thing I've built that I am most proud of is this pair of skis.

I am curious if you know of any resources on the advantages and disadvantages of different wood types for skis (both cross country and downhill).

If you know of any books or online resources not listed on your website I would love to know of them.

1/12/09 - Hi,

Do you know anyone who is interested in matching up single skis? I'm sure that there are many of these lonely hearts out there. While wood skis were made in pairs, matched skis are usually good to ski on. Attached is a picture of 4 single skis I have that are looking fro a good home; a 180 cm Birkebeiner in almost new condition, a 205 cm Splitkein Special, a 215 Asnes Tur-modell, and a 215 cm Toppen Tur-lett. I'd be willing to either trade with someone or part with them for shipping costs and a few dollars.

I really appreciate your site. We try to get as many people on wood skis as possible. It's amazing how many people have been turned off of cross country skiing due to being sold narrow fiberglass skis, and then find out how much fun skiing on wood is.....Click here for photo of skis.......Norm

Thanks so much for your website. It’s so nice to know that I am not the only fan of wooden skis around. I’m still skiing on my first pair of X-county skis purchased in the mid 60’s, a much beloved pair of Asnes tur langrenn’s. I had no idea that anyone still made the base pine tar for wooden skis. Mine have not had the treatment in many years, so upon seeing that the stuff was still available, I quickly ordered some.

I recently gave away as a Christmas gift, a beautiful pair of Bonna 2400’s (in like new condition) to a German friend of mine, who noted to me that in Germany, wooden skis are still treasured as well, so this is not some quirky Minnesota thing. Thanks again for the site and information.....Dave