Go eco-friendly in your choice of kit

Arkema and Scarpa's research and development teams have been working closely together to design and develop a more ecological boot which they've named the Scarpa Hurricane. For the first time, the shell, strap band and tongue of the new boot use Pebax Rnew, a high-tech thermoplastic elastomer derived from over 80% renewable raw materials. Italian sports equipment manufacturer Scarpa, which specializes in top-of-the-range skiing, mountaineering and rock-climbing boots, wants to show that it is possible to take environmental issues into account and still fulfil performance requirements. Processed for the most part from a vegetable oil, Pebax Rnew offers the same properties as traditional Pebax, both being high-tech polymers.

Compared to traditional elastomers used in ski boots, like TPU, Pebax is 20% lighter in weight, affords superior impact strength, and does not rigidify at low temperature. Thanks to its outstanding properties, Pebax is used in the manufacture of equipment for demanding snow sports such as freestyle skiing, long-distance skiing, telemark skiing, and snowboarding.

Stickling with snowboarding, K2 has launched the Zero, a new snowboard that the US company hopes will be a step forward in the move towards more environment friendly equipment. 'What we did was break down our snowboards from how it was built to how it was packaged,'' Doug Sanders, who manages the snowboard line at K2, told local media. ''We asked, 'Do we really need this or that? And how can we get this on the shelf in a less obtrusive manner?''

The Zero board has a bamboo core and will not have a plastic shrink wrap on it in shops unlike most skis and boards sold today. K2 intends to reduce this packaging on all its skis and boards in future. Getting rid of excess construction material reduced the board's weight be about 100g which the company believe will make it a better ride for users.

K2 officials said being environmental friendly has become one of the company's top priorities, especially in light of growing concerns about global warming. A company spokesman coined it perfectly - ''Let's face it, we need snow for customers to use our products!''

Source: World Snow News