Bamboo cores

We cut up a little bamboo this week as well as performed work that produces income! Bamboo is in interesting material. Not exactly wood as it is a grass. Bamboo itself is gaining traction as a "green" product. We all know the only real "green" product is money. Bamboo does grow very fast, so it is considered more renewable. We are always suspect of such claims here at Grace. We have found the bandwagon believes something, usually something easy to believe and the wagon rolls on in bliss. So is bamboo really a material worth using to make a great ski? Yes we think it is. Is it "green"? If so, compared to what? The environmental advantage gained by the fact that bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource is outweighed by the environmental cost of transporting the bamboo such a long distance from where it is grown. (China) The problem leads to difficult questions like, "How far away from its point of origin does the bamboo have to be before it is no longer green?" . . . pretty complex. What if a ski is manufactured in China? (like so many are) One still needs to ship the final product. Shipping via boat is less harmful and very fuel efficient compared to trucking, so it might cancel out. By asking these important questions and critically evaluating the life cycle, including the harvesting, manufacturing and disposal of the product, you will be better equipped to determine if bamboo is really the healthiest choice for Grace Skiers and the environment. Long story short, We need to grow our "cores" locally with wood/grass that helps the local environment/economy. Take a page from the restaurant business. Local food, grown organically, with very small shipping distances. This is what we at Grace will move toward. We wonder if a bamboo or ash farm could thrive in Denver? That is the long term plan.