- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
Year-round backcountry skier and a professor at the University of Nevada-Reno, Kam Leang is on the forefront of innovation in ski and snowboard technology. He currently is teaching a mechanical engineering class where his students are incorporating nanotechnology into skis they're building. One set will somehow fold down to fit in a suitcase; the other pair will utilize a "particle dampener" to reduce vibrations.
Graduate student Brian Kenton, who is the teacher's assistant for the class, has been building his own skis out of his garage for the last four years.
"I've made about 12 pairs, but this is definitely the first time I've seen one with a particle dampener on it," he said.
Sure, it sounds like something Captain Kirk would use skiing the slopes of the planet Alderaan, but it's also not too far from reality. Here's link to the Nanotech News story; there's another one here. Watch a news story on Leang's class and the future of nanotech skis after the jump.
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.