A partnership that began in 2021, Porsche has since been cooperating with international sporting goods manufacturer, Head. With their latest product, the Porsche Head 106 Series, a new milestone has been achieved with the two developing skis for free riders. Michael Mauer’s Style Porsche team was responsible for the design, successfully transferring the Porsche design DNA to the world of skiing. Aksel Lund Svindal, brand ambassador for Porsche and Head, contributed his expertise as a former world-class skier.
The skis were developed in the Porsche Design Studio in Weissach, and at Head in Kennelbach, in the vicinity of Bregenz (Austria). The film Time Out tells the story of how sports car and ski know-how came together.
Looking for that perfect line: Porsche head designer Michael Mauer and skiing legend Aksel Lund Svindal share a love of skiing, motorsport, design and performance. Now they have fulfilled a dream they have also shared for a long time. Together with the Style Porsche team and the developers at Head, they have designed the Porsche I Head 106 Series free-ride skis.
Whether developing a new ski or designing a sports car, when one is searching for that perfect line, downtimes from the working day play a major role, as the two leaders of the project explain: “In the creative process, breaks are extremely important,” says Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche. “Creativity thrives on impressions and impulses, on consciously going against the day-to-day. I love the mountains and spend a lot of time there. These breaks give me the distance I require and help me to organise my ideas.”
Head is offering the model as a limited series in the original Porsche colours. For the first time, the sustainable materials rattan and flax have been used. The upper layer of the Porsche | Head 106 Series is transparent, providing an open view of the natural fibres in the interior – a fascinating combination of aesthetics and technology.
And a parallel with Porsche, as the sports car manufacturer also uses natural fibres in its motor racing models – for example, in the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR, which started in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, the driver and passenger doors and the rear wing are made from a mix of fibres. Compared to conventional synthetic materials, organic fibres have an ecological advantage, as 85 per cent less CO2 is generated during their production than in the comparable process for carbon fibres. Natural fibres occur as residual materials in agriculture, thus not conflicting with food cultivation.
Made in Austria, the skis are available in lengths of 184 and 177 centimetres. The longer model has a sidecut of 131 – 106 – 127 millimetres and a radius of 17.8 metres. The new free-ride skis are available from specialist vendors from the start of November.
Thanks for reading! For more Top Gear, visit Tarmac Life.
Media courtesy of Porsche Newsroom.
