PHILLIPS — The basis for Lucid Skis began in 2000 when Ian Reinholt was a UMF student in the ski industry program. He considered ski design and manufacturing as a career, but was deterred by the process and materials being used at that time. Instead, he focused on woodworking and became a furniture maker.
In 2003, Reinholt and high school classmate Nick Mukai converted a school bus to a camper and left for Colorado on a “skifari”. Mukai fell in love with skiing and moved to British Columbia where he worked at Whistler Blackcomb in Vancouver.
Reinholt and his wife spent some time in Hawaii where surfing is very popular. Surf boards are similar to skis and Reinholt loved the fact that every town had its own surf board builder. When the two men moved back to Maine in the winter of 2008, they began talking about making skis.
Reinholt noted that their target market is New England and compares handcrafted skis to the “craft beer movement.” There are some 100 small, low volume hand ski makers in this country with most found on the west coast. Reinholt and Mukai saw the demand for this type of handmade ski product in New England.
Reinholt still spends half his time on Vinalhaven where he continues to make furniture. He has taken the lessons learned while woodworking and applied them to ski manufacturing. Reinholt handles the business and ski design part of the business while Mukai manages production.
The pair creates their own designs using a unique process. They have invested thousands of hours in research, prototyping and developing the whole manufacturing process. They created the metal ski forms they use and a different one is required for each length and model. There are currently three models available, but each ski is made the same way with a wood core.
More emphasis is put on those cores in the sandwich construction process used. Most of the wood used to make the skis comes from saw logs or lumber purchased within a 50 mile radius of their shop.
The two men believe in supporting the local economy and buying close by gives them the ability to be very selective. Reinholt stressed that they want the highest quality wood available and we have that here. Also important to him is the idea that his customers will be able to “ski past the trees where their skis came from,” which brings everything full circle.
Maine was once a major manufacturer of skis, which were introduced to this area by the Scandinavians who settled here. Those skis were first used to make winter maneuvering easier. When the focus shifted to recreation, demand for other types of skis led to the end of mass production.
Lucid skis use mainly basswood, ash and hickory in the core of their skis for both their quality and how they translate into performance. Basswood is a very lightweight hardwood that is similar to the more commonly used spruce. However, it is flexible and doesn’t absorb a lot of glue which will add weight and make the wood brittle. Basswood has incredible dampening qualities and makes up the layer between the sidewalls and the rest of the core.
Native white ash is one of the strongest woods found in New England. It has a high strength to weight ratio and is also very flexible and springy. These are excellent qualities for the skis according to Reinholt. Two ribs of this wood are found straight down the center of every core. This helps transmit ski sensation to the boot and provides good memory.
The sidewalls are made from shag bark hickory which is one of the oldest known wood species. It was used for skis made in this area in the 1800s. The sidewall’s continuous grain follows the same arc as the ski’s side cut. Hickory plays a key role in the core lamination and transmits the force and energy from the edge to the rest of the ski.
Its hardness and strength provides amazing stability and edge hold. This wood is flexible and extremely hard. Since only highest quality flawless pieces are used, Reinholt noted that this component is sometimes harder to find locally.
These three woods make up the heart of a ski that is lively, stable, light weight and has exceptional edge hold. Wood core skis have always been regarded as the pinnacle of performance.
The dynamic core of a Lucid Ski is sandwiched between two layers of tri-axial fiberglass. A specially designed epoxy that is 30 percent plant based is another feature. The fiberglass reinforces the core and gives the ski its torsional rigidity.
The bases are made using industry standard plastics. Reinholt pointed out that a clear plastic is now available so that the wood components can be seen from both the top and bottom of the ski. The edges are high carbon hardened steel.
The top sheet is available in a variety of native hardwoods. Bird’s eye maple and flame yellow birch are well known for their distinctive grains while some of the veneers used give the appearance of silk or satin.
Every pair of skis is then finished with clear ultra violet protective marine epoxy, wet sanded and wax polished.
Reinholt indicated that his company also offers a refinishing service that will restore ski bases, edges and finish to brand new condition. He also likes communicating directly with his customers so that he knows how to best meet their goals.
Lucid skis are carried by Eastern Mountain Sports which has stores in Maine and eleven other eastern states. They can be ordered directly by calling 207-218-2072 or e-mailing koalotus@gmail.com.
Reinholt noted that it takes about 10 hours to make each pair of skis but they use production run methods to create parts of several skis at once rather than make one ski at a time. He and his partner have recently branched out and are now making snowboards.
Each of the three ski models sold are designed for specific ski conditions and provides a different experience. Cannon is for the person looking for big mountain action and designed for aggressive high speed charging through all conditions. It is wide enough to devour crud and shred powder while featuring light swing weight for bumps and trees. It tracks like a bullet at high speed.
The Harvester is designed for bottomless powder or the day after crud. These boards will give a ride as smooth as butter. Especially for the east coast skier, this ski’s high torsional stiffness will keep an edge on the iciest of slopes.
Trip is geared for the skier who plans to go into the wild. Super durable and light, these skis will go the extra mile. It is specially designed for trekking into the back country yet is strong enough to support all required gear with an even flex to navigate the most formidable terrain.
Reinholt is pleased that word is getting out about Lucid Skis. He admits that the time between ordering a set of skis and receiving the finished product is often 4 weeks or more due to other commitments. Because most of their orders come in the fall, the company does offer a 10 percent discount on orders placed between now and Aug. 1.
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- Ian Reinholt holds a finished ski. At his left is a flame yellow birch piece that will become the top surface of a ski.
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- Ian Reinholt stands behind a table that holds what will eventually become a snowboard. Lucid Skis offers skis and snowboards hand crafted from local wood.
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- Some of the possible veneers that are used for Lucid Skis have the appearance of silk or satin.
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- Ian Reinholt holds one of the finished skis that features a clear plastic base that allows the wood core to show through. Two of the metal forms Reinholt and his partner developed are seen at his right.
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