While it's nice to have a powered means of exploring the wintertime wilderness, a lot of people despise big, noisy, exhaust-belching snowmobiles. Those folks might prefer a set of electrically-motorized skis, and that's just what the Vipera system consists of.
Currently in prototype form, Vipera is being developed by Boston-based startup Frigid Dynamics. Mechanical engineer and company founder Gurnoor Sooch came up with the idea after a ski trip to Vermont, where he was dismayed by waiting in long lineups for the ski lift.
Central to the system are a set of mixed-terrain skis that get equipped with user-supplied bindings – a set of poles is also included. At the front of each ski is a lithium-ion battery pack, which is connected to an electric motor at the back.
The motors deliver a combined 25 Nm (18 lb-ft) of torque, and incorporate snowmobile-like lugged treads which extend out past the rear ends of the skis. Each tread is connected to its motor via a four-bar linkage and a coil-over shock, which absorb impacts and keep the rubber in contact with the changing contours of the snow at all times.
This setup takes users to a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h), with one three-hour charge of the batteries reportedly good for a range of approximately 10 miles (16 km). Once the juice runs out, an optional second set of batteries can be swapped in. A wireless remote in one of the ski pole handles is utilized to accelerate, brake, switch between drive modes, and check the battery level.
Users can just keep all the rail-mounted hardware on the skis as they make their way through the woods, or they can motor their way up the slopes, then remove the motors and batteries to speed back downhill. It's worth noting that the combined weight of the two motors and batteries is a claimed 21 lb (9.5 kg), so they would be a bit of a load in a backpack.
Vipera is priced at US$2,999, and Sooch tells us that it should ship to buyers in the US, Canada and Europe starting this September. You can preorder now by placing a $199 deposit via the company website. The somewhat similar E-Skimo system, which utilizes a tread that goes along the underside of each ski, is only being marketed to ski manufacturers.
You can see Vipera in action, in the video below.
Source: Frigid Dynamics
