Karhu’s nano ski well suited for wet and warm skiing conditions

The brand new Karhu Optigrip ski makes skiing and ski maintenance easy. The ski which does not require any waxing, works well on wet snow and is convenient to store, handle and transport without stains. Karhu promises that Optigrip offers good grip and glide in all weather and snow conditions.

- Finns are tough to convince with the fact that a ski can also work without waxing, says the Director of Karhu factory in Kitee, Harri Kirvesniemi, who is also famous as a former cross-country skiing champion.

The nano-based Optigrip coating has been tested since 2007. The coating has been developed by the experienced cross-country skier Matti Järvinen together with nanotechnology entrepreneur Mikko Tilli.

- The recipe is mine while Tilli produces the raw material, says Järvinen, who has patented the innovation. He cooperates for instance with nano researchers at the University of Jyväskylä.

According to Tilli the key to Optigrip is a combination of chemical and mechanical grip. Nano-coating increases the effective surface area of the bottom of the ski. According to Tilli nano is just a way to keep glide and grip effects of the skis as far apart as possible.

Karhu promises that the nano-bottom functions well at least for 2000 kilometres. The wetter and warmer the skiing conditions the better suited the nano coating is. Kirvesniemi recommends the product especially for the Southern Finnish wet skiing conditions, which pose a challenge for the correct waxing of skis. The Optigrip skis are also well suited for instance for Central European cross-country skiing tracks.

Kirvesniemi expects the sale of Optigrip to take off well. During a reasonable winter the sales are expected to reach about ten thousand pairs of skis. Most of these sales are made in Finland, since Optigrip hasn't been exported extensively yet.

www.karhuskiing.fi