Salomon S.a.

Maurice Legrand

Denis Gasquet

Gilles Recher

Dominique Deville

Vincent Forest

Yves Cagneux

Pierre Rullier

Jean-Mary Cazaillon

Francois Guers

Yves Gagneux

The invention concerns a gliding board, especially a snowboard, which is intended to support both boots of a skier. The board includes a base structure of which at least the front end is turned up to form the shovel. It further has a central zone with two mounting zones for the binding elements, a front zone, and a rear zone. The board has, at least in one of the front or rear zones, a long reinforcement shaped according to the length and width of the zone. The reinforcement extends from the vicinity of the end of the front or rear zone to at least the vicinity of the mounting zone located near the zone.

Snowboard

A ski in which one or more additional masses of inertia are added to change the characteristics of the ski. A front additional mass of inertia is located substantially at a front transverse line of contact of the bottom surface of the ski with the ground. A rear additional mass of inertia may be located substantially at a rear transverse line of contact with the ground.

Ski furnished with front masses of inertia

A process of assembling a ski and a ski structure assembled according to the process. The ski includes a plurality of subassemblies which are attached by applying a thermoplastic material to each of the subassemblies; placing the thermoplastic surfaces of adjacent subassemblies together; heating the thermoplastic junction or junctions; and cooling the thermoplastic junction or junctions to thereby effect a weld. The process of assembling the ski permits the shape of the ski to be modified or at least one of the subassemblies to be removed and replaced by subsequent heating of at least the thermoplastic junctions. The use of glue to attach the subassemblies together is avoided to obtain the reversibility of the assembly of the subassemblies.

Method of making a ski by reversible thermoplastic assembly

A ski comprises an elongated body having opposed lateral surfaces and opposed upper and lower walls, a longitudinal core having upper and lower walls extending along the length of the body between front and rear ends of the ski, mechanical resistance elements, internal longitudinal shock absorption elements made of a viscoelastic material, and filling elements connecting the resistance elements to the other elements. At least one of the internal shock absorption elements is a strip of viscoelastic material which is substantially continuous over the entire length of the body of the ski. The width of the strip is limited by the lateral surfaces of the ski, and the thickness of the strip is limited by a wall of the core and a wall of the body. The strip has a thickness along the length of the body which is a nonconstant function of the length of the body conferring on the ski mechanical shock absorption properties which vary along the length of the ski.

Ski having improved shock absorption and vibration resistance

A ski comprises a longitudinally extending body defining a longitudinal median plane and having a sole substantially perpendicular to the plane and adapted to slidably engage a surface. The sole has a central zone lying between front and rear contact zones. The body comprises a core having opposed top and bottom walls, and opposed lateral walls, the core extending substantially the length of the body. The body further includes a shell having a top layer overlying the top wall of the core and lateral surfaces spaced from respective lateral walls of the core. The shell further includes lateral strips of viscoelastic material interposed between each lateral surface of said shell and the respective lateral walls of the core for forming a shock absorber. The cross-sectional area of the lateral strips are a non-constant function of length along the body of the ski at least between said contact zones. As a consequence, a desired distribution of shock absorption properties along the length of the ski can be established by suitable selection of the cross-sectional area of the strips.

A ski for use on snow comprises a longitudinally extending body defining a longitudinal median plane and having a sole substantially perpendicular thereto for slidably engaging a surface. The sole has a central zone lying between front and rear contact lines. The width of the body is established by opposed lateral surfaces, and the thickness of the body is established by an upper wall opposed to the sole. A longitudinal core extends along the length of the body between front and rear ends of the ski and has a width established by lateral side walls that respectively face the lateral surfaces of the body. The thickness of the core is established by upper and lower walls. The ski also includes mechanical resistance elements, internal longitudinal shock absorption members made of a viscoelastic material, and filling elements connecting the resistance elements to the other elements. The internal shock absorption members are in the form of a pair of lateral strips of viscoelastic material, each strip being sandwiched between a lateral surface of the body and the facing lateral wall of the core. The lateral side walls of the core make respective inclination angles A and B with the sole of the body, the inclination angles being a nonconstant function of the length of the core for effecting mechanical shock absorption properties which vary longitudinally along the body.

A ski having an outer appearance layer constituted by a sheet of thermodeformable material which is heat deformable during a molding process. The sheet of thermodeformable material forming the appearance layer is composed of at least one outer layer of a substantially transparent plastic material and an inner layer made from substantially opaque plastic material. The inner layer contains coloring agents defining a decoration or inscription which is visible from the exterior through the outer layer. The plastic materials forming the sheet of thermodeformable material are such that the melting point and the heat softening temperature of the material forming the outer layer is less than the melting point and the softening temperature of the material forming the outer layer is less than the melting point and the softening temperature of the material forming the inner layer. The molding process is also disclosed for producing such a ski. In the present invention, the inner decoration layer is not substantially deformed during the molding process.

Process for forming a ski, and a ski formed according to the process

An apparatus located between a ski and a binding mounted thereon, including at least one shock absorption buffer positioned partially in a seat cut-away with respect to the most elevated portion of the ski and extending beyond this portion at rest. The comfort of the skier and the steering of the skis is enhanced without raising the binding with respect to the ski by utilizing the natural cut-aways. The cut-aways are created during the manufacture of the ski or are provided in the thickness of the ski after manufacture. The buffer is then installed within the seat thus cut-away, rather than merely installed on the upper surface of the ski. The buffer is preferably made of viscoelastic material.

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Annecy, France

Maurice Legrand