Skribbage
A cribbage board set made from unusable skis paired with recycled plastic pegs.
Initial Ideation
Skis
Skis are expensive personal objects that can bring users memories of their own experiences skiing.
I’m a lifelong skier with a strong passion for the sport. I work for a local ski shop, Backcountry Essentials, where I have access to (an eye-catching amount of) skis that are bound for the dump.
Material Considerations
Skis are composite objects with epoxy resin between layers. It is impractical for them to be deconstructed for parts that can be recycled, the only “worthy” part being the inlayed steel edge.
Once skis are mounted more than 2-3 times, it is unlikely they are able to be remounted and must be discarded. Thus, the landfill can be avoided with creative repurposing.
Experimentation
A prototype was rough-cut and hand-drilled to learn about the ski’s material properties.
Reflect Skiing
10 week project, 2025
This project was showcased at our annual event, ReMade, hosted by local Bellingham design boutique, Ideal. Founded in 1995 by professor Arūnas Ošlapas, ReMade challenges WWU’s junior ID students to design, manufacture, and sell a batch of products created from outsourced bulk scrap material. This year’s ReMade product line surrounded practices of circular design.
“Create a scalable product from bulk scrap material that utilizes practices of circular design.”
What is circular design/economy?
Circular design surrounds creating products that are reused, repaired, or recycled to reduce waste and conserve resources, promoting sustainability throughout their lifecycle. This is achieved through designing effective systems involving all parties, from users to lawmakers to recyclers. Read more about circularity here!
**shot of CNC corner tested on ski, maybe a picture of it being CNC’d*
Games
Games act as a physical centerpiece, providing an activity that brings people together for friendly competition.
Cribbage is a game that has always brought my family together to play. This game has been around for 400 years but is increasing in popularity with a dedicated community of players.
**(Procreate) side view of ski internals*
Areas of Focus
**shots of first remade check in prototype, maybe drilling practice*
Utilizing a CNC for drilling would offer consistency and a fast production rate. Testing was successful for both criteria.
Durable
Be Recyclable
Process Refinement
Cut with jigsaw
Round and bevel edges
Measure for Illustrator pattern
Model in Solidworks
Create toolpath code in Fusion
CNC
Deburr
Sand and polish edges
Hammer-stamp point numbers
Fill numbers in with marker
Peg Criteria
While the purpose of the pegs is to mark players’ spots, they should be visually delightful.
Peg Ideation
Pegs are the main interaction point between the user and game, so they must have structural integrity.
Since the board is composite, recyclability is a key goal of additional parts.
From initial sketches, the pegs were envisioned to nod at the form of a ski pole while maintaining structural integrity.
Aluminum
Metal can offer optimal durability while having a high-quality appearance. A manufacturing limitation with using metal in this timeline is the labor needed to produce 100+ of these small pegs.
Plastic (recycled PLA and ABS)
Plastic can achieve this form with various manufacturing methods. PLA is weaker than ABS, but both can be 3D printed with recycled filament, optimizing durability, cost, and production time.
**shot of test pegs*
Material Considerations
Testing & Refinement
Through lots of dimension testing, the ideal size was found. Printing pegs horizontally dramatically increased their structural integrity.
**timelapse duuuuuuump*
**studio shot of different sized pegs or in solidworks, maybe printing process shot*
For three people to play, there must be three distinct peg colors. I chose green, blue, and black to reflect the difficulty signs used at the top of ski runs.