FAQ

Why premium priced skis?

Crosson skis are priced at the price point they are strictly due to the cost of materials used within the skis. Crosson uses the best materials in the world in all aspects of of skis. We use NHS Race base which is a graphite infused nano high speed sintered base. This base is mainly only used on FIS world class race skis. We build all of our skis with two full length, full width pieces of vulcanized rubber above and below the core which makes the skis extremely damp and quiet. The cores in our skis are bespoke to us and custom made in Austria. They are comprised of Beach wood under foot and Paulownia in the tip and tail. There are also carbon fiber stringers in the cores as well. When we build our skis we wrap every core fully in carbon fiber as well. The carbon fiber we use if an unidirectional aerospace grade carbon fiber prepreg which is most commonly used on Boeing places and Formula 1 race cars. We also use the thickest steel edges on the market. Our topsheets are made of nylon and greatly reduce snow sticking to the topsheet and minimizes chipping. We hand build all of the carbon fiber laminates and orient all of the plys in each laminate to dictate the longitudinal and lateral torsion of each ski. Utilizing carbon prepreg vs. wet resin means that all of our skis come out with little to no difference in weight and have the exact same characteristics from one ski to the other. To finish each ski, we run them through our state of the art tuning machines to provide a flat base, add base structure, a ceramic edge polish, and bevel the base and side edge with precision. Finally, our skis are coated with multiple coats of base conditioner and graphite wax on our infrared waxer to ensure maximum wax absorption and retention.

Where are your skis made? 

All of our skis are handmade in our state of the art manufacturing facility in Seattle, Washington. We build all of our skis in house to ensure there is no variance from manufacturing over seas or in multiple locations. All of our skis go through a rigorous multi-point quality inspection and only leave the facility if they are in perfect condition. We are very proud to build our skis here in the United States and will continue to do so.

Why do you use rubber in your skis?

The sole purpose of rubber in our skis it to reduce vibrations and greatly improve the dampness of the ski. The majority of ski manufacturers use only a 1" strip of rubber along the edge of the ski only. We use two full-length, full-width pieces of rubber in each of our skis which accompanied with the carbon fiber prepreg gives our skis a unique feel. We are able to build strong and powerful skis at a light weight all the while maintaining the ability of our skis to track well. The majority of skis that are light weight have excessive amounts of vibration and do not often track well; these skis may be great or the ascend but usually do not excel on the descend. Crosson skis dominate in both categories.

What is NHS Race Base?

NHS Race Base is a nano high-speed graphite infused sintered race base. NHS Race Base is the fastest base you can buy in the world and is primarily only used on FIS race skis. NHS Race Base has been used to win many World Cup titles. Most ski manufacturers do not use NHS Race Base solely due to the high material cost. Not only is NHS Race Base fast and have exceptional glide characteristics, it also is also extremely resilient and 1.7mm thick, providing along life span of the ski.

What is carbon fiber prepreg?

Carbon fiber prepreg is carbon fiber that has been preinpregnated with an epoxy resin. The resin is dry in the fiber until the ski is molded and in the press. Once the carbon fiber prepreg is under enough heat and pressure, the resin will start to flow and will fully saturate all substrates and bond the ski parts evenly and precise. Utilizing carbon fiber prepreg allows us to use a dry layup rather than a wet layup process. Carbon prepreg also provides extremely consistent results in regard to weight and flex characteristics.

What is unidirectional carbon fiber?

Unidirectional carbon fiber is carbon fiber that has not been woven together and all fibers are oriented in the same fiber direction. We only use unidirectional carbon fiber and build our own laminates in varying fiber directions to dictate the torsional and longitudinal characteristics of the ski throughout any point of the ski. The majority of the ski industry uses a triaxial "triax" or biaxial "biax" weave carbon fiber. When using a biax or triax carbon fiber, you cannot dictate any flex characteristics as the fibers are woven and the flex characteristics are already predetermined.

What is a dry layup?

A dry layup is the process of molding a ski without any wet resin. Almost all ski manufactures use a wet layup process which can be toxic, messy, and have inconsistent ski flex and weight due to operator error upon application or lack or too much runoff of excess resin. With a dry layup, you have exactly the same amount of resin in each ski and get the exact same amount of runoff as well.

Where can I buy your skis?

You can buy our skis through any of our dealers which can be found on our dealer finder or purchase them direct on our website.

What is your warranty?

Crosson skis all have a full two-year warranty for any manufacture defects. We will also provide free repairs and tunes on any Crosson ski if you ship them to us or drop them off anytime throughout the warranty period. To warranty your skis, register them here within 30 days of your purchase.

What perks do I get for being a Crosson ski owner?

Being a Crosson ski owner means you are part of the Crosson ski family. As part of the Crosson ski family, you will receive a 10% discount on any products that we sell in our showroom (or online), exclusive access to member only events, 2 year warranty, free tunes and repairs for the entire warranty period of the ski, early access to purchase any new ski model, exclusive member only content on our website, athlete meet and greet member events, and more.

What is 3D structure?

3D structure is the process of adding vertical grooves down the length of the ski to help channel water. Think of siping on a tire. The vertical channels allow water to flow while reducing drag. Our park ski has two vertical channels running down the center of the ski, our all mountain structures have 3 vertical channels, and our powder skis have 4 vertical channels running the length of the ski. Depending on the type of ski and snow, the channels will be very square (race skis) or round (powder skis).

What is base structure?

Base structure is the process of adding tiny grooves on the base of your skis to optimize the amount of glide for any given snow condition.in a nut shell, If the snow is cold and dry, you want to have a fine condensed structure to help add moisture between the base of your ski and the snow to help the ski glide more efficiently. If the snow is warm and wet, you want to add a more coarse structure to help remove excess water between the base of the ski and the snow which will minimize friction/suction and improve gliding characteristics. We offer many different base structures that can be tuned for varying snow conditions.

Why is infrared wax application better than iron on?

Infrared wax is better than iron on wax because the infrared light actually opens up the pores of the ski base more efficiently and keeps them open throughout the entire waxing process. The light speed at which the light travels as well as the heat can all be adjusted to provide the ideal amount of wax absorption. Using na infrared waxer insures complete absorption of wax which means the wax job is going to ensure the base is fully coated and will also last longer because the pours of the base will all be fully saturated.

What is included in your out of the box world cup tune?

All Crosson ski models come complete with a World Cup race ready tune out of the box. This means the ski edges are sharpened to the precise edge bevel degree (1 degree base edge and 2 degree side edge for all production models unless otherwise specified). We also provide a base structure for the snow conditions that the ski will be skis most frequently, as well as a 3D base structure most efficient for each ski model. Next, our skis receive a ceramic disk edge polish, hand polished side walls, a coat of graphite infused base prep conditioner, and two coats of graphite infused wax which are all applied on our infrared waxer for maximum absorption. Finally our bases are buffed and shrink wrapped to deliver only the finest end product to our customers.

How can I demo a pair of Crosson skis?

You can demo a pair of Crosson skis at any of our retail partners, at any of our demo days, or you can arrange a demo at our Seattle facility which the cost of your demo will go towards the purchase of your skis. If you demo through Crosson direct, we will also provide you with a 5% discount if you purchase skis upon the return of your demos skis. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.