When looking for a new pair of skis or snowboard, you will undoubtedly be faced with the choice between a sintered or extruded base. To avoid the stress of choosing, you prefer not to look at this kind of detail. But is that a good idea? Because what exactly does a sintered or extruded base do?
In this article
Production process sintered and extruded
Whatever you choose, the construction of a ski and snowboard is always the same, regardless of whether it is a sintered or extruded base. The core of your snowboard and ski is separated from the snow by a thin layer of plastic. We call this the base, or the deposit in Dutch
This layer of plastic consists of a chemical element that we call “polyethylene” and that is a polymer. Whether sintered or extruded, both are made from the “same” chemical products in the form of pellets.
The difference between these products is the way we go from pellets to a plastic “sheet”. Briefly, we heat and melt pellets to obtain an extruded base. On the other hand, we use high pressure to push the pellets together to create a sintered base.
We also call the pellets for a sintered base “UHMW-PE”. They have a fairly high melting point, which makes them less suitable for the extrusion process.
Both production processes produce a “blob” of plastic, with one product having little porosity while the other does. It will not sound strange to you that an extruded base is therefore not very porous, unlike a sintered base where this is the case.
You can somewhat compare it to sugar. You can melt this or press it together. When you melt it (e.g. cotton candy) it is not very porous, but if you push it together (e.g. a sugar cube) it is the same.
When polyethylene granules have their new shape, they will be cut off from this “blob” of plastic with a super sharp knife. To give you an idea; this new base sheet is approximately 1.3 millimeters thick. The width of this roll is approximately 150mm. That is ideal for a ski, but not sufficient for your snowboard.
I can already hear you thinking; how does one make a snowboard? Well, before cutting, 2 pieces of plastic will be welded together and then cut. You can read more about that later.
If you have been attentive in your search for a new snowboard / ski, you will undoubtedly have already seen the sintered numbers 2000, 4000, 6000 or 8000. That is an indication from the manufacturer of how good the material is. The rule that a higher number is better also applies here. In concrete terms, this tells you how many pores can be found per cm2, but also what the quality of the polyethylene pellets used is.
Pros and cons
Speed & waxing
We have just made the comparison with sugar, specifically to explain porosity. By now you also know that you have to wax a ski or snowboard. This is what you do to fill those porous holes with wax and create one smooth surface. Common Boeren Verstand (GBV) tells us that one product has morewax will need than the other. And that is mainly what your choice between sintered or extruded is all about.
Because an extruded base is less porous, you need less wax. This means that you should “not really” wax an extruded base. It's a shame that we are so against our own store speak ; )
Since sintered base material is very porous, you must of course wax it very frequently and it will absorb more wax in the many pores.
In fact, an unwaxed extruded base can shoot down the mountain faster than an unwaxed sintered base. However, if we both do wax, the roles immediately turn: in that case a sintered base is immediately the winner.
Of course, we are exaggerating when I say that you should not wax skis or snowboards with extruded bases. You must do that; to prevent dehydration. Because an extruded base can hold wax very poorly.
If snow sports are about speed for you, choose a sintered base. Do you forget to wax regularly? Then choose an extruded base!
Durability & repair
A standard extruded base is easier and cheaper to produce. In addition, it is also sturdier than a sintered base. This is also the reason why a sintered ski or snowboard is more expensive to sell than its counterpart.
It is important to know that sintered material has enormous internal tension due to the production process. This is because it pulls in 2 directions, which increases the risk of deformation of the material.
We just told you that 2 rolls would be welded together to create a sheet large enough for a snowboard. If you want to build the snowboard, this base material must first lie flat for 24 to 48 hours to prevent deformation. Of course, production can be faster by heating it up in a heat tunnel, but this means an additional cost to build your snowboard or ski with a sintered base.
A big plus for choosing extruded base is that you can repair it better with P-Tex. This makes it possible for DIYers to repair their materials all by themselves. Even if you have a sintered ski with damage, it is better to carry out the repair with extruded material, so you can avoid any deformation.
If you want to attempt to repair your snowboard yourself, please know that both sintered and extruded base material will be sanded on one side in the factory. The other side will receive a structure. The sanded side is necessary for better adhesion to epoxy. Epoxy is the glue that you use to stick your base to the core of a snowboard or ski. The structured side is of course necessary for the smooth drainage of snow during boarding and skiing.
Advice per discipline
Freestyle
Bee freestyle snowboarding speed is not exactly an important factor. You will slide over objects more often. Think of rails or boxes. We all know that this is not a "clean" surface and that you can quickly suffer damage. Freestylers are therefore more likely to choose an extruded base: it can take a beating. It is cheaper, sturdier and requires less waxing. The latter is useful if, for example, you often train indoors.
To be honest, if you only do jumps, you could possibly opt for a sintered base. Just to gain enough speed to make that one jump.
Know that there is also extruded base material that is enriched with foreign material such as graphite. This means you still have the same material, but you enjoy, for example, faster drainage or discharge of electrostatic electricity, with which you can still match the speed of an expensive sintered base. The idea that sintered is better than extruded was outdated years ago.
Beginner or occasional All-mountain
As a beginner, there are actually few reasons to choose sintered base material. There is a real chance that you will suffer damage more quickly during the learning process. This is part of it
And that also applies to the all-mountain salon skier or party boarder. There is a good chance that you will go over rough stones or branches faster on certain terrains than on those well-groomed slopes.
The advantage for this group of skiers and snowboarders is that on the one hand you can save cash by choosing extruded base material, and on the other hand you do not have to walk into the workshop so often to have your material waxed.
Free riders
Do you want to enjoy speed, are you going to surf in powder snow? Then you have to maintain and wax your equipment very frequently, so that you can build up enough pace to trudge through a thick layer of snow.
Don't try to save on your snowboard or ski, and choose one from the more expensive segment with a sintered base.
Advanced snowboard/ski
If you are already somewhat advanced with snowboarding or skiing, you will get more value for your money by choosing a sintered base.
We don't have to explain to you why you should wax, or how often. When you go skiing all mountain you will appreciate that you can charge down the mountain a lot more aggressively when you are out and about with a sintered base.
Of course you can also opt for an extruded base, but make sure that it is enriched with, for example, graphite or other solutions. This way you can match the sintered material, although you will still have to wax just as frequently because it cannot hold wax for long.
Pro boarders & skiers
Yes, speed matters. Go for a sintered base, and contact us to provide you with a personal, tailor-made, maintenance plan to discuss so that your equipment is in top condition every day!
