The world’s first 3D printed skis were used and tested in February 2014 by Stratasys co-founder Scott Crump. To the world’s surprise, they were functional! Designed by Dominic Mannella, a senior application engineer, he wanted to test the limits and capabilities of 3D printing.

They were fabricated with a Stratasys F900 3D printer using their Uletem 9805 resin. This machine is one of the most high-quality 3D printers on the market, however, the price is most likely above anyone’s personal 3D printer budget. This industrial 3D printer offers a large print area and very high-quality printing.

The skis were made out of a 3D printed body with a polyethylene base and metal edges to add rigidity. According to Mannella, the design and manufacturing process for these skis was long and iterative due to the safety requirements that would ensure a safe ride down the mountain. In addition, it took a total of three days to actually print these skis.

• Project files: Not available
• Printer: Stratasys F900
• Materials used: Ultem 9805 resin, polyethylene or P-Tex sheets, and metal edging strips
• Printing time: Three days

Next on the list is Nikodem Bartnik’s 3D printed shoe skis. They are kind of like skis, except they attach to your shoes and aren’t as long as normal skis. You won’t be shredding double black diamonds or anything close to that, however, if you want to have fun on a small snowy hill, these will do just fine.

These are very easy to print on a budget, hobbyist 3D printer, and you’ll only need five parts per ski. It will most likely take about 24 hours to print both of them, making these skis perfect for any low-budget, DIY type.

You can 3D print these skis in PLA using any normal-sized printer with a minimum build area of 220 x 220 mm. Nikodem Bartnik printed his skis in K-Camel’s PLA filament using a Creality CR-10. He designed them in Fusion 360, making the skis in two parts with multiple connecting pieces that bind them together.

Bartnik started this project in 2018 and after many design alterations and a hefty trial and error process, he created the final product. He used multiple 3D printers as well as a 3D pen to speed up his prototyping and manufacturing process. Check out his skis in action in this YouTube video.

• Project files: Thingiverse
• Printer: Creality CR-10
• Materials used: K-Camel’s PLA
• Printing time: 24 hours

Mesarc is a STEM school with a focus on aeronautical engineering. Although this might not be the type of skis you can use on the slopes, they are, in a way, skis: Mesarc made 3D printed plane skis to help land their remote control planes in the snowy weather.

In 2014, a team of students designed and 3D printed prototypes for skis that could be used on an aircraft. They tested them out by attaching the 3D printed skis to a remote control plane to represent how they would work on a real aircraft.

The students used 123D Design by AutoDesk to design the skis and printed them on a Makerbot Replicator. You can see the skis in use and learn more about them in the YouTube video.

• Project files: Not available
• Printer: MakerBot Replicator
• Materials used: PLA
• Printing time: About one hour per ski

Created by Signal Snowboards alongside Growit 3D, the first 3D printed snowboard was made in 2013. The company duo used SLS 3D printing technology and had numerous puzzle-like shaped pieces that they put together so they didn’t need a large-scale printer.

Printed with a high-end carbon powder material called CarbonGro 640, the board is durable and weather resistant. They used a vacuum former to bond the pieces overnight to make the snowboard one single piece.

See the snowboard gliding along in this YouTube video.

• Project files: Not available
• Technology: SLS
• Materials used: CarbonGro 640 carbon powder
• Printing time: Not available

After a successful mission in 2014 to 3D print functional skis, Stratasys moved on to their next challenge: 3D printing a snowboard. Stratasys’s 3D printed snowboard is to no surprise another overwhelming success.

The snowboard was 3D printed in a total of three parts. Stratasys used multiple 3D printers for the prototypes and final product. According to the principal engineer, Kevin Johnson, they were able to make a new board design that was ready for testing every three days.

Stratasys stuck to their previous strategy when they 3D printed their skis using the same resin, Ultem 9805. This time, it was for the main bodies of the snowboard, capitalizing on the resin’s high strength-to-weight ratio and good weather resistance. They then bound the multiple parts together with ABS. Nylon was also used for the straps due to its good durability and flexibility properties. Finally, the bases and bolt circles were made from polycarbonate because of its significant strength.

• Project files: Not available
• Technology: SLA
• Materials used: Ultem 9805 Resin, polycarbonate (bases and bolt circles), ABS plastic (back of the bindings), and nylon (straps)
• Printing time: About seven days (170 hours)

The first 3D printed ski boots were designed and made by Franz Egger who named them the EasyStand. Egger saw an opportunity to improve ski boots when he was working as a sporting goods dealer in Austria.

Using 3D printing to turn his idea into reality, he first printed the EasyStand ski boots in 2015 on an SLS printer. Egger used a special material called Windform SP, a polyamide-based material reinforced with carbon fibers, making for waterproof and very durable boots.

The EasyStand 3D printed ski boots have three different insoles so users get a better fit. This precise heel position also gives more room for the toes. The theory is that the pressure from your calves as well your knees can be relieved with a perfectly fitting boot, supporting your joints and requiring less effort to use.

• Project files: Not available
• Technology: SLS
• Materials used: Windform SP
• Printing time: Not available

Next on the list are customized ski boots that are actually available for sale. Reto Rindlisbacher partnered with Materialise and, using 3D scanning, designs the liner of ski boots for a customer based on their feet. The liner of the boot is 3D printed while the boot casing is molded. No matter your feet shape, you’ll get a strong shell from the boot so you won’t be affected by the exterior conditions and weather.

According to Materialise, the design and engineering team developed a design for the boots that would be both flexible and strong enough for racing. They 3D print the personalized liner in a flexible filament for comfort.

You can learn more about i.Materialise’s 3D printed ski boots in their article. If you’re interested, you can also purchase your own from Tailored Fits’ website.

• Project files: Not available
• Technology: Not available
• Materials used: Flexible thermoplastic material
• Printing time: Not available