Better ski is his aim

Howe claws way into marketplace

By Dave Irons, Globe Correspondent, 3/8/2001

  For nearly four years, John Howe has been making skis in his basement. No, they are not some crude wooden ski for clomping around the fields of his East Waterford, Maine, farm. These are skis with carbon steel edges, sintered P-tex base, fiberglass, triaxial braid, a wood core and phenolic plastic top, the same basic materials used in most modern skis. But they have something no other ski has, Howe's patented elastomeric suspension system. Three years ago, Howe, a semi-retired ski and tennis product engineer, was producing a pair or two a day in his basement after years of experimentation to develop a ski that would hold on ice. Through his years as chief ski designer for Head Skis he had come to the conclusion that damping or controlling vibration was the key to strong edge hold, a critical characteristic for racers and important for recreational skiers. After numerous attempts, he finally came up with the double ski with upper and lower parts separated by an elastomeric layer. The first models were pretty much in line with the rest of the skis on the market in dimensions and sidecuts, but with the Claw construction they held tenaciously on hard pack. Marketing the ski by word of mouth and a single ski shop, Ski Depot in Jay, Maine, and at Mount Abram, Howe has managed to sell several hundred pair. The skis have been produced in facilities in West Paris and Jay, along with Howe's farmhouse basement. The current models don't have the fancy graphics of well known brands. Gearing up for that would require a financial commitment justified only by producing tens of thousands of skis. Instead, the phenolic pastic top is deep blue at tip and tail, fading to a lighter shade near the 38-inch aluminum plate that tops every pair, representing the winter sky, a simple attractive symbol of the sport. While the first models performed as designed, the new models have evolved into pure carving machines. Instead of the more traditional shaped ski with wide tip and more narrow tail, the Claw is symmetric, all models measuring 100 millimeters at the tip, 63 at the waist, and 100 at the tail. The turning radius gets tighter with each drop in size: 185 cm/18.4 meter turning radius, 178cm/17m, 183cm/16m, 163cm/13m, and 155cm/12m. According to Howe, the shorter, tighter turning skis allow skiers to experience the deep carve of racers at recreational speeds for perfect control on steep icy pitches. Although true ice has been hard to find this season, watching the inventor make such turns on a steep face was all the evidence needed that these skis are something special. And the skis were actually built the day before in his basement. This writer will need more runs on the skis to execute the turns as smoothly as Howe, but several hours on four different models were enough to feel the carving capabilities. The skis aren't being used by World Cup racers, who are paid to use a particular brand, but Howe's product has found a market. Five members of the US Disabled Ski Team are on Claws, including national downhill and GS champion Andy Parr, and at a recent Masters weekend, Claws chalked up a pair of wins and two seconds among several top five finishes. The damping system also has been installed atop other skis for competition, and it is working as designed at all levels. Now, after four years in production, the Claw is at a crossroads. Will Howe and friends at Ski Depot continue limited production, license the patented damping process to a major ski company, or expand on their own? While that's being discussed, the skis are being made at the rate of a few pair each day, and skiers interested in trying this unique product can call Ski Depot @ 207 897 5445 or Visit www.clawskis.com

This story ran on page 10 of the Boston Globe on 3/8/2001. © Copyright </globe/search/copyright.htm> 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.

Claw Skis Hires New Hands, Forms Corporation

Jay, Maine (Ski Press)-The Claw Ski might not have found much ice to grab in the east this winter, but it certainly grabbed Ron and Ken Jacques’ attention. The two brothers, owners of the Ski Depot specialty retail store in Jay, Maine, have joined with John Howe, president of Howe Winter Sports, to form Claw Skis, Inc. Howe, a former chief engineer at Head Skis, invented the super-damp specialty East Coast ice ski, and has been manufacturing and marketing the brand out of his barn in Waterford, Maine for the last five seasons. Howe will continue to run the brand as chief executive officer of the new corporation, with the Jacques brothers adding another production facility in Jay, Maine, as well as Claw marketing.“We’re really learning about ski production from John,” Ron Jacques said Tuesday during a break from ski production. “What my brother and I add is our knowledge of retail and a solid background in construction, which has already helped to streamline a few things.” Jacques said he first met Howe when he brought two pairs of The Claw into the retail store, asking the brothers to ski one pair and sell the other one.“He wanted our honest opinion,” said Jacques.And after the brothers spent a few days on The Claw at Sugarloaf, zooming steep fields of ice at a speed and state of serenity they’d never felt before, Howe had his opinion.

“We carry every brand except one at our store, and nobody builds a ski that holds an edge in ice like this one. It was like owning a Yugo and suddenly strapping a Cadillac on,” said Jacques. “Obviously we think it’s an incredible ski. We’re working with him.”In line with the past five years, over which time about 500 pairs of The Claw have been sold, the company will produce about 100 skis this season. Jacques said he received an order for 10 pair from a Pennsylvania ski team the other day and that some master racers have also been ordering them.

Along with the super-hold of its internal vibration dampening system and soft flex, The Claw-in 155, 163, centimeters-now has a symmetrical sidecut or a non-symmetrical   shorter, tighter turn radius. Something Jacques said also helped the ski blow through powder and crud this season. “It’s the best ice ski ever made, but it’s not just an ice ski,” he said. “That’s really the idea we want people to understand. The ski will give you a smooth ride on anything.”