Automakers are constantly on the lookout for potential synergies. Downhill skis wouldn’t be one of the areas you might think they’d find it, but we’ve had plenty of examples that demonstrate to the contrary: Dynastar and Ferrari, Salomon and Saab, Zai and Bentley, Volant and Infiniti… and now Audi has joined the party with an advanced carbon fiber ski design.

@funkmasterflex

Collaborating with sports equipment manufacturer Head and drawing from Audi’s partnership with the German Ski Association, Audi Concept Design Munich developed these carbon skis that are at once both more rigid and more flexible than existing designs. They’re built around a wood core, sandwiched with aluminum and titanium and coated in carbon fiber.

The result is said to be some 200 grams lighter than a comparable conventional design. While they’re strictly a concept design for the time being, Audi and Head are testing the skis for production potential.