The new Essential Ski from Rossignol Photo: Courtesy of the Rossignol Group

PARK CITY, Utah — The Rossignol Group unveiled a new first for the ski industry on Tuesday with its recyclable ski design named Essential. Although not wholly recyclable, the new ski will have the potential of 77% recyclability, making it roughly ten times more recyclable than the average ski made today. Recycling skis rather than throwing them away is a massive change in the industry, as it has primarily been a use-up and throw-away sport.

Ski construction varies among manufacturers and the ski’s target audience. Historically, if you’re aiming for a stiff ski that can be put to work, a lot of metal and likely stiff wood will be used. Suppose the goal is more of a free-ride all-mountain ski. In that case, materials such as cork, basalt, graphene, and others combined with various types of wood and some metal provide a lighter platform with multiple levels of stiffness. Suffice it to say there are many perspectives in the ski industry world as to what material should make up the construction of a ski.

Part of the ski industry’s waste problem had been the low-quality foam-like material that has been used in the creation of beginner skis. This could also apply to the use of low-quality wood. These skis were made to be passively skied, be forgiving for beginners to learn on, and then tossed aside to be upgraded within a few years. The low investment works for consumers, but it also adds a layer to the throw-away mentality of the industry.
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Beyond low-quality beginner skis, any ski has a lifespan regarding tunes in terms of sharpening edges and grinding the base of the ski. In other words, there is only so much metal on the edges to sharpen before it’s no longer there. It’s not to say that a ski is toast after a certain number of tunes, but it is important to note that with regular tuning and usage, a ski only has so much life before it most likely reaches the dumpster.

This could also apply to binding specific skis as those bindings have a set lifespan before no longer being backed by the manufacturer in a legal sense. Beyond that point, certified technicians can no longer touch the binding. The springs themselves in a binding also lose tension over time, leaving them to fail binding tests. In many cases, a consumer can replace the binding with a new model assuming the ski can accommodate it. Still, another limitation to skis is there are only so many spots to drill holes in it for mounting.

Tune life and mounting points are only a few examples of why ski equipment might end up in the trash, but it highlights the importance of Rossignol’s venture into a more recyclable design. The innovation was made possible by working with MTB, a large recycling firm in France, that developed new ways to grind, separate, and reuse materials that allow for a higher degree of recycling of both conventional skis and, to a greater extent, the new recyclable ski Essential.

Rossignol placed an expected goal that by 2028, one-third of their ski lineup will be part of a circular economy approach, meaning that materials will be used, then recycled, and find new life in a new product.

“We are very conscious of the current issues related to the recycling of winter sports equipment today. As a historic player in the mountain economy, we have a social and environmental responsibility to address this,” adds Vincent Wauters, CEO of the Rossignol Group. “Our desire is to encourage cooperative interaction amongst all stakeholders by exploring potential improvements in recyclability and the life cycle stages of products. This movement will only be possible together.”

Rossignol went a step further in changing the industry by stating that the technical specificities of the Essential Ski would be shared with industry peers and competitors. Their goal by sharing their innovation is to help push the industry away from throw-away designs and towards a recyclable future. It’s unclear what ski manufacturers will take from Rossignol’s innovation, but it is clear that a change is happening in the industry, opening the door for a more sustainable future.