Worked with a team of 6 Northeastern University students to design a foldable cross-country ski with universal binding compatibility for use by the U.S. Army in tundra regions

Our military client needed skis that could:

• Fit any military boot

• Perform at -60ºF

• Hold a weight of 400 pounds

The body of the ski consists of walnut and maple woods

In this configuration, the ski is equipped with a Telemark binding, but can be made compatible with any binding type

The hinge is secured using a draw latch on the top face of the ski

We designed and 3D printed two different styles of universal binding; one that would fit in a pin-style binding and one that would fit in a Telemark binding. Both are compatible with the boots the military uses.

Performed finite element analysis on hinge components to analyze stress distribution under maximum loading condition

Conducted Instron testing on three hinge prototypes

• The strongest hinge design (based on the Instron data) was chosen for the final prototype