By NOEL MURPHY
RESINS and fibres are probably the last things to go through the mind of skiers as they carve their way through their white alpine playgrounds each snow season.
But the strength and performance of their skis and boards in sub-zero temperatures is front and centre of snowboarder Hollie Acres’ attention.
The final-year Deakin University engineering student is working in famous Canadian ski resort Whistler figuring all she can about composites, design, sports technology and more.
For Hollie and the Canadian company she’s working with, Prior Snow, it’s all about a better ride.
“I’m under the guidance of two engineers who are both passionate about the same three things as me – snowboarding, engineering and the environment – and together we’re looking at alternatives to the traditional materials used in snowboard manufacturing and instead using naturally derived and sustainable ones.
“It’s an important project because of how unsustainable snowboard manufacturing is at the moment. Some boards only last a year – that’s a lot of snowboards going to landfill at the end of each season.
“They aren’t exactly a biodegradable product, either.”
