Dear Mr.

Levinthal,
My name is William Brako, I have been skiing for nearly 14 years starting when I
was about two years old. I am a big fan of what you are doing for the ski community
and industry, I believe you are one of the reasons the ski industry is where it is
today. One of the factors of me buying a ski is the quality of the edges, I have had
edges fall out, become severely damaged rather quickly and not stay at the quality I
would want them to. Although I do not know what materials are used in your ski edges
but I know most edges are variations of steel. Steel is an alloy of Iron and
Carbon. These steel edges are shiny and can be sharp but may also rust due to it
being an Iron alloy which causes them not to perform properly. Steel has a body
centered cubic crystalline structure which is brittle and not especially durable. I believe
that there is another metal alloy that could suit your skis. This alloy could potentially
make your edges more durable, stay sharp longer, last longer, and possibly be cheaper
to produce. Although I am not sure what material you are using on your skis I think this
could be a sort of wonder edge. This material is a is a martensitic stainless chromium
steel. This means that the heating and cooling processes are changed to create a
crystalline structure that differs from Steel. This Crystalline structure is called bodycentered tetragonal, it is stronger, more durable, and less susceptible to rust or
corrosion. This alloy also has a different chemical composition. This alloy consists of
0.6% Carbon, 0.4% Silicon, 0.4% Manganese, 0.025% Phosphorus, 0.010 Sulfur,
and 13.5% Chromium. Just like other Steel alloys this metal is metallically bonded. This
alloy will look exactly the same as a normal edge to the normal eye but completely
different under a microscope, you would be able to see the difference in crystalline
structure but not much else. This material would be an improvement to your skis for
many reasons. The replacement of edge would make the ski more a lot more
durable. This would mean that when you are a park skier those big disasters on to a rail
or just the general bashing of edges on rails would not destroy your edges nearly as
easily as a normal edge. This also adds an environmental improvement. Less
frequently broken skis makes it so less skis are thrown away or disposed of in a harmful
way to the earth. I would also guess that this metal would be cheaper to obtain and
use. One specific product would be Sandvik 12C27. This is the exact material I have
been talking about and is for sale on Sandviks website. Production could be easier
because repairing edges would be much less effort and less common. Less customer
complaints would come about edges. More people would buy your skis because of their
durability. I think that this material could change the ski industry and if you start using it
first then you may become one of the top ski companies just like the companies you
have previously started. Thank you for your contributions to the ski community.
Sincerely,
William Brako

P.O. Box 4414 Durango, CO 81302 (970) 247-2474 animashighschool.com

P.O. Box 4414 Durango, CO 81302 (970) 247-2474 animashighschool.com