Fresh off a plodding finish in the 2023 Skarverennet ski tour in Norway, this pair of skis is looking for its next action. Matching-numbers early 70s wood racing ("langrenn") skis from Blå-Skia.
Unlike most wood base skis, the hickory base of these skis has been treated with an epoxy-based sealant known by Blå-Skia as "treplast" (literally "plastic wood"); the result is a surface that repels moisture better than untreated wood and, most importantly, does not need to be sealed with pine tar. These skis are especially good in wet conditions where a traditional tar-sealed hickory or birch base ski might tend to attract moisture and slow down.
Other features: a broken tip that has been fixed with epoxy. Looks like someone went a little too far with a drill once, but that has also been fixed. No bindings, but the holes are set for NNN (modern bindings were just on these skis). Ready-to-go base prep.
Blå-Skia, in Norwegian, literally means "the blue ski". Blå-Skia was an early pioneer in wood racing skis; its founder, Ivar Halvorsen worked early in his career under one of the first producers of laminated wood skis. Halvorsen took this knowledge and applied it to the world of ski racing, developing light, fast skis with different cambers for different snow conditions. However, like all but 1 or 2 Norwegian ski manufacturers, Blå-Skia was swept away by the tide of equipment innovation that hit the nordic ski industry in the 1970s, and by the early 80s the company had closed.
Size: 215cm Camber: medium (3-6cm at ski center) Weight (pair): 1975gm w/o bindings Width at center: 47mm Mfg date: early 70s Base: hickory/lignostone/"treplast" sealant
