Technical field

The present invention relates to a ski for skiing on snow on flat ground or downhill. Background Skiing can be a means of transport, a recreational activity or a competitive winter sport in which the participant uses skis to glide on snow.

Skiing is a popular activity with an increasing number of people practicing it. The interest in trying different types of skis is also increasing and there is thus an increasing demand in alternatives for regular skis. Summary

It is an aim of the present invention to provide an alternative ski.

This aim is achieved by a device as defined in claim 1.

The disclosure provides a ski for skiing on snow on flat ground or downhill.

The ski comprises an elongated body with a flat underside, a front tip arranged on a front end of the body, the front tip being curved upwards from the underside of the body, a back-end part arranged on a back end of the body, a heel fastening device for fastening a back protrusion of a ski boot, arranged on the half of the body associated with the back end and a toe piece for receiving a forward protrusion of a ski boot, the toe piece being arranged on the front tip, wherein a front side of the front tip being curved upwards and a back side of the front tip comprises the toe piece such that the toe piece is integrated in the front tip. The total length of the ski is less than 370 mm. The short ski with the toe piece integrated in the front tip will give the impression of skiing only on ski boots but there will be a big difference in how they feel for the user. The combined toe piece and front tip have the advantage that the ski cuts snow very well and there are not any edges where the snow gets stuck as a regular binding would have. The short ski is also very easy to pack due to its small size.

According to some aspects, the body, the back-end part and the front tip with the toe piece are made in one piece of material. The ski is thus very easy to produce since it can be made in one piece.

According to some aspects, the back-end part is curved upwards from the underside of the body and comprises a ridge for braking when skiing. The user can thus lower their speed by standing on their heel with the skis on so that the ridge is scraped against the snow and thus braking. According to some aspects, the ridge being arranged on the curved back-end part and protruding so that it does not protrude beyond a plane defined by the underside of the body. In other words, when a user is skiing normally, the ridge is not laying against the snow, the brake is only actuated if the user leans their foot so that the ridge scrapes the snow.

According to some aspects, the ski comprises two sides, one on each elongated side of the body, the edge between the sides and the flat underside has an angle of less than 90°. Edges that have an angle of less than 90° gives a good grip in the snow when the user is turning.

According to some aspects, the angle is between 75° and 95°. Many angles of the edge will assist the user when turning but if the angle is less than about 75°, the edge will be so sharp that it cuts too deep in the snow. It may also be a risk that the user can cut herself/himself on the edge.

According to some aspects, the angle is between 80° and 90°. It is believed that somewhere around 85° is the optimal angle for getting a good grip in the snow.

According to some aspects, the ski comprises two sides, one on each elongated side of the body, and wherein the heel fastening device is pivotably attached on each side and comprises a pivotable anchor member with an anchor edge for laying towards the upper side of the back protrusion of the ski boot and a lever part which is arranged to be pulled so that the anchor edge presses against the back protrusion and until the lever part abuts the ski boot. A simple and robust heel fastening device is thus provided.

According to some aspects, the pivotable attachment on each side of the body comprises at least one hole arranged on each side and the heel fastening device comprises an elongated protruding part to be received in each hole and which is held in place by resilience of the material of the heel fastening device. The heel fastening device can thus easily be attached to the body by inserting the protruding parts in the holes.

According to some aspects, the pivotable attachment on each side are moveable for adjusting the ski to fit ski boots of different lengths. One ski can thus be used for several sizes of ski boots.

According to some aspects, each side comprises a plurality of holes for receiving the elongated protruding parts and the pivotable attachment is moveable by pulling the elongated protruding parts out of one hole on each side and arranging them in another hole on each side. The ski can thus be used for several sizes of ski boots by changing hole of the elongated protruding part.

According to some aspects, a top side of the body comprises an immersion filled with a high friction material such as rubber, the high friction material protrudes at least 1 mm from the top side. The high friction material is to prevent the ski boot from slipping sideways when standing on the body.

According to some aspects, the immersion filled with a high friction material is arranged between the pivotable attachments on each side. The high friction material is thus arranged under the heel of the ski boot.

According to some aspects, the body comprises at least one magnet for arranging the underside of the ski towards the underside of another ski with a corresponding magnet. A pair of skis can thus be fastened together, underside to underside. Transport and handling are thus simplified.

According to some aspects, the at least one magnet is arranged inside the material of the body such that it is not visible to the outside. There are thus no edges from attaching the magnets that can affect the function of the ski.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be explained more closely by the description of different embodiments of the invention and with reference to the appended figures.

Fig. 1 shows an example ski from the side.

Fig. 2 shows an example ski from a perspective view.

Fig. 3 shows an example ski from below.

Fig. 4 shows an example ski from above.

Fig. 5 shows an example ski from the front.

Fig. 6 shows an example ski from the back.

Fig. 7 shows an exploded view of an example ski.

Fig. 8 shows an example ski with a zoomed in view of the ridge on the back-end part.

Detailed description

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed but may be varied and modified within the scope of the following claims.

Aspects of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The devices and methods disclosed herein can, however, be realized in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the aspects set forth herein. Like numbers in the drawings refer to like elements throughout.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects of the disclosure only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

The figures show different views of example skis 1. Figure 1 shows an example ski 1 from the side. Figure 2 shows an example ski 1 from a perspective view. Figure 3 shows an example ski 1 from below. Figure 4 shows an example ski 1 from above. Figure 5 shows an example ski 1 from the front. Figure 6 shows an example ski 1 from the back and figure 7 shows an exploded view of an example ski 1.

In general, a ski 1 is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis 1 are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. The illustrated example skis 1 are for skiing on snow on flat ground or downhill. The ski 1 comprises an elongated body 2 with a flat underside 2a. The elongated body 2 is thus the part of the ski

1 that is to be arranged on the snow and gliding on the snow when skiing.

The ski 1 comprises a front tip 3 arranged on a front end of the body 2, the front tip 3 being curved upwards from the underside 2a of the body 2. Upwards being the direction upwards from the ground when the ski 1 is laying on the ground with its underside 2a downwards. The flat underside 2a of the body 2 thus starts to bend at the front tip 3 so that the front tip 3 is formed. The flat underside 2a thus goes over to being an underside 2a of the front tip 3. In other words, the front tip 3 thus has an underside 2a which forms a continuous underside 2a with the underside 2a of the body 2, but the underside 2a of the front tip 3 is bent upwards. Thus, the underside 2a of the body 2 is the side sliding on the slow when using the ski 1 and the underside 2a of the front tip 3 is the side that faces forward when a user is using the ski 1 such that irregularities of the snow is pushed downwards to the underside 2a of the body 2 when using the ski 1.

The ski 1 comprises a back-end part 4 arranged on a back end of the body 2. The back-end part 4 being arranged on the opposite side of the ski 1 compared to the front tip 3.

The ski 1 comprises a heel fastening device 5 for fastening a back protrusion of a ski boot, arranged on the half of the body 2 associated with the back end. There are several alternatives for a heel fastening device 5. The heel fastening device 5 may be the back part of any regular alpine ski binding. The half of the body 2 associated with the back end means the back half of the ski 1. In other words, the heel fastening device 5 is arranged on the back half of the body

2 of the ski 1. The back half being the half of the body 2 where the back-end part 4 is arranged. The back protrusion of a ski boot means the lip at the heel of a ski boot to be attached in a back piece of a binding. Another word for heel fastening device 5 is toe piece 3a.

One such example can be seen in the figures where a simple example heel fastening device 5 is illustrated. According to some aspects, the ski 1 comprises two sides 2c, one on each elongated side of the body 2, and wherein the heel fastening device 5 is pivotably attached on each side 2c and comprises a pivotable anchor member 5a with an anchor edge 5b for laying towards the upper side of the back protrusion of the ski boot and a lever part 5c which is arranged to be pulled so that the anchor edge 5b presses against the back protrusion and until the lever part 5c abuts the ski boot. The heel fastening device 5 thus has a rotatable lever that is rotated such that an edge presses against an upper side of the back protrusion of the ski boot. This heel fastening device 5 is simple and robust.

According to some aspects, the pivotable attachment on each side 2c of the body 2 comprises at least one hole 7 arranged on each side 2c and the heel fastening device 5 comprises an elongated protruding part 5d to be received in each hole 7 and which is held in place by resilience of the material of the heel fastening device 5. The heel fastening device 5 can thus easily be attached to the body 2 by inserting the protruding parts 5d in the holes 7.

According to some aspects, the pivotable attachment on each side 2c are moveable for adjusting the ski 1 to fit ski boots of different lengths. One ski 1 can thus be used for several sizes of ski boots. According to some aspects, each side 2c comprises a plurality of holes 7 for receiving the elongated protruding parts 5d and the pivotable attachment is moveable by pulling the elongated protruding parts 5d out of one hole on each side 2c and arranging them in another hole on each side 2c. The ski 1 can thus be used for several sizes of ski boots by changing hole of the elongated protruding part 5d.

The following is an example of the heel fastening device 5. The example is also illustrated in the figures. The back part of the ski boot is fixed with a wire bracket made out of a bent 4 mm durable round steel bar and a heel cup fastener, i.e. the pivotable anchor member 5a, made in polymer nylon. The heel cup fastener is shaped to suit all main types and versions of alpine ski boots. The heel cup fastener has two horizontal grooves 5e for the metal rod bracket 5f together with a screw 5g which enables the user to adjust the height of the heel cup fastener, depending on the size of the ski boots. The metal rod bracket being a fastening plate 5f for the heel cup fastener. Together with the possibilities to adjust on the heel cup fastener, there are five holes 7 at the base of the ski 1, where the metal rod bracket is attached into the ski 1, all to adjust the length/size of the ski boots to get the optimal fit to the ski 1. The metal rod bracket thus comprises the elongated protruding part 5d which is to be arranged in one hole 7 at each side 2c of the body 2.

An alternative for a heel fasting device is that the pivotable attachment is on an arrangement fastened on a top side of the body 2. The attachment may comprise a plate that is attached to the upper side of the body 2 and in the back half of the body 2. The plate may have holes or slots along its sides to adjust the position of the elongated protruding parts 5d.

The ski 1 comprises a toe piece 3a for receiving a forward protrusion of a ski boot. The toe piece 3a is arranged on the front tip 3, wherein a front side of the front tip 3 being curved upwards and a back side of the front tip 3 comprises the toe piece 3a such that the toe piece 3a is integrated in the front tip 3. The toe piece 3a is thus integrated in the front tip 3. A front part of the front tip 3 is thus curved for pushing snow in under the underside 2a of the body 2 and the back part of the front tip 3 comprises the toe piece 3a for receiving the forward protrusion of the ski boot. The combined toe piece 3a and front tip 3 have the advantage that the ski 1 cuts snow very well and there are not any edges where the snow gets stuck as a regular binding would have. The front tip 3 thus has a unique design which include an integrated toe piece 3a of the binding. The forward protrusion of a ski boot meaning the lip at the toe of a ski boot to be attached in a front piece of a binding.

The front tip 3 has, according to some aspects, a tapered shape ending in a blunt tip in the front end of the ski 1 to give the best ride through everything from crud snow to packed powder and hard-packed groomed runs.

It should be noted that the toe piece 3a for receiving the forward protrusion in the toe of a ski boot may be similar to that of a regular alpine binding in combination with a tip so that the toe piece 3a releases the ski boot when a certain amount of torque is applied. Such a toe piece 3a may be combined with a regular alpine heel fastening device 5 which also releases the ski boot when a certain amount of torque is applied.

The total length of the ski 1 is less than 370 mm. The total length of the ski may be less than 350 mm long. The short ski 1 with the toe piece 3a integrated in the front tip 3 will give the impression of skiing only on ski boots but there will be a big difference in how they feel for the user. The short ski 1 is also very easy to pack due to its small size.

The ski 1 is very small compared to regular downhill skis, and thanks to the size it makes it perfect to bring as a second pairs of skis, but indeed they work perfectly as the main pair as well. The ski 1 and the binding work with all main alpine ski boots. One of the main features of the ski 1 is that it is more or less invisible when they are mounted on the ski boot - it looks like you only riding on your ski boots, you barely see the skis.

Since the ski 1 is so short, not much longer than a regular ski boot, the ski 1 will not be in the way and cause torque damages to the legs of the user in case of a fall.

The maximum with of the ski is for example 90 mm or 80 mm. The width is depending on the width of the ski boot so if the standard for ski boots changes, so does the width of the ski.

According to some aspects, the body 2, the back-end part 4 and the front tip 3 with the toe piece 3a are made in one piece of material. The ski 1 is thus very easy to produce since it can be made in one piece. Regular alpine skis are made in several different layers (sandwich) of different materials. The back-end part 4, the body 2 and the front tip 3 may be molded in one piece of, for example, nylon polymer blend which is suitable for extreme cold temperatures. Such a material endures rough handling such as chocks and it is also slightly flexible which makes this material the perfect fit for this kind of ski 1. Another benefit is that this example polymer material is possible to grind with ordinary wet sandpaper which could make it unnecessary to wax them, a great benefit for the consumer. Another perk with the grindable material is that if the edges 6 of the ski 1 gets slack, a user can easily adjust this at home with a simple edge sharpener, such as an alpine ski edge sharpener, a skate sharpener or a fixed angle grindstone.

The material to use for the body 2, the back-end part 4 and the front tip 3 is, according to some aspects, plastic that is capable to withstand variations in temperature since skis may be brought from the inside of a house at about 20° C to the outside, where it may be as cold as about -35° C. Also, the material must be strong enough to hold when a user is skiing with the ski. Examples of materials to for the body 2, the back-end part 4 and the front tip 3 are: ABS/PC - BAYBLEND T65XF, HDPE-TECAFINE PE BLACK, NYLON 12 PA and PC/PBT-TECANAT TRANSLUCENT. It should be notes that the materials are for exemplary purposes; other materials are possible.

The ski 1 may be bent upwards in the back-end part 4 to make it easier for the user to ski backwards. The back-end part 4 thus has an underside 2a which forms a continuous underside 2a with the underside 2a of the body 2, but the underside 2a of the back-end part 4 is bent upwards. According to some aspects, the back-end part 4 is curved upwards from the underside 2a of the body 2 and comprises a ridge 4a for braking when skiing. In figure 8, an example ridge arranged on the back-end part is zoomed in to be more visible. An example ridge can also be seen in figure 3 which is from below. The user can thus lower their speed by standing on their heel with the skis 1 on so that the ridge 4a is scraped against the snow and thus braking. The ridge 4a is for example an elongated edge or angle in the material of the back-end part 4. According to some aspects, the ridge 4a being arranged on the curved back end part 4 and protruding so that it does not protrude beyond a plane defined by the underside 2a of the body 2. In other words, when a user is skiing normally, the ridge 4a is not laying against the snow, the brake is only actuated if the user leans their foot so that the ridge 4a scrapes the snow. In other words, if the user leans their foot such that he/she stands on the heel, the ski 1 will brake and thus lower the speed.

There are several ways to design a ridge 4a in the back-end part 4. As can be seen in figure 8, the ridge may be arranged to follow the shape of the ski in the back-end part. The illustrated ridge is at its highest in the middle of an edge at the back-end. According to some aspects, the back-end part is curved upwards from the underside of the ski such that the flat underside of the ski is continuous with the curved underside of the back-end part. The illustrated ridge follows the shape of the rounded back-end part and then tapers to the same level as the back end underside of the ski. The total length of such a ridge is for example between 70 and 80 mm. The ridge may be formed by a recess in the material of the curved underside of the ski such that the part of the recess facing the front tip is aligned with the material of the rest of the curved underside and then the recess increases in depth the further back it is. In the back end of the ski, the recess is discontinued so that a ridge is formed between the recess and the curved underside. The ridge is thus tapered towards the front side of the ski. The ridge is thus formed by the curved underside of the ski with a recess in the ski forming the ridge. The ridge is thus facing the front side of the ski.

In the figures, the edge of the ski is rounded in the front end and in the back-end part, the ridge may thus follow the rounding of the edge of the back-end part. According to some aspects, the ridge has a width of between 1 mm and 4 mm and preferably between 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm. For example, the ridge has a width of 2 mm. The width of the ridge may depend on what material the ridge is made of. The width is to hold when a skier uses it for braking.

The height of the ridge is so that it does not protrude beyond a plane defined by the underside 2a of the body 2. The height is, according to some aspects, between 1 mm and 4 mm and preferably between 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm. For example, the ridge has a height of 2 mm.

The back-end part thus comprises an underside that is curved and flat. According to some aspects, the ridge comprises a front side, facing the front side of the ski, which is substantially perpendicular to the underside of the back-end part where the ridge is located.

The ridge 4 for braking may be designed in other ways. The ridge is for example a protrusion on the curved underside which has a corner for engaging the snow so that the ski brakes when a user tilts the ski to put the curved back-end part against the snow. According to some aspects, the protrusion may have any shape as long as it has an edge that engages the snow when the ski is tilted with the curved back-end part facing the snow. The protrusion may also comprise several protrusions.

Thus, the back-end part 4, or in other words, the tail part of the ski 1 may include an integrated brake on the underside 2a of the back-end part 4. The braking is made by slightly tilting the ski 1 back on the tail. The size and angle of the brake is made to secure a safe braking. The brake does not affect the experience during skiing in normal conditions straight ahead or in turns. The tail part of the ski 1 is thus optimized to stabilize the ski 1 and prevents the user from falling backwards. If a skier is beginning to fall backwards, he/she will automatically engage the brake in the snow and his/her speed will be reduced.

Edges 6 that have an angle of less than 90° gives a good grip in the snow when the user is turning. Thus, according to some aspects, the ski 1 comprises two sides 2c, one on each elongated side of the body 2, the edge 6 between the sides 2c and the flat underside 2a has an angle of less than 90°. According to some aspects, the angle is between 75° and 95°. Many different angles of the edge 6 will assist the user when turning but if the angle is less than about 75°, the edge 6 will be so sharp that it cuts too deep in the snow. It may also be a risk that the user can cut herself/himself on the edge 6. The risk of damaging the edge 6 also increases when the edge 6 has a lower angle. According to some aspects, the angle is between 80° and 90°. It is believed that somewhere around 85° is the optimal angle for the best grip in snow. The skis may thus have an 85-degree angle edge 6 which gives optimal control of the skis in the groomed run as well as being easy to maintain with regards to sharpness. It should be noted that the two sides 2c on the elongated sides of the body 2 are illustrated as having a non-flat profile. The profile is made to optimize the edge for best grip and easy grinding. As can be seen in figures 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7, the two sides 2c of the ski may be slightly tapering from the underside to a top side of the body. The sides 2c may also have a groove 2d extending along the length of the sides 2c. It should be noted that in the example illustrated in the figures, the profile of the sides 2c continues around the sides of the back-end part 4. The example profile gives the ski a slim look such that it is less noticeable when used and it also assist in removing snow such that it is not collected under the ski boot of the user when skiing. The profile is also to reduce the weight of the ski.

To assist the user in getting the ski boot in the right place there may be a rubber pad arranged on the body 2 where the ski boot is to be put. According to some aspects, a top side of the body 2 comprises an immersion 8 filled with a high friction material 9 such as rubber, the high friction material 9 protrudes at least 1 mm from the top side. The high friction material 9 is to prevent the ski boot from slipping sideways when standing on the body 2 with a ski boot. According to some aspects, the immersion 8 filled with a high friction material 9 is arranged between the pivotable attachments on each side 2c. The high friction material 9 is thus arranged under the heel of the ski boot. A user is thus assisted in holding the ski boot in place when attaching the ski boot to the ski with the toe piece 3a in the front tip 3 and the heel fastening device 5. The high friction material may be any material with a friction coefficient higher than 0.5.

Another function of the high friction material 9 is to optimize the pressure to lock the boot in place together with the heel fastening device 5. When a high friction material that is deformable is used, the heel fastening device will press the ski boot down to deform the high friction material when fastening the ski boot. The ski boot is thus more securely fastened.

To keep the skis 1 in order and for safe storage there may be magnets 10 molded into each ski 1. According to some aspects, the body 2 comprises at least one magnet 10 for arranging the underside 2a of the ski 1 towards the underside 2a of another ski 1 with a corresponding magnet 10. A pair of skis can thus be fastened together, underside 2a to underside 2a. Transport and handling are thus simplified. The magnets 10 are of course so strong that they can hold the skis together.

The magnets 10 may be arranged slightly closer to the back-end part 4 than the front tip 3 of the ski 1. These magnets 10 will hold the skis steadily together. The magnets 10 may also be placed so that the heel fastening device 5 stick to top surface of the body 2 due to the magnet 10 to get a neat and tidy packing. One of the at least one magnet 10 may thus be arranged where a part of the heel fastening deice abuts the ski 1 when turning it in its pivotable attachment. In figure 3, dashed lines are indicating magnets 10 on the inside of the material of the body 2. According to some aspects, the at least one magnet 10 is arranged inside the material of the body 2 such that it is not visible to the outside. There are thus no edges from attaching the magnets 10 that can affect the function of the ski 1. In the case when the body 2, the back end part 4 and the front tip 3 with the toe piece 3a are made in one piece of material, the at least one magnet 10 is arranged inside the material. If the body 2, the back-end part 4 and the front tip 3 with the toe piece 3a are molded, the at least one magnet 10 may be arranged inside the material when molding.

In the exploded view of figure 7, the magnets 10 are illustrated as being taken out of the body 2 through holes with a lid like arrangement to cover the magnets 10. The illustrated aspect is an alternative, but it is preferred that the magnets 10 are seamlessly incorporated inside the material without any edges.

The ski 1 may be equipped with a snow brake to prevent the ski 1 from moving while it is not attached to a boot. Snow brakes are known to the skilled person and will not be further discussed herein.

Reference list:

1. Ski

2. Body

a) Underside

b) Top side

c) Side

d) Groove

3. Front tip

a) Toe piece

4. Back-end part

a) Ridge

5. Heel fastening device

a) Pivotable anchor member

b) Anchor edge

c) Lever part

d) Protruding part

e) Groove

f) Fastening plate

g) Screw

6. Edge

7. Hole

8. Immersion

9. Friction material 10. Magnet