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CES is, of course, widely renowned for introducing new concepts to the world. Often, these are constructs that are built on top of existing technologies, but sometimes, the end product is a device that the public has never previously witnessed.
Such is the case of a Swiss company called E-Outdoor, which unveiled on Sunday the world’s first electric-assisted solution for effortless uphill climbs and flat-surface traverses.
Inspired by the success of electric mobility, similar to e-bikes and other battery-powered devices, E-SKIMO combines advanced sensor technology, which allows skiers to enjoy cross-trail traverses and uphill ascents up to four times faster than human power.
The company showcased their product just prior to the opening of CES, not on a ski hill but rather on the slick, flat surface of a Las Vegas ice rink, where they effectively demonstrated the combined power of human and battery energy to quickly and easily propel the user across the arena surface.
“We tried to find a ski slope on the Las Vegas strip but since that wasn’t a real option, the ice rink was the next best alternative,” said company founder and CEO Nicola Colombo.
“E-SKIMO stands for electric ski mountaineering,” Colombo said. “It offers a solution similar to an e-bike — an electrically-assisted support that helps you go farther up with less effort on the uphill. It’s composed of the battery, traction belt and power unit with certain sensors inside that basically operates the ski, rotating the belt and this is what provides the traction.”
“You can actually ride this up to three hours and when you get to the top of the hill, you remove the battery and the power unit, you put it in your backpack and you’re ready to go down the hill with an uncompromised ski performance,” he added.
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Colombo’s incentive for the product was born out of frustration for not being able to enjoy the part of the ski journey he loved the most with his closest friends.
“I wanted my buddies to join me on uphill hikes to experience the beauty of the backcountry experience,” he said. “But my friends were so out of shape, they were too exhausted when they reached the top to enjoy the downhill journey.”
“It was then that I decided to create this product,” Colombo said.
As an embedded technology that’s designed for integration into skis at the manufacturing level, E-SKIMO is part of a movement to democratize and enhance the backcountry ski experience, Colombo said.
“We aim to revolutionize ski mountaineering through technology to make the sport more accessible, exhilarating and inclusive, empowering more people to explore the beauty of the outdoors with ease,” he said.
The company is already partnering with Technica, one of the world’s leading sports equipment manufacturer, and is also in conversations with several other major brands.